The Baron

It’s crazy that such a small change in your bait can turn your day around.

Congratulations! ?

I’ve got zero experience with fish finder/electronics. I’m looking for recommendations on a basic, portable unit that can be used on either borrowed boats or a canoe. I don’t know enough to say what specific features I need/want, but certainly knowing the depth, some idea of bottom structure, water temperature and the ability to find bait (and fish) would be a huge help from fishing without any electronics. GPS would be great, but I wouldn’t say it’s critical. Are there any specific units that come to mind? Budget would be modest, but somewhat flexible… say $300-400 USD and could flex to $500 is there was a big benefit for the increase. Finding a deal on an older unit would be great way to stretch my dollars, as long as the unit is not too outdated in terms of service/support if needed. Thanks in advance!

When I first learned how to rig a dropshot, I was having great luck on ZMan Scented Paddlerz. I didn’t realize they weren’t specifically designed as a dropshot bait. (Yes, I was very green when it comes to fishing soft plastics). I still use them. They work great, last for several fish and (the best part) is that the paddle tail keeps the bait from spinning on the retrieve. We usually cast and work them back slowly, so more using that setup to keep a swimbait at a controlled depth than vertically dropping.

Great. Now I have to buy more baits.? With all the talk about the importance of scented baits, I’d think coloring a soft bait with magic marker would hurt your productivity. Doesn’t sound like that’s a problem though.

I’ll bet your face didn’t look like Thor for a few seconds there. ??

Some real beauties @Bluebasser86!

Went to check a Lake Ontario shore spot, where it seems they’re either there or not. Lots of nibbles on a dropshot, then finally got a hook in one. No repeat on the 5+ pounders today. lol

30# braid with about 3-4ft. of 12# BG leader for me. Casts very well, with good hook sets and no stretch so walking the bait is easy. My current spook/popper rod is a MH/moderate-fast crankbait rod and my landing percentage is very high (on the small fish we catch… most under 2#). If I were to rig on a fast action rod for some reason, I might try straight 12# BG.

Fatty! ? Q… regarding a topic of prior discussion. Was that fish played out before landing? There’s been a suggestion that smallies May get darker when played to exhaustion.

Anything not finesse is fun for me. Topwater most of all. Spooks are awesome, as is frogging the weeds. I used a buzzbait for the first time a week or so ago - I caught quite a few and had a blast, so I love them now too. I enjoy the feeling of fish hitting a crankbait - I used a squarebill to catch my PB largemouth on Friday, so love them too. Pulling a pig out of a sunken tree on a jig is fun too. I guess anything that catches me fish is fun. But if you sent me to a dream land with only one lure, that the fish always ate, I’d say a spook.

That’s very interesting information. So much to consider. We were on the lake Friday-Saturday and struggled to find fish. We should be well into the fall transition, with a few nights in the high 30’s/low 40’s last week and daytime highs in the 60’s. I’d estimate surface water temps were in the low 60’s (we have no electronics). We did find some largemouth along a stretch of 5-7ft. deep water, that’s close to the main channel at 12-15ft. deep. We identified a few factors to possibly explain why some fish were there. Now I’m wondering if more DO due to boat traffic could be a factor. It’s a busy cottage lake, but boat traffic is of course way down now that we’re well into fall.

We had high hopes for yesterday, but struggled to find fish without electronics. We started off shallow and worked our way out deeper. Our first fish came when I ran a squarebill over the roots of a stump in 2ft. of water, on a marked shoal close to the main channel and 12-15ft. of water. A new PB for me at 3lb. 11oz. We picked up two more along that area, then it was a slow grind from there. We fished 8am until 6:30pm, with everything from surface to bottom in 2-25ft. of water and could never confirm any pattern from our first few fish. Funniest part was at about 5:30pm my buddy said let’s go back to where we got the first three and see if they’ve turned on, or if more have moved in. I rolled up there slow, and as I cut the motor he cast a jig with craw trailer at the same stump I caught my big one on, and wham… catches what we’re certain is the same fish again. It weighed 3lb.14oz., looking like it had eaten something since I caught it. Proof that catch and release works. As my buddy said, you can only eat them once. haha

