Well like everything I normally start - I feel into a rut with this segment and slacked off! Never fear though - It's back! This week's lures are all about bottom contact:

Lure:

Tubes - Yes, the tube! One of my all time favorite lures, yet it's probably the simplest lure in my box (besides the stickbaits). It's so easy to use, even you're grandpa can use it! 

The smallmouth here in Pa are in Pre-Spawn mode (or just about to enter pre-spawn). They need to fatten up and they just can't resist a tube. Crawl one along the bottom rigged on a weighted tube hook and you'll find the fish. A good place to start looking is at the end's and beginning's of deep pools, especially if shallow flats are around. The smallies are going to be sitting in these area's stocking up on food and waiting to move up into the shallows to spawn. 

Fly:

Prince Nymph - The royalty of all nymphs! Doesn't really look like any bug I have ever seen, but it imitates just about every Mayfly nymph around. Every box needs a few Prince's, especially beadhead princes.

A lot of people have a hard time with nymphing, but I can guarantee it's because they aren't dragging the bottom with their fly. If you can't feel the bottom when you're nymphing, you aren't nymphing right! Occasionally trout will take a nymph in the middle of the water column, but 9 times out of 10, their grabbing them from the bottom. Get your fly there to find the fish! 

Fishing is still hot for as cold as it's been these past few weeks! The action is starting to slow, but it's slowly starting to slow, so don't give up just yet. Here is what I recommend for this coming week:

Lure: 
I absolutely LOVE using suspending jerkbaits! Anytime I can throw one, I pick it over any other lure in my bag. They are so versatile - you can use them like crankbaits, you can use them like top water lures, you can dead stick them... I think you get the point. It's easy to find the jerkbait bite - Find the baitfish and you'll find the bass. If you're like me and are fish finder-less (thank you Raystown docks for stealing my transducer!) start near the creek mouths and work your way out. You'll eventually run into the food. The bass should still be surprisingly shallow, but fish areas close to deeper water. I've been throwing jerkbaits that dive only to 6 ft. or less.  

Fly:

I'm not going to lie on this one. I have been having trouble choosing flies this week. I'm a conventional bass angler first and a fly angler second - but that's changing with every passing season. So what would I suggest fly newbie's like myself throw this time of the year? Egg patterns! The trout are spawning (or have spawned) and eggs should be working great. Eggs are simple to use too, just let them do their own thing. You can even let them sit on the bottom and wait for them to be picked up. No need to worry about imitating a distressed caddis fly or a swimming nymph - just keep it simple! 

Another tough choice this week, because so many things will work. I'll focus on another tactic to use, as the fish are really going to be destroying anything in their path to get ready for winter. This week is all about big bulky baits - Give the fish something fat!

Lure:

Last weeks choice - the spinnerbait - is still working just fine, but if you really want to weed out the dinks and get yourself a big old fat bass, throw a jig! If the fish are actively feeding on bait fish, throw a swim jig with a nice bulky trailer (like a swimbait or my new favorite swim jig trailer - a Rage Tail Shad). If you aren't seeing much activity from the bass, throw a jig with a creature bait or something with a lot of 'arms' (like a beaver style bait or even a tube - El Grande Tubes are a perfect match). If you decide to drag the bottom with the jig, do so very slow... painfully slow. If there's a pig in the area, it's going to eat it. 

Fly:

Fly choices dwindle as it gets colder, which can be a good thing for beginners (don't have to worry about all the hatches going on at once). There are still a few dry flies here and there, but not enough action to merit a dry fly this week (after all, we are going for what's working best). This week I have to give the fly category to the Prince Nymph. Prince Nymphs are one of my favorite nymphs to use because they always seem to work. Run the nymphs through moderate current - the deeper, the better! One of my favorite nymphing spots is an area of 3 feet of water that empties into a 6 to 8 foot pool. The big trout like to lay at the beginning of this pool and snag the nymph just as it leaves the current. Try a bead head nymph to get the fly to the bottom when in faster current. 

Don't know what to use this time of year? This segment will give you a general idea of where to start when you open your fly or tackle box. 

Lure:

If I could only take 1 lure with me this week, it's going to be a spinnerbait. It's all about shad and baitfish imitation this time of the year and the fish are in a frenzy trying to eat up for winter. The flash and speed of the spinnerbait will make a fine target for any bass in the area (not to mention the occasional toothy critter). Run it along points, shallow flats, any remaining grass lines... this thing will work anywhere! Keep the colors light - try whites, silvers, chartreuses and blues.  

Fly:

This was a really tough choice - there are a few good hatching still coming off the creeks. For the sake of keeping it simple, the tan/brown caddis gets the nod. What's my favorite brown or tan caddis? The Elk Hair Caddis. I find Elk hair to be one of the best materials for dry flies because it stays buoyant even after being submerged many times. The caddis bite is still on here, but may not be for long, so catch the dry fly bite while you still can! I like to run these in moderate current and let them drift into deeper slow pools. Give them a small twitch every now and then by either moving the rod tip (no less than 3 inches!) or give your line a slight pull.