Spankey

I broke that color out a bit more this season. Productive color. But in my opinion a PB&J worm is very similar to a natural night crawler. A jig in that color is not that much different than a phase of crawdads in my area. You should try it. You’ll get hits and bit on it. That brown/purple is out there in countless baits. Good luck with it.

This season was a struggle for that real nice fish. Fish that I’m fishing for. Did catch some respectable Smallies and Greenies though. I just hope next season there are a few less conditions I have to deal with. Things beyond my control.

I thought after the rain and snow pushed out that the weekend would have given me a last chance of the season especially with some new water. But 22 mph winds are the spoiler. Like you were are suppose to hit 50 deg. Today.

With total sadness I pulled the plug on my season yesterday. We’ve been dealing with a lot of wind as of lately and now rains and snow show up after months of on not having any and fishing low water levels. End of last week was the last hurrah for me. I sort of wanted to end it on a high note with a few respectable fish but the lone 16”+ Greenie and 10 nice bluegill for the grill over the winter I’m satisfied with that. My season was not a loss but not what I expected. I caught some respectable Smallies and Greenies 16-17” fish. But I know I was fishing for bigger fish. My biggest let down was that I’m primarily a crankbait guy and the crankbait bite for me was in the toilet. Fish were not where I expected them to be. I was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia and was side lined for a few weeks. I felt like I was behind the 8 ball and lost a big step. Nobody wanted me outside during the extreme heat. This took place during prime time and I think it knock my mental bass game off. We suffered lack of rains, higher temps, lower water levels and bass and baitfish in deeper water. But there were positives, fished some Z-Man soft plastics for a first. Everything and every color pattern worked on a handful of styles. Peanut Butter and Jelly is not a first color choice for me but found out how good a color pattern it is. Will continue to use it more. With crankbait bite in the toilet, jig and pig was fished more successfully. Fished for the first time the Flat Worm. Has worked as drop shot, split shot, T-rigged and on a jig head. Overall numbers were highest with this bait. Will continue to use this but gonna go to the bigger length next season. I have a few months now to reflect on the high and low notes.

This has been a good thread post. It looks like we are all a bit different but close to being all in the same ball park. I don’t have a lot that I’m in the market for finding over the winter to use this upcoming season. But I think I’m taking a ML and a Med. set up and setting myself up to a braid line and fluoro leader. Most likely Power Pro and a SunLine leader of some time. Finesse fishing is a big part of my time out. Can’t say I’ve tried this yet. Only braid I have on is on a frog rod. Want to see what all the hype is about. Curious if there is an increase in sensitivity.

You could also try to tie a Rapala knot to your floater diver and eliminate the snap and split ring. But I can see the convenience of a snap. I have to agree with A-Jay on the use of the oval split rings. Many of the SK crankbaits come with them. Liked the way they performed and switched over many of my Rapala cranks.

6’10” ML X-Fast 7’ ML Fast With 2500 and 3000 Shimanos

I my case it may not be a technique that was moved away from but a bait. But the bait will get revisited eventually. Generally when I go back to a successful bait it works out positively. At times kept from getting skunked. I think not using a Carolina Rig has cost me fish this fall. No excuse as to why I didn’t. Got hung up with other techniques.

I don’t think Ms. Puss is causing any loss of hits or bites. I don’t mess with gasolines or oils prior to fishing. Take care of all that stuff the day before. To me it may be the biggest of scent issues or what may be the most offensive to fish. Just my assumption. There is always some type of soft soap or an unscented bar on the boat. Gets used and convenient.

Don’t see the correlation between printer and the dividers. The boxes and dividers are made on molding and blow molding equipment.

I can’t fish with my grandsons enough. We have a great time. While out on the water and that stop to the diner on the way home.

My bass fish for Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass is all with artificial lures also. Not sure if live bait is an edge or not. I’ve never lost my passion to trout fish. Go at it spinning and fly fishing. I had a good mentor at a young age, a farmer, old retired guy who worked for Philly Electric way back in the day. I worked on his place as a kid. He was alway ready to fish early in the am and work on the farm mid-day on. I can fish stocked, wild and native trout here without it being much of a trip. I like trout fishing off the beaten path.

I suspect if I lived closer to the ocean I’d never be fishing for bass. When vacationing I’m surf fishing ever chance I get. Peace and solitude at its best. Have caught a variety over the years. Like catching King Fish, flounder and Weakfish. Kids enjoy eating them.

I got hooked on Smallmouth Bass back in the spring of ‘75 as a young guy while trout fishing with some buds. We were all spread along the creek but I stayed close to where I had the truck parked because I didn’t want to be parked illegally, didn’t think I was. I would have moved it if I would have to. Trout fished that lower section as many times before. Creek in that area has very little or any slack water. Full of rock steps and riffles. Was within short walking distance from the bigger river. Had all but my limit of trout, 7/8 in a short time using Velvita cheese and flathead minnows. I switched over to some Panther Martins and CP Swings figuring that the trout bite would slow down and I’d catch and release until the other guys came back to the truck. It wasn’t but a couple of cast with the inline spinners and I started picking off the smallies. Was a pretty steady bite of them. Until that time catching the occasional never got any interest. Within days I had bought some small Rapalas floater divers and Rebels and fished that creek section down to the river. Needless to say was hooked on bass fishing from there on out. Bought an aluminum boat w/ 10 hp motor a couple of year later after graduation HS and made the bigger river home. Still hooked to this day. I fish a lot differently for them these days and have been working at catching lake smallies also over the years.

