Smallieguy87

You bring up a good point. I feel like if you really wanted this job then you'd take part in hunting and fishing. I feel like you'd want that kind of passion and use that as a motivation. Poaching...be it deer, turkey, fish etc has a negative impact on everyone who's an honest sportsmen.

Speaking of MDC and agents not being able to be everywhere at once it never hurts to know your local agent. If you reside in Washington county as I do then here ya go Conservation Agent Lucas McClamroch Agent Phone: 573-301-5299 St. Louis Regional Office 2360 Hwy. D St. Charles, MO 63304 See map: Google Maps 636-441-4554 ive spoke with him many different times and he's a great guy. That's his office phone so it may take a while for him to return a call but rest assured you will get a call.

Those things look freakin awesome! Way better then the savage craws. I'm digging the color too.

Yeah it's seemed to be the general consensus that they work better during the colder months but I had to ask and see if anyone was throwing during later spring or earlier summer with any luck. During those months I find I'm throwing a lot of tubes, senkos but I also like to throw grub and use it as a poor mans buzzbait. A little off topic but what the heck.

Great fish! Thanks for the report. Do you by chance every use hair jigs as the water gets warmer around summer time? I've always wondered if anyone has luck with them around that time.

I used to gig the big river every season. I never had trouble telling the difference between what I should and should not gig. If the water is a bit to murky,silty, whatever you'd like to call it then you need to move a long plain and simple.

I'm thinking I'll need a few dozen Mitch!

Never caught a walleye. I don't go out of my way to target them but I know they can be had on bass lures. I'll normally catch a few crappie through the year while I'm out chasing smallmouth.

I'll be climbing out of my hibernation and chasing smallmouth!

Sounds like a great trip Al. I need to get out and try some winter fishing. I'll sometimes go in the late fall but I find I'm not usually successful. A lot of the streams I frequent aren't really the best for winter fishing. I've really enjoyed some of the winter reports I've been reading....maybe a learn a thing or two and have some luck during the winter months.

I floated the big river last summer in on an off showers and thunderstorms and it did get a bit worrisome but did manage to have a great day of fishing. It wasn't enough to make the water muddy but it did get them feeding.

I rarely if ever get to do any sort of fishing once mid fall hits and man is it tough to deal with! Thanks for the post and pictures! I'll be living vicariously through this post!

Awesome catch! This year was the year I landed my PB smallie. I dig the colors on that one.

Those are some monsters! I've been wanting to take a trip up north. Thanks for the great pictures and the report....i'm living vicariously through it at work right now.

That family is in my thoughts and prayers! Keep us updated!

That is ridiculous lol yet i'm sure there's a smallmouth out there for it.

Those look awesome! For some reason i can't really get the hang of them. I still catch some fish off of them and they are a lot of fun. I think the problem i have is rod position and length.

I've also found that the tree's don't seem to care if its a 1 dollar bin lure or a fancy 25 dollar one.

I've fished the Ned a few times now and have been successful with it. It works like a lot of small baits do in that they tend to catch a great deal of fish. I most certainly don't rely on it every time i'm out on the river. I still find my bigger fish come from other baits and i'm still throwing my tubes, grubs, jigs, and thanks to Al i've been mixing in a lot of top water. The Ned can be a blast when it comes to numbers and though i haven't caught anything big on it there's a lot of people who have. I see the value in learning many different techniques and building confidence in a variety of baits as that will only make you an even better fishermen. I do feel that a lot of people maybe pigeon holed with the Ned but honestly that has no bearing on me or my fishing as to me its just another tool in the ol proverbial tool box. I am a fan of the jig heads i picked up and have used it with a few other small baits, mostly hellgrammite and centipedes but from what i gather if the bait isn't a senko style plastic then you may not be fishing the Ned ( i guess it depends who you're asking).

The few times i have used a Ned were on #8 and i caught fish....I don't throw the Ned every time i go out so i'm no expert.

He sounds so convincing though!

Thanks for taking the time to give us a report! Sounds like you had a blast.

SOLD

I just tried the 100% PG and thought it was alright. I think Seguar INVIZX is better overall based on my usage of both but the Berkeley performed well. I'd say the only area where i had some issues was it wasn't as abrasion resistant then what i'd expected. For the money though i really like Seguar Red label. I normally get it for just under 10 dollars a spool and the #8 works great on every spinning reel i've used. As far as Yozuri hybrid goes i used the hybrid soft and its pretty awesome stuff. I found a 600 yard spool for 8 bucks on ebay and had to have it.

Been using this reel a lot this season and really enjoy it. A lot of people hate on quantum but I love that reel