Glaucus

Already know Smallmouth fight harder than Largemouth. Consensus and experience tells us all this. Recent experience tells me this again. Caught a big SM yesterday. Took me 5 minutes to safely land it. Peeled drag like a boss. Did some cool air stunts. Caught a big LM today. Took me a minute to safely land it. Bout the same size fish. Larry hit harder but gave up. Smallie wanted to drown me.

Larry decided to eat my Ned Rig at the dam today.

Weightless Texas Rigged Senkos and Trick Worms. One of the ponds I fish is similar. If it isn't topwater, it must be a weightless T-Rig. Any weight at all brings up the slop. But good news: Senkos and Trick Worms are always good, especially in these environments.

Step 1: Take your nightcrawlers Step 2: Open the lid Step 3: Feed the birds Step 4: Go fishing

2-6lb diameter on a baitcaster is a nightmare waiting to happen, especially for a beginner. I would ignore this advice, OP. That's way too thin for a baitcaster. Experienced people can get away with 20lb braid (6lb diameter), but it will have it's fair share of problems, especially with digging.

Step 1: Take your mono Step 2: Throw it in the trash Step 3: Use braid

Biggest Smallmouth ever on this particular river. Throwing the Ned Rig off the dam. It doesn't just catch dinks! I was shaking for awhile. My buddy gets credit for it too because he climbed down the wall and lipped it for me and raised it up to me so I didn't have to horse it up the wall and risk breaking it off. And then we waded down to some islands and this behemoth ate his Ned Rig. My buddy down the wall doing me a solid.

That's completely false. Scales tell us who wins a tournament. Scales tell us our PB. Not everyone lives in the land of DD bass. Not everyone fishes for LMB. A SMB doesn't need to even be half of 10lbs to be incredible.

Just when I was appreciating my location, a 9 year old ruined it all over again. I was fishing a river and this kid shows up trying to chit chat. He asks me, what is easier to learn on, spinning or baitcasting. I go through the quick tutorial and afterwards I said, I'm surprised you know what a baitcaster is, a lot of kids don't. This little dude tells me, that's because I'm from Florida where we actually have fish! ?

Learned that lesson years ago when I thought 6lb mono would be a good idea on a baitcaster, or when I thought 8lb mono on light spinning gear with a T Rig was a good idea around cover. "Ain't no stinkin 8lb bass coming from this place in IL." It's not about the size of the fish... ah, the growing pains. And then there's the time I thought jerkbaits were crankbaits.....

Back at it this fine morning

Went Smallie hunting again with the ole Ned Rig. First picture is my first cast. Second picture is my second cast. It was on from there. Another 30 Smallies in about 2 hours. Had to make the second picture gray so it would fit on here. Sorry for the dumb face. My wife texted me and that was my reply back. We're weird.

Apologies if I came off as rude. So often will people complain about recreational boating as if the water is for anglers only. I do understand common courtesy. I also understand that not everyone is really aware of what they're doing. Of course you learn of wakes and boating etiquette in courses. I look at it like driving. We all learn how to drive, but we all break the technical rules in one way or another without realizing how it could impact others. And as for fishing, although that isn't your complaint, people who don't fish just don't understand. I get irritated as much as anyone else, but I also must maintain my rationale and head. Most of the time, people aren't just jerks trying to screw me over. I offer forgiveness and move on.

The water isn't just for anglers. People boat recreationally. Recreational boaters who dont fish almost certainly dont realize they're interfering with your fishing. We aren't a superior species of people who get to claim territory.

You guys are making me appreciate living in the north. I've envied southerners for a long time because of your giant LMB. But then you talk about having never caught a SMB. Makes being able to catch 4-7lb LMB and 2-5lb SMB feel a bit better as you get both worlds.

I was taught to stop horsing them in with trebles once you know they're gonna jump. Works for me. Lost fewer fish.

Okeechobee and Fork self explanatory

Mostly fish ponds. Don't see autistic bass or dead floaters. They're animals. They're resilient. Caught a smallie at the river Monday that had a rusted hook in its throat and a foot of line hanging out of its mouth. Still swimmin, still eatin

Sometimes gotta drag a bass on to the bank, sometimes it shakes loose and flops on the carpet or grass, and I weigh them in any ole bag. Don't wet my hands to handle them. Here's where it gets crazy... I set the loose, and you never see them swimming in a circle or going belly up. Weird! Sigh

I work 6 days a week and have a wife and 4 kids. I get out for 4 hours every Sunday morning. Sometimes another 4 hours Sunday evening if I'm lucky. I'm going away for work for 8 days tomorrow, though, and it's gonna be near a smallie paradise so I'll be out all 8 days. Hope I remember to call home!

Try to keep your rod tip low to keep the fish down. Release pressure if one does jump with a treble.

Yes. When you figure out what a Senko is actually supposed to be, let us know. Until then we'll keep feeding it to them -- remaining completely clueless as to why they love it.

Shaky and weightless trig

Most important electronic to me is my phone to indicate lightning. That's it.

A fat whopping zero. I bank and kayak fish. When I'm on a boat, it belongs to a friend. He'll have electronics, but I don't pay attention to them. I'll fish where he takes us. The fun for me is locating fish on my own. Wading a river or reaching tough places in the yak. Hitting the right weedline in a pond. I spend so much time looking at screens at work and at home, that when I'm fishing, it's me, God, my rod and reel, the fish and the water. Unless I guess right right away, I'll catch a few here and there til I reach a spot where they're holding. And again that's the fun for me. Fishing is as much peace and outdoors and hiking and walking and wading and paddling and scenery as it is fishing itself. Don't need no stinkin screens to stare at.