Paul Roberts

Visibility. There! I did it! A one word post!!! Yippeeeee! :D :D Awwwwwggggghhh. Blew it. > I need to get out of the house. ;D

I liked Glenn's video too. This topic came up recently. Here 'tis: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1264776718

Absolutely! Please do bc I probably won't get around to it. My waters are pretty weedy so I 'bulge' with other things. But let us know. My thoughts, off the top of my head (bc I haven't tried it), is that it's so heavy you'll have to crank pretty fast. It's also mighty small. I took to burning super-shallow cranks and the Mann's Baby-1 (2") was a little-bass magnet -haven't taken many larges on it -yet. So, I've moved up to a larger size. No results to share there yet. Also, you could do the same with a lipless -BPS even makes one with three line holes too. Just some random thoughts. Give it a go, and let us know. I bet smallies would love it.

Now that you mention it -yes. Mine has been with Trilene XT. I do not ever remember having this happen in the past, and I've used XT for years. It's not been a lot, but I lost two really good fish coming back with a pigtail -not break-offs. At first I thought I'm getting sloppy in tying. But I also noticed my tag ends getting shorter in the knot as I fish. I've adjusted by making sure I had 6 turns (always used 5 with heavier monos), snugging really tight (moistened and slowly), and leaving the tag a little longer. Another additional safety thing would be to tie an overhand knot in the tag end. This was needed on the origianl "clinch knot" before it was 'improved' by going back through the first loop before tightening. This was done bc the original slipped. I haven't done this -yet. And if it comes to that I will switch lines. Until you asked I never thought about the possibility of reformulation at the factory. A new lubricant or other additive perhaps. It would be worth writing to Berkley and at least asking if this is possible. While they may not be definitive, they might just look into it. It would be fairly easy to test with proper equipment. I would think they'd want to know. Not that this is truly the case. You and I could simply be getting sloppy in our knot tying? I wear magnifier glasses to get the job done now lol. Interesting.

Private Investigator.

The original post talked about 100 2-6 pound bass, not 12" bass. I doubt seriously if many have seen a 100 fish day of 2-6 pound bass. I do know that having many days like that I have seen an awful lot of happy fishermen walk away. I stand corrected. I guess I should mind my own. I have no comment about 100 2-6lb bass vs a single 14lber. Can't even relate, except to reiterate what others have said, "that size is relative". Didn't realize this was an exclusive thread.

Thanks. I've been handed lots to think about along those lines by fish. If they care, I care.

Sounds a lot like why I got so into fly-fishing for trout. And traditional/primitive archery gear. It's about quality. Quantity pales after you've been there. But quality comes in many ways. In my ponds, when I find a pod of 12"ers I don't keep casting, I move.

