HoosierHawgs

Stay as far away as possible. If you can step back behind them and take a weightless stick bait an cast it slightly behind or in front of them quietly on light line you can get them to bite. If you position the bait so the current carries it to them also helps. But making long cast with spinning tackle and weightless stick baits is how I catch most of my smallmouth in a clear, shallow running creek by the house.

Seems to be! I am looking into Kayaks myself. I would love to get a used boat, and just saw a really clean looking 2005 Bass Tracker Fully Loaded for $6,000. It's too bad I don't have any room to put the boat.

Do you make a trip to Guntersville? That's a ways away!

Noticed this also. I really like my 10 bearing Prolite. It's a smooth reel, durable, versatile, and extremely light and well palmable.

What was your opinion of the Ascend? I've heard mixed opinions, but it has the features I want, and is a good price! My worries are leaking (which if it does I can seal it easily myself and tighten the vilts no problem) and weight, as it is slightly heavier than other yaks. I'm more interested in stability than maneuverability.

I fished from the bank, and from a yak, and I never flip or pitch from the bank. You just can't get close to the cover and have the leverage you need. When from the shoreline I always cast past my target and fish through it.

All of those listed above are important classification. Base your selection on current conditions. Hot summer day? Deep diver w/ a wide wobble (round sided) and lots of sound will pull fish out of the depths. Blue bird fall day? Silent squarebill in natural colors is your best bet! Murky water conditions? A large 5/8 oz squarebill in a bright purple bluegill hue w/a big rattle will present a large assuming profile for bass to hone in on. And lastly, I think to winter, where a deep running, silent bait w/a tight wiggle (flat sided) will end winter lockjaw. This is also a great option as a springtime bait if you add a suspend strip to it, and give it long pauses.

Analysis Paralysis bro!

Short fatties are my favorites!

I would definitely harvest any undesirable fish you catch. Whether they are small, or are u desired species, take them and fry em up! But I would not take every dunk either. Take enough so that the population is no longer stinted, but not so that you take all of them. Just keep the population below the tip population limit

Definitely worth $70. I just bought one off a guy for 65. Great reel for that price, or the original price

I usually take a powerade and granola bars to power me through a whole day. They are was to pack and taste good.

Maybe he had it refurbished?

I see!

What do you mean by old bay?

I am the same way. I have on occasion had fish fries with cats and crappie, and I don't mind taking a few of those fish. I've never been one for the taste of bass though!

I have fished some finesse jigs before, but not a lot. Senkos have been very good to me in shallow clear water

I've never been one to harvest the fish I catch, but this is because I do not think fish are very tasty to eat! What are your guy's opinions on selective harvest of fish, as long as regulation is followed? IMO, if someone wants to harvest fish, it is fine with me, if they follow all regulations, and aren't taking massive amounts of fish.

Thanks for the tip! I've heard that jig and craw presentations work year round. I assume a smaller jig might help you get more bites as well, so you can get used to feeling the bite better. Do you recommend fishing the lightest weight you can, similar to plastic worms?

I'm a fan of big handles especially when I'm cranking or flipping and pitching in heavy cover. IMO they help me get more power and torque against a crankbait, as well as when I'm yanking fish out of heavy cover. When I'm fishing other presentations I prefer a more streamlined handle to help reduce weight and make it easier to hold. Just my two cents.

I'm looking to work on my jig and plastic fishing, flipping and pitching, and my lipped crankbait fishing. I've struggled w/these techniques in the past and would love to improve upon them. I've been working on gearing up w/the correct tackle (rods, reels, lines and baits) to help lessen the learning curve.

I told you in my introduction post that my weakness comes when fishing slow moving jigs like football jigs, and plastics like fishing the bottom with a Texas rig or Carolina rig. I just haven't been good at it. I'm looking to invest time and money to master these presentations. How are some ways I can up my game?

Rockville lakes one that doesn't get a lot of pressure. It is in Parke County, near Raccoon, so it doesn't get so much attention. I've heard a little about Greene County Mine Pond as well. That's in Terre Haute I believe. Those are my best ideas.

I used to do that as well, but I found that my pockets were sore, and most of what I bought was a bunch of crap. I cleared all that out, and started reorganizing. I find my fishing is more enjoyable this way. I still buy deals, but if I don't need it, I wont buy it, even on Salem

I winterize the truck (yah, its fishing related to me), clean all of my rods and reels, reorganize tackle, and take an inventory of what I have, compared to the beginning of the year, and only buy exactly what I need.