Paul Roberts

I worked in a large tackle shop for few years. I got to see angler's buying habits and sometimes it was pretty interesting. The most common superstition surrounded lure color. Some would want something very particular, and that made no rational sense. Do you have the lime green tear-drop, with the orange-red spot? I'd pull out five large trays of tear-drops (tiny ice fishing lures) in literally a 100 paint schemes. Looks like we're out of that one, but it looks we do have lime green with the pinkish-red spot. Nope. And the guy wouldn't buy it. It had to be the exact thing he caught that big mess of perch on. Mind you that he had been fishing 20 feet down through a 6-inch hole into 18-inches of snow-packed ice conditions of complete darkness! I came to realize that, for many anglers, lure color choice had little to do with fish and the environments they live in. One night a guy came in and spent a long time just staring at the huge variety of color patterns offered by the manufacturer of one popular trolling spoon, all hung across a wall in front of him. He finally picked something then, on ringing out, said, How do you choose? How do you know? And I off-handedly replied, Oh, the State Fisheries Department imprints the fish with certain colors before they leave the hatchery. Then the lure manufacturers know what color patterns to make. The guy looked at me, and said, Really?? I said, Nah. A chuckle went through the shop, but the guy didn't laugh. Ooops, I thought. I certainly intended to include that customer in my joke. But, I realized in some people's mind, almost anything MIGHT be possible. The truth is, not everything is possible. But much about water and fish are true mysteries, and myths and superstition may fill the voids. I TRY to refuse superstitions. Realizing how important concentration is in fishing, I try not to get distracted by nagging half beliefs especially negative ones. But in general, I put on my skeptics hat, grit my teeth, and refuse to let the exact color, chipped paint, eyes/spots, or a myriad others things of little importance, distract me from finding and catching fish. That said LOL I just spent the last week, tweaking my crankbaitts: important stuff like hook sharpening or changing, and fine-tuning, but some less important stuff too likealtering the color/finish on some cranks to look more like the bluegills that live in my ponds! I get a charge out of doing it, but realize that a plug is NOT a bluegill, and is hard pressed to mimic one, except under right, and rare, conditions. My detailing is mostly just pleasing artwork, and I must admit it dips a bit into the superstitious the hopefulness that adds a tiny spark of motivation or enthusiasm to my fishing. I suppose that's the crux of it. So I guess there are positive superstitions too -like lucky fishing hats, or CBs tinted like "real" bluegills. But I'm just careful not to let such things, especially negative ones, become more important than they really are. If I forgot my luck hat, or the paint chipped off my highly detailed crank, I'm gonna grit my teeth and put my mind where it'll do the most good, instead of fretting about it.

I've had a 6MH casting since a Berkley rep gave it to me 25 years ago. It was the most sensitive rod I'd seen to date at that time. It's IM6, but VERY light weight. With the original pistol grip it weighed about 3.5oz. Therein lies it's sensitivity. I eventually replaced the handle with a longer straight handle, gluing on a sawed off glass downrigger handle section, and it then weighed around 4oz. The rod is still sensitive enough that I'd gain little in replacing it.

Any fly-fishing shop or catalog.

No. Not anymore. That's the short answer. Happens occasionally and I go, "Auuuggggghhh!" for a few minutes. Then "Oooooooohhhh" for a few days. Then...it just fades. Senility maybe. I've not hooked and lost a bass larger than my PBs -that I knew of. Hate not knowing, but, if you don't see them, it's too easy to be fooled. Guestimating fish size that are not in my hand is just not very accurate a lot of the time, the way water distorts vision, and the way direction of propulsion can fool me. I can think of a few that made me go 'ooo' in the last couple years. One was a good 20" smallie I got to boat side before it just popped free. I could see it below me clearly in the clear water. Beautiful fish. Hooked a big LM I didn't see a few years ago. It bolted and separated my leader and braid -damaged Uni-Uni. I really lamented that fish for a while, until a week later I hooked one in the same exact spot and nearly same circumstances. It bolted to the side and made me give it some line. I was relieved not to lose this one, but it was only 19". I have no idea how large the first one was, but it could just as well have been just another <20er. As for other fish, that I could make good estimates on: I lost a mint bright steelhead that was around 20lbs, and another around 18 -both I saw really well. I lost a brown I estimated at 16. And a largish muskie once, that bent out a saltwater treble hook. A lone ~30lb striper exiting a bay on an ebbing tide I almost got a fly to in time. Those had me oooooooohh-ing for a while. I've seen some BIG bucks and bull elk, I've missed opportunities on too. I guess I just don't have the trophy bug. It's just not the reflection on "me" it used to be. Happy to catch a big one, but more interested in other aspects of fishing I guess. Then again, as to bass fishing, I don't live on the shores of Castiac, or Clear Lake. I leave room for the fact that I'm likely very much a product of the environment I live in.

I almost always have a swimming jig rigged, and my outfit for that is a 6-6MH spinning rod with 12-14lb line. I have a range of spinning rigs covering 4 to 17lb line. I tend to use casting gear for crank-intensive techniques: SBs, larger CBs, and for winching fish out of heavy cover.

Cortland Plion. Don't even know if they make it anymore, but it was almost the consistency of jelly LOL.

The colors may blend. Some more than others. Just like laundry, reds are the worst. I keep plastics in boxes, and use the cheap zip-lock sandwich bags to separate colors. Many earth tone colors though, I'll mix, as it's OK with me if they blend. Some companies seem to use dyes that don't bleed. I have red Mr.Twister worms that don't bleed. That's rare though.

