flyeaglesfly5186

2-3in grubs on 1/8 jigs work great in the shallow, just bounce them around the rocks and randomly reel in at a slow constant speed. 3 1/2in tubes in pumpkin or dark green. 2 1/2 in stickbait, I like the Rebel minnow in tigerfire. I just twitch it and play it near the surface in a dying motion. I get hits two feet away from me in less than three feet of water with that lure.

That's why I keep everything in my trunk too. I'm in a simular situation where I have numerous fishing sites within walking and or very short driving distance. Also, I don't believe in having more gear than what is necessary. I have three rods for different uses. And all my bair and terminal tackle fits in a satchel bag. I'm a discount fisherman. I don't have any "extra" stuff. I also work next to Dick's, and Cabela's is only four miles from my house so if I need something I'll just grab it. I just don't seethe point in having all this extra stuff lying around.

X10.5

Yes, Location would help, Pennsylvania is 46 Thousand Square Miles. Where exactly are you going to be?

Dude I just keep my gear in the trunk of my car. Everything I own to do with fishing could fit in there. I'll take a picture if you want. I guess it's a "cave" of sorts.

Umm here in Pa there is a kill order for them and I wouldn't hesitate to jamb my knife straight through the skull of one if I ever caught it here in Pa. Then use him for catfish bait! Don't save the snakehead, they don't belong here. To actually answer the question now: I fish for anything and everything accept trout at this point. I find them boring. I'll fish Bass, pike, pickeral, walleye, musky, carp, crappie. Just about everything in the water. Hell, I'll even go out some days with worm chunks and just catch bluegills for an hour, just for the fun of it. Fishing in general is just awesome. But, Bass, well they give the best sport out there for freshwater. Especially those Bronzies!

Ditto! And Pheobes!

I'll throw my support towards this. I love catching them because they give a fight.

The four Wal-Marts in my area are crazy discounting everything in their fishing sections. I'm loving going in with $20 and walking out with potentially $60 worth of tackle.

I've used a 4'6" Ultralight for bass. Use whatever you feel good using. Wanna go longer? Go longer.

1/4oz jig head with a 3in curly tailed jig worm, toss it out, let it drop, reel in SLOWLY, pop it once in a while.

I'd say it all depends on the surface activity. The other day I was out on the river and the fish were very active on the surface. So I was just throwing out a 3in craw texas rigged weightless on a 3/0 worm hook. I threw it out above the active section I was near and let it drift the current. The fish were attacking it almost every pass. But the day before in the same spot there was no surface activity and I had the same type of craw on a true weighted texas rig and was fishing the same spot letting it drift the current but on the bottom and they were hitting that. Really it all depends on the day and the action you can see. I'm sure other people here will have a more scientific explanation, but this philosphy works for me. Side note: I also threw just about every other topwater lure I had that day and they were biting on those as well. It was a very active topwater day that day. Everythig from a hard craw to a 4in minnow was getting some sort of look from the smallies.

I like to spend an hour catching smaller pan fish at the lake on small chunks of worms then taking them to the river. Baiting them on a 2/0 or bigger bait hook then tossing them in the river for smallmouth.

Call me cheap, call me stingy, call me not a "real" fisherman. But my favorite brand has no name. It's the cheap $1 each ones at Wal-Mart. I've bought about 20 of them in different colors and sizes and fish whatever feels right that day for spinners. No need to drop $$$ on a spinner bait. With a little inginuity, pliers, and some spare parts I can modify these cheapies to do what I want, when I want them to. One trick I do love is putting a second hook off the main hook with a piece of rubber tubing. Works awesome for catching the late hits.

Go buy the $40 shimano zuraca combo from dick's. Load it with 30lb 8lb diameter Spiderwire Stealth braid with a 4ft 8lb mono leader. The rod and reel doesn't make the fisherman...

I've never had a Largemouth Bass, even a 18in Hog, put the kind of strain and pressure on a rod like a 12in Smallmouth can. Pound for pound the smallmouth bass is the best fight you can have in freshwater. Also, their finiky behavior alone is challenge enough and it may take an hour on the river to figure out what they want that particular day. Largemouth just need to be coaxed, Smallies, they need to be romanced. Lastly, their location. anybody can put a boat in on a lake and find "that spot" for Bucketmouths. Finding "that spot" on the river takes patience and a willingness to jump and and get messy, get wet, and in some cases risk your neck. I've dangled from trees, crossed paths with bear, even wrapped my gear in garbage bags and forded the river in 50 degree water to get to "that spot". (side note, I typically fish the Schuylkill river in Pa. Sometimes boats aren't and option.) Half the challenge of the day on the river is getting to those locations that most people wouldn't dare. I love it! This all is not to say I won't go out on the lake and play with the Buckets on a given day. But, the river and those little brown beasts are what really calls to me.

I know this is a bit late and you've already been out there going for the smallies but when you go out again the grub/worm on a jig head has produced the best for me. I fish for smallmouth on the Schuylkill River here in Pa. And they seem to love a 3in jigworm on a 1/4 oz jig head. I just toss it out and go with a slow retrieve with small pauses here and there on an irregular pattern. The bronzebacks just love it!