whitwolf

Wife: ned rig and smallie beaver. Me: mostly the same baits I would fish with for largemouth. The last night trip (pictured) I caught 5 total all on an 8" plastic eel, Black/Pearl.

A short synopsis before the details. 1. Stroke 2. Retirement 3. Move to the swamp 4. Family 5. I can't catch smallmouth I had my life planned out. It took a turn. My retirement years were supposed to be spent in the swamps of North Carolina. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with dementia and I will not leave the Western part of the state until.... I don't know at this point. Family is most important. There's a lake up this way(western part of North Carolina)with Smallmouth. I have tried to catch said Brown fish with limited success. I have read many things here, talked to a good number of people, and fished where they are; I caught a fine mess of largemouth everytime. lol This year I simply decided to fish. I quit caring about species. Late February through mid March I caught a few largemouth and no smallmouth. I couldn't go again until mid April. It was crazy windy but my wife and I had rented a lake front cabin so out we go. I threw a crankbait a good chunk of the 4 hours we were out. I fished in protected pockets the best I could. The wind blew my tin rig around a bit and I fished what I could with a crankbait. We hit a small bite window and caught three smallmouth in an hour. They were not lake Menderchunk type behemoths but I was durn happy. The next morning my goal was to get my wife on some fish. We spent a few hours on the main channel with nothing. I backed off a bit and had her throwing(as best as she could) at the end of laydowns in towards the channel. One nice smallmouth, one nice largemouth. She's hooked so to speak. We now go at night. We just fish. The ratio has been 10-1 smallmouth. No special baits or techniques. Maybe a bit deeper(not much though) and fish a little slower. I thought the joy would be finally catching some Brown fish. It is, a little. But listening to Tresa hollar"got one" or seeing her smile.... A funny thing happened...

I want to piggy back on those that have brought up knowing your water. Do NOT go at night unless you are very familiar with the body of water you are fishing. Night time navigation is a different animal. Take your time. You may know the water well but there's always someone that doesn't. I can not count the times I've idled out of a creek and a boat has come out of know where. They were Not running in the middle of the channel. Baits, times, and everything else has been fully covered in this thread. BUT; make durn sure the person you're taking fully understands what night fishing is all about. A skilled angler is going to be a much better partner than a beginner. One last thing. Here in the South it's still hot at night and usually the humidity drops very little. I stay just as hydrated at night.

Welcome!

1. TX Rig. 2. Jig 3. Crankbait

Great choice! Congratulations @Mike L

Well done my friend!

I still fish the Rebel Ringworms today. 40+ years old.

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Jesse Wise and Scott Wiley. Go team Deep Creek Lures!

@Vince I think with the limited knowledge people had of your situation they were and are giving sound advice nonetheless. It appears you have found your solution! ill simply add this as a piggy back to a small part of what @A-Jay said: " Things seem to work out best for the men who can make the best out of the way things turn out." I had my retired life planned to a T. My wife and I were going to move from Western NC to the swamps of Eastern NC. We had planned on taking her mama. 3 years from that realization I had a stroke. I'm very fortunate in that it wasn't debilitating. I worked hard just to walk with a cane. We were still contemplating moving when her mother was diagnosed with early onset dementia. Our plans are now up in the air. I don't care. Family is important. If we end up staying up here I'm good with that. It's life. The point? Sometimes life happens and with our approach that family comes first it's an easy decision. I still get to fish and sitting with my mother-in-law a day a week while she's still doing OK is a blessing.

Boat traffic. In addition to the pleasure boaters, kayaks, jet skis, and paddle boards, there are Tuesday night, Wednesday, and Saturday tournaments year around. A lot of boats and a lot of pressure. From now until early October I either night fish or fish from 4 AM to 9AM. Occasionally my wife will take a day off work and we go during the week. It's nice.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome!

RW... it was complicated. There were a lot of promises made and very little kept. I learned some very important lessons in how not to be treated.

I fished with a guy for many years that turned out to be a jerk. The first 5 were fine the next 2 there were some red flags but fine, the last 3 he became someone that made so my poor decisions on the water I couldn't stand to be on his boat. I was mired in a divorced and had sold my boat but it had gotten so bad and he had gotten so bad I made the choice to just find some small ponds to fish. I got remarried, bought another bought, then a nicer boat. I fished mostly by myself out of fear that the next guy would be like the last one. My wife went a few times but didn't have a lot of fun because I didn't listen. My son-in-law started going but my step daughter would start texting two hours into a trip asking when we were coming home. It would be non-stop. She made his life miserable. I fished by myself and was happy. In September of 2022 I had a stroke. No more fishing by myself. It has been difficult to find anyone to go but a funny thing happened. My wife has gone everytime I have wanted and we have had a blast. A little back story: she would go before but didn't want to stay out there for 10 hours. I heard but didn't listen. (Talk about a jerk) I was giving instruction as if she had the skill level of a seasoned angler. (Talk about a jerk).... there's more. Anyway fast forward to 2024. We go for short 5-6 hour trips; I don't over coach, we talk a lot, laugh, bought a pee can, she brings whatever picnic snacks she wants, and she's having fun! Tresa is having fun because I finally got out of my own way and was forced to listen. She's a great partner and wanted to stay out yesterday a little later! After she lost a nice fish she came up with a one liner that made me smile. It hit home: : "Fishin' will make you cuss." She said it light heartedly and with goodwill. One last thing: I have read for many years on this website many of the ramp champions brag about their launch/load skills and berate anyone whom can't do these tasks in less than 5 minutes. I have to walk with a cane now and it takes me a while to launch and load. If that bothers you in any way either get over it or take a hike. Me and Tresa helped an elderly couple load their pontoon yesterday because they were having trouble. It's public water, they have every right to be there. Compassion is free, try it some time. Anyway, back on topic: if you are fortunate to find a good fishing partner hold onto them, they're worth their weight in Gold!

Welcome!

Starting on the 18th of this month if I fish it will be on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. If I fish the weekend it will be at night. The amount of disrespectful people during peak hours is mind-boggling. My wife and I spent our anniversary weekend lake front. My head was on a swivel the entire time we were out there.