Bucks Bass and Bourbon

Well I went ahead with the standalone RAM mount option and grabbed a Helix 12 on sale at Cabela’s. I’m getting my boat out of storage in a couple weeks and will get it all set up with the 360 after that. The RAM mount came today too, and what a solid unit that little thing is. Really looking forward to getting risk setup into action.

I picked up a Garmin Force three years ago when I still had a 16 foot aluminum. Since then I have moved to a fiberglass 19 foot bass boat and swapped all my electronics over to it including the force. Before the Garmin I used a simple Minn Kota Edge hand troller with absolutely no features built in. With the smaller boat I was almost exclusively on small water but now I can fish larger waters like Lake St Clair and Saginaw Bay. I can definitively say the features on the Garmin (anchor lock, networking with Garmin graphs, its power, plotting routes, etc) are absolute must-haves for me now - especially anchor (spot) lock. The Garmin does not have raise or lower assist but that means nothing to me so I can’t speak to any of those features but the others I can. Even in shallow water I am constantly adjusting my position with the foot pedal to navigate shallow obstacles like stumps or positioning along the shoreline, and can use it in as little as 2 feet of water with no issues if I have to. The anchor lock is absolutely mandatory on any open water or depths of about 7 feet or higher if you are in any current or wind. Non-negotiable. If you’re trying to stay on a piece of structure without it you are simply not going to be able to or will be very inefficient in doing so and will sacrifice fishing time. There is absolutely no way I would go back to a trolling motor without the essential features I described above. Expensive? Yes they are? Are those features gimmicks? No not at all. Hope that helps.

Well the first trip was a struggle as expected. I launched and with no prior knowledge of a huge lake like that I had only a vague idea of where to start. With St Clair largely being a big gentle sloping bowl I just went out to about 12 FOW and started looking for patches of grass or structure and drifting with the wind to cover water and find them. I actually started out with a beautiful 4 pounder within the first 45 minutes but spent the rest of the day coming up empty until the very end when I got another smaller one. I started making almost weekly trips over there well into November and found some more success mostly settling down near all the perch boats at the community holes. This year my goal is to get out a lot more and do some multi day trips to graph out some additional structure and find my own spots. The bass are all over that lake so if you can find the depth they’re relating to and some decent structure you’re likely in good shape to catch a bunch. I’m going to get a Canadian annual license and take more advantage of that water as well. Thanks for asking!

The Shimano Nasci was mentioned and I will second that reel for your price point. Agreed it is not as smooth as others (I’ve come to really love the Vanford in the mid-range price) but I have the Nasci on my rod used for wacky worms and finesse jigs etc and have had no issues handling 4+ pound fish. Another option that might be a little above your price range is the Abu Garcia Revo SX. Also not quite as smooth as mid range and high end reels but it is a little better than the Nasci and handles them just fine as well. I would not hesitate to purchase either of those two reels again if given the option.

I probably could. I have room to the right of the mount. I think I prefer to have it elevated a little more so I’m looking at the RAM mount for either the Helix or moving my 10 inch Garmin over to the standalone and replacing it with the Helix on the dual mount.

Thank you. Seems to be the common consensus. I had one on the console of my former aluminum boat but that was for a 9 inch and I wasn’t on rough water like what you get on St Clair. I wasn’t worried about dumping an expensive graph after hitting a big wave with that one. Thanks for the feedback.

Hey everyone, I currently run a Boat EFX dual graph mount for my Garmin bow graphs (love it btw - it’s incredibly solid and well-built). I’d like to add a Helix 12 unit so I can run Mega 360 but I don’t really want to replace my dual graph mount with a triple and add the expense of that on to the price of the Helix. I am considering just installing a Ram ball mount next to my dual mount and running the Helix standalone on that. Does anyone do something like that or run a comparable 12 inch unit on a standalone ball mount like the Ram? Wondering how sturdy it is. I know I would have to pull the Helix on and off each time unlike the dual mount which has locks but that isn’t a big deal. Thanks in advance!

My first smallmouth experience growing up in northeast Wisconsin. Bay de Noc, northern Michigan walleye fishing with my dad at the mouth of the Escanaba River as a kid. Felt the familiar tick on my ultralight rod and when I set the hook the drag started ripping off like a bat outta hell and before I realized what was going on it jumped at what in my 12 year old’s mind was a mile away then *snap* and it was over. I stood there stunned until my dad looked over and said “Well that was probably a big smallmouth.” I didn’t even know what a smallmouth was. I will never forget that. Now I’m in my 40s and smallmouth is all I think about. I live in central Michigan and want to go back and find that spot sometime.

Eh somewhat. A jog with a craw trailer looks like a staple of a bass’ diet. Fish are animals. Bass are instinctive predators that sometimes are aggressive and other times are finicky. But neither of those are the point of the conversation. By definition a gimmick (in this context) is a trick or device used to attract business or attention. Jigs and dropshots are two of the most proven bass catching presentations known so to call them a gimmick doesn’t make sense. Although I can understand why some people hate to fish them. No argument there. Some days the last thing I ever want to throw is a jig.

Some of these responses are crazy. Jigs? Dropshots?? Even the DT series raised an eyebrow. I fully agree having a different rod and reel combination for every presentation or technique is bonkers (and yeah I’m a little guilty of it) but cmon some of these are a stretch. I need to look up this dancing eel though. Sounds like a winner! I was a kid when those came out and got my dad a set of them for Father’s Day. I have a crazy northern Wisconsin musky story because of that lure!

Some really good answers here. @A-Jay I’m in southern Michigan and would like to retire and relocate north for the reasons you mentioned. Lots of bass, walleye, panfish, pike and musky and plenty of waters to get out on to chase them. Already starting to plan for it.

