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I don't like crankbait fishing and don't catch a lot of fish doing it, I spent a lot of time chucking jerkbaits this spring and didn't catch a lot of fish.

1. I decided to bring out my moken 14' on a very very small river in Northern Illinois during high water. I whipped around a corner, saw a log jam turned too fast and flipped my kayak lost a St. Croix premier, brand new *** and my sunglasses under the log jam, I tried to get them out but despite it being a warmish day the water was still very cold and I couldn't safely get under the log jam. As far as I know the rod and reel are still in the river I've gone back but can't find them. The kicker is a moken 14 has built in rod leashes that I decided I didn't need to use. 2. I rented a small boat and the trolling motor kept sliding up the transom and turning me in circles, I moved my rods took it off and started to put it back on and continued fishing. It slid up again and I lost my cool made a wild cast, on the back cast I caught my cranking rod with a 3/8th oz jig and it broke in half. This is just this year, I can't recall anything in particular from previous years but I'm sure I've done some really stupid stuff because I tend to break a rod a year on average lol

I three like j-braid, but my go to is suffix 832. I used to like powerpro then I started having a lot of problems with it, ditched it and couldn't be happier.

Manabu Kurita caught a 22lber on Lake Biwa, one of the most pressured lakes in the world...

If the water temps are above 60ish I don't think they need to wake up, in unfamiliar water I definitely start throwing search baits like buzzhudson suggested above. I like using whopper ploppers a lot of times I'll get short strikes and follow up with a t rig. Fish the current seems.

I find I can pull slider jigs through rocks pretty easy, I also agree with the earlier poster who suggested upping to a heavier braid and throw a mono leader on it or just fish a heavier mono. Also in rocks I drag bottom baits like a jig and reel up slack, if they get stuck I can usually wiggle them loose like a jig and that's usually enticing to the fish too. If you want to try and new bait that usually works when tubes are working I suggest a hula grub or similar spider grub on a slider jig, owner makes one that's great so is the og slider jig.

Hello, I'm new to the forum. I live near the fox so that's what I mainly wade and kayak fish. I also travel around quite a bit fishing. I'll throw in a report from the last few weeks. Smallie bite on the fox doesn't seem to be where it was pre flood, still catching a decent amount of 14"+. Got a 19"er and watched a friend pull a 20.5"er out of the same hold during the height of the flood. So far it's been a good year lots and lots of smallies and tangled with a couple 5lb give or take largemouth. Looking forward to taking a trip to Kentucky lake early November for smallies and trying to dodge the storms this weekend might head to pool 13 for some yak fishing, camping and possibly somewhere else for a boat rental. Is anyone familiar with any of these yak fishing tournaments? I'd like to enter one but the process seems convoluted for the ones I have seen...

For smallies hands down whopper plopper and for largies hands down Sammy.

I fish for river smallies mainly with a medium heavy fast action rod. The river I fish is a fast flowing shallow river and I tend to toss chatterbaits, swim jigs, buzz baits and t rigs. I still catch a lot of dinks with all those baits. I do fish hair jigs, grubs and wacky worms on spinning gear. I usually catch way more dinks on those baits so 90% of the time I'm chucking and winding on a medium heavy dobyns or St Croix.

for river Smallmouth and I almost exclusively use medium heavy baitcasters. When I do use a spinning reel I use a ML and usually fish slider jigs or ball jigs, I try to use the biggest widest gap hooks I can get away with. I tend to baby the drag and just try to keep the rod loaded which can be a challenge in fast current on spinning gear.