The Baron

Not my evening for bass. Got about 6 casts in with a new hair jig I wanted to try and got bit off.? Figured it was a pike, so I switched to a tube jig. Caught one tiny smallmouth, then landed this joker and called it a night before I lost anymore tackle.

Nice smallie! I don’t have a scale either - I use the measurement and a conversion chart for lmb/smb weights I found online, usually try to be conservative. But I really do “need” a scale. My phone takes pretty large photos, so whatever ones I want to post I email them to myself and choose the “medium” file size when prompted. I then save them back to my phone again and usually they’re good.

I've got Sufix Advance 10# on my cranking rods and have been very happy with it. Good price, easy to manage, casts well and doesn't float like standard mono. I've also had good luck keeping fish pinned with it on a both a M/f and a MH/moderate casting rod. Published diameter of the Sufix Advance 10# is .012”, so about the same as the published diameter of (for example) Sunline FC Sniper 14# at 0.0122”, so shouldn't cost too much (if anything) on diving depth.

Trolling a whopper plopped behind my canoe… ? I’m stealing this idea!???

Count my photos... that's all my big fish, so I'm open to any thoughts. lol

@WRB Awesomen information! Yes, prevailing wind is west, most often SW I’ve found. We were fishing lake trout there in June and with the sensitivity at max. my old Garmin 535 showed the thermocline was at about 80ft - (edit: which, the more I research this the less sense that makes. A more knowledgeable buddy says he’d guess it would be about 35-40ft.) I didn’t check any water deep enough to see it on this last trip. The lake has lmb, smb, lake trout and panfish (perch, bluegill and rock bass). No pike, muskey or walleye.

Headed to my nemesis lake Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Couple little lmb in the weeds when we first arrived in the afternoon, then headed around the corner to some deeper water. Was still thinking lmb and throwing a T-rigged Bandito Bug when I got a great bite. It headed straight for the sky and a beauty smb threw my bug right back at me (pretty sure I also saw him flip me off. lol). I was both thrilled and disappointed as we’ve not found any smb over maybe 2# in this lake yet after many days’ trying, to the point I had thrown in the towel and just targeting lmb. Went back out in the morning to the same windward shore area, and was throwing a Heddon One Knocker spook only a few casts when this nice smb hooked up from about 18ft. of water (no scale - 19.5” and I’d say a very honest 3.5#). I feel like some of the puzzle pieces are finally starting to fall into place on these pelagic buggers.

I’ve been trying to figure out a medium sized lake in central Ontario. It’s a solid largemouth fishery if you work the docks and shoreline, but finding more than the odd decent smallmouth is proving to be a challenge. I strongly suspect the really good smallmouth are suspended and feeding on Cisco. The main basin is quite deep (100ft+) with several islands/bays/points and steep shore contours. Q is… are there any general rules I can apply when searching for these fish with only very basic electronics? I had some luck this weekend along the windward shore, and seemed to be in areas that dropped fairly steeply from shore to 25-30ft of water. Should I be focussing on the windward shore? Lake points? Islands? If anyone was bored and wanted to look at the lake contour map, I’d take all the expert suggestions I can get. https://fishing-app.gpsnauticalcharts.com/i-boating-fishing-web-app/fishing-marine-charts-navigation.html?title=Weslemkoon+Lake+boating+app#12/45.0300/-77.4250

Thanks @looking45. There are heavy weeds on the ledges.

I’ve been fishing a new lake, with good sized largemouth and smallmouth. There’s a rock bluff that goes down near vertically into 40ft. of water, with at least 2-3 narrow ledges on the way down with heavy weed growth. The water if fairly clear and I believe the primary forage are 2-4” shiner minnows. How would you guys fish something like that? Hop a T-rig worm down the ledges? Or a jig? Or…?

That's a big spread in intended uses, but my vote is definitely for 7' M/F. 15-20# braid main line with 8# fluoro leader for the ned and 12# mono leader for the topwater (floats and might add a little stretch to keep trebles pinned). If you go with green braid and are throwing in cover, I'd just tie direct for the T-rig. If more open or clear water, I'd use 10-15# fluoro. Hard to make all those presentations work perfectly with one setup, but it'll work fine.

Both the wind and my work load were quiet this morning, so my son and I slipped out for some more canoe fishing. It was a gorgeous morning - zero wind and we actually wore hoodies to stay warm. We were on the lake before sunup and off again by 8:30 when the bite slowed down. He landed mostly largemouths with a GY wacky-rigged senko and I continued to explore the world of Keitech swimbaits, landing a couple good smallmouth (19.5” and 20”) plus a few smaller ones. I definitely prefer the 1/4oz. jig heads. I was fishing a 4.3” FAT today with a 3/8oz. head, but will be experimenting with 4” Swing Impacts next - thinking maybe better hooksets with a slimmer bait. I was also trying out some new rod holders for the canoe - a big help, just need some tweaking.

