CCMD

Here are some pics of the fish we did manage to catch Tues 5/9 at the Q. Tough conditions with increasing winds and cloud cover throughout the day. Temp stayed static at low 50s and water temps 53-54.

Thanks for all of the input, fellas. We had a rough day, conditions wise. It looked great to start: sunny, winds calm, warmer than expected (49 degrees at 8:30 AM). Saw some fish pushing shallow on our first stop. We were pumped for the afternoon bite. Then the clouds blew in, the wind picked up and it felt colder at 1 PM than it did at 9 AM. Hard to fish anything on the bottom due to the wind blowing and not really maintaining contact with the bait. I still managed a decent day with 7 fish on the deck, 4 of which were nice pre-spawn fatties between 2.5 and 3.5 lbs. All of my fish were caught on conventional tackle. In fact, they were all caught on 1 bait: Duo Realis Spinbait 90 in the Prism Gill color. Dynamite bait for the post-frontal conditions. My buddy fished a jerkbait most of the day and had only 1 fish to show for it. I felt bad I had only the 1 spinbait. I even let him throw that bait for a while, and he did catch 1 good fish on it. I did fish some 5" underspins, a triple trout and an Evergreen ESflat some, but had no takers and no follows. Big plug for the Duo Realis Spinbait 90. It was the only thing they were biting all day in the wind, clouds and cold temps. Water temp was 53-54 pretty much all day. We found some good looking sheltered water in the afternoon, but we couldn't manage a bite or really even mark any fish. We found them pretty much only in the wind on reefs and main lake points, classic pre spawn staging areas. Wish I could be back in about a week. I bet the next warm/sunny week makes the Q smallies go absolutely nuts.

That's the truth! First brown bass of my life came out of there 2 years ago. I'm from Texas and was training in RI. Same buddy I'm fishing with next week took me to the Q in early June, and I caught my first smallmouth there, right at 3 lbs. I couldn't believe how hard that fish fought. It was like I owed it money or something. The first lM I caught at the Q (same trip) was a shade over 5 lbs. I was pretty happy and tossed it right back (from Texas, remember). My buddy, from Belchertown, MA looked at me like I was crazy. He'd been fishing the Q for years and only caught 1 or 2 LM that big in his whole life. He explained the whole Mass Pin Program to me. To him, that was a HUGE bass. To me, it was Tuesday. There were tons of ponds I fished growing up in Texas where if you DIDN'T catch a 5 lber every trip or 2, it was disappointing. First time I ever really thought about the regional differences. Great trip. DSOUTH, that is a helluva pile of brown bass. Love all of the stripes and spots. I hope we do even half that good. Thanks so much for the tips, guys. I really appreciate it. We're probably going in gate 43. Maybe 8, but probably 43. Hopefully, I'll have something to report come Wednesday next week.

Thanks, fellas. I appreciate the feedback. Water temps purported to be about 55 at present. We will be using my buddies boat, complete with electronics. He grew up in Belchertown, so his Crestliner is rigged for the Q. I'm going to look at the lake map and try to formulate a plan of attack.

Buddy of mine and I are planning a trip to the Q next week on 5/9. Forecast isn't great (small front blowing in a couple days before with temps dropping slightly and some rain forecasted for the morning) but we've got limited chances to get on the water. Wondering if anyone has been out on the Q lately and could give me an idea of the water temps and what depths the brown bass are favoring right now. It'll be a full moon next week, but I figure it's probably a little early for the smallies to be really pushing shallow. Any tips would be appreciated. I'm trying to narrow down a plan of attack looking at the lake map before we get on the water. Cheers and thanks in advance.

