BuffaloBass716

Should I be cleaning my rod guides after every outing? I've noticed a lot of build up of dirt and crud in and around the guides and on the rod tip, especially when fishing dirtier water with vegetation. I've been using warm water with some soap on paper towels and Q-tips, is this okay? I know that keeping clean guides makes for longer casts and will help keep your line from becoming damaged so I want to make sure cleaning them a lot is the norm. Thanks

I have not, but I really want to try one of these times. That may produce some nice bass.

Lmao, I've had people do the same thing to me, but they are the ones that think there are no fish in there. Senkos are definitely my go-to bait for this specific spot. There may not be the biggest bass in the world, but its a nice relaxing spot where I can go and catch a few bass any day of the week.

Any idea how the picture I posted on here of the smallmouth ended up being on the front of a Bassresource facebook article post?!? haha It made my day!

Thanks! Hopefully next time I get a nice one, I'll have someone there to help take a better picture. Haha

Walking the bank today at the Niagara River, hooked a new personal best smallmouth, possibly a new personal best all together. I took one cast at a new spot I stopped at and it was game on. Bounced a MegaStrike Mega tube on their Shake2 jig head a few times and I felt a ton of weight on my line. Very subtle hits because of the cold water. Got her in, struggled to lip her for a pic and measurement, then revived her and off she went. Ended up being 20" long, couldn't get a girth on because I wanted to get her back in but she had a belly. Such a fun fight, awesome fish!

Finally got to use the Megastrike Mega Tube rigged on a 1/4 oz Megastrike Shake2 jig head this year in my local river for smallies. This was my first time ever fishing a tube and I really enjoyed it. I would recommend anyone using traditional tube jigs to try this combo out. I definitely need to get some more tubes, and different size jig heads. The current in the river I fish is moderately quick, enough to take the 1/4 oz jig downstream which I didn't mind to much but do you guys think I should maybe try a 3/8 oz jig head? I liked that it drifted slowly at the bottom but I might have more control over a heavier weight. Either way, It's a deadly combo that produces nice smallies. So much so that I changed my profile picture to one that I caught on it today!

I started off in the river this morning, trying out some megastrike tubes rigged on their ShakE2 jig head. First time using tubes ever and it was a fun day. I got one pretty quick, then I moved locations down the river and got more bites, a few were probably close to 20" but they kept jumping and spit the hook. Hooked a few more smallies, all decent size and really fat! Afternoon I decided to try down the canal in Tonawanda because of the wind. Picked off 2 largemouth in 20 mins then called it quits haha. Pretty exciting day for me, how did you guys do near the harbor?

I fish the Upper Niagara a lot and I plan on heading out tomorrow morning, its supposed to be an excellent day. As for the Buffalo harbor, I don't fish that area, I fish further down the river near Grand Island, and only from shore. People have been catching them on tubes, soft jerk baits, and t-rigged plastic worms drifting the current from shore. The water temps are in the upper 40's I believe, so its still rather cold. I've never fished from a boat or lake Erie directly but the fish seem to be shallow enough to target from shore for me at least. Just fish anything slowly. Just last week I was talking to a guy fishing for smallies from the bank in the river and he nailed a nice 20" fatty. I consider that really good in the river, from shore, with cold water temps. I'm positive you'll get into some nice fish tomorrow. Let me know how you do tomorrow, and what worked for you. Good Luck!

Nice, I fish that stretch of the river quite often, then ill follow the bike path down to the canal. People have been nailing smallies up and down the river and in the canal. Silly me, I've been targeting largemouth in the warmer creek...

I started using it this year, and it comes in several colors. The clear just adds a strong garlic sent to your soft plastics which is suppose to make to fish hold on longer and the colors have the same smell, but adding some color to get the attention of the fish in different water conditions.

I caught a new personal best the other day with a 5" watermelon seed YUM dinger. Dip the end in clear JJ's and you're in business

I just check the box for the reel, it says 10# is fine, and the fact that 10# braid has the same diameter as 2# mono, This gives you smooth, long casts too. I went with a 7' M/F because the longer rod adds to the casting distance, which is important for a bank beater like me, and I fish average cover, nothing too thick with some scatter logs. Its really about the area you will be fishing and baits you'll throw. M/F and MH/F are the most versatile and you can get away with throwing light versions of everything IMO. If you go with the 6930 President, you can pick a rod designed for the cover/style that you'll use the most. I mostly throw T-rigs, wacky rigs, weightless senko type baits, tubes, inline spinners, etc.. usually small stuff that catches fish regularly.

I don't fish tournaments, I only fish for fun, from the bank, but I just started using a Pflueger President 6930 with 10# power pro braid and a fluoro leader paired with a 7' M/F Abu Garcia Vengeance rod. This set up has been amazing for me. I can feel ever piece of cover really well, I never new that stuff was in there before lol. Like I said, since I fish purely for fun, and I don't buy the most expensive gear, I'm not sure how much better the gear that is $100+... I'm sure other people will chime in and help out too, most people will say that the president in size 6930 is a better reel for bass fishing due to its size, and most will agree that it is one of the best reels you can purchase for $60. My Abu rod was $50 on TW and I couldn't be happier.

Tons of people beating the bank at this one spot, water is still pretty cold (prespawn) and the area is really shallow. There is some wood, new weeds re-growing too. Any help on something that the fish will bite? Most people there were using small inline spinners, some plastics, spinnerbaits. I've had some success but one day I counted 30 people bank fishing within an area the size of a football field... So catching one fish there was a win for me.

I got snagged on a log the other day, I ended up trying to get loose for about 5 mins and I ended up pulling a huge branch up. Id say my first time using 10# braid with the improved albright knot was a success. Didn't break off, and kept my rig.

I've had some good success in the past with a black stick bait in water with visibility around one foot. I was wonder what other colors are good for dirty water dealing with any soft plastics. I know darker colors are a general rule but are there any in particular that have produced for you?

Today was the first time using my new setup with power pro braid. My first thoughts on the braid with a leader was "I like this already". It felt really good and had I had a great feel for everything happening in the water. But anyway, I used an Improved Albright knot to connect my braid to fluoro and it held up good after the first fish. I was just wondering how often I should cut off the knot and tie a new knot? Does this know weaken after time? Thanks

How do you guys decide on what plastic you are going to throw? I'm primarily a worm guy, but I have used some creature baits but have limited success. It seems like if the fish are going to hit a plastic worm, they wont hit a plastic creature either. Can anyone shed some light on this topic and let me know what determines your plastic selection?

I was wondering if practicing knots (mostly knots to connect to lines) with old line from my reels from last season would be okay. What I mean is I want to practice the Improved Albright knot with two lines, both being old mono. Would the knot still tie the same way with no problems even though I am not using a braided main line?

Get the 6930 size reel and maybe change the braid to 10-15# test, maybe a little higher if because you said you like to fish heaver cover. Just change the leader size as needed for whatever you intend on using that day. Other than that, good set up for a budget, It's actually similar to my set up because I'm on a budget too.

I've thought of that too, but I feel like it would get tangled and become a mess, but that's just me. I will probably do the first method mentioned

Oh, so cast it out, then walk to the weight while line is still coming off so it equals two casts at maximum distance?