Given where you're fishing (potentially bigger fish in cover) I'd recommend your first setup be a baitcaster - 7ft. MH/F with a 7:1 to 8:1 speed reel. Probably most economical to start with a combo (Lews or Abu Garcia have some good ones at lower price points, I think). One trick of a baitcaster might be to decide which hand you're going to reel with - I'm right handed, but I prefer a left-hand baitcaster same as my spinning reels. If you don't have a friend with a baitcaster to try, you could hit your local shop or BP and try both to see which feels more natural for you. Spool with 15#-20# Trilene Big Game to start. Mono is cheap and easier to learn with on a baitcaster. Tie on a 1/4oz-1/2oz. weight and go casting in your backyard or a quiet park, until you've got the hang of it (school of YouTube will show you how to setup a reel - it's very intimidating at first, but not complicated at all). For lures, keep it simple and don't try to cover every technique until you've been catching some and finding what works/what you enjoy/what water you're fishing most often. A frog (a classic summer bass technique, but it's questionable to frog the thick stuff with with mono), a spook or popper, a couple shad colored crank baits of different running depths (maybe a DT4 and a DT10, for example) and a small selection for Texas rigging - 4/0 worm hooks and 5/0 EWG, 1/4oz. and 3/8oz bullet weights, bobber stops and a bag each of 5" senkos, 6"-8" worms and a beaver bait in whatever colors guys tell you work on Fork. Once you're catching some, take your wife fishing. Hopefully she likes it, so then you'll need another rod/reel for her and some baits. You can then divert some shoe money into a M or MH spinning outfit with wacky worm and paddle-tail swimbait gear. ?

Yes, it was partly your videos that are to blame… er, I mean… are to thank for me thinking I “need” a GoPro. ? @MN Fisher… I wouldn’t have known any of that. Thank you!

That is a crazy story indeed! Congratulation on your PB - even after she gets bumped off the podium, you'll never forget her!!

Sounds like a great day! I hear you on the solo photos - I'm actually thinking about getting a go-pro or something to mount on the front of the canoe, just so I can get better photos of my fish. Trying to hold a phone at arms length and do a fish selfie is awkward and I'm slowly building a collection of photos that all look the same. lol

Excellent! Congratulations!

I decided it was Fish Flu Friday and left very early for a rematch at the smallmouth lake I discovered (went equipped for largemouth last time). I bought a selection of Keitech and jig heads to try, and was not disappointed. I started with a 3.3” FAT with 1/4oz. Keitech tungsten head and landed 3 fish on my first 4 casts, including the best smallie of the day (20.5”… no scale) followed by a largemouth that wasn’t far behind. But things died off very quickly after the first hour of daylight. It’s been hot here so I moved out deeper as the temperature climbed and picked up a few on dropshot. In hindsight, I should have got the message and left at about 9am. I caught about dozen or more in the first hour, then progressively slower and caught only two from about 8-11am. Lesson learned for next trip - go early, leave early. Also, I caught more largemouth than smallmouth so seems I need to work on my smallie mojo at my secret smallie lake. lol

Hello! from just over your north shoulder...

There was a thread just started about replacement lenses for discontinued glasses. I didn't know this type of option existed. Could be just what you need, someday.

I didn't even know this was a thing. Thanks!

I found a great little smallmouth lake and am planning a return trip tomorrow. 4#+ fish are a definite possibility. They're feeding mostly on small emerald shiners and I expect to find them suspended in 15-30+ft. of water, so my plan is to throw a 2.5" Swing Impact or 3.3" FAT on a 3/16oz. head, and 3.3" FAT, 3.8" FAT or a 4" Easy Shiner on a 1/4oz. or 3/8oz. head. I'm assuming one of my 7' M/F spinning rods with 15# braid to an 8# fluoro leader would work well on the lighter stuff, but at which point, if at all, am I better off going to a baitcaster? And when I make that switch, which of the following from my options would y'all recommend? 1. Okuma EVx CB-701MHb with a 7.3:1 reel and 30# Power Pro Superslick (with a leader?) 2. Fenwick Elite Tech ETB70M with a 6.5:1 and 10# Suffix Advance 3. Dobyn's Fury FR705CB with a 6.2:1 and 10# Suffix Advance

Yesterday was pretty epic. The winds were so calm we were able to slip the canoe into Lake Ontario, for much better access to a spot I found while shore fishing. The smallmouth were there and I did very well on a tube jig, fishing the transition area where rocks slowly change to a sandy bottom with some patchy weeds in about 5-15ft. of water (casting in and fishing from shallow to deep). We caught good numbers and a couple double headers. Best of the morning was 4lbs on the nose and I beat it by an ounce in the afternoon. You can rest assured we’ll be back again whenever the conditions permit!

I remembered what they were and found them... they're Matzuo rigged salty tubes in "chartreuse". I'll buy something similar if I see them, but it's not critical - we went out again in the evening (same area) and I did every bit as well with Strike King Coffee tubes in green pumpkin. And using XZone 1/4oz. tube jig heads my hookup/landing percentage was much better than with the cheap pre-rigged tubes.

I had a great morning using tubes on Lake Ontario. The tubes I had were pre-rigged bargain bin stuff I bought just to try tubes. After catching a Goby (the food of choice for Lake O. smallies) I was impressed at how well this tube matches. Now I’ve looked in the three local shops and can’t find anything that light colored. Can anyone name a tube brand/color that looks like this? It’s much lighter than green pumpkin, which is the next lightest color I have. And oddly enough, “goby” color tubes are even darker.