Hi all, new member to the site here, lots of great information on here! I have a few questions about fishing on LSC. I've been out on the lake one time now and am addicted! I threw tubes, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits mainly and did pretty good. I also need to start to fish a drop shot as well. My questions are what kind of rods, line size and weights are a good starting point for tubes and drop shots? And are there any other techniques I should be trying out there? Any help would be greatly appreciated; I'm hoping to be able to fish a little more out on LSC this summer!
Keith
Hi Keith and welcome to the site. You'll get lots of advise and help here. One thing I can tell you is, if you're just getting started, use whatever spinning rod and reel you have. They will all work to learn how to dropshot. There is no need at this time to go out and spend a lot of money. There will be about 100 different opinions on the best rod/reel/line/bait/hook/leader/no leader etc combo to use. Get a feel for it first, and you will know what you need. LSC is an awesome fishery and you can catch bass on just about anything. As you learn and get more comfortable with it, you will find things you like and don't like. Take your time, the lake isn't going anywhere. Fish with as many different people as you can. Its the best way to learn. I would suggest signing up for our Spring MadWags open. Its a great way to meet a lot of the people from this site, and you'll get to fish St Clair with some of the most knowledgeable people around.
Dropshot - use a medium to MH spinning setup. Since you just pull into the fish, medium is a good rod. 8 to 12lb floro line or braid and then floro leader. 1/4 weight or up depending on wind.
Tubes - heavier rod and heavier line because of the hook set needed. MH and 12-15 lb line.
Although I am no expert, my buddy has been hammering them on on a DS the last couple years, LSC and inland lakes. He uses a 7' ML spinning rod and straight 8# floro, with a 1/4 oz weight.
For tubes, especially on LSC, I use 6'6" MH spinning gear and 8# Halo.
You will get many suggestions on what to use, but as Mike said, time on the water will let you figure out what works best for you.
Welcome to the site.
Willie
Welcome to the site. We are glad you're here. LSC baits are always a great topic because so many work. Extreme Bass Tackle has several tubes that work. Staples out there have been Canadian Mist, Formula G3, St. Clair Craw, and one that came out in 2012 called Triple Threat which combined Canadian Mist, St. Clair Craw, & G3. It worked great. Consistently fish ate this bait every trip out last year and I went to St. Clair over 50 times in 2012. I also was successful with crankbaits that are no longer manufactured out of the Storm Wiggle Wart lineup, the Bomber Fat Free Shad Lineup, and too many to list. Some that were still in production came out of the Bill Norman lineup specifically DLN's. I made a lot if changes very frequently this last year to find what worked best and versatility was key. The spinnerbait bite was exceptionally good in 2012 for me and just about anything that was natural was working. The top water bite in late June through the end if July was exceptionally hot. Pop r's and Spooks were putting big smallies and St. Clair River largemouths in the boat.
I guess what I am saying is, tie something on, cast it 15 to 20 times, and if you don't catch a bass, make a change. Change color, change action, change retrieve, add rattles, take rattles off, change baits, just change something. Let the bass tell you what they want. Good luck.
BD. ;D
If you want to learn to drop shot the best how to DVD I've ever seen is on done by Seth Burrill. Money well spent. Just looked at the site and it may even be free to view the video now. check it out. Here's the link: http://www.anglers-experience.com/dvdindex.php