That's only if it's against the sky. But there's MUCH more to it than that for me. When sight fishing for bass in very clear water, mono lines flashing in the air can turn fish inside out. It's not as big as line landing on the water, bc sun angle varies. But, I've seen it, and have gone to braid for sight fishing, which doesn't flash, and even more importantly, it lands like cotton thread. Rod motion scares fish too I've seen this. Rod color probably matters depending on sun angle and background. I fish from shore a lot and a white rod is gonna stand out against shorelines. If you are able to stand directly over a shallow fish (like a spawner who isn't going anywhere) then the issue is already moot. But I've seen more than enough to make me realize that bass CAN see us, and respond adversely. Some examples: Line flash scares shallow fish. I came to this first in fly-fishing. Fly-lines are brightly colored to aid in casting. I found they absolutely freaked shallow fish out. So I began dying my fly-lines dark and the difference is HUGE. I've seen it with trout, bass, stripers, and false albacore. Shallow bass CAN see you, and it can make a BIG difference. I know this from a bunch of experiences. The most telling are during my spring spawn checks when I re-visit the same bass every other day for the duration of the spawn. They can see me very well. They can see my subtle movements, and they react to my presence in a particular way, which ended up interesting, but altered their behavior. I took to wearing drab clothing. The few times I went in a bright white or bright yellow shirt, they spied me way too quickly. With drab clothes I could use shoreline cover or topography to approach much more closely undetected. Bass can see VERY well when they are in shallow clear water, and they can see out of the water too. Casting motion can scare or put fish off. When I'm casting to a sighted fish close up under bright conditions I have found that side-arm casting can make or break a given fish. Some fish, and I'm not talking about spawners locked on a bed, if they see the rod motion, will bolt from the shallows. As to rod color, I don't really know, all my rods are carbon gray or brown. But from what I've seen, I'm not going to buy a white or yellow rod that flashes in the sun on a cast (thinking about my experiences with fly-lines in this), or one that stands out against shadows, trees, or steep shorelines. If a bass sees you but doesn't bolt, will it care? They sure can. One day several years ago, I spotted four large LMs holding along a shoreline of a large pond. This was late June well past the spawn. A couple other anglers said they wouldn't bite anything. I approached quietly, but somewhat visibly, and tried several things including 4 wacky'd finesse worms, plastic craws, and a swimming worm, to no avail. I noticed though that when I approached, the bass would react to my presence, but subtly. Their erect fins would sag a bit, and they'd drop a bit lower in the water column they sulked. They saw me, and appeared to care. SoI rotated back through each fish and approached low to the water's edge and kept hidden behind shoreline brush. Casting was difficult from behind bushes but the bass did not see me, and did not sulk. And I caught three of the four bass. Two tipped up for the swimming worm on the first cast like a trout coming up for a dry fly. Number three took the worm on the second cast. She was interested but turned away on the first. And took the worm killed and twitched on the second. The fourth had moved and spotted me on my attempted approach, and she vacated. The bass I lipped were two 19s and a 20 top fish in this water. If KVD is already standing up tall in a 20ft bright yellow bass boat you are probably right, clothing, or rod color, won't matter much. He's also lucky he's got all those logos to break up his jersey LOL. But I also know, under bright clear conditions, he touts LOOOONNG casts and has been described as one of the longest casters on the tour. My guess is he does pay attention to stealth, where needed. Sight fishing under bright sun in shallow clear water with a solid white shirt is not the best of ideas, IME. BTW: As far as camo clothing when hunting deer, bright clothing is only bright to humans. Deer are colorblind. Bright Hawaiian shirts are popular amongst bowhunters for deer, bc of the broken patterning the color has nothing to do with it. Now, wear a Hawaiian shirt in a duck blind and your buddies will boot you out!

We can't have it all! ;D ;DI can't wait to see the Carbonlite. What averyone is saying ,it sounds like a great rod. I had been thinking about the Mojo, and the Vendetta. I was at Gander today and was looking at the Vendatta, and it was nice and lite. But from what everyone is saying the Carbonlite is evan ligther. I haven't put a Vendetta on a scale, but action for action, the Vendetta is heavier and more rubbery feeling. The Carbonlite is crisp, and more comparable to the high end rods. Lotsa talk I know...I can't wait for the ice to break!!!!!!!! :D :D Thanks Paul, I am leaning towards the Carbonlite from what every thing said. But now I may have to take a look at the Kistler Mag.TS. :-/ LOTSA good rods out there. Go and see them if you can.

We can't have it all! ;D ;DI can't wait to see the Carbonlite. What averyone is saying ,it sounds like a great rod. I had been thinking about the Mojo, and the Vendetta. I was at Gander today and was looking at the Vendatta, and it was nice and lite. But from what everyone is saying the Carbonlite is evan ligther. I haven't put a Vendetta on a scale, but action for action, the Vendetta is heavier and more rubbery feeling. The Carbonlite is crisp, and more comparable to the high end rods. Lotsa talk I know...I can't wait for the ice to break!!!!!!!! :D :D

I just bought one too for a specific use: spinnerbaits/buzzbaits. I burn spinnerbaits a lot, so I wanted the speed. I also wanted LH retrieve so I do not have to switch hands and be ready to start burning at splashdown. I paired it with a long (7ft) MH rod. My other casting reels are slower (<25ipt) which I like for crankbaits, and for winching fish out of heavy vegetation -which are the other techniques I use a lot. Since I haven't used a high speed casting reel before, I'll just have to see how this Fuego (28ipt) handles this too.

