Addicted to Smallies

+1 I absolutely love my Revo S and Veritas rod, and actually prefer the new Revo S to some of my more expensive reels.

My best day ever was a couple of years ago when my then 8 year old son and I went to a local lake. He had just about given up on bass fishing for good because he'd yet to hook one after multiple trips... lots of bluegill and crappie and catfish, but never a bigmouth bass. But somehow, on that day, every single fish in the lake suddenly "turned on" and he caught 18 nice-sized fish in a row, literally on every other cast. The funny thing was, I only caught a couple because I was so busy helping him land and unhook the fish he was catching. To this day, he still talks about the day he out-fished daddy 9-to-1, and now he's my best fishing partner. ANY day out with him is special. Another one was when he and I were offshore and I told him if he caught a fish over six feet I would mount it for him, knowing that we weren't in "big fish" water at the time. BUT, somehow he managed to hook into a 6 1/2 foot shark. He fought it for 45 minutes and finally got it close enough to the boat that I could get a gaff into it and haul it aboard. He was 10 at the time and henlanded it all by himself... wouldn't even let me help him reel when his arms started hurting. The smile on his face was incredible, and now he has a big toothy shark mounted over his bed. As for me fishing solo, the best day was 2 summers ago when I was fishing in the upper Potomac. I was wading in a quiet section of the river, and I was catching nice smallies on every cast, it seemed. But to make it even more amazing, while I was retying my line, a huge bald eagle suddenly swooped down and snatched a fish out of the water literally 20 feet from me. It was the single most amazing "nature overwhelms me sometimes" moment of my outdoor life. In 40 years of hunting and fishing, that moment still stands out to me... Our national symbol is a truly, truly awe-inspiring creature. Funny, but my 40-bass days don't really stand out in my memories, but the experiences above are going to be with me until the day I die.

My local Dick's Sporting Goods has the 5-arm Rig and the Yumbrella both for $9.99 on an unadvertised "red tag" sale. Not sure if all of them do, but I thought I'd let you guys know. Even though I'm not a big fan of them (and agree 100% that they shouldn't be allowed in tournament fishing) I figured I should have a couple in the boat next year in case the need should arise when a school of stripers is feeding and the largemouth bite is slow.

We live in NOVA, too, and have to use an offsite lot due to HOA restrictions in our neighborhood. Its about $1000 a year, which is crazy expensive IMHO. There arent many / any on-water spots around here for small boats. I don't use it, but Occoquan park has a storage lot if you like putting in near there, and the prices aren't TOO terrible compared to other NOVA sites. Offsite storage really isn't that bad, but the downside is that none of them have electric so you do need to bring your batteries home if you want to keep them charged (as well as your graphs and all your gear if you don't want them stolen!)

...to be in some of the best smallmouth territory around and to be snowed in. Visiting the inlaws on Lake Erie and we are absolutely covered in snow. It's killing me to look out the window and know all those big-bodied lake smallies are just lurking there under the ice and snow! Holiday snow is beautiful, but I realize why I live in Virginia! (And I used to consider VA to be too far north...) Any of you other SouthEast guys in the same predicament?

Agree 100%! I hate to think about all of the strikes I've missed before I started working on this part of my fishing game. I bet a lot of those "no bite Saturdays" would have been more like "3-4 fish Saturdays" if I'd known what I was doing.

I usually get at least 2 seasons out of my braid, and I've never had it break. I use a high quality mono backer and also typically use a 3-4' fluoro leader, so the main line usually doesn't get much damage unless I'm fishing around rocks or heavy debris. Plus, by doing like the earlier posts mentioned, I can wind my braid onto a different reel so that I'm using the "fresher" part of the line and the older part is buried on the reel. It's a great trick and it keeps the co$t down a bit. For the smaller diameter stuff like 10lb braid on my ultra light gear, I usually change it out more frequently since it's only 2-3 strands of fiber instead of the multiple strands you have on the higher-test line.

Shewillbemine, I've been fishing for many, many years and I STILL have some trouble detecting a light strike on the fall. I think this is one of the hardest things for the non-pro to master because it just takes lots and lots of time on the water. To me, I have the best luck on the 4th or 5th cast so that I can first get a feel for what the current and depth are like and what the line "should" look like as the lure falls. Then, after I've got a feel for the water, I hit anything that seems a little bit "off" from the norm. I'm sure I've lost a lot of fish over the years, but I do OK with this method it seems. I used to just watch my line for twitches, but I know that I've lost a lot of big fish that may have sucked it in but didn't move off with it, so now I hit anything that feels different -- like they say, hook sets are free, and no one will make fun of you (too much) for setting on a phantom fish. I also switched to a high-viz line (PowerPro yellow) and that helps some, too. The slightest twitch is easier to see. I also agree with the Circle Hook comments. I use circle hooks on my Senkos and other worm-like plastics when I wacky rig, and I've had many fish "hook themselves" where I would have missed them if I'd had to make a hard hook set with a traditional worm hook or jig. The problem of "waiting" with Circle Hooks is a real one for me too, but when I'm expecting a fish to hit on the fall (deep water, suspended fish, etc.) then I find that I manage to hook more than I lose when using a circle hook. I still prefer a worm hook, but circle hooks do have their place, and one of those places is when you are having trouble detecting a strike, IMHO. Just my two cents -- hope this is helpful. I know it's a little different than what other folks say, but so far it's worked OK for me and has helped me to better handle the on-the-fall strikes.