I’m quite budget conscious too, and most of our setups have been purchased used. This has allowed me to own some very good quality gear at “working man” prices. Buying used can be risky, but so far I’ve only had a couple minor issues. For gear I’ve bought new, I’ve been very impressed with the Diawa Regal LT spinning reels for the money (I think about $50 USD?). We’ve got both a 1000 and a 2500 and they’ve served well for occasional use (they’re not our core use spinning reels, but used when we need a 3rd spinning setup for my daughter or to have a dedicated setup with a wacky senko so we can leave our dropshot rods rigged up). As has been mentioned, don’t scrimp on line. Buy a quality braid in bulk if you can, otherwise grab a bulk spool of a good mono like Trilene Big Game. I use fluorocarbon for leaders (buy Seaguar!) but am not a fan of it for mainline.

Sandhill crane is indeed some amazing stuff. I hunted waterfowl in Saskatchewan several times, and cranes were very much a prime target. We’d send ours to a local Chinese food restaurant and the owner would make a big platter of ginger crane. There’d usually be 8-12 of us at a big table and when he put that platter down, we looked like a pride of lions on a zebra. ??

I’m still at my apex for the year. I’ve gotten back into fishing after an almost 30-year hiatus and my 12-year old son has taken a real shine to fishing as well. We’re boatless, but although a boat may still be a ways off for several reasons, I decided to not let that hold us back. I got researching local shore spots and searching contour maps, which led me to a very good (albeit, hit and miss) Lake Ontario smallmouth spot, where my son absolutely crushed his PB with a 5lb 7oz. - average to the boaters, but a behemoth to us. He also caught a +/- 2.5lb. largemouth at a bridge channel spot on a back lake, which is his PB largemouth. So while I’ve got him in numbers, he’s kicked my butt in size.?? We shared our Lake O. shore spot with a good friend who reciprocated with sharing some back lakes he knows. We’ve had some good days - no huge numbers and nothing big - but we’re having fun and I’ve learned a ton this year, largely from watching YouTube to research techniques/baits then going out and trying them. I had an epic canoe fishing day with my friend, landing my PB largemouth (3lb and change - didn’t weigh it) and a bunch of smaller fish. I learned a lot from him that day, as his experience is a lot more modern than mine and I’m still pretty new to largemouth fishing. I’ve gone hog wild on rods and reels, adding I think 4 combos this year. I should probably stop soon as we’re well equipped with quality gear, picked up used from various sources. I just “need” another higher gear bait casting reel and we’re set. I’ve also at least doubled, if not tripled, our tackle supply and significantly expanded our repertoire. All that said, the fall bite is just coming on good here now. We had a great day last Saturday and I’m off to a bigger lake this weekend with my friend, with use of a boat. I’ve got new lures and techniques to try and feel the best on my year is yet to come. ???

Have to go back to the 80’s/90’s but we used to catch a ton of smallmouth on floating Rapala F13’s in either silver or gold, or the joined J11 in gold/orange. Surface lures were a Jitterbug, Hula Popper, a Heddon Dying Flutter or a Heddon Crazy Crawler. Those all look out of place in a tackle bag now.

Heddon is the brand. They’ve got several different versions of their “Spook” line, all of which are a solid choice. There are a few other brands with very similar lures though - I’ve been having great luck with a Yo Zuri Pencil Popper and there’s the Berkley J-Walker… and several others, I’m sure. Bone seems to be a go-to color, especially if your fish are chasing shad. But I don’t think the color is super critical at the start - grab one you like the look of and go get a feel for it. Topwater is a ton of fun. Unless you’re looking for lottery tickets or the bathroom, you won’t get much help at Walmart. Try googling up a local fishing store and head in there. Tell them you’d like to try a spook/walking bait and they should be able to provide some suggestions on what they have available. ?