Looks like manufacturers have recognized that that is the price range to shoot for. With the insurgence of Japanese tackle I've seen pricing go through the roof. Even looked like companies have been testing how far they can go (think Steez). Now that our wallets have been stretched, it appears the horizon has been fathomed. Couple this with the present economy, and "value" appears to matter to more anglers. I've seen the first graphites hit the market and watched prices drop on the older technology, making really good fishing rods available to the masses. IM6 beats glass hands down in so many ways. And of late, I've watched the Loomis edge fade, as new rods have appeared that begin to compare, for half the cost. As interest in high performance rods continues, production has boomed. There are SO MANY good rods out there. I'm looking to see production techniques and sales volume continue to meet the interests of anglers -high performance sticks for less money. With the BPS Carbonlite hitting the racks this winter, I expect to see more. I'm certainly willing to look at them. As to the Veritas, I love the white -very cool. But...I'm not going to own one bc of the type of fishing I do a lot of -clear shallow pressured water, where bass turn inside out at the flash of line, much less a white rod. I had always thought if the Carrot Sticks end up being that light and sensitive and a good deal, I'd buy one and spray paint it black. My rods are for use, not show.

Yes, good point. This is true across all the different ponds I fish too. Some have numbers of smaller fish, and it's really fun to tackle down for them, play with different techniques, or keep track of where they're at. I had a ball a few years ago catching big numbers of ~12"ers from a particular pond on a little buzzbait. This bode well for the future -a pond to keep tabs on. (Alas, it winter-killed. ) Another pond is tougher to catch a bunch in, but at least one or two (sometimes 3 or 4) will be in the 4lb range. Because of the apparent age structure on that pond, I run the highest risk of blanking there too. I have a couple ponds set up perfectly for topwater -but I've yet to break 19inches there. On a few other ponds I know where the biggest bass in those ponds hang out. The first thing I do when I arrive is see if they are at home. Often they are, but getting them is never certain. Yep, I love to catch the bigger bass, but there's more to bass fishing than any one place or time can give. I love it all, and am thrilled to have those choices ahead of me on just about every given day. I think George Welcome's comments are especially interesting too. What people think they want, and are willing to pay for in fishless time, might be two different things. It's easy to say "size is what matters", after we've caught the big one.

;D Great story. Reminds of two: I was maybe 10 and fishing a local pond during a family picnic. I found a dead bluegill along shore and thought I'd use it for bait. Then I was called to go eat, and I pitched the little sunfish in the water, and watched it sink down into the stained green water. Suddenly it appeared to move, then rise. Then a big eye, and long black stripe appeared. It was a very large (in my memory) bass! All I could think was, "If I'd only put it on a hook, I'd have caught that huge bass". Another time, same pond. I'd been fishing and not catching and got kinda bored. I had my only spinnerbait on, a Mann's Woolly Bully in black/yellow, and I started ripping it up off bottom and letting it fall, ripping it up and letting it settle. After maybe 8 or 10 of those I picked up and there was a heavy weight. I stood confused, "Huh??" And a big bass came up, thrashed, and was gone. Now, I had 6lb line on that light little glass spinning rod of mine. I'd have been lucky to get the hook set if I'd tried. I was shocked, then felt that sick hollow feeling in my gut for the very first time. That fish meant something. It was that pond, that made me a bass fisherman. Of all the great fish I've chased and caught, and loved, largemouths do it for me in some way I don't really fathom. Dark peaty marshy water is full of mystery -a big eye with a dark stripe behind it. Supposedly, we develop our aesthetic sense, by our early teens. I guess I was ready to be absorbed into the world around me at that point. I have my Dad to thank for bringing me there.

Bet I know where you were. Just can't wait for that lake to thaw under you eh? I don't blame you. Oh man... here I am, blabbin away. You can tell my level of CF by the number of threads I stick my nose into. My BPS catalog looks like it's 4 years old. My tackle is sparkling. I even polished my SB blades with toothpaste! Bought more stuff than I'll actually get to use this coming year -but I can always hope.