Costas are a great addition to your fishing arsenal! I honestly thought my Oakley's were good until I tried the Costas, and they blew everything else out of the water (no pun intended!) I NEVER push a particular brand on people (usually, I figure everyone has their own favorites and that's just fine with me), but with Costas I make an exception -- they are hands-down the BEST glasses on the planet for fishing (and I've tried all of them, I think.) Whatever you get, you will love them! As for color, you can't go wrong with the green mirror 580G lenses. The 400's are not as good -- although they're still pretty darn good they aren't as good as the 580's at letting the "good" light through while blocking the problematic yellow light part of the spectrum. I also tried the plastic (580P) lenses that a buddy has, but I think the extra visual quality of the glass lenses does make a big difference and the higher visual quality offsets the (slight) weight difference. I mostly fish in freshwater rivers and lakes here in Virginia where the water can run anywhere from brown to green to gin clear, and the green mirror 580Gs work flawlessly in all of those conditions. The Costa folks say that the green mirror are best for lakes, streams and for inshore fishing, but I also went deep sea fishing over the summer, and they worked really well there as well... I could see the fish before any of the other guys on the boat it seemed. The green mirror lenses have a copper / amber base tint, and to me they let a LOT more color through than the gray lenses do. Everything seems more vibrant to me with that shade compared to the slightly more washed-out look of the gray base. I know you didn't ask about frames, but I love the Brine. I have an "average" sized head (5'11", 160#, average guy) and most of the other sizes seemed too large for me, but the Brine fit perfectly. If you have a bigger head, then the Fathom or the Harpoon might be better for you. The ones below are mine:

Thanks for all the comments... I'm glad to hear that you all sound like you had a Merry Christmas. All the best to you and yours for a safe and happy New Year!

Good to know I'm not the only one that has had success with the yellow braid (with or without leader.) I always wondered if I just got lucky, or if other folks used it as well. None of the guys I fish with uses the high-viz line, but my eyes really depend on it these days, it seems. Thanks for all the comments. Sounds like I'm not too far off the mark. I especially like the idea of marking the last few feet with a waterproof sharpie or marks-a-lot... I honestly hadn't thought of that, but it's a great idea.

I use fluoro, braid and mono depending on the type of fishing I'm doing, but overall I've been a braid fan for several years now. I have tried white (Suffix), green (all of 'em) and yellow (PowerPro) and have realized that the high-viz yellow PowerPro works really well for me when I'm fishing a Senko or other slow baits since I can see the line twitch before I feel it. But I've always wondered if that color spooks fish, even if you use a fluoro leader (I always use a 3-4' leader with the bright lines.) Senko and deadstick rod -- Yellow (with a fluro leader) Everything else -- Green (no leader) What about you guys? Any colors you use for any particular reason?

My drop shot rod is a St. Croix Mojo, 6'9", ML with an extra fast tip. A great rod, and I paired it with a Pfleuger President 6930 reel... have had more expensive reels, but this one is hard to beat in my opinion (I have 4 of them in different sizes.) IMHO, both of these are very good value for the money, and are both plenty of equipment for me.

You can always go with a hybrid. I have a Mad River Adventure 14 canoe that is rotomolded and made much like a kayak. We absolutely love it. Stable and easy to fish from, and I can stand in it all day with no issues. It's tough as nails, and handles rough water in the upper Potomac really well. It's both our family canoe and my skinny-water fishing platform, and even though I recently bought a full sized bass boat, I still use this multiple times each summer to go into smallmouth territory. Plus, I can easily load it in my pickup by myself. And the seats are awesome... very comfortable for a day of paddling. Plus, you can mount all of the kayak-specific accessories since it's all rotomolded and you can drill/screw into the sides with no problems.

May Jose RIP... Spanish Fly was always a great show, and I was truly sad to hear about his passing.