For me, I still use soft swimbaits, just not the expensive ones. I'll throw a big soft swimbait like a big Keitech or Basstrix on magnum underspin. The pike seem to love them that little flash in addition to the swimming action of the bait. That way, I can Mend-It as I go and I don't feel too bad when a swimbait I can buy in packs of 5-6 gets torn up. You can get into them with hardbaits, too. BBZs work great, S-Wavers work great, Shellcrackers work, etc. Match the forage in your area. I don't throw expensive or hard-to-get hard baits at pike. You won't find me throwing my Deps Slide Swimmers at pike, with the exception of my 175 Firetiger. I don't know that I'll ever get to the point in my life where dropping a $100 bait to a 25" pike seems acceptable. Definitely use a leader. Eric Aske detailed a good set up that I use that's easy. I'll roll with 50-65 lb fluoro, although it's on the lighter side for a toothy fish leader, because I find that bigger leaders will kill the action on a glide bait. Just my opinion.

Daiwa Tatula HD or the Daiwa Tactical (TW only reel) are great choices for that rod and those baits.

And this is what makes life worth living. Well done. Future generations of fisherman hooked.

My advice in general, and it really helps versatility, is to youtube Matt Allen's video on switching to all braid. You can spool up with 65lb braid and then just add leaders via a blood, uni-uni or Crazy Alberto knot depending on your presentation. I made the switch a couple of years ago and love it. Floating baits = mono leader or straight braid (depends on water clarity, presentation, etc). Sinking baits = fluoro leader. If the water is super clear, I'll put on a fluoro leader of over 10'. If it's murky, I'll keep it to 4-5'. I personally use the Crazy Alberto knot and love it. I don't have micro guides on any of my rods, so I don't have issues with the knot hanging up on casts. It's a really strong knot that's pretty low-profile. I haven't had any issues. I can leave the braid on my reels forever, and just switch up the leaders fresh according to presentation. Easy to do the night before and on the boat/bank.

I bought an ABT Suicide Glide before learning about all of the controversy with the company. I'll leave that discussion for other threads. Speaking specifically to the bait, mine has a great action. Very smooth glide and a good sink rate. I've caught a bunch of magnum smallmouth on it, and have had no issues. It's a sample size of 1, but I was pleased with the purchase. You can read all about the highly polarizing topic of the ethics of ABT on various previous threads, then decide if you want to buy their products or not. There's no shortage of opinions there. I'll just say that the Suicide Glide I bought performs well, and it sits at a nice price point between an S-Waver 200 and a Deps 175 or 250. I do not regret the purchase. It's a nice glide bait that regularly sees action in my rotation, especially in the mid to late spring time.

I've had the same problem. A couple of times, I've noticed the hooks that came with the bait stock were different (i.e. bigger/heavier) on the baits that sink faster. You can actually make a pretty big difference on the sink rate on an S Waver by simply changing out hooks/splits (smaller/lighter if you want the bait to sink slower or float, bigger/heavier if you want the bait to sink faster). Other posters are right, though, that the sink rate on the Wavers tends to vary out of the box considerably. It's a great bait regardless. Try comparing hooks/splits on the baits and see if there is a difference. If not, then try to add heavier hooks to baits you want to sink faster or switch out to lighter hooks on baits you want to sink slower or suspend. I'm in agreement, however, that having an S-Waver that suspends 2-3 feet down would be fantastic, especially this time of year as the fish are moving in and out of the shallows to feed/stage/bed.

Can't believe the generosity. I'm IN. Thanks just for the opportunity.

The colors and the action on that look amazing. That is one of the best bluegill bait swim vids I've ever seen.

Line capacity is 14/165 on the Tatula HD. If you plan on fishing 20 or 25 lb mono, it may not be enough capacity for you. If you're fishing the smaller stuff, and subsurface, you'd be better off with 15 lb fluoro, in which case, you'll have plenty of line capacity. Seaguar AbrazX, for example, has a diameter of 0.012 at 15 lb test, compared to Big Game 15 lb mono, which has a diameter of 0.015. So, you'll be able to spool at least 165 yards of 15 lb fluoro on the Tatula HD. That's plenty of line. Personally, I use all braid and a leader as needed (15 lb fluoro for the 6-7" glides and softs), so line capacity is never an issue for me. That's conversation for another thread altogether, but I made the switch a few years back and love it. I've caught 36 plus inch pike with the Tatula HD (those suckers fight HARD) without any issues, so I suspect most of the bass you run into will not outgun you with that reel.

