double jointed fishing lures Cass Lure Co. Journeyman 8.5 – Musky Shop tested bait is red crawdad in color. JH Custom Baits Deep Diver

2025 survey results documented 21 brown trout 14 or greater per mile with 5 brown trout 18 or greater per mile

I was surprised that there wasn't as much meat on that fish as I thought there would be

Usually Project Healing Waters uses and suggests spring-loaded reels for these folks, but the springs are often fairly weak and tend to be problematicespecially to control the rate of retrieval

Based on length-based estimates, however, the fish likely outweighed the current state record smallmouth

You can certainly go smaller with a 1000 size, or larger with a 3 or 4000 size, depending on the situation

Reel Terminology: Drag: The mechanism that sets the resistance a fish feels when pulling on the line