Turkey sandwich

Welcome! Smallmouth fishing is super addictive.

60 fish in 8 hours is a pretty killer 8 hours and 4.4lbs in a river is an absolute hog! Congrats!

Google Earth is an awesome resource! It's great for seeing likely vegetation, changes in shorelines, some submerged structure, locations of shoreline cover, etc. Especially if you can't find too maps or depth charts on Navionics, it's a killer tool for breaking down a body of water and planning a trip before getting off the couch. It's saved me A TON of time.

I typically use a 6'9 ML XF Avid X dropshot rod for drifting a Ned rig in current and it's excellent. Depending upon conditions, I could see reason for using either, but I'd probably try the 7' Medium weight rod first. As for copolymer, I generally use Yozuri Hybrid anytime I'm fishing nasty stuff, and it's yet to let me down. Even the 8lb test is incredibly abrasion resistant and performs extremely well, even in fast current in boulder and ledge strewn rivers. Also, the high viz braid main line will make casting and detecting strikes much, much easier.

Same for the casting? The Legend Elite reel seats are awesome.

Feel free to hit me up if you're up for a paddle.

I get them, but it's rare that they're bad unless the wind is attrocious, I do something stupid, or I'm skipping lures. I am far from a pro at skipping and that's usually when I get them frequently. Most reels have pretty good brakes nowadays, and with the resilience of braid, you can minimize the bad ones and get most out pretty quickly. Compared to 20 years ago, almost every decent reel in the $150 range up is super user friendly. As for the thumb vs brakes vs tension argument - you can learn to lay off the brakes and tension knobs as you get better and the conditions allow for it, but be forewarned, there is a learning curve to this and it takes actual dedicated practice time to get used to. That being said, the side plate on my *** came loose wrapping 40lb braid EVERYWHERE inside the reel about a month ago while I was pre-fishing for a kayak tournament. That was a mess. I would have taken a picture, but I was way too busy cursing.

You would certainly do well with a number of Elite Techs and Aetos rods on your deck. Seriously, spend the time looking and be patient if you aren't fishing a tournament next week. The Aetos is really, really good, and while it's a great value at it's price point, when they update their lines, they sell for 50% off pretty regularly. Worth noting, their actions tend to be a bit faster than they're rated, which is a big part of why they're such sensitive rods.

Ignorant people occur all over the political spectrum, but this is absurd. The simple solution is to call the police and file a charge for harassment and see if they also aren't protesting/gathering without a permit. Whenever is see this stuff gone crazy I just think of this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-L14NqSLVU

That's the thing - people buy spectacle, man. This thing is going to set record numbers. If anything, hopefully it draws fighters away from the UFC or forces them the reform their model. As for Mayweather not showing up to fight... I don't love his style, but he is a brilliant fighter and while he lacks the KO power he had early in his career, I do think he can finish McGregor. McGregor is a southpaw who's made a lot of money throwing the counter left. He happens to be fighting one of the best defensive boxers ever. This coupled with McGregor makes things really weird/interesting technically, but may actually prove to be a dull fight outside of whatever trash talking they do in the ring. Conor isn't going to be able to rely on the same strategies that worked for him against aggressive strikers. Mayweather is not going to be moving forward in straight lines, leading with his head, or letting McGregor dictate angles. For Conor to have a chance, he's going to need to stay on the outside, use size, and needs to show dramatically improved footwork to be able to compete with Mayweather and set up counter straights. Mayweather is better at defending and countering southpaws than rumors would have you believe. He's excellent at countering to the same side, fights in the pocket likely better than anyone, uses shifts effectively to confuse southpaws, and isn't afraid to throw lead straight rights against southpaws because his movement keeps him safe. That said, if anyone reads that and still wants to put up some money against Mayweather, I'll gladly take that bet.

welcome to the forum! @Bluebasser86 is spot on. Fishing for catfish on rivers here in PA, anything from 1/2 oz on up has a place depending upon bottom composition, depth, river level/flow/current, etc. A slip sinker also has a place on a river versus a three way swivel, and if I'm fishing the bottom with live bait, I generally prefer it in most cases because fish aren't feeling the weight when they take the shiner/helgramite/etc.