I was having a conversation not long ago about favorite species and if there was an experience that set the tone (got you”hooked” no pun intended). Assuming it’s a bass species but doesn’t have to be. My favorite is definitely now smallmouth and since getting the bug I’m reminded of an experience when I was a kid fishing with my dad. It didn’t really get me hooked but now that I fish them regularly it comes to mind a lot. When I was in 7th or 8th grade my dad got us into walleye fishing, which I hated at first. To me fishing was seeing structure or something to fish near and all of a sudden we were out in open water throwing jigs at nothing. Eventually we found success and started driving from northeast Wisconsin to Escanaba, Michigan to fish Little Bay de Noc. One trip we were fishing a rock pile or drop off near where a bridge went over the mouth of a river into the bay. I was dragging a jig along the bottom when I felt the familiar subtle tick on an ultralight walleye rod. I set the hook and the next thing I knew my drag was ripping off line like I had never seen before. Not more than a couple seconds later a big splash broke the surface 50 yards out and then snap. Gone. I was shocked and just stood there in silence for a second with no idea what just happened. After a few seconds my dad looked over and said “well I think you hooked into a big smallmouth.” I didn’t even know what a smallmouth was then. Years later after I moved back to the Midwest and got obsessively back into bass fishing, smallmouth became my favorite and I think about that memory a lot now. Anyone else have a “gotcha moment” fishing?

I decided to make a small dedicated strolling box with a few of the Queens Tackle jig heads, a few Owner jig heads and some minnows based on recommendations here and from the Tactical Bassin video earlier this year on the topic (really good if you haven’t seen it btw. They do a vid on the technique and a buyers guide for strolling right before Christmas). I might even pick up a rod specific for it if intake to it. Thanks for the input. Looking forward to getting back on the water but it’s looking like a cold winter this year so it might be a while for a change from the last few seasons. Good for the ice fisherman!

Thanks for the responses everyone. I’m going to think it over and might end up just going for it. Maybe I’ll contact Humminbird and ask about future updates first. Thanks again!

Hey guys, I run Garmin for all my electronics but really like the Mega 360 and would like to add it this coming year or the next. Seems like the HELIX 12 would be perfectly capable for that it any opinions either way on that? Cabela's/BP has them reduced a lot right now. New generation coming out soon or something? Thanks!

I'll probably do exactly that as soon as I get back out in spring, depending on when we get ice out. I was kind of thinking the same thing being it's such an effective presentations. Definitely worth exploring a little more.

I’m in Michigan so I’ll have ice for a while haha

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. I’ll pick up some of those recommendations and give them a go once we get out of this upcoming deep freeze.

Ok thanks guys. My typical knot is the double uni so maybe I need to just change that up and watch then weights a little bit. I’ll give it a try.

Hello everyone, I'm looking for a little help on the proper technique when mid-strolling a jig and minnow. Like many of us I picked up the technique recently but find even when I shake the rod tip minimally the jig and minnow bounce and dance instead of roll side to side as intended. I understand casting upstream and working the jig back helps with that but in situations with little to no current such as calm lakes I can't seem to get the roll. Any suggestions? Thank you!

I’m a long way from an expert but it seems the body of water you’re fishing matters a little bit too. A few times on Lake St Clair changed back and forth pretty noticeably as cloud cover moved in and out. But on a few smaller lakes and rivers near me it didn’t seem to have as much of an impact and seemed like the larger weather system over a few days and the seasonal norms made the only significant difference. Maybe it just affected visibility so lure color changes or slight depth changes was all that was necessary to get a bite again.

You’re gonna love that rod. I enjoy dropshot fishing anyway but feeling all the little ticks and bumps on the bottom and the little thump and weight when you get a bite really makes a good rod worth it. BTW I keep it pretty simple when it comes to hooks and almost always use an Owner number 1 mosquito hook (not the mosquito lite) and typically use a 6 lb test fluoro leader. Sometimes 8 lb. Never had a problem keeping largemouth or smallmouth pinned.

I have a 7’0” medium fast Expride that I use for wacky rigs and similar presentations and also use for ned rigs (Exprides are my go-to if you hadn’t already noticed) mostly because I like having a dropshot tied on at all times but also want another finesse presentation for versatility. But if I only had the 7’2” medium light fast I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to throw neds on it, especially if I were using one of the lighter wire jig head hooks. I throw mostly 1/8 dropshot weights and have had absolutely no problem keeping fish stuck with that setup. I know that’s not an apples to apples comparison but practically speaking I would throw a ned on that rod all day and never have any doubts.

Can’t really explain why but they just drive me to catch them. It’s an obsession. The chase - especially smallmouth lately - never gets old. Once I find the right combination and I catch them one might think it scratches that itch but it just makes me want to do it again. This weekend I was back on St Clair where I just started fishing and have struggled quite a bit. Finally hooked up with a few 4+ pounders and not being sure what I had until they flashed in front of the boat as they made their last run ripping off drag… nothing beats it. As an aside a buddy and I were launching the boat a few months back as a local tournament was just wrapping up their weigh in. As we were pushing off a guy walked up to the dock to release his bag and was visibly p****d off about it. So much so that he was actually pretty rude when I asked how he did. A five fish bag and he was angry and miserable. My buddy looked at me as he walked away and commented that he never wants to be the guy who catches fish and is miserable about it. I fully realize that is the exception not the rule but I never want what I love doing to cause me stress and make me upset while doing it.

I have an Expride 7’2” medium light fast dedicated dropshot rod and have no reason to consider another. It’s very light, feels every little tick from the smallest perch and has handled multiple 4-5 lb smallies really well. Extremely happy with it. In fact I will probably buy another one so I can change up presentations without having time-tie leaders or switch baits when I’m on the water.