Uncle_MC

Fluoro grub? Can we get a pic of this? My fish will pretty much bite anything right now so I’d give it a fair shot if you can clarify a little more.

I would try a weightless Trick worm like @BassWhole! suggested. Something like green pumpkin or junebug would be good.

One of the best "just want to catch a fish" lures for a spillway is a 2" curly-grub on a ball jighead, cast upstream and retrieved steadily back with the current. As far as learning what to throw when, I don't think there is any one comprehensive guide. It's like a puzzle and you just need to start somewhere, learning as much as possible. The more knowledge you start to pick up (connect the pieces) the more other things will start to make sense. Some topics for you to explore/copy and paste into Google: * "Fishing lure color selection" * "How to choose lures for _____" (rainy days, sunny days, cloudy days, high-water, etc.) * "How to choose lures based on seasons" (pre-spawn, spawn, post-spawn, summer, etc.) * "Lures for night-fishing" * "Lures for rip-rap" * "Lures for weeds" Etc, etc, etc... The more you learn about lures themselves and the more you fish and actually apply that knowledge , you will begin to understand how they work and why the authors of the posts and articles you will read selected them for those conditions. Of course once you learn all that, you will next have to learn that location is even more important!!!

Wading little creeks for smallies and rock bass is one of my favorite summer activities. I usually wear basketball shorts and crocs. I’ll wear the same things occasionally to fish from shore in the lake if it’s not too muddy of an area and I don’t feel like taking the boat out.

I almost always sit in my 1232 Jon boat. But if it was bigger, I’d stand more.

This is my first year keeping a detailed log. I’ve tried in the past but always gave up on it a few weeks in.

I'll be going out in a few days for my seventh trip on open water since March 27 this year. Have been targeting smallmouth each trip, but have only been catching incidental crappie, pickerel, and yellow perch. Yesterday, I was out for 6 hours. Water temp was 45* when I got to the lake at 11AM, and by the time I left a little after 4 it was up to just under 49*. I was hoping that with the water pushing 50*, smallmouths would have begun filtering up into their eventual spawning grounds. I tried fancasting with a Rat-L-Trap three different bays where I know fish spawn. When that didn't work, I slowed down a bit and tried dragging a ballhead jig with a curly-grub, hopping a tube, a suspending jerkbait, and soaking a bucktail jig throughout the bays. Nada! Mistakes I learned from to hopefully make my seventh trip, lucky number seven: I'm going to start later. The water was continuously warming up and I imagine would have continued, but by 4:00, my morale was just too low and my back and knees hurt too much. I'll probably begin my trip around 1 or 2 instead. Slow way down with the jerkbait. I was definitely fishing too fast in anticipation for the "aggressive" prespawn bite, but I don't think we were quite at that point yet. Most importantly, stop fishing the way I wanted to fish! I really expected the fish to be way up cruising the shallows and I focused nearly 100% of my energy in less than 5FOW. It took me way too long to figure out that the fish just weren't there yet, and I should have been out a little deeper focusing on the transition areas between the wintering areas and the spawning areas. I need to be more aware and let the fish tell me what they want sooner and stop forcing it. Here's to improving and learning from our mistakes. Hopefully, #7 will be the one!

Thank you very much, sir. I'm looking forward to getting out and hopefully on some big smallmouth in the coming days with this technique!

The ice just melted where I'm at and I'd like to drift fish with lip-hooked live minnows while the water is still in the high-30s-low-40s. I've reviewed many past forum posts on this topic with the search function, and I see that @roadwarrior is often considered the resident expert around here on this type of fishing, and he has recommended Gamakatsu Octopus Circle hooks many times to previous posters. My question is are these hooks considered octopus hooks? Or circle hooks?? I understand that a hook-set is not required with a circle hooks, and is with an octopus hook. So I am confused on if these "hybrid" Octopus Circles require a hookset or not.

I don't have a huge selection of worms. At least not that I use regularly. I'll have a wacky-rigged 5" Dinger tied on at all times in a wide variety of colors: Green Pumpkin and variations, Watermelon and variations, Black, Black/Blue, Junebug, White, Motor Oil, and Bubblegum. I always make sure to have ample supply of these. My "mainstays" besides that are Zoom Ol' Monsters, Trick Worms, and Finesse Worms, and Culprit 7.5" Ribbontails. All in Green Pumpkin and Black/Blue. Mostly used either weightless or T-Rigged. In the very rare event that I dropshot, it is usually going to be a wacky-rigged 3" dinger. Plus a ton of other random worms in varying colors that don't get used often.

1. Catch a 4lb Smallie 2. Break my Largemouth PB of 6lbs 3. I want to add spinnerbaits to my list of confidence lures Outside of bass-specific stuff, I recently got a fly-tying kit and I've been tying small bucktail jigs in anticipation of ice-out smallies. They still look pretty wonky though, since I just started, so I'd like to make them a lot neater and better looking. I can't wait to feel the feeling of catching a fish on something I tied myself!