Good info on here. Generally, I'd approach it similarly to what Catt is getting at. If I'm looking for bass on either an inside or outside edge while trying to break down a lake, I'm more focused on the structure first and then looking at the cover, in this case weeds, second. I want to find a change in bottom composition or depth first and then look for the weeds second. So, out of those weed beds and edges, which are closest to a channel swing? A submerged point? Sitting on top of a hump? Is there something driving current along some weed beds, but not others? Is there a change in bottom composition next to them? Mixed cover (boulders, trees, a pile of tires) around the weeds? I feel like if I can find places with several of these things going on, odds are good, I've found a spot on a spot. This doesn't always work, and will take some time to map without side scan, but this can help you learn the lake and eliminate A LOT of water that you'd otherwise spend a lot of time fishing that's low percentage. When I approach weeds this way, I feel like I avoid wasting a lot of time fishing low percentage water and more of my casts end up in "good weeds" with high concentrations of good fish versus "not so good weeds" likely to hold fewer large fish, if that is helpful.

I like the surprise catches, though I rarely seek out fishing outside the target species. Let's face it, walleye and stocked trout can be delicious and a big pike or musky smashing a bait is exhilarating. Really, I just love fishing and find myself enjoying everything from throwing flies for trout to fishing salt for sharks, amberjacks, etc. Sometimes it's just good to stop worrying about figuring out a puzzle or being competitive and just be a kid again.

Feelfree is finally releasing their motor/pedal drive for around $2500 on it's own and are offering a new kayak - even bigger than the Lures designed around it. I'm expecting the new boat to be in the Hobie price range. That being said, I've been trying to deal with their customer service for months over a rudder kit with missing pieces and it's been extremely frustrating to the point where I posted about it in their Facebook owners group asking if anyone has had similar bad experiences. Their response? Blocking me from the group. I generally like my boat, but the customer service (despite their continued insistence it's the best in the industry) will likely have me looking at the new Coosa w/pedal drive if/when I decide to upgrade.

Almost every manufacturer has something pretty good to offer in the $100 and up range now. I've handled the HMX and HMG lines and they felt ok - basically what I would expect at their price point. There are plenty of folks on here that really like them. The Elite Tech lines are very popular with a lot of guys here, especially the now discontinued smallmouth series. The Elite Tech is a good feeling $140 rod. If I were to start a collection with Fenwick, and on a budget, this is likely where I would start. Where Fenwick really shines is with the Aetos line. The blanks are excellent, the handles are quality cork (in the model I own, the new ones are EVA foam and cork, I believe) and feel comfortable (in my hands at least) and are easily my favorite sub $200 rod. They retail around $180 or so, so a bit above what you're budgeting, but they can be had for significantly less when Fenwick updates the series every year or so. I paid less than $100 for mine and absolutely love it. If you're into fly fishing, the Aetos series fly rods can also be found pretty inexpensive and fish better than a lot of $400+ rods.

The Kovalev/Ward fights were both incredible.

I have such weird feelings about this thing in general. It's going to be an awful fight unless Mayweather either carries him or McGregor gets ridiculously lucky. If it somehow goes long (unlikely), it only gets worse for McGregor whose gas tank has been questionable at best. This is why boxing and MMA are both a mess right now. Boxing has improved in recent years, but it still suffers from a narrow appeal, fighters not knowing how to sell fights, and important fights sometimes taking years and years to materialize. On the upside, guys get paid. For MMA, since the UFC was sold, it's become a gridlocked disaster that's wasted talent by focusing on nonsense fights and selling fighters like Connor McGregor, Michael Bisping, and Jon Jones because they're marketable, and not for any other reason. I mean, Bisping, a healthy champion, just watched ringside while two guys that would finish him within two rounds fought for his interim title. So because of this, guys like Jacare, Romero, Maia, and THE ENTIRE 125LB DIVISION have been basically screwed. Meanwhile, fighters continue to not get paid, typically have little to no medical, have little to no endorsement opportunities of their own, and are essentially property of the UFC brand. The quality of the fights suffer tremendously, unless someone is a completely casual fan only buying the drama.

