softwateronly

This is my normal way, but I think I caught a Randy Blaukat tip video where he puts a small slit/slice for better hook penetration. Also theres a version where you can put a dipsy sinker in the tube and have the hook go through the eyelet. Will probably give these a shot at some point. scott

Yeah, I fish a lake off US 12 just West of 131, can't be more than 45mins from Portage. Got a spot open for you if/when we can make the schedules work. PM me if you're down. scott

Yes this is prespawn. Bucks start cruising the shallows in the mid to high 50's, and actual spawn seems to start @ 58 - 62. This is when I personally do my best. What works for me is identifying the spawning flats, last years knowledge of the spawn is the best, but it should be relatively shallow and protected water. I then triangulate the nearest deep water 25+ with nearest feeding breaklines in the 8-15' depths. At your water temps, you should be able to find staging and feeding bass in this zone, from dirt shallow to hugging the bottom in 20+ft. Spend your time in this concentrated area and it should produce, and drag the bottom more often, you'll find fresh bright green weeds which might indicate to spend more time there. Also if a continued wind beats on a bank for a day or two, I would definitely target it. The gathering of all the warmer surface water in one area seems to set the whole food chain off. I also target colorlines where the dirty water meets the clear water. For these 2 instances, I fish baitfish imitating baits and move them quickly and erratically. Others are far better and more experienced but this has worked for me. scott

Fair enough, my pros comment was geared more towards the other sports you mentioned, but you are correct in pointing out that pro fishing is unique. Also agree that they're all excellent anglers. scott

Exactly! Except it doesn't even need to be the greats. Any Pro has proven they have it. In fishing, my contention is that the skill is all between the ears. scott

I'm not at all versed in any of the pro aspect of this sport, but it has to be the same formula for all of us except for the time/weight calculation... productive water>presentation>lure choice The only "style" I see is how one reads and interprets conditions to make the above decisions. I somewhat believe that the casual angler can get swept up in the style stuff and miss the true skill. I also believe that all the pro's physical skill sets fall in a range that doesn't effect the outcome. scott

Chatterbaits have always worked better for me with erratic retrieves. stop/go, hopping, and the best one is ripping off of the grass with a reel turn or two and killing it. Straight retrieve is the last one I try every time I throw it. scott

Haven't thought of it that way, seems like a contributing factor for sure. I always assumed some of it was related to bait positioning for crushing and eating. scott

Congrats!!! She's a giant! scott

Confirms my guesses if I ever pony up to try the 9". Appreciated scott

The JDM Met 20 is a fantastic reel. Now that Ive put time into mine, I'm starting to dislike my curado and curado dc in comparison. The JDM bantam mgl 18 is also a fantastic reel but they don't seem to be in stock anywhere for the mid $200's. At $290 shipped, the Met is a steal imho. As far as line capacity, I just keep my mono backing as limited as possible. scott

Do you burn the 9" with success? or at the size is a less frantic stop and go produce? scott

I'm totally with Jrob78 on this and everyone disagreeing is still not comparing apples to apples. Hell, some rods behave completely different with type of line and/or lure weights. All other variables have to be eliminated for any of this power effecting sensitivity talk to be true and when that's done I don't think you'll find anything... scott

I agree with what Tom was saying as well, but this is something that has slayed for me the last week.....3/4oz dirty jigs california swim jig with a r2s dwalker 120. Completely stolen from matt allen, but it's opened up new depths to me with a swim jig presentation. I can ride the break down into 10-12' much better and keep the tail waggin and the head shaking, giving me more and bigger bass. scott

They do have great action and they do catch fish, lots of them, but I haven't noticed an uptick in quality of fish. Cheap swimbait that improves the class of fish for me is the S waver 168. Take it as you will.... scott

Great find! I really like mine so far, the 200 not as much.... scott

Every now and then I get on a bite on 2 little lakes in MI that absolutely destroy my preconceived notions of the quantity of 5lb+ some of these 200 acre or less lakes hold. I know its a far cry from DD bass, but the right water with enough of the right prey outproduces my expectations by a mile. I'm pretty sure I saw a 9lb+ follow and my A rig hooked up to a 3.5lber all the way to the boat last week. So I believe in the possibility... scott

This is the truth.....

keitech fat impact and easy shiner megabass spark shad and magdraft gambler EZ and Big EZ Scottsboro swimbait R2S Dwalker scott

So far, 8' or less - swim jig 8' or deeper - chatterbait But been playing around with some 3/4oz swim jigs and think I can make a better presentation in the deeper water. scott

Nothing beats a swim jig the last few days, Thursday was an epic day with 9 fat girls over 18" with this one looking the heaviest and coming in at 23". Funny thing is later I was reeling in a 3.5lber on a A rig and a massive girl followed her to the boat trying to steal the lure. Absolute largest bass I've ever seen outside of BPS tanks, she was definitely the PB that got away without even biting.... scott

The lb breaking strength isn't overkill, you have to think in line diameter. 20lb braid is so much thinner than mono or copoly that tension on the line forces the braid to wedge itself deeper in the spool thus ruining your line lay for the next cast. I find .28mm to be around the thinnest I can manage on a baitcaster, I prefer over .30mm. scott

That's a stellar tip and I also use the rizutto finish, seems to help the knot last longer than the leader with the guide abrasion.

I go with never, and use this method now... scott

The smallies are in the harbors if any shorebound fisherman are looking for some fun. 3 on a spro hair jig, biggest 3.5lb. 1 on a 3" dark sleeper, 4-4.5lbs. 31st harbor for me today. scott