I have used Puppies in this situation but after discovering that I have just as much success with the full-size Spooks, I just use that because I prefer bait casting tackle when possible. It makes me believe that it's the sashaying action that is most important.

I have good luck fishing walking baits like Spooks when I'm seeing a lot of those skating bugs darting side to side. Its a similar action

Wacky-rigged 5" Senko. Green Pumpkin if only one color.

1. Hair Jig 2. Ned Rig 3. Suspending Jerkbait I plan on adding the Lindy-Rig to my back of tricks this ice-out as well, either with a live minnow or a Gulp! Product.

In the midst of my winter blues, I recently picked up the In-Fisherman Handbook of Smallmouth Strategies book which I've seen so highly praised. On Page 105, it recommends surface lures as a good choice for pre-spawn smallmouth. The book defines pre-spawn as water from 46-55*. Topwaters are my favorite way to catch fish, but I never really threw them at this time because I always thought it was too cold. I guess it makes sense, since the fish are feeding so aggressively. The few short times I have attempted were unsuccessful, but I guess I'll have to try it out this year! I have some Zara Puppies, Tiny Torpedoes, and a little 1/4oz Jitterbug which might work good. My usual pre-spawn rotation primarily consists of football jigs, spinnerbaits, and lipless cranks. Do you guys have any experience using topwaters in water this cold?

The one I bring is a completely budget-minded setup, so not sure if its what you're looking for if you're trying to upgrade: a 7' M/F Berkley Cherrywood HD with a Shimano Sienna 2500 reel. I kind of wish I got the Lightning Rod instead, but this one has never let me down. In my largemouth arsenal, it plays the role of a wacky-rig/weightless plastic rod, and one of my most-used. It has caught well-over 100 fish this summer, as well as this 5lb 3oz largemouth from yesterday:

I have never brought more than one rod when wading creek smallies. Usually a 7' M/F Spinning Rod w/ 2500 Reel and 15lb Braid to 6 or 8lb Mono Leader. Normally I'd use fluoro because I am primarily throwing Ned Rigs, inline spinners, small jerkbaits, and tubes. But I often also incorporate Pop'Rs or Zara Puppies into my attack plan, so I throw the mono on and just use that for the other techniques, as I don't feel like retying leaders while waist deep in a creek.

I have just been given an old Minn Kota LTD 24 trolling motor. I'm not sure exactly how old, at least 20yrs I'd say. Thing is I can hardly find any information on this thing at all. Has anyone owned this motor in the past and have an opinion on it? I am going to put it in my 1232 Jon boat.

I’m currently throwing frogs on 65lb Moss-Green Braid. Thing is I also will add a 20lb Fluoro Leader and throw heavy T-Rigs and Jigs on this same rod. As a line watcher, I struggle to see the green line when fishing the T-Rigs and jigs, so I thought of switching to White Braid to help with that. Any reason I shouldn’t throw the frogs on White Braid (no leader of course)? I think not but figured I’d ask you guys. I figured the frogs are looking up at a light sky so the line would blend in.

Do you remember what moon phase it was? I've heard that white lures can be the way to go on a full-moon, but I'm usually out on darker nights so tend to stick with black.

If Ohio is anything like PA, you can't go wrong with the "Trinity" of nighttime lures: big Jitterbugs, Colorado-blade Spinnerbaits, and big T-Rigged Worms. Black or black/blue is all you need. Fish the same areas you do during the daytime. Also, check this out:

I too love catching and eating pickerel! Vegetation is always the key to finding them. They are ambush predators and can often be spotted waiting motionless in vegetation. When prey swims by, they curl into an "s" and dart out lightning-fast to catch it. Keeping this characteristic in mind, I do best with reaction baits pulled past likely holding spots. You said your lake is pretty weedy. For artificials, try pulling a willow-leaf spinnerbait or plastic grub on a jighead. White and chartreuse are the only colors you will need. Twitching a weightless T-Rigged Fluke or Trick Worm can replicate a vulnerable wounded baitfish accurately and the erratic action and slow fall can trigger a lot of strikes. A buzzbait or walk-the-dog bait worked over the top of weedy areas can also be very productive.

I've fished lipless crankbaits from shore a lot with no issue, mainly 1/4oz and 1/2oz Rat-L-Traps and Cordell Super Spots. Strike King KVD 1.0s and 1.5s are also good.

I do not have enough frog experience to recommend a good walker, but as for a recommendation of one to avoid (for this application) would be the Mann's Superfrog. Not to say it's a bad frog as I've got two 4+lb largemouth on it so far this year. Just takes a lot of focus and not very easy. My best luck with this frog on it has come from a really slow retrieve, crawling it over pads. Disclaimer: I have not tried cutting the legs, @Mike L. I will do that tomorrow and see if I notice any difference. Hopefully I can get back with some results.