Bird Watcher

So, I'm trying to keep score at home here. Just so I'm clear, is the smallmouth bass fishing in decline from giggers, bait fisherman, spotted bass, gravel mining, tournaments, lax creel regulations, fishing pressure from canoe outfitters, or stream erosion/pressure from jet boaters? I thought I had it all figured out, but I've got to admit, I'm getting a little confused. Do you want me to go harass the spotted bass and gravel miners while you chase the giggers?

You'll do just fine then. Can't help you with the James River, but someone will be along shortly that can. If not, you might post this over in the James River forum for better luck. There's a few guys on here that fish it on the regular.

I see what you are saying, but I've got spots on public water that if I even mentioned the type of water it is, it would give it away. On top of that, the spots are so tiny that they just can't take the pressure. Hence, I say nothing.

Hi Dougie. Do you bait? Are you a hoosier? Do you think Fly fisherman are smarter? Have any 30$ Japanese Jerkbaits? Have you ever fried up a smallmouth? Ever been gigging? Welcome to the forum.

This is kind of a weird story, and I don't know if it comes from this site or somewhere else, but I casually know a couple of the younger guys that work the counter down at Academy. Friend of a Friend kind of deal. Well, I guess there's a couple of fellas that frequent the store that have walked up to the boys and asked them if they know me, by name, described my truck, described my boat and whether or not I had been catching any fish. The boys told them that I had, I'd shown them some pics on my phone the week before. The fellas asked them all about where I'd been catching them and what on. These fellas came in 2 or 3 times and always pumped the boys for information. I had the boys get their names, I have no idea who they are. Kinda weird. My point being, it's kinda weird that you never know who is following you around. Whether in real life or on the internet. I really think these guys must have been following me from the launch. There's a boat down there that always does a U turn if he sees me anchored up fishing. Might be them, I don't know. The thing is, I'd gladly tell these guys what I've been catching if they'd just pull up and talk, but instead they lurk and wait to see if they can potlick off of me without me knowing it. Luckily, I've got enough spots that I rarely fish the same one twice a month. I can guerilla tactic them or even go to a completely different lake for awhile, but you've got to be aware of the mindset of the anonymous lurker when laying out specifics about where you've been catching them.

I thought I recognized a familiar scent.

This thread is "hoosier" approved

.....about your fishing trips? You know, where you caught em, what on, how many,...etc. Me? I don't care to tell anyone person to person. (i.e. phone, text, face to face, PM..) I don't like to broadcast it on the internet. Too many lurkers... I do have a couple spots that are so tiny, that I only tell a couple people about. They tell me the same so it's all good. I don't know that I have anything that's a true secret, take it to my grave kind of deal. I am always more than happy to talk to guys on the water. I've learned more from on the water conversations than anything I've read. Waterfowl hunting is pretty much the same. I like to kick it back and forth with Billethead and about 5-10 other guys via phone and text. I wouldn't put locations on the internet intentionally. Again, too many lurkers. I think the deal is, I don't care to share information with someone if I think it's a reciprocal situation. I don't like to put out what I've gleaned only to have it used up by someone anonymously. So, how bout you? Do you spill the beans? or do you plead the 5th? Or rather, did you catch em? or did you get skunked again?

Marsh Monster! Way to Go. That guy has a look on his face like he knows that you know that he knows that this was a bad idea:) The guy in the back looks like he is saying $&%^&* heavy $%& layout out boat and mud motor!

Then I would use your IM. With the tighter pattern of steel, that should be all the choke you need out to 40 yds. In fact I use my IC and IM a lot during the season . But I'm also weird in that I take 4 choke tubes with me in my gun case will switch them out if I feel the need. .

Justin, my opinion is that the Crio chokes that come with the new Benellis can pattern steel very good. If you aren't happy with your patterns, I would play around more with your load. Try downsizing your shell, i.e. try 3" instead of 3.5", try #4 instead of #2, etc. Slower loads and smaller shot will often produce better patterns. What have you tried and what type of patterns are you seeing? That being said, there are definitely a lot of fans of those chokes and other aftermarket chokes. I know a lot of people are big fans of briley chokes too. Good luck and keep up posted.

Depends. If I am putting a fishing report on OA, none of them were catches and I was skunked. If I am giving a report to a buddy, every bite was a catch.

Or Catfish, Or Stripers, or Hybrids. You'll not see many of those fish returned after being caught. My fall expectations...I don't know that I ever expect anything but a good time. What I would like to see is the shallow fall topwater bite for Hybrids on Truman Lake and I would like to do the same for Stripers on Beaver.

Weird. I had to look up the term hoosier. I guess it's a St. Louis term when used as a derrogatory according to the urban dictionary. I didn't know Yankees looked down on any other groups of people enough to come up with a hateful slang term. Interesting.

I really think that is going to impact the duck hunting around you this year. I think it's either going to make it really good - the ducks have to disperse out into the countryside, or really bad-the ducks never really build big numbers in the area without the refuge full of corn. We'll see I guess. They will fly a long way for food each day. I know that. Those ducks that we hunted last year down by G.C., a friend of mine followed them to that field from the Little Sac arm of Stockton Lake in a plane one afternoon so maybe they will still use the refuge since they are imprinted on the area, but disperse more to feed. Who knows, it might not amount to anything. It will just be different, that's for sure.

Good job Marty. You get an A for effort. At least you didn't get skunked. I think that public area is going to hunt pretty tough this year. What do you think? Did the flooding wipe out the crops?

Before you pull the trigger, check out the features of Academy's H2O mettle Xpress. 49.99, lifetime warranty. It's a curado in disguise. It's what I'm moving my entire fleet over to. Hopefully it will be the last time I buy baitcaster reels.

No, but I did have the adult version (Dobson fly) on my boat cover the other morning. There's a little marshy pond in the woods beside the house. I can only guess it came from there. Talk about a giant bug.

I tell you what, I honestly get pumped up when I've been throwing my big net for about an hour with nothing to show for it and finally I get it over a school of good ones and the entire net turns silver and starts thumping the line. That means it's go time!

I'll never give up my live shad. I enjoy catching fish on a lot of different baits and there are definitely times that artificial baits will out produce live bait. Lately, I've been catching just as many or more on Jigging spoons as I have on live shad, but that's not going to make me start leaving the bait tank at home. I hear the veiled disdain in my fishing buddies voice when I tell them that I caught them on shad, that's ok. I've never got off on the method used to catch big fish. I just like catching them. Big, Rod bending, drag screaming, line crunching, big fish. Day in, day out, for me that will be on 5-8" live shad. And anyone who says using live bait is easy, I welcome them to come catch shad with me some day. For the most part, I enjoy the challenge of catching bait just as much as I do catching the game fish.

Foul hooked. Doesn't count.

Sorry for the loss RPS

I don't know about professional bass fishing, but so many times I have tried to put friends on a bite. I've tried to give them step by step directions: boat position, bait, presentation, time,..etc. and they don't catch them. It just doesn't work like that. I wish it did. I've felt horrible about guaranteeing guys they would catch them and then they blank.

I'm having a hard time picking up what you are laying down. Cliff notes?

That's a nice flock of pretties. Now go get them bloody!