Spinnerbaits and smallmouth bass go hand in hand, there is nothing like burning a spinnerbait just under the water and a 4-pound smallmouth coming up and crushing it. Burning spinnerbaits is a great technique on lake Erie smallmouth. Speed is the key to catching big smallmouth, you can't reel a spinnerbait to fast for a smallmouth to chase it down and eat it. You have to reel pretty fast so the bass does not get a real good look at it. I also think it is the speed that makes the smallmouth want to chase it and take the lure. With this technique you can fish it in 5 foot of water or 15 foot of water.

A quick tip for any angler who is looking to save some money. If you're like me, you'll have a large pile of torn and ripped soft plastic baits in the bottom of your boat at the end of a long day of fishing. I used to throw them away. Not anymore. There is a great product on the market called Mend-It. This glue fixes soft plastics like new. It isn't like Super Glue that leaves the baits hard and usually stuck to your fingers. Mend-It leaves your baits as soft as when you pulled them out of the package. Plus, it doesn't stick to your fingers. My Dad and I use this every time we fish. Do yourself and your wallet a favor. Try this great money saver, Mend-It. For more information, visit http://www.mend-itglue.com

Do you have some brand or type of crank baits that you wish you could get in that fish catching color that the company doesn’t offer? Well, you can! There are several people who can put a high quality paint job on that bait at very reasonable prices.  They can also paint baits in a custom color you have always wanted that no one else is fishing in your lake or river.  I have been using custom painted baits for several years and truly feel they give me an edge over my competition by showing the bass fish something they haven’t seen.  My advice is check out the website for people who do custom painting or contact me and I will hook you up with the people who paint for me.

There has been a lot of talk about deep diving crank baits winning several “Tour” tournament in the news lately.  There are several things you can do to enhance and maximize your bass fishing with these baits.

First start with a low gear ratio reel, a 4.9 to 1 will allow the bait to reach its maximum depth by slowing down your retrieve, and will also help with fatigue of cranking these baits for a long period of time.  The next thing, use fluorocarbon line.  Fluorocarbon has properties that cause the line to sink, which will also help in getting the bait to run at its maximum depth.  The last thing, choose a longer rod, at least 7 feet in length and preferably made up of graphite composition.  The length will allow you to cast the lure farther again helping the lure run deeper.  The graphite composition works two fold, first it will allow the fish to inhale the lure without you feeling it and pulling the bait away from the fish, you will just feel the rod “load up” or feel heavy which gives you a good hook set. 

The second way it helps is when you are fighting the bass fish.  It has a lot of  flexibility that will assist in keeping the fish buttoned up by not ripping the hooks out of their mouth.  These simple changes in you equipment will increase your hook up and landing ratio and will not wear you out on a long day of fishing.

When using fish attractant with tubes, insert a piece of cotton, or packing foam through the bottom, and push it to the top of the tube, before rigging Texas style. Once the hook is inserted it will hold the "scent holding" material. Now scent can be applied inside the tube, and it will hold much longer. To help in this process, use something like Kodiak's Crawfish Paste which comes in an injector, but don't over fill the tube, as a little will last a long time.