padon

so i know these things are killers on dropshot for smallmouth. i just bought 5 bags on line because thy are hard as heck to get. our lakes have both largemouth and smallmouth. drop shoting is a good tactic here in the summer but i dont know if i will be targeting smallmouth specificly. so my question is has anybody had much success with these on largemouth? i know they are kind of small but on a couple of our lakes that have clear deep water smaller baits work pretty well. what is your guys opinion on these if youve used them.

hmm idk that may not be a good wintering hole. even though it sounds like one. usually if you can locate them in a wintering hole you can catch them pretty good because there are alot of them in there.

and isnt that the beauty of it! if a guy just wants to throw a few plugs and plastic worms he can and be happy with that,on the other hand we can go full blown expensive boats dozens of rods and reels,boxes and boxes full of tackle . and theres many levels in between and thats theh great part of it.

if your creek feeds a larger river or lake many of the fish may leave the creek altogether and go to the bigger water.its amazing how far river fish will travel. btw i dont know this because im some wise old fisherman, you can read tagging studies on line,from my experince if they stay though they dont wanna stay in heavy current in cold water.as scott said the best wintering holes are out of heavy current but near some current. they will slide into that current hunker down behind a rock grab a crayfish or a couple minnows and go back to the slack water and rest.

no i didnt i said that smallmouth when choosing a wintering spot will be out of current. if you have 2 spots both the same depth one with less current than the other , the one with less current will be prefered.if you have slack current and relativley deep water as you described you have a good wintering hole. so yes you should have a good chance of catching fish there. now if they have already started moving out of wintering holes then you may not catch much. only you can determine that. im not nostradomas i cant tell you what the fish are doing without fishing there.

yes they are heavy and that tail really rises in the water. they cast easy on casting gear even with a light head.oh and dont tell anybody but dont be afraid to wacky rig them weightless either

the number 1 consideration for smallmouth wintering is to be out of current . even more than depth. so i would say yes unless they have moved from wintering holes you should have a good chace.

great worm. i like the longer thinner wigglers too. only problem i have with the rattlers is they are thick and hard to get a good hookset with a spinning rod. i throw them on a medium heayt casting rod. your experience may be different.

eh to me its ford or chevy. just a matter of what you like. ive used both on and off for 30 years and was always happy with either. right now im running 90% shimano. i like them. if somebody switched all of them for equal priced diawa im sure id like them too. i do have 2 lews casting reels and their nice too. just find the one you like and buy a quality model from any of the major companies and i think youll be fine.

im a worm nut. i fish grassy lakes and catch more on worms every year than anything. for me its robo worms, grande bass rattlesnakes, grande bass airtail wiggler on a shakey head. reins bubbling shaker, zoom trick worms, zoom finesse worms ultravibe speed worm, berkley 10 inch power worms in summer. senko of course z man fatty z,yamamoto cut tail worm, im sure there are more. yeah i like worms.

i really didnt want to stir up anything , i mean to me its not a big deal. its a fishing rod if it bothers people just buy a different one. i just think some of this stuff goes a little overboard. i use primarily legend tournament bass rods. apparently they are so tip heavy one can barley lift them without a weight training program. i didnt realize that til i read it on the internet.i mean its a freaking fishing rod... buy what you like.

yeah i figured that for the season but we will see how the individual events go. dont really care about prizes just something to fool with. of course if i win one ill take it.?

yeah i wear my regular water shoes or flip flops if its warm. boots if its cooler.

thanks i just did. ofcourse i dont know half of the guys but whatever. doesnt cost anything to play.

apparently it got transmitted somehow.

i just learned about this. so can i get in now or do you have to do a whole season like fantasy football?

theres no way you could have caught a fish on that rod. i mean it doesnt have exposed blank on the reel seat.??

yes if you dont mind spending the money simms makes great stuff. ive also used huk rain gear and the aftco hydronaut. none of these are cheap but they will all keep you dry and i mean dry for an 8 hour fishing day.

sammy still catches fish just like it always did. there are other good walking baits too. i like the tactical bassin guys and i watch all their videos too and i think they are honest guys but remember their job is to move move product for manufacturers and tackle warehouse. culprit and powerbait worms still catch fish like they did 25 years ago.

i think i may give this stuff a shot on my casting reels. ive been using invisx and im happy with it but i always wonder if im being fooled paying 24 bucks for a spool of line. i just wanna see if its got good sensitivity and if i feel like it stretches on hook sets. any particular knot you guys like? i usually tie a san diego jam.

7ft medium spinning rod. i can cast it on a casting set up but i think i get better feel of the bait with a spinning rod.

i was thinking of getting a new helix9 di g4n for my bow. probably gonna upgrade to an ultrex this summer or next winter and want to connect to the depthfinder so i can use all the features of the motor. from what im hearing the g4s are way backed up. im seeing some gen 3s on sale. so my question is if i go with the gen 3 i can still interface with the ultrex correct? does anybody know what the up grades are in th gen 4?

i have fished the upper potomac and susquehanna both for 30 years and i can tell you the decline in smallmouth has nothing to do with muskie. the poor fishing on both of these rivers is the fault of nothing but mankind.the water qualityin both rivers has gone to sh** literally in the last 10 years. outdated and poorly maintained sewage treatment plants on both rivers frequently overflow into the rivers. add to that fertilizer run off from farms etc and you see why the fishing has gone down hill. both states know this but refuse to seek federal funds to help clean them up due to politics. this isnt my opinion google it and you will see many articles written on it. the extremely wet summer of 3 or 4 years ago was the final nail in the coffin with almost constant flooding and sewage overflows for 3 months.

there is also a youtube channel called tiny boat nation you may want to check out. he gives alot of tips on doing builds and shows examples.

ok theres alot going on here and some questions you need to answer before we can help you. you can go with wood if you want, its easier to work with but its going to be heavy compared to aluminum.all wood isnt created equal you should use marine grade wood or at least pressure treated. id probably try to get a 15 on there if you could swing it. also as others have said you need to be careful with your weight distribution.A 55 pound bow mount should be ok on that size boat on small waters.as catt said you may want to try to find a boat that has extended front and rear decks already, you can always add on to them. i did that with my tracker this winter . had the rear deck extended covered storage compartments aluminum floor and new carpet. that cost me 4k but it looks profesional. i needed the weight savings of of aluminum because i have a unique situation where my lakes are decent size but limited to electric motors and only one boat ramp.(maryland sucks) take your time and think about it so you buy right the first time.