A good quality M fast rod (6-12lb line) will handle a lot of bass fishing situations. It's the standard. If you don't have one, you probably should. However, just so you know the range a little better: If you have very clear water with little or no cover you could lean toward the ML (4-10lb), and be happy. If you have heavier cover (lotsa weeds say) you'll do more with a MH (8-15lb). If you travel to new waters a lot you'll probably do best with the M -and then end up adding to your arsenal down the line. Can't really play a full round of golf with just one club. Same with fishing water. As to sensitivity: All these actions can be VERY sensitive -it's the quality of the graphite (weight and crispness) that create that. A heavy rubbery rod absorbs what you want to feel. A light crisp rod sends more info to your hand instantly. If you are not used to high end rods, they often feel stiffer than you might expect. Top end, high modulus rods may feel really stiff, but they are instead "crisp" with little wasted movement. Don't be fooled by shaking a rod off the rack. If it's a good company, the line weight rating on the rod will be accurate. Choose you line requirements, THEN your rod.

I have not used one. But I have looked at them on the rack. They are snazzy to look at, but overbuilt (heavy) due to low end, low modulus material. They are low end rods offering a snazzy split-grip. My guess it they are pretty durable. If you want maximum durability buy an UglyStick or other composite. If you want sensitivity, esp in longer lengths, you'll need to move up the modulus chart, and you tend to pay for that. For jig-worming you'll want as much sensitivity as you can afford. Save your pennies -it's worth it for that kind of fishing. Some good lower priced options: Shimano Clarus ($70), BPS Carbonlite ($100) are esp light, crisp, sensitive rods. Others will have suggestions too. Another option is to look at the clearance racks. Never know what might turn up there.

What do they look like? I'll get a pic of mine for you.

Some friends told me they would occasionally hook something HUGE in a large local river in summer while fishing for smallmouth and walleyes. These fish were immovable and would either spool them or break off. They wondered if they were catfish, or sturgeon -this was a Great Lakes tributary.

Agree with others here, but I'll expand. Casting rigs excel in two scenarios: 1. For torque intensive presentations -large billed crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and swimbaits. I wore out a (~inexpensive) spinning reel burning spinnerbaits a while back. I've used a casting rig for this great technique ever since. Any lure that resists a lot is more efficient, easier, to retrieve on casting tackle. 2. For winching fish out of heavy cover. I recently chatted with Rich Zaleski about this, and we traded heavy duty spinning reel war stories. I told him I sheered the handle off a Daiwa BG15 winching a 3lb bass out of heavy slop. If I'd known the slop had developed already in this pond, I'd have had a casting rig with me. Rich was using an over-sized spinning rig to pitch unweighted plastics way back in a slop filled cove, and hooked a monster. He picked it's head up, gave no quarter, and almost got it out when his reel stem snapped! The bass got it's head under and bolted into a bush. Rich poled back in and retrieved the bass -a 7lber. The reel was done for. Spinning reels lack the winching power that casting reels inherently have. It is possible to use very large high quality spinning reels to do some of this stuff but, oz for oz and $ for $, casting rigs are much more efficient for these uses. Casting reels are simply more efficient at heavy winching.

Dunno what's out there. I have always looked at digitals with narrowed eyes. Electronics, and LCD, just don't last. I have two Chatillon spring scales I've had for 25 years. I keep them calibrated with exercise weights. Another choice, I don't own but hear good things, is the BocaGrip.

I don't think they make them anymore. They were made back in the 80s. Are you sure these were Berkley Bionix? If they have a secret stash of them. I'd for one would like to know.

Neither. I'm out there to learn about fish and critters, and fishing. And I'm easily distracted by things most people wouldn't think was immediately related to fishing. One seeming oddity is, when I find something that works really well someplace, I'm apt to drop it and move on. It's ADDING to my knowledge, not re-hashing past GoTo's, that floats my boat. That said, I tend to be MORE interested in the mature (bigger) fish in my waters, than the little ones. I will get down on my belly and play with fingerling bass (they behave EXACTLY like large ones but are easy to watch), but usually to learn more about larger bass in general, or the fishing possibilities in that water. When perusing my ponds I am more angler than biologist -the story of my life . If I were a trophy hunter, I'd be searching the waters that provide the best chance at out-sized bass: They have to exist first, as I'm not one for relying on empty hopes. I'm happy with the mediocre ponds I fish. They have healthy populations of bass, conditions change constantly, and keep me thinking and experimenting. My PBs in each run 18" to 20". They are fairly close by so I can be there quickly and get down to business, whatever that may be on that particular day.