Steveo-1969

Using braided line will help with hooksets on long casts. The no-stretch property of the braid gets into the power of the rod more quickly to get the hook in past the barb. Look at the diameter of the 6# mono you are using and get a braid with equivalent or smaller diameter. It will cast just as far as your 6# mono.

Whoa….. Are you me? This exactly describes my evolution in knot tying.

M-F I’ve been drinking 45 ounces of coffee in the morning. I recently cut that down to 30 ounces. On the weekend I might drink up to 54 ounces. I like my coffee strong. As a general rule it’s 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 6 ounces of water.

10# braid to 10# copolymer and the drag locked down tight? That line break was caused by a bass that was significantly bigger than your state record. Sorry for your loss.

Welcome to Bass Resource @Lamb25. Are you sure fishing is something you enjoy? Normally when someone has trouble staying committed to something it’s because they don’t like it very much.

I can think of lots of variables that would dictate what size/type of line I use on a baitcaster. Bass species is not one of them….

As far as keeping or not keeping fish, all that really matters is that a kept fish is legally harvested according to the fishing regulations for the body of water where it was caught. That’s it.

Welcome to Bass Resource from a fellow West Virginian. I was born and raised in WI but got kicked out in 1997 for being a Bears fan and ended up in the Eastern Panhandle of WV. I smallmouth fish the Upper Potomac. You will love BR. Lots of great fisherman on this site and there is a forum just for smallmouth. BEAR DOWN!!!

Welcome to Bass Resource! My daughter lives in Gilbert and last August my son-in-law surprised me with a guided trip on Saguaro while I was visiting. What a beautiful place to fish!

Winter is the toughest season for me to catch bass. I fish a river that gets down in the 30s during the winter. I haven’t found any smallmouth wintering holes I can reach from the bank so for me the smallmouth just disappear. I start catching them from the bank again in April as the water warms up.

My biggest smallmouth was 21.5”. I don’t weigh my fish so no idea how heavy she was. I caught it on a skirted finesse jig from my local river.

Ha-ha! I made it to 27 years old before I got kicked out. WV doesn’t have its own team so people here are more tolerant. FTP

Welcome to Bass Resource. I was born and raised in Wisconsin before moving to WV. Go Bears!!!

I have given up using baits with treble hooks because I don’t want to deal with them any more. The proverbial straw was while wade fishing a handful of years ago. I had a feisty smallmouth swim between my (bare) legs with a small crankbait on the outside of its mouth. I didn’t get hooked but that was enough of a scare for me to say single hooks only.

Welcome to Bass Resource from a fellow West Virginia river wading smallmouth addict!!

First smallie of the year came 2 months earlier than usual. I’ll take it!!

Baby Rage Craw Baby Rage Menace Ned Rage Bug

My smallmouth fishing is done in a very rocky river in 6 feet or less and the skirted jig is my favorite way to catch them! I fish a 3/16 ounce Strike King Bitsy Bug jig. BPS usually has them on sale during the Spring Classic (I’ve seen them as low as $1.39 - $1.69) and I stock up for the season. There are more expensive jigs with “better” hooks but don’t let anyone poo-poo these jigs until you try one. The 2/0 bronze hook is usually sticky sharp (and easily sharpened with a file) and won’t bend out with the appropriate rod power and line.

I was never really a cologne guy, but for the past year I’ve been using oil in my beard. The scent wears off very quickly with most oils but for one of the beard companies I use the scent can last all day.

I use the Trilene Knot for my line-to-lure knot for ALL line types. Mono, copoly, FC, braid. I can tie it easily, I can tie it quickly, I can tie it perfectly.

Caught my PB walleye in 2022. 28.5 inches

Swimjig - Tom Monsoor

Berkley Half Head for Ned Rigs here. Good price. Great hook. Great keeper.

I can confirm that there is a 2023 BPS Spring Master Fishing Catalog!! I work for a printing company and my plant printed the 600 page catalog over the past 3 weeks. I don’t know the perfect binding or mailing schedule but these catalogs should be hitting mailboxes soon.

Welcome to BR! I was born and raised in Wisconsin then kicked out 25 years ago for being a Bears fan. FTP