I picked up a Storm Arashi popper today. It’s only 3 1/8” but 1/2oz. so casts great. It also has a walk-the-dog action if you fish it faster, so seems very versatile. I snuck out for the evening and was fishing on one side of a small bridge on a minor road when I saw a fish swirl on bait on the other side, so I zipped over there and got hit on the first cast.? Then I was flirting with max cast distance and lightened the brakes enough to enjoy some birds nest clearing practice before I ran out of light - always good to keep your skills sharp.?

Great job guys! Keep grinding out those points. ?

I’ve had similar issues with my Stradic 2500. Silent drag, then no drag or slipping. I lifted the spool to check the clicker and saw nothing wrong, so put it back together and it was miraculously fine for a 1/2 day. Took it apart further, which fixed it. Put it back on the rod and tied up a drop shot. Literally put it in the garage working, picked it up to go the next morning and it has no drag before I even left home. It’s now boxed up to go to Shimano. Most expensive spinning reel I have and it’s been the most disappointing. ?

Nice! Interesting, because my biggest largemouth of Saturday (the "est" is key... "big", not so much. lol) came on a BPS bargain bin popper as well - mine's gold and black, about 4" long. Funniest part is it was my first cast after tying it on and I didn't adjust my brakes quite right, so I got a minor backlash and my cast got yanked at only about 20ft. The lure sat for 5-7 seconds as I started clearing that, when the fish hit it. I couldn't reel to retrieve, so I had to handline him in. lol

My son and I got out on a small back lake Saturday afternoon. It was a gorgeous day and I had a great outing, catching probably 25-30 largemouth on buzzbaits, popper, spook and a squarebill. Unfortunately, my son struggled and had only a couple of hits but hooked nothing. He was using the exact same setups as me (I’d catch a few, then we’d trade rods/lures… then I’d catch a few and him none, then switch again… ). He got pretty frustrated and gave up a few times. I tried not fishing a bit and slowly sneaking him around the lake coaching but the fish gods were just not having it. Finally, after fishing from about 2pm-6:30pm he said he’d try from shore while I was packing up the gear (seems a 12 year old will do anything to get out of working. lol). Lo and behold, he caught one - he was a very happy clam and I was very proud for him to have persevered and beat the skunk. Oddly, he was fishing a buzzbait and had let it sink when he got bit - I guess he was just meant to catch that one. So, I had a great day but it was a bit tarnished by my buddy’s struggles. I was waiting for a “good” fish to take photos, but I didn’t get any over about 1.5# (the fish my son caught is pretty typical of my whole day, with plenty smaller).

I’m eyeing up one of the Abu Ike Signature Delay series baitcasting rods. It’s their model MIKECW64-5, which is a 6’4” Medium/moderate-fast glass crankbait rod. I’m thinking this might serve well as a squarebill/shallow crankbait/popper rod for canoe fishing. Does anyone have this rod, or a similar rod from the same series? Any thoughts on whether a 6’4” rod would be too short if I was lucky enough to snag a “good” bass (which is 3lbs+, in my world)?

We’re further north, in SE Ontario. Our weeds have died off substantially, with most of the shallow weeds turned brown and their floating tops have submerged. The lily pads are sinking now too, and our bass seem to have pulled out of the shallow/brown weeds and into deeper water that still has some green weeds/weed edges. We were in some shallow bays yesterday and the dying weeds have all slumped down into a solid brown mess that was deeper than my canoe paddle on the bottom. My perception is a frog excels in lily pads/floating grass mats and those are dying off quickly. Lures with more surface commotion (buzzbait, plopper, spook) seem to work better over the deeper water/weeds. I’m not sure if that’s because they better imitate a wounded baitfish (which they’re targeting more now) or if the noise just appeals to a hungry fall bass.