put a bend in the rod

Hi folks, doubled up the guiding yesterday spin fishing for smallmouth bass.  In the morning I took a group rive fishing for smallmouth bass and in the afternoon I floated the canoe for some smallie action.  The river temperature was 72 degrees yesterday morning at 6:30am and the surface temperature of the lake I fished in the afternoon was 76 degrees.  Saw a good wild life yesterday as we saw in the afternoon a moma beer with cubs, a family of otters, lots of loons, and the ever present beaver.  The morning fishing was outstanding as we fished several large pools that are just loaded with feisty smallmouth.  We swung a 3" watermelon Senko attached to a red worm hook and just clobbered the bass.  We landed 14 smallmouth and probably lost and missed another dozen fish.  Dead drifting the Senko with a tight line and then slowly retrieving it was the method.  Really important when getting s trike on soft plastic that is Texas rigged to really set the hook.  A big sweep upwards with the rod.  Keeping pressure on the fish is just as imperative and the rod should always be bent.  In the afternoon we covered some water to find fish who wanted to play.  No rhyme or reason as to a pattern where the bass were holding.  We fished top water baits exclusively and a Heddon tiny Torpedo in frog colors worked pretty well.  The fishing really picked up towards sun down.  I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to remove any slack line when fishing a top water bait.  It is tough to get a good hook set when the surface strike comes with slack line.  We had 15 smallmouth come to the surface and we did a lot of long distance releasing last night.  Keep a bend in the rod.  Off to chase brookies with the fly this morning.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy