FryDog62

I started skipping with a baitcaster 5 years ago. A couple very good fisherman told me the process I would go through... that I’d start with a shorter 6’-0” to 6’-6” rod for accuracy sake and then gravitate to somewhere between a 6’-10” to 7’-1” rod. Logic is as you get better at skipping the accuracy will naturally come and you’ll wish you had a longer rod to get fish out and away from cover... They were right..

A lot of the pros use Daiwa Tatula Elite rods which on TV can look white although they are a shiny silver... Omori, Ehrler, Monroe, Howell use them to name a few...

Here you go - 4/0 3/32 oz for the 5 inch Caffeine Shad: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Weighted_Twistlock_Light_3pk/descpage-OWTL.html Out all day yesterday after a storm/cold front. Struggled to get many bites and all were smaller fish. Decided to go back to the tried and true Caffeine Shad for the last hour of the day and caught 6 including a 20 incher. Five of the six fish hit on the initial fall on the Owner Twistlock Light hook. A regular fluke rig wouldn’t give it the same action...

Here you go - 4/0 3/32 oz for the 5 inch Caffeine Shad: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Weighted_Twistlock_Light_3pk/descpage-OWTL.html

Anyone fishing “The Boat Center” Smallmouth tournament on the Mississippi in Anoka this weekend?

It looks like they are rigging like a traditional fluke in the video... so not that great of action on the fall. The Caffeine Shad has MUCH better action on the Owner Twistlock Light 4/0 3/32 oz hook. Rigged this way it will swim on its own if you let it sink for 3-5 seconds after casting. The Owner weighted hook keeps the Caffeine Shad horizontal and balanced so the bubble tail shimmies, changes direction and continues swimming on its own on the fall... so many strikes happen then. Big difference, have to try it...

Thanks Scott. Agreed that Chequamegon (and Mille Lacs) are best bet for biggest smallies, have fished them both. I also try to mix in a Canadian-type (or nearby) trip each year too hence the annual Rainy trip. But have heard Vermilion might be better for size, also don’t have to deal with the border crossing and a tad closer which is an advantage with a tight schedule this Fall. Am going to take a closer look at Vermilion dates/locations (I fished the river there before but not the lake). May also look at other Northern lake options too as there are many to choose from in our state, but not a ton with consistent world-class size like those you suggested. Thx..

Tatsu is great, but Sniper stretches a tad less. And is half the price..

That’s good to know. Not complaining, but we catch a ton of 14-16 inch smallies on Rainy, and the occasional 17-19 inch size. Nothing wrong with that, but eventually you’d like to have a chance to catch a 20 inch/5 pound fish... and you can but it’s extremely rare there. To hear that Vermilion has the potential for a 5 even 6 lb smallie is very encouraging... Of the different sections of Vermilion, where’s a good place to start as a first-timer? No coordinates needed, just wondering North or South or for instance a large basin like Norwegian, etc? Big lake!

Before I had a bone and ligament removed from my wrist I used Medium Extra Fast spinning rods 6-6 to 6-9. All time favorite rod was a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth rod 6-9 MXF. Now I use all baitcasting gear: 6-10 to 7-1 MXF. I like the XF especially for wacky worms, works fine for Caffeine Shads too although a fast action would work well too.

The tail on the Caffeine Shad is what differentiates it from a regular fluke. It actually has a small air bubble in it. It has unbelievable action on slack line, swims on its own, changes direction, etc. Have to use that specific Owner hook though to balance and swim best...

Perfect 1-2 punch... Start with a 5 inch Caffeine Shad (fluke category only better) on an Owner Twistlock Light 3/32 4/0 hook as your search bait... once you find them slow down and throw the wacky..

MNFisher is right... nice and smooth in the gill plate (against the cheek not the gill) and less chance of jaw ligament injury to the fish. I got a bad case of bass thumb from lip gripping a couple years ago, that after this photo was taken developed into a nasty infection. But if I do lip them now I’m wearing Fish Monkey gloves

I’ve been part of a group that goes to Rainy Lake most every September. Due to a scheduling conflict, I won’t be able to go with the group this year. Fun trip and the Smallmouth fishing is good, but I wonder how it compares to Vermilion? Honestly, I find Rainy good for numbers but just so-so for size. Any idea if the size structure is bigger on Vermilion? I might still be able to go somewhere this Fall, looking at options..

Went an hour North of the metro to miss the rain this morning. Better fish were on plastics skipped under docks... a couple on Neds in 8-10 fow..

Pad crasher and poppin’ pad crasher... all you need.

Referring to the reply above - using jigs specifically designed for grass helps. An obvious choice, but I use an All-Terrain Grassmaster jig. Has the right line tie/angle. For me if a standard variety jig comes back 3 out of 4 times full of slop, the Grassmaster jig comes back clean for me 2 times out of 4. Not perfect, but best I’ve used. That particular jig has better angle to the head/tie than I’ve found with any others. Maybe worth a try...

Udda Man gimruis... rivers are starting to get better despite high/chocolatey water. Got out on the Miss myself... plastics were the ticket for me..

Ha, whose Jacob Wheeler anyway LOL, I had already ordered some up for August when it’s in stock, but Jacob’s comments certainly don’t hurt!

Certain larger pools like the Coon Rapids dam area might fish more like a lake. Also, if I had a yak I’d put in at St. Francis on the Rum River. Great stretch of river and excellent Smallmouth fishing!

Why are you not interested in river fishing for Smallmouth?

Both have a similar scissor action - the biggest difference is where they work best in the water column. Wacky tends to work best in the top of the water column, Neko bottom...

Outside of rivers, you’ll most likely have to go North of the Twin Cities to find Smallmouth. Mille Lacs is the most obvious... A little further North, there’s a lot of Smallmouth lakes near Longville..

“The line’s inherent qualities and exclusive G2 Precision Winding™ make this fluorocarbon virtually memory-free.” Fluorocarbon and memory-free in the same sentence = Oxymoron Could it be true ?!?

Daiwa Tatula Heavy 7’-1”