Mayweather wins this pretty easily. That said, if you like the gamble, Connor will likely see +500ish odds..

Good advice above. As for baits, keep it simple. So long as the water is clear, tubes, grubs, senkos, Ned rigs are all going to catch you fish. Generally, for most presentations, start with 1/8oz weight and go up or down accordingly.

Live bait works, man. I would suggest learning to pick your own since it'll teach you a lot about what bass eat in each body of water and a bunch about how to present artificial. If you're fishing rivers that contain helgramites and madtoms, and picking them is legal, you owe it to yourself give fishing them a shot. They can be incredible.

My kayak is in the water between Tunkhannok and Falls most weekends.

It sounds like you were at last finding fish, so that's good. With river smallies, you may have to think bigger, though. Like Smalljaw, I fish the Susquehanna a lot and there are stretches where you may cover a mile of river, even under ideal conditions and not find many quality smallmouth. Some water is just much, much better habitat than others. High water will cause fish to move and concentrate differently than they would in low water. The banks are a start, but choosing the right banks makes a difference. Look for areas of protected still water along the bank - small points and seams near oxbows are terrific examples - where the current is close by, but there's also a good deal of calm slack water that's protected. Fish will sit in the slack water often facing the current break. This is a good pattern in high water. Because the water is muddy, you may be able to get close and pitch jigs at the seam and any lay downs blown into it to target more active fish and then pick apart the back water behind it with something more finesse for the less active fish. Another effective bank pattern is looking for flooded shorelines (rock, preferably, with weeds). Flooded shoreline flats will have active, cruising fish of all species out moving and feeding. To present, you're going to want to stay back, make long casts, and be weary of your splashes since you're going to be fishing 6" to 2' of water. This is why a jet boat is such a huge advantage to even a decked out kayak. This is where being able to move quickly to high percentage spots can make or break your day. Knowing your river also makes a HUGE difference in being able to identify these spots in different water conditions without wasting a lot of time.

Yeah, man. Think something highly visible, loud/shiny/lots of vibration, and have options you can fish at different speeds. Chocolate milk is a nightmare to fish in, but almost anything else can be good. I'm a big fan of adding trailers to spinnerbaits to increase the size of their profile and I've found Yamamoto glow in the dark (not kidding) grubs can be really effective in either heavily stained/muddy water or in really lowlight conditions. The big thing is realizing that you may not find them nestled in around the edges of fast runs like you would during lower, clearer water conditions. Moving a buzz bait or spinnerbait through flooded flats can really be money.

Fellas, there's a lot more to a quality rod than simply what it weighs. You're basically asking the wrong questions and looking for the right answer. Ultimately, what is better balanced and more comfortable in the hands of the fisherman is what that fisherman is going to be most comfortable with. Everything from the individual's fishing style, the reel attached to the rod, the technique being fished, the rod's other components, the taper of the blank, etc will all impact someone's preferences, likely much more than simply the weight of the rod. Think about buying a car. If you bought a vehicle entirely based on horsepower, you're totally forsaking comfort, AWD, fuel efficiency, the quality of the drivetrain, etc... all for horsepower. As for comparing high end rods to broomsticks, almost anything in the $200 range on up is going to be ANYTHING but a broomstick.

I would change your approach. Heavily stained or muddy water will make locating most small finesse baits very difficult. This is when I would reach for something I can work slowly that creates a lot of sound/vibration. Black/Blue jigs with larger trailers and rattles, chatter baits, spinnerbaits, larger crankbaits, etc all become options. Also, fish aren't going to hold in quite the same places they would hold in with low water. The current will likely be too fast. Look or flooded areas near current, current seams behind islands, small pockets or bays near current, etc. Flooded areas create new feeding opportunities, and areas protected from current give fish a safe place to hang out while the water is high.