A-Rob

I dont' remember who makes the thing, but I got this hollow body frog with legs like one of them solid rubber buzzfrogs. I like it b/c I can stop/go it over lillypads, the start burning it to the next set.

Thanks everyone! I was thinking of using my MH ~7foot rod with a nice (for me) baitcasting reel, and 12# test Maxima mono. I figured the 12# was enough, but just wanted to make sure before the first big lunker of the season swims off with my crank! Let me know if anyone disagrees with my line choice!

Keep in mind, I mainly fish for smallies: 1. Spinnerbait Anything of good quality, willow leaf (silver or gold), white with some chartreuse and orange. 2. Tubes 3.75-4", black/blue, brown, green 3. Senko Yum 4-5", white/green 4. Rapala X-Rap Any of them kick @$$ 5. Worm Yum Paddletail 6", brown.

Just wondering as I'm rigging up for the upcoming season. I wanted to know what line you guys would fish if you were throwing a lipless crank bait over top of moderately heavy grass, about 6 to 9 feet deep water. I want to mow that lawn with enough line strength that I can get a nice largemouth out of the fairly heavy weeds just under my lure. Thanks everyone!

Glenn's video is great. Maybe in your case, just grab a Booyah spinnerbait (good for the price, and always on sale at bass pro), willow leaf blades, silver in clear water like your lake. Skirt color, maybe a white with some blue and chartreuse in them for smallies. I like using a 3/8oz size for smallies up north as no fish will turn down the down sized spinnerbait. Also, if you go up to a heavier spinnerbait, I find they do have a lot of resistance. If you are using a medium action rod, stick with the 3/8 in my opinion. Too much drag and you will find your self fighting the lure all day. Good luck, I think the spinnerbait/senko is a great combination for you, I use them a ton. All the best!

I use the Strike King Game Hawg....b/c I'm cheap haha. Anyone have opinions on that one? I haven't used it yet, they're ready to rock for this coming season. Comparable to the Rage Tails??

I was wondering the same thing. I fish north as well. Often I prefer burning a 3/8 oz, but I want to go heavier sometimes, to slow roll and stuff. I have never had any luck slow rolling, although I maybe just haven't tried it long enough to give it a chance. When I was slow rolling, I was using a 5/8oz spinnerbait, that thing felt like it weighed a million pounds. I prefer the lighter spinnerbaits still. ......I doubt my rambling has helped anyone haha. Good luck bro, you and me are in the same boat here

Did anyone else see the the smallie in Dwights profile pic?? Holy mercy! I knew lake Erie had some big ones, but that big...wow. Anyways, glad we all sorted it out TJ and Swimbasser. I enjoy everyone's passion for the smallmouths.

Coincidently, I have tried that as well! I don't know what made me think it, but I did it with a smaller x-rap. Surprisingly, I dropped it down around 15' and pulled up 3 beauty Walleye on 3 casts!! Nuts, it works great.

Sorry to be brash but that is flat out irresponsible. "Sportsmen" need to take management issues more seriously and not just view them as an inconvenience. Many management problems could have been prevented by responsible actions or sportsmen. Sure smallmouth are getting big eating them. But what about the population of other fish, and other forage. Great Lakes Salmon are a great example of the necessity to have a variety of forage. After years of gorging on Alewives biologists are finding the single protein diet is sterilizing salmon. You are pointing out his mistake using hindsight. Our fishing and hunting is based on the rules and laws. There are certain minnows now that you can't use as live bait. You cannot criticize your grandfather for using them before they were endangered. Or you used to be able to harvest 6 smallies on my lake, they changed it to 3. Things change, so the fisherman changed. I agree that it is irresponsible to use them NOW. But don't criticize based on knowledge that has been released after his actions, which were at the time legitimate. In fact, those gobies he caught he said the smallmouth killed them, so he actually killed a few for us before the regulation was passed. I agree with everything you said, except for you quoting and calling out TJ.

I will accidently catch these little guys while bass fishing. They are an invasive species, and in ontario you cannot possess them, furthermore you can't release them alive legally either. I usually just cut their head off and toss them back in for smallmouth food. I'm worried about those asian carp that jump all over the place. I won't like driving my boat much with those things.

Yep, like everyone else, I texas rig mine, and bounce it around the bottom, whether I'm flippin' and pitchin the heavy cover or just fishing off shore weedbeds/structure

I fish Georgian Bay, so kinda local to your area. I heard Lake of the Woods is unreal for bass fishing. Check out 'Fishin' Canada', it is a fishing show, and they do a few episodes fishing for bass on lake of the woods. They don't stop talking about how awesome it is, how it is the best in canada etc. Both episodes I have seen are for bass, some smallies, some larges. Check it out on....'myoutdoortv.com', google that and watch it for free Hope that helps!

p.s. with the new 60 degree shaky head jigs, I can hide the hook really well to, a worm in this case works great to!

I am not shy to toss a texas rigged tube into the heaviest of junk, I find the hook point hides the best when I rig up my tubes compared to worms or whatever else. I find the tube can crawl thru the heavy stuff, not just straight vertical

'bass edge' is my favorite

I fish these old gravel pits on a guys farm out in the country that has bass. It is fairly pressured as a lot of families bring their kids there (for $5) to throw a worm on the end of the line and have a day out. I have actually found that they are tough to get a bite, a lot of stuff just doesn't work. Partly b/c its not a natural water system, so they don't have craws etc....anyways, I fix this problem by downsizing to a booyah pond magic spinner bait, its 5/16oz or something like that, You can always get that reaction strike if ya throw that spinnerbait....hopefully!

I have had lots of luck with Junebug in deeper water, even if the lake is clear, as it is darker. I've also picked up some nice ones in shallow water that is clear. Junebug Yum Craw Papi I think I was using.

No need to switch baits! I think the pros are looking for the sweet spot or pattern. They want to get that initial strike or 2 quickly and decide what was common between the 2 or more hits. You can do this quickly with these search baits. ie they are in the notches of the weed line. Also, you can use them to find underwater structure, perhaps some stumps or a pile of rocks out of eye sight. In the first case, you could stick with the search bait and keep hitting the hot spots. In the 2nd case, of bumping into structure, you may catch a few aggressive fish, then go to the soft plastic to follow up those lazy ones. Home that helps!

Maybe I am just throwing junebug soft plastics where the fish are, but that color "works"!

I was gonna give those VMC Sure Set trebles a try, they look pretty mean!

my gear isn't ideal, but I am a poor student, but I can tell ya what I use b/c it works even though not ideal, it will let ya know what you could get away with. I use my MH 6'6" spinnerbait rod. Baitcasting reel, 6.3:1 14lbs test mono 12lbs test leader ball bearing swivel 2 steel eggs sinkers (size depends on conditions, and the steel sinkers clink pretty good instead of a bead) 3/0 hook Yum craw papi, 4" brush hog, hoola grub, 4 or 6" lizard (i fish smallies mainly)

Thanks everyone for all your opinions, it has sparked a more than a few new ideas for me!

DT's and xraps

My jigs are usually straight shank hooks with NO angle between the hook and the weight. My shakeys are a longer straight shank hook, with a 60 degree angle, this helps it be rigged more weedless. I like the shakey head on my lake where there's some grass.