Steveo-1969

Wow, very cool. I just received my first jig order from Siebert on Monday after messaging him here with questions. Mike promptly answered my questions and made a recommendation on which jig would work best for my situation. And now the smallies in my river are in trouble!!

On the Rapala website they only show Trigger X panfish baits, so it looks like they have stopped making bass and walleye plastics. I've used Trigger X grubs and worms and caught fish on them. As Mosster47 said, "if you do your part they will do theirs". Not sure why they stopped making plastics for bass and walleye but if they were profitable they probably wouldn't have stopped... Maybe only the Lindners were using them and they were getting them for free? ha-ha

Welcome to BR! My name is also Steve and I was born and raised in WI, then at 27yo got kicked out of the state for being a Bears fan and relocated to WV because they don't have a resident NFL team here. Enjoy our forums, best bass fishing forum on the Interwebs.

I highly recommend this method. AND you don't get anywhere near the gills of the fish. WIN WIN!!!

I usually weigh my fish by holding it up, guessing the weight and then doubling it... Works for me!

Or go old school and use a red/white Dardevle spoon.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I don't know about strongest either but I always use a Trilene knot and never had one fail. (That's actually the ONLY knot I use for line to lure for mono, fluoro or braid).

WOW!! After looking at everyone's fish I'm glad I haven't figured out how to post pics on here yet... :-)

I fish a river all year long (it doesn't freeze over where I fish). I've gone 3 months without a fish (ANY fish, not just bass), fishing every Saturday and Sunday for a minimum of 4 hours per outing. Talk about beat me to death! I don't have a boat and the water was too high to safely wade, so this was all from the bank. Luckily that didn't happen this winter. I still got skunked a bunch of times but managed to catch some fish all winter long.

My favorite bait to throw is a jig. My "go to" bait when the bite is tough is a t-rigged 4" YUM Dinger.

Great fish Hootie!

I feel your pain OP, but at least it's rain and not snow!!!!!!

One of my biggest "mental blocks" is thinking a bait is too big to catch smallmouth. For example I would be more confident fishing a 3" or 3.5" paddletail than a 4" or bigger. Or more confident with a 4" Senko-style bait than a 5" bait. Or a Baby Rage Craw more than a Rage Craw. Even though I've fished with guys who consistently catch fish with bigger baits than I like to use. I need to work on that!

Fishing a jig is my favorite way to catch smallmouth in a river. I make a diagonal cast upstream and I use a jig just heavy enough to get to the bottom quickly and stay there. Then I lift my rod until I feel the jig started to drift with the current and fall back to the bottom. Reel in slack and repeat. For me I'm usually fishing 2-8 feet of water and a 3/16 ounce jig is the weight I'm usually throwing. I'll go down to an 1/8 or up to a 1/4 occasionally. My trailer of choice is a Baby Rage Craw with the first 2 segments bitten off.

I've used 3" and 4" Berkley Ripple Shads for several years now and like them. Last year I tried Keitech Swing Impact and FAT and now use those more than Ripple Shads. I've also tried BPS Speed Shads and will buy them again.

Good luck!!!

Sounds like we have found the cause of the bankruptcy!!! j/k

I only recognized 4 of them. Dangit, thought I would do better than that!

I'm not sure what you would call the technique I use most often. Maybe "hagging" (hopping/dragging)? I make a cast generally quartering upstream and let the jig fall to the bottom. Lift the rod tip until I feel the jig come up and move with the current, then let it drift and fall back down. Repeat all the way back in. I'm not standing up in a boat, I'm wading in the water. So when I lift my rod tip the jig isn't hopping up very far, just enough to catch the current and move a little bit downstream before hitting bottom again. (My heart just starting beating a little faster imagining what it's like to anticipate that "THUNK". Man I love fishing a jig!) I will adjust from there. For example if I get bit as I'm quickly reeling back in to make another cast I will hop it more and fish faster.

Because I primarily fish bottom contact presentations my #1 criteria is the most sensitive rod I can afford. I now have one spinning and two casting combos that I'm very satisfied with and the Rod Monkey hasn't been whispering in my year for the last year! They were expensive (by my standards) and I handle them more carefully than I would a newborn baby, but they get used every time I fish. I don't understand why some people will by an expensive rod and then not use it because they are afraid of breaking it. "Looking for a cheap rod to use for bank fishing rather than my expensive rod". Really? Rods are made to be fished with! However, if you ARE afraid of breaking your rods then buy a rod that won't break your heart if it uh... breaks.

Great info here! I also fish a river for smallmouth and started using jigs a lot more last season. I've settled on 3/16 ounce as just about perfect for water from 2' - 8' deep. I can feel the bottom well and don't get hung up often. I'm assuming you are putting a trailer on your jig? I've been using a Baby Rage Craw and biting off the first 2 segments to shorten it a little.

I am echoing other comments. I only have one spinning rod I use and it's a ML/XF (lure weight 1/16-5/16 ounce). With 10# braid and 8# FC leader I've landed a 15# muskie and 20# carp in river current. Lots of fun and with the drag set properly there's no reason you can't land even big fish with a ML power rod.

You said it, personal preference! Whatever is most comfortable FOR YOU is the reel you should be using. I'm right-handed. I use a right-handed baitcaster but reel with my left-hand with a spinning reel. If I try to reel with the other hand in either case it looks and feels like I've never used a fishing rod before...

Yup. After trying it I decided it wasn't for me, but I would definitely suggest trying it yourself. When I first spooled it on I was amazed at the casting distance! It's not technically braid but is no-stretch and felt like I was using braid. After a couple months the coating started to wear off and the line was fraying, and my casting distance was not as great as it was when the line was new. But YMMV...