If you're throwing baits that are in the "smaller" range for swimbaits, then getting a Daiwa Tatula HD is the way to go. When they're on sale, you can find them for less than $150 instead of the $199 you see on TW. Often, if you just do a quick Amazon search (sorry TW), you can find one for $150 or less. They are PHENOMENAL reels for the smaller swimbait stuff and the bigger standard tackle stuff. Get a Tatula HD and a Dobyns Fury 795, and you've got a relatively inexpensive combo that will do most of what you want to do (small/med glides and soft plastics). I wouldn't throw a Deps 250 or similar sized baits with that rig (you could in a pinch, but I wouldn't plan on doing that every day), but for your smaller glides (175s, SG Shine glide, S Waver, Evergreen Esflat, Gillroid, Gantarel, etc.) it will work great. You can fish a 6" or 68 Hudd and any of your 6-7" soft plastics on that rig as well. As far as spending under $300 on a rod/reel combo goes, you won't beat that rig with a stick.

Depends on the water clarity. Usually 3-5 feet, sometimes longer. I also purposefully don't buy rods with micro guides because I want to fish this way. I imagine that if you're throwing a rod with micro guides, any line-leader connector knot is going to cause some issues. For me, I'd rather be able to spool up with a bunch of 50-65 lb braid, leave that line on there forever, and then change the leader according to the conditions than fish micro guides. Just how I like to roll.

I use braid to a leader for everything. Love it and haven't had any issues. I use a Crazy Alberto knot and have had 0 issues. From swim baits to my small spinning gear, I use this set up and have yet to be disappointed. Haven't cast anything off, haven't broken off any leaders.

Esteemed SU community, Anyone used these? I typed "stealth swimmer" into the search function and came up with 0 results. I see on TW that 2 colors are routinely sold out, which tells me a healthy number of people have/do buy them. Anyone have any experience? Pack of 2 for $28 sounds like a good deal if they catch fish. Tempted to just buy some and see, but thought I'd float it out here and see what you venerable folks have to say on the matter, if anything. Cheers and thanks.

For the baits you listed, I'll propose another reel: the Diawa Tatula HD. It has good line capacity, really easy to throw, super smooth, and insane casting distance. If you're going to be lobbing 8 in Hudds, Deps 250 and other large baits, then probably reel #6. I have a Citrix 364, and it's a decent reel. Can handle a little rough, but I don't mind a little extra noise.

Great rod for any price, but it's a helluva deal considering how well it performs at the price point. I fish that rod regularly and love it.

Can't go wrong with a 6-7" glide bait. I've smashed big smallies in the prespawn with glide baits. Had one day last year with 20+ on an ABT Suicide Glide in rainbow trout. Caught the water temp just right on a weekday, had the whole lake to myself and just killed them. Also had a lot of luck on lakes with white perch and/or golden shiners throwing an Evergreen Esflat (crazy underrated bait) in the Oikawa color. Great white perch imitator and had just enough gold in it to be a shiner in a pinch. G2 Shellcracker also can kill the smallies. I've caught a bunch of big bronze backs on the G2 cracker on Quabbin in Mass. Find some rocky points with some grass mixed in and hang on. Other baits I've caught big smallies on: S-Waver 168, Triple Trout 7", Savage Gear Shine Glide, Jackall Mikey.

Fantastic reel. I have nothing bad to say about it. If you're not chucking huge baits, it's a great small swimbait/glidebait reel. Very smooth, good drag, casts a like a dream. I have one and wouldn't hesitate to buy another. Baits I throw on that reel include the following: S waver, Shine glide, G2 cracker, mini Slammer, BBZ rat, 68 hudd, Gantarel, Gillroid. Matches up well with a Dobyns Fury 795 or a Powell Inferno 765. Both are great rods for the smaller baits and balance well with that reel. Buy with confidence.