River Monsters -- This is the kind of show that reminds me why I love fishing: the adventure, the drama, and the science behind the fish. Jeremy Wade makes fishing seem like one of those old-time safari adventures from the early 1900's where you might end up drinking kava tea with a Tongan tribe or getting chased away from a river by a group of armed militia... it's a fantastic show (even if the drama is a bit hyped-up at times.) Even my wife enjoys watching this one with me. Lunkerville -- Gotta hand it to Mike D for coming up with a totally new and fresh concept in a sometimes tired category. Even after several years, the concept is still fresh and enjoyable and paints the everyday fishermen (and women) in a very favorable light. No matter if it's a bank fisherman, a paddle tin boat or a fancy bass boat, the people on this show obviously love fishing, and Mike makes them all seem like genuine, likable people. (BTW, Mike, if you're ever looking for another partner, come on down to Virginia -- or I'm happy to meet up with you when I'm in NYC for work every week! I've got a 10 year old that can outfish you and me both, and can probably teach folks a few things!) Facts of Fishing -- Would LOVE to be able to fish with Dave Mercer for a day! Even a catchless day would be a blast with that guy, I bet.

Merry Christmas to all of you, as well! May the peace of our Lord and Savior be with all of you this holiday season and throughout 2013!

My wife and son REALLY surprised me this Christmas... I had no idea she had been saving up to get me a new rod and reel, much less a brand new Revo S and matching Veritas rod, but she did, and she even let my 10 year-old son put his name on the tag in the "from" section. I'm a lucky man to have a wife that not only TOLERATES my fishing, but also actively supports it and a son that loves going out on the boat with me. I already know what I'm most thankful for this holiday season -- the best family that any man could hope for. Not only do they tolerate me and my crazy-fishing-addiction foolishness, but they even enjoy getting their lines wet. And it's NOT about the expense of such a nice gift either... even if they had just surprised me with a $6 pack of Senkos, I would have felt the same way... counting my lucky stars to have such a great family that actively promotes my favorite hobby. So how about it, guys... any of your ladies (or kids) surprise you with anything this year? Anything from a new lipless crankbait to a new bass boat -- doesn't matter how big just as long is it was a gift from the family this year... let's see it!

I've also heard the color thing from other folks as well. That might be it, since the only swimbaits I had were all basically the same color (white, with variations of color on the back). I did try to switch to a darker color in a swim Senko, but the profile and action is very different. What color soft swimbait do you guys usually throw? I've always gone with variations of white (pearl or Tennessee shad colors) in the Money Minnow or the Berkely Hollow Body swimbait.

There are a couple of free options out there on the web. I sometimes use Acme Mapper online to view topo maps and other map views. No charts (yet) but the topo maps help to show the creek inlets, etc. Also handy since it shows the GPS coordinates easily. http://mapper.acme.com/ If you are fishing NAVIGABLE bodies of water and want to see charts, then try EarthNC's online viewer. This site gives you the standard nautical charts, and you can overlay them on satellite imagery as well. It's a little slow, but it works well enough. http://earthnc.com/online-nautical-charts

Hard to beat the Emerson knives, but they ARE pricey. Expensive, but dollar for dollar probably the best knife in the world.

I've used the drop shot a few times with success, and other times not so much. It has tended to work for me when I'm kayak fishing over structure, but I've had less luck with it when I'm out in my big boat. So, here is a "drop shot newbie" question for you experts: How to you keep your boat in the right spot while drop shotting over a rock pile or other piece of structure, especially in a river or with a strong breeze? I have always thought that staying on the trolling motor will spook the fish when you're on top of them. Or does it not matter when they are 20' below you?

A Mepps Aglia #3 can definitely put fish in the boat when nothing else is working. I've never caught a huge bass on one, but for numbers it works well and is definitely in the "panic box" on my boat.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. The scent idea is an interesting point to discuss further... I was using the Berkley Powerbait Hollow Body swimbait... doesn't the "Powerbait" name mean it has the powerbait scent already built in? So now I'm wondering... if you apply a different scent to a powerbait plastic (or to any other impregnated-scent plastic) does that lead to "scent confusion" for the fish, or does it "double" the attractiveness?

Not sure what happened, but it looks like my original post was deleted... I'll try again. Today, we were fishing on the Occoquan, Potomac and Mattawoman and having decent luck with spinnerbaits and brush hogs. However, when I fished my 5" Berkley Hollow Body swimbait (shad color) through the grass flats, I noticed nice sized bass would be following it up to the boat and then veering away. This happened probably a dozen times. I tried killing the action in mid-retrieve for the "wounded minnow" look, slowing the retrieve, and jigging it during the retrieve, but nothing seemed to work. Switched to a 3.5" and didn't even get any followers. Tried a swim Senko for a different profile and color, and again, nothing even looked at it, but when I retied the 5" hollow body, several more fish followed it nose-to-tail, all without biting it. So, what am I doing wrong here... anyone else ever have this happen?