Norm M

Paul , The Oak Forest library had a copy of Billy Westmoreland's book back about 8 years ago when I lived in the 'burbs . If I remember correctly the Midlothian , Blue Island and Homewood libraries had some good stuff . You maybe able to get it thru interlibrary loan .

Jim , I'll check my files , I think I added some video recommendations . Unfortunately the best In Fish video , Stalking Stream Smallmouth didn't seem to make the transition to the DVD stage . I believe the two Dan Gapen Riverrat videos are still availible thru his company . Those three are the best videos in my opinion , so I guess you could go with what you have . You find any other blasts from the past , use them if you want .

Quick tip for cutting the load , if it hasn't got wet in 3 trips , cut it . It's prolly not going to get wet in the future no matter how long you tote it . After you put some time on the water you will notice a tendency to use the same few lures most of the time , those would be keepers . The lure or lures you turn to when the going gets tough , keepers . Many times , in both cases they are the same lures . Paul , You are correct any lure in the right location is better than the best lure in the wrong location . Check out Dan Gapen's How to Fish River Smallies for starters . Pm me if you want more book titles to check out . Scott , A few years ago , I did an article on Recommended Reading . If you have that in the archieves , feel free to reprint it if you desire .

I try to release as many fish as possible without taking them out of the water . Lip them with one hand , tuck the rod under my arm , grab the pliers , pop out the hook and let them go .

If you really want to learn how a particular bait performs under a variety on conditions , bring and fish that bait only for a couple 3-4 trips . If you have a trib with clear water take it there , put it through it's paces so you can see and later visualize what the bait is doing .

Minimize the amount of tackle you carry no matter what you use to carry it in . Your back and knees will thank you , you'll spend more time actually fishing rather than looking at all those lures and wondering what to use . Pick out a couple different crankbaits , carry just enough of them to cover say down to 10 ft . You really don't need to worry about color , use what you have confidence in . Pick out a couple different jig styles , I prefer Mr Twister Weighted keeper hooks but choose what suits you . I carry my jigs in a plastic Succrets box on the water with some extras in the car should the snags start having a good day . For soft plastics I prefer a twister tail , a paddle tail and boot tail grubs [sassy grubs or Walleye assassains] . I'm not much on tubes although they work . A ziplock bag or two should be enough to carry with extras in the car if the fish start going good . I also prefer singlespin spinnerbaits and carry 1 straight shaft buzzbait . See the spinnerbait blade discussion for for tips from others . Lastly I prefer 6 inch Sluggos with a 4/0 EWG Gammie to various and sundry topwaters . It's much easier and quicker to remove a single hook than trebles . When a good topwater bite gets going you should have a lure in the water as much as possible as they usually don't last real long . If you want to fish this bait deeper get some suspend strips and wrap as needed on the hook shank . A good hook sharpener , line clippers on a lanyard and a pair of needle nose pliers to facilitate hook removal are the minimum . Add other stuff as you feel necessary , something to tote liquids in really helps . Prolly more than you were looking for but after 35 years of wading and toiling through the human pack mule stage , I can honestly say less is better .

Excellent book by one of the more knowledable smallie fisherman ever .

You mean the boulder by the

It's been my experience that you are not going to catch small fish in an area that a truly big fish is using lest they become prey for the big fish . If you consistently catch small fish from a spot , keep trying different options location wise . On waters with lots of pressure the big fish can move to some non typical spots . A big fish will put as much in it's favor as possible , sometimes fishing the shade or even the shady side of a submerged rock or wood can be the difference . If you are convinced there is a big fish there , set a spell and look at the water for any visual clues you may pick up. Then look at the birds or clouds, you may have been noisier than you thought on your approach Another thing is to try different casting angles , an approach from where it's not used to seeing lures come from can help . Big , fat , dumb , slow eat me lures/presentation is another key . On the other hand if you fish a spot that screams smallmouth and catch nothing , try different techniques and fish it at different times of the day/night as often as possible . It may hold a large fish that had just eaten or set up a feeding pattern at a different time of day/night .

I prefer Indiana blades with a good ball bearing swivel with a snap on the end to facilitate change as Ken says . I think Indiana blades ae better as they have less lift than a Colorado and can be fished slower than a willow leaf . For me at least it is easier to maintain a slow roll near the bottom with the Indiana blade . I also like to jig my spinnerbaits on a quarter cast and once again it is easier to maintain the right depth/speed control with the Indiana . Now if we are talking skinning the bark on flooded trees in high water events give me a big Colorado with lots of thump . You can also take the skirts off and replace it with a twister tail for something a little difference . As Eric says though the biggest thing is using what you have confidence in .

Try fishing underneath the bugs for the big fish eating the little fish eating the bugs . It holds true for any type of bug event . There will be a certain percentage of larger fish taking some bugs but most want the bigger energy return from energy expended a fish provides over a bug . The last big event on my flow saw just about every species partaking of the bounty in large mats that collected in slackwater areas .

Don , Congrats on a streak with larger fish , that is impressive . I had a streak of over ten years but it wasn't with a 17 inch or larger fish in every month .