That's cool, but I won't be getting any live action sonar for the immediate future. I have a Garmin Echomap 93sv and an Echomap 73sv. Each came with a transducer, but the 73sv transducer is more in line with my lakes (western NY) and has preloaded Navionics +lakes, rivers for eastern US. The transducer will work with either, but the 93sv is preloaded marine and coastal Great lakes which is not my normal hunting ground. Lake Ontario is, but I prefer the Finger Lakes. I might get the Navionics card for the 93sv, but I need to learn the basics before I drop the $150

I am a complete novice with regard to these electronics. Not expecting a course on usage, but if I can figure out what I'm looking at, your search bait reference sounds like a start.

So, toss it out and time it's fall and work it back? Sounds simple ha! What's the retrieval method on a bait like that?

I have had good luck pre-spawn and early spawn from the shoreline with jig/trailer and plastics on a jig head, but as I said, once the warm weather hits it's pretty much game over so far as smallmouth. LMB are much more common from shore or in the boat, but that's probably because I'm a bit lost once trying to fish anything deeper than 12-15 feet and I tend to target into the shore and the weed edges I guess I need to start by locating them.

The SMB we get late spring are nice fish 3-5 lbs. Just looking to find them once they suspend deeper.

Tiver wrote:

Anyone have a favorite plastic worm style of fishing? I keep meaning to spend more time wacky.

Tiver wrote:

Well... tips really depend on the fishery. Freshwater bass? Trout? Pacific? Atlantic? River? Lake? Pond?

I have been fishing since I was 9. Fished mostly freshwater for trout and bass unless I fished in Naragansett Bay for flounder or baby blues. When I got stationed in California I fell off the deep end. Ocean has much bigger fish that are way more fun to catch.

Yellowtail, yellowfin/bluefin tuna, Mahi-Mahi... live sardines. Choose a hook size that allows the sardine to swim normally, so depends on the size of the sardines. Use the lightest line you can get away with to get them to bite. Tuna and yellowtail can be line shy. If they see the line, they ain't biting.

Snapper, grouper, jacks in the Atlantic... 60-80 lb line... these MF'ers are NOT line shy at all. I usually catch my vermilions with cuttlefish and then I will try to catch a few grunts to use as live bait for the bigger fish. Circle hooks on a carolina rig for those... ensures you hook the fish in the corner of the mouth so the ones with teeth don't saw your line off.

MACS wrote: