Paul Roberts

Best 30 bucks you'll spend all year.

Start exploring new waters, just for fun. Let the catching come when it comes. For me, my catches come in bunches, when I finally find something the bass are onto. I can't always plan it, but there is stuff going on down there, you just have to find it. If you are expecting fish to find you, you're in trouble -gambling, trying to win a lottery. Fish (at least good ones) are not randomly distributed. I long ago got rid of the beating myself up thing, when I find fish (and this doesn't just mean "in the water", but "where in the water", I can usually catch some. Keep looking. Where are you fishing?? Lake? Pond? River? Boat? Shore? ...

I think what he's talking about is the overall horizontal (forward) speed. If you watch again he's pausing a lot -probably half his retrieve is pauses, -along with tugs to dart, flare, and flash that SB (triggers). Forward speed is critical, and has to be ferreted out over the course of the day. Speed is also relative in his mind. Remember, that vid was shot in the warm season -he's not talking slow-rolling there. The differences over the course of an entire year, are large. But over the course of a given season, or day, can appear slight, but they can make all the difference. Kevin's SB is covering water, but it's not all that fast compared to what a bass is capable of in warm water. But bass can't afford to go all out every day, all day. Kevin, on that bluebird day, has slowed things down bc the bass are not chasing. I'm sure he'd rather be burnin' it. But the bass are not willing to chase.

Fly-casting is not intuitive. And it's the biggest hurdle, bc like all fishing with artificials, control is everything. If you can, get instruction from someone who knows hoe to instruct. You can do it from reading and video, but having someone there to correct your basic faults helps a lot.

Which is why line purchases should be made based upon diameter rather than arbitrary line test ratings. That's where I start. Then I look at other specific properties I might need: abrasion resistance, handling, density, color, stretch, ... . Most premium lines are close enough in break strength/diameter to work just fine. P-Line and some others come out really well in the "splitting hairs" tensile strength tests. Enough that if you're going to fork over 6 to 8 bucks for line, might as well split hairs. Just realize that diameter affects presentation the most -in terms of depth and speed control, as well as sensitivity, lure response, flotation, etc... . If your present "10lb line" mics at .011 and you switch brands, esp to one of the "XTRA..." lines, your new "10lb" could come in at .014! Read the box, or consult a chart, before you fork over your 8 bucks. CXX is a GREAT line. It kills me to read the reviews of people hating it bc "it tangles". Well it's way under-rated in break strength (bc the 10lb is NOT a 10lb line) and it's an abrasion resistant formula making it somewhat wiry to boot. I guess I can, reluctantly, understand the marketing issues line companies have, in that most people don't care to know all the properties line formulas can possess, and the need to balance them to create a named product that people will buy.

Line break "ratings" are pure marketing BS. Wish they'd just tell it like it is. We can handle it from there.

Very true, and well put. The rules are that bass are trying to survive regardless of what's thrown at them. Some make it some don't. What they have is a body honed over time to have a crack at survival, and some of it is pure luck being in the right place at the right time just like fishing. When we suffer a couple bad fishing days we can at least go grab a burger and try again the next time. Our detachment from nature has its perks. I'd rather play at the survival game then live it. That's what we all do. Knowledge (experience and book learnin') accrues. But it doesn't HAVE to take years. If you are focused on what's important you can steepen that learning curve.

Old beds (like a year old) can still look shiny new in certain circumstances. As FM suggests, if it's active, you'll eventually see 'em. Early on in the cycle bass are MUCH more apt to abandon at your approach. When eggs are being tended, they are much less apt to leave. But each bass is an individual and some are spookier than others. Nothing beats time spent watching. Have fun with it. Not really answering your question I see... I don't know Tilapia beds, as we don't have them up here. Here we have bass, and various sunfish beds -the difference being mainly size. Bass and the sunfishes make beds about 1-1/2 times the length of the male that made it. They vary in what they look like depending mostly on substrate they use. Bass are variable in where they'll dig, bluegill seem to use gravel. Crappies seem to like to be near vegetation. (Oh yes, and catfish and bullheads use or dig tunnels or deep pockets in soft bottoms.) Bass do not dig deep, only deep enough to expose the hard substrate. Some of my waters the beds are paler than the surrounding bottom, in others they are darker, depending on what they are digging down to. Last year, due to flooding, the bass often chose newly flooded grass sprouts! No clearing at all required there. All bass I have seen in my waters avoid having to dig too much, and don't have to bc of the abundance of gravel/cobble. Bluegills spawn in colonies and the beds are close together in groups.

NO question. It's the whole experience that makes the quality. But...nature knows no single pace. I caught onto the concept of quality (or qualities) early on. I attribute this to my essentially Daoist father, and an artist, and a 70year old neighbor who I deer hunted with who slowed me down just by his calm and aware presence -and I learned to just "watch things unfold". Now, counter that with my essentially "Confucion" mother, also an artist, and my incredible (some said hyper) energy, and I could be something of a power Daoist! ;D Nature has no single pace. Not being able to get outside yourself enough to recognize those paces, and your own, is part of it. It's easier to see more as you get older. There was a time when I was more apt to be defined by what I did, and in fishing, what I caught. It's SO much bigger now.

Incorrect....NY now allows C&R only bass fishing from Dec.1 - 3rd Sat in June (start of the regular season). There may be a few waters with special regs, but this is now policy state wide. Interesting. I'm a former NYer, and we had the 3rd Sat in June season. I lived on a good bass lake and remember watching our local CO (Conservation Officer) hiding with binocs all day to bust a guy who was "raping" the pre-spawn. He'd fill a small cooler, then come in and stash the fish in his shed. Then go back out. In the north the pre-spawn is short and intense and consolidates fish. Find em and you can make a serious killing. Then, when actual spawn came on, everybody could kill 'em. Another issue was nest success of smallmouth in the Thousand Islands and Finger Lakes, where disturbing bedding males fishing was found to be significantly detrimental. The closed season regulation was enacted prior to widespread C&R we now take for granted, and in some cases, has run amok since lol. On the other side of the fence is the fact that a small number of successful nests have been shown to be able to produce a strong year class, as strong year classes are controlled by larger scale ecological factors that, when in place, allow young bass to survive and prosper. Esp in fisheries in which bass are kept, good fishing down the line tends to start with strong year classes. BUT... I argue something else, I've not heard discussed: That having MORE successful nests (than just a few) does two potential things for a fishery: Adds genetic diversity, and all those YOY bass are food for larger bass. In many ponds I've seen over the years, YOY bass are prime fodder for larger bass and a strong hatch year creates a flush of easy prey that can alter the fishing. I've seen this a number of times over the years, the most recent was last year. In a few ponds switching to UL or finesse tactics more than doubled our catch rates of mature bass. I applaud the NY DEC for adjusting and allowing year round C&R for bass. That's what I did back then anyway, but mostly left bedded bass be, which I still practice to this day -an old habit I'll keep. Call me old fashioned.

Problem is...although bass can see the full spectrum (n shallow enough water), they are weakest at discriminating blues. Apparently, blue is the point in the spectrum where bass become essentially color blind.

Yes. Speed, lure finishes, proper sky and water conditions, or location choices can get you by. But not adding finesse techniques (basically light tackle, in my mind, which does not preclude "power fishing") does remove a worthwhile method that really shines in certain circumstances -usually clear waters, esp with little cover, and when bass are keying on very small prey. If you are not already sold on "finesse" techniques then you probably have not run across the right circumstances, didn't recognize them, or did not give them a fair shake. Or you were able to avoid them, having learned to adapt very well when finesse presentations would shine. However, I've had certain areas in my waters that I would avoid bc I didn't catch fish there. But that can be only bc my Goto's didn't fit the area well.

jettech, I hear you. All the fishing I've done has come at some career cost. Would I trade it? Not at present. But ask me again in 15 years and I may be singing a different tune.

Much of the year. Ovaries begin to develop in the fall (up north here) and there can be eggs left over into early summer.

As to playing fish, I get them in as quickly as I can without having such a green fish I risk losing it. I make sure I can get him by waiting just long enough that I have control. A "small" fish on "heavy" tackle -I'll swing 'em aboard quickly and get it over with. There's something to be said for scaled tackle too. I dislike being undergunned. For averaged sized bass I like 6lb test minimum and prefer 8 and above. A 4lb bass can give a show on 12lb. But I don't dally -I whip 'em, look em over in hand (very appreciative of a pretty fish), and then move on.

I too see the tournament influence on bass fishing. It's different than it was amongst young people today than when I was a budding angler. Not that we weren't influenced by what we read, but media is so much more pervasive today, and the tournament world has the biggest chunk of media time. When I find a new fishing buddy I have to say I get tired of the comparisons -the "who can catch more fish" thing. "Wanna pretend we're in a tournament?" "No." For me, it's about learning stuff about waters and fish -I'm simply mesmerized by the details of how a fishing day develops, and catching is only part of that. There was a time of course that I was all about catching, and it bruised when I couldn't catch. But I've got a lot of catching under my belt now. Now, I'm apt to discover something and either experiment with it, or may just leave it altogether for something else. Sometimes I spend much of my "fishing time" mapping water or taking temperatures or even netting 'minnows' and 'bugs'. Such time spent accrues. It's well worth it. I liked Al Lindner's response to why he veered away from tournament fishing, something like, "'Cause sometimes I like to chase carp!" The other things I see is the 10lb bass syndrome. Seems every young stick has caught a "10lber". DD's are almost entirely, for all practical purposes, a southern thing and I swear it comes directly out of the media. Creates pretty skewed expectations. I fish about a dozen "ordinary" ponds here in N CO, and they give me plenty of satisfaction (course I'm happy chasing chubs in a muddy little stream too lol). My PBs from these waters range from 17" to 21" depending on the pond and year. I was with a kid a few years ago who was THRILLED with a nice "big" CO bass he caught. Then we weighed it: 4-1/2lbs. His heart sunk, you could see it. I felt sorta bad, and asked him, "Are you OK with our weighing your fish?" And he glumly replied, "No, of course not...Are you SURE your scale is right?" Two years later he had finally bought his own and was darned pleased with a nice 3-1/2lber he caught, and rightfully should be considering where he was -on an ordinary small pond in N Colorado.

He was an outdoor writer from "my day" lol. Glad you are enjoying a good read. I haven't read his book, but found one in a used book store a while back and perused it. Lots to be gleaned, even from the 'old stuff'. A lot has been forgotten of course.

Some waters have good enough bass habitat close to shore for bass to be there all winter. Other waters may consolidate fish elsewhere. The problem with that aerator is that it forces you to fish there, and they may not be there -or many of them. Get into good bass habitat first. Then as water warms bass get more active, wider range of movement and more feeding. The reasons for spring shoreward movement is twofold: heat can attract prey (and bass too for the heat but esp for the prey), and later to spawning substrate. For the former, if bass are generally present, the greater the heat gradient the better draw for prey and bass. Ultimately, I like to see a 8-10F diff between heated shallows and the "cold sink", but I take what i can get -just like the fish do. As to your particular water, only ground-truthing will tell you.

Weather Strategies I'm self employed and can (try to) pick my fishing days. I'm also a small water angler (<50acres). What I'm relating here pertains more to shallower waters than larger deeper waters, or the shallow areas of deeper bodies. Weather appears not to affect deeper fish as much. In general, I pay close attention to heating, and anything that obscures bass' vision: Clouds, wind, water color, broken weeds and other cover. What I look for depends on the time of year. And how this all pans out varies with immediate conditions -it's a complex world out there. What I am looking for are circumstances that offer bass a hunting advantage on prey. Weather and physical conditions that consolidate bass, or especially, prey and bass, make for those banner days. Keep in mind that fish don't always just turn off, but they do react to conditions and weather can be a part of this. The fishing is all about adjustments. How do you adjust? Well you have to be there to get a baseline to adjust from. When we drop in for a day, we are essentially trying to find that baseline. Knowledge and experience helps there, but fishing' is required even for KVD. Believe it or not, I like post frontal conditions (brilliant blue) a lot, especially very early in the season, coupled with slightly turbid water. I like the 2nd or 3rd day post-frontal (brilliant blue) for early pre-spawn, post-spawn and pre-summer. (I like heat and stability, with clouds, for the onset of the spawn.) At these times our summer weather patterns set up brilliant blue in the AM giving way to towering cumulus. What's great about this is that we get great heating with the sun, then overcast rolls in that obscures bass vision. They aren't nearly as spooky my waters are mostly very clear, until plankton blooms come in during the heat of summer. In early spring I do not stop fishing during cold spells; I just adjust tactics, and often do just fine. The one thing NOT to do is shoot yourself in the foot by bemoaning the weather. I like pre-frontal in general for the warmer times of year the warmer the better, except in mid-summer, when early morning, evening, and night are best. During the day, fishing deeper, or just having clouds or wind chop roll in to knock the smile off that sun helps in mid-summer. Early to mid-fall I like those heating days again. Late fall doesn't matter just no snow. If I'm fishing close to shore, I like a heating day. As to fishing: It's not cookbook exactly, but mindful responses to conditions doled out to us and the fish. It helps to keep records. I review them before each trip to help snap me right back to the right chapter of the cookbook. Each trip adds new footnotes. Here are a couple past trips to give you an idea of how I approach early spring on my small waters: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1205773248/7#7 http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1206553821/2#2 Talk about consolidated prey... Had a great and interesting day yesterday first fishing day of the year we're running late this year. If I find time I'll post it. Good luck sorting things out and writing your own cookbook.

I've had them surgically removed.

I was introduced to a knot-less splice in fly-fishing a while back that simply used a pointed and roughened leader butt inserted into the end of a fly-line using Krazy Glue -the only glue strong enough at the time apparently. This was used for saltwater fishing. I tried it and caught some stripers and blues and freshwater LMs doing it but didn't really trust it for the long haul. And it was nearly as labor intensive as tying a nail knot -once you got used to tying them. The loop-to-loop is not new, and you still have to tie at least a surgeon's loop in your mono or FC leader. So...what's the advantage? Not a challenge, just wondering.

Yeah, the general location sounds fine (from 1000miles away lol). And Cliff said some people ARE catching! I'm wondering if the bass are still grouped up tight, and not yet distributed across that location. I see this in my small waters. The first movements shallow are of bass in tight groups. Later they'll be "all over the place" (males first I believe) and the females remain grouped for awhile longer. What happens is anglers fish the right areas but lose confidence when they don't connect with what's close to a "needle in a haystack". Sometimes you just have to stumble across them. Later, when the fish are better distributed, the "bite is on". That's my guess as to a possible explanation. Maybe it's more a small water thing, as my bass popns are much lower than big waters can produce. But I would expect that anywhere bass need to have certain winter habitat parameters met --have certain limitations--this is a likely scenario. Advice: Keep casting. Find those clusters. You aren't doing anything wrong, except by not continuing to search diligently for what might be areas the size of a living room, or a kitchen table.

A GREAT question. Depth control is absolutely critical; a basic "control" an angler needs to understand to even begin to effectively plumb the "unseen". You are very right to question whether your lure even got to those fish, but it goes well beyond those fish you saw suspended on your FF. Keep this in mind: You're expectation should be that your lure finds the fish, not the other way around. Catching fish much of the time requires your lure reach a given "strike zone" -it may be the bottom, or any type of "edge"/"transition", and often at a particular speed and angle (path). In essence you are fishing to physical "strike zones" rather than "fish". Lures, out of the strike zone are of less interest to all but the most aggressive competitive of fish -the only ones that will "find your lure". Basic depth control is achieved by: Line diameter -thicker line pulls a lure back toward surface. Lure sink rate -determined by weight, buoyancy (materials -balsa, plastic, metal, ...), and lure resistance in water (action, surface area/bulk) One way to speed up the learning process is to go and observe this for yourself. Pitch the same lipless out close to the boat on 8lb, 12lb, and then 17lb lines and see what happens as you retrieve. You'll see that the thicker line will keep the lure up. You can do this with your single 12lb rig by just tying on (Surgeon's Knot) a length of line as a leader for test purposes. Doing this will get you understanding line effects on depth control quickly. Top pro angler Kevin Vandam adjusts his lipless and crankbait depths by having several rods rigged with the same plug, just different line diameters. Of course he can afford to dedicate rods to this, but it is very illustrative. I tend to use one line weight and adjust several ways: -With a sinking lure I adjust weight and bulk. With a lipless crank, for example, and 12lb line I would fish (roughly) a 1/4oz under 4ft, a 1/2oz 4 to 8ft, and a 3/4oz for deeper than 8ft -Speed, and retrieve type, affect depth too. Faster retrieves keep you shallower, more vertical or pauses will get you deeper. -For lipped cranks (with "prescribed" diving depths) the actual depth varies depending on cast distance, and retrieve speed. With one "med runner" you can cover a 3 to 6ft range. To fish the shallow end of that range cast shorter and/or retrieve slower, often with pauses. To get max depth, cast further (to provide retrieve distance for gaining depth), and/or retrieve at a quicker pace. BTW: Most plugs have a certain speed they both dive, and wobble best at -know these for each lure. Some have a wider range than others. Get to know your individual lures. MUCH better to know a few lures well, than own a bunch you don't really understand. Effective fishing is all about CONTROL -good for the Type A personality LOL. But first you have to understand what you need to control, and depth is fundamental.

Any indications your fish are onto spawning areas yet? From other anglers or things you've seen? Catt and FFD say it's unseasonably cold there. Yes? Curious here: Do you have any water temps btw? Do you know where prime spawning areas are? Does any shoreline suffice in your lake?

Where is that? What's your thinking?