Why do guys bowl and golf and not be in the PBA/PGA?

Pretty much all nonsense to me. Not sure what comment is more of a joke than the other. Don’t let those fools get under your skin. You’re smarter than that. You have become a good smallmouth fisherman in a short period of time. I remember when you first joined and I’m glad you did. Those guys should be following your lead. The most moronic has to be the comment on monofilament line.

There are a couple of half decent local shops that I can use for my rods but for a long time now finding a nice moderate action rod has been tuff to find. A lot of stocking fast and X fast stuff. Good find and good fishing.

I have my share of nice setups I use these days in spinning and casting for large and smallmouth bass. But I’m not sure if it a sentimental thing or not but I could not part with an old Rapala branded rod and two BPS Billy Westmoreland spinning rods that I’ve retired many moons ago. I caught countless Smallies on them in the 80’s and early into the 90’s. Wore the guides and cork out on them. They are wall hangers how. I shelved a couple of old Shakespeare 2401 spinning reels that I used on them. When BPS closed them out and clearanced them off I bought a couple of versions of them. Still in the slips and shipping tubes. Should just sell them to another Billy Westmoreland fan. They were very good rods but not high end rods even back in the day. I guess sentimental, countless smallies.

When I first got hooked on Smallie fishing on the local creeks and river starting in 1976 that was my lure of choice. Was an easy choice and no brainer to throw. Fell right in line with all the trout fishing I was doing with Panther Martins, CP Swings and Rooster Tails. Still throw them on occasion in shallower river sections. Great post. Brings back many memories. Thanks.

Moderate action should make a nice crankbait/spinnerbait rod.

I have duplicates (or a very very close duplicates) with me but I don’t keep a dozen rods on my deck. The ones stored away are ready to throw. On my deck is a spinning MLXF 6 lb., M Fast 8 lb. setup. Casting 8 lb. Crankbait setup for lighter shallower baits and a casting 12 lb. Crankbait setup for heavier deeper diving baits. I don’t like having an excessive pile of setups around my feet. But that’s just me. Sure I could have more out but don’t see what I gain by that. Baits that I plan to use or more apt to be throwing I sort of have them laid out in a bin so that I’m not digging up baits all day. But that’s not possible all the time.

I don’t fish it exclusively but fish a Ribbon Tail all season. I was out lake fishing Saturday and got a bass on a ribbon tail. Will be out Thursday in the same area and without a doubt will be fishing one for a period of time. Fish all soft plastics at this time.

I am a Rapala junkie up and down and inside out. I love fishing DT’s and Shad Raps. And others with that same amount of confidence. But if my fishing conditions are putting fish 20-25 feet down (conditions have been this way for many many week) with baitfish like bluegill and crappies at that depth also and I believe larger bass are deeper than 20 feet of water, for me to throw DT 06 and SR 07 and 09 is not gonna get deep enough and get the job done. I don’t have extra extra deep Rapala DT’s to get down there. I don’t believe my crankbait setups will let me get that deep. So I can’t say crankbaits are in an off year. I could have went out and bought a bunch of new stuff to reach these depths. May or may not have been the answer to my problem. I just went with fishing soft plastics at those depths. Yesterday morning I had only a handful of perceived bass hits and one bite that got me a 16” greenie. Open hook split shot rig on a PowerWorm in 18 feet of water. Thursday morning I’ll be back in that same area. But I’ve had seasons where a Rebel Craw would not get hit or a SubWart was the real killer on fire. Times where a roadkill color tube is all I needed or a christmas tree color grub. Zoom was better than Berkley. Strike King out fished a RoboWorm. Lake fishing this season the bass were forced to deeper water. Why I don’t know. Temps? Drought conditions? The baitfish have retracted to these depths. I’d like to know why but I have no idea. I had a very serious case of pneumonia back during one of the heat waves. They (Dr. and my family) did not want me to be out in that. I honored their wishes. BUT I think loosing this fish time I got knocked back a few steps when these fish started that transition. It is what it is and all I can do is keep at it, never give up.

Crankbait fishing is my favorite way to go about this bass fishing. I use stuff that I swear by and would bet the house and kids over. Not this year. I am at a loss as to my sudden fall off the earth type of fishing. But I moved away from it. It has been a soft plastics season. I found the whole season to be one that had quirks. Some things that didn’t make sense but got a few nice fish. At the lake I can come to grips with it a bit better because if the bass are remaining at a deeper depth and my crankbait game is not that deep as they are, well I can only do so much. My bigger confusion as to the bite lack on the river. I believe my head is a mess over it. And I let it carry over. I’ve resigned myself to just get on board with it next season. It’s not me, it’s not my baits or bait choices. I’ll just write it off. If I don’t I’ll need to check in to therapy.

Black and green pumpkin are an overall favorite but I’m throwing smelt, brown back and sexy shad alot right now. Just trying to throw what I have that is shiner like. Can only stick with what I’m getting the most hits and bites on. I’m throwing a few variations of worms. Drop shot, split shot, T-rig and on a jig head. My season is winding down here in the north. There are other approaches I like to play with. Approaches I’d much rather fish but I feel I’m doing the right thing to pull off bites.