singingdog

Really? Got pics or a report ?

"I was float tubing for tarpon....." has got to be the start of an interesting, possibly epic story. Have fun!

I have used most of the braids on the market, and haven't found a difference in abrasion resistance. I have had more spinning-reel problems with suffix than with PPro, but that could be user-error (most line issues are). I don't know the exact conditions you will be fishing, but a 10-20' length of flouro in front of the wire should solve any abrasion problems, and not affect castability.

Is anyone throwing the Waxwing jigs for Musky? They have a really cool action, but that doesn't mean they will catch fish I have thrown one a couple of times, but they weren't hitting anything, so it's tough for me to compare.

That second pic could be in a field guide....beauty!

You will get more distance with a big spool spinning reel, especially if you are new to baitcasters.

Thanks for the replies. The smallies may still be there, just hard to get past the pike to find them now. I have tried throwing traditional pike baits first when I get to a spot - spoons, spinnerbaits - but have been losing a ridiculous # of shakey heads and small hair jigs to the pike.

One of my favorite smallie lakes seems to have an increasing population of pike in it. The pike must have been put there by someone, as it's a landlocked lake and isolated from the Gull river chain that has been experiencing increasing #s of pike over the last few years. This lake has been a consistent producer of 20"+ fish, especially in the fall. It is also a relatively small lake, and no deeper than 45'. Now, it seems that I can't find the smallies, and am constantly getting bitten off in places that used to hold big smallies: boulders in 20 FOW, steep drops. Will the pike be the end of great smallie fishing in this lake, or have they just moved to different spots?

Anybody target whitefish in the fall? It seems to me that they should be shallow, and feeding during the day since they are night spawners. I know we have tons of whitefish in this area, but can't find anyone that targets them besides through the ice.

Some good bass as well. Depending on water temps, they may still be in the huge shallow area behind Schuylers Island. If you are looking for rainbows in Horseshoe, look for current.

Grey throated loon? New species?

Nice pic....great light on the eye.

Good tip. Sections of use senkos are great as well.

Nice fish!

I think they are on the move now, following schools of baitfish, and often in open water. One lake I fish, they will be in 5 FOW for awhile, then out over 80 FOW. I do a lot of gull/loon watching this time of year to figure out where the baitfish are. Find them and it can be hot and heavy for a few minutes, then more searching.

Great kayak trip, so-so fishing trip. Yes, we made it to the Bustards: 2 days from Byng to the islands. As Chris said, lots of unproductive water. With no FF, and minimal gear, it was tough to find the smallies. I could not figure out the difference between a productive boulder field, and a barren one.

Seems like temps are a few weeks ahead of schedule. I was out on one of my favourite lakes yesterday and it was just below 60 on the FF. Smallies seemed like they were in transition, tough to find.

Yep, it could make your head spin. A rough count tells me there are about 50 lakes within 1 hour of my house, and I am still trying to figure out a couple of them.

I agree. The responses that threaten/suggest bodily harm to this guy are way out of line. It's just a fish.

Familiarise yourself with the "tracks" function on your GPS. Before you go out next time, make sure that you clear the current track and reset the trip computer. Once you are done fishing, save the track to review later on. If you post it to a site like Everytrail, it will give you a very clear breakdown of distance and speed.

If I see them coming, I jump out of my yak and start swimming. If I am swimming in the middle of a lake, I don't need a PFD

Nice fish! I have had a few 22's, one 23. Interesting how the curve toward a 24"/8 lb smallie seems to go beyond exponential.

I find that if you kill the spoon and let it fall horizontally the bumps will often turn into hookups.

Here's an interesting quote from a study done in New Hampshire: Relocating large numbers of bass to Ames Farm Inn release site may negatively impact bass because many displaced bass remain in the general vicinity of weigh­in sites for days, weeks or even months after release (Stang et al. 1996, Gililand 1999, Ridgway 2002). Wilde (2003) reviewed 12 scientific studies that examined dispersal of tournament caught black bass and reported that at the end of studies, 51% of largemouth bass and 26% of smalmouth bass had dispersed less than 1.6 km from the release site and 41% of largemouth bass had dispersed less than 0.8 km

You can do it with any jighead. The shorter the hook, the better. The Inchi heads - and other heads specifically designed for the technique - are almost like weighted circle hooks.