I was going to mention the Snagproof mouse as a good ice bait, bc my then 3year old son loved to cast it out on the ice and watch it slidin' and skippin' back in. It was safe for him to throw year round, and he did LOL. Hey, I assume you fished Bill Plumber's original Bass Frog? I loved those. And have hated every "re-model" after.

I remember the UV spray. So that went extinct did it? Not surprised.

Welcome back Cliff. And what a nice way to get back into it. Congrats! That's a heck of a bass in my world.

Bobby's Perfect. Otherwise I move on to ScumFrog -softer, and bigger hooks. I'm no frog expert though.

Actually, the lure is the Slider, the technique...fittingly to this thread... the "Do Nothing" retrieve.

Ditto, and add to that the softer rod action. However, I use spinning tackle for light cranks. I don't carry more than 4 or 5 rods, so I reserve my BCs for heavier applications. In early season, when my CB rig is spooled with lighter line, lighter CBs cast better. But, spinning is what I generally use.

When stream water gets too warm for trout, they will move into riffles. In a stream it's not that there is more oxygen in a given volume of water in a riffle, but that the fish can utilize what's called ram-jet ventilation -letting the force of the water move through the gills, while the fish sits quiet conserving energy. In still water they would have to physically pump that low oxygenated water through, at a high rate -like us breathing hard when out body tells us we need more 02. In your situation it's less likely an O2 issue being a river (although if it's somewhat stagnant with high temps, it could be). More likely those fish are using that bubble curtain as structure/cover like you suspected. In trout streams the "bubble curtain" below falls is used by fish like this. In winter, my guess is those fish are on bottom bc they are avoiding current in that cold water. Those are my guesses from afar.

I don't know enough about UV vision in fish really -it's relatively new. I got to know some vision researcher's at University a while back. I talked with one -who worked mostly with fish -who said the current literature on FW fish is that UV is useful very close to the surface, and larval fishes (newborn) use it to contrast (see) zooplankton against background. It is retained into adulthood in some fishes like bluegills that remain zooplankton feeders. I think I remember that perch lost it at maturity. I seem to remember believing that this was something that didn't pertain to adult piscivores. But...things have changed in the field I suspect. There's bound to be more research out there now. Probably, this lure treatment (if that's what it is) touts some kind of research, and is trying to cash in. I just dunno. I haven't seen the research. But anytime some company appears to be trying to cash in on a small body of research -at least beware. Think... red fishing line that "disappears" underwater. LOL I'm laughing I guess, but in the red line case I see that as just plain lying. As to UV -I need to see, and understand, the research. As to fishing results, it's darn difficult to sort out the effect of one variable in fishing results. It better be one POWERFUL variable to skew results very far with any consistency. There's a piece of research I did see that might have some relevance. Egg mortality in bluegills was found to be related to time of year and depth of nest. The culprit was UV light (A or B -don't remember -the "harmful" one). Late spawning (summer) bluegills that spawned deeper had higher nest success. What this tells me is that at least one UV light ray (like other light rays) is filtered out, to a degree, seasonally. So such a potion MIGHT be less useful outside of summer. The bottom line question though is, can bass (not shad or bluegills) use UV, which one, how deep does it penetrate and how does water clarity affect it? I have one piece of fishing lore to share along this line -sortof... A group of anglers discovered that glow lures (phosphorescent) caught trout just before daybreak much more effectively than standard lures, until the sun came up, when the other "colors" evened out with them. I tried it and it appeared to work.

Ahhh.....my first casting reel. :-? :'( Remember those exciting (to a ten year old) ads in the back of (Boys Life maybe?) for the "100 piece fishing kit!" The picture was of a casting reel, lures, hooks, stringer, swivels and split shot (yup they count them individually), and probably other exciting things, layed out in front of a tackle box. I think it cost $12.95. My friend John and I each saved our lawn mowing money for that kit. And then came the day the packages arrived, both addressed to John's house so we could open them together. I remember the ad, and that box, real well. All I remember about the contents was how CHEAP it all was. And that reel...we wanted to love it, but it was obviously not built to be loved. It wouldn't cast more than about 15 feet -and that with all the sinkers and lures in the box tied on at once! We were crushed. But we learned a good lesson about "buyer beware".

I think there are more than 1000 members. Do I hear 10,000yrs? What was all that talk about mammoth's n such? LOL

1373+44= 1416

Congrats! Can't tell size by pics, bc of lens distortion. But by looking at your hands (and having no idea how big you are), my rough guess is maybe 3lbs. Nice bass where I fish.

I have three of the spinning reels. The first has lasted three (?) seasons and I've had no issues. Two haven't been used yet -clearance buys. I like the design but they need to work on quality. The 3G, and Pro are their newer higher end efforts and feel better in hand, although they are heavier too. Remains to be seen. Search them on this site. Some opinions and experiences offered: "Randall" used some for a time.

My first rod, and first fish. I remember going up along the river with Dad, and he cutting that alder. I look at that pic and can STILL remember the very moment I felt something alive, tugging "down there". I can feel that tippy boat, and the musty smell of that life preserver. I have my maternal lgrandfather's old brass bird cage fly reel, and have caught trout with it. I also have my paternal grandfather's Jitterbug, and have caught bass on it, as did my Dad. I have a son too who's next up for that old stuff. He's got a new 33 for a "bass reel" too.

Me used rock from driveway. Make talk about Shimano fishing rock. Me want to learn. One question. What is driveway? Mammoth trail.

Paul, he is in Georgia. Ice, as you and I know it, is like Bigfoot in most of Georgia. I didn't bother looking where he was from, bc it doesn't matter. Makes it all the more fitting. Bigfoot?? I seen one once! Let me tell you all about it... ;D

I think an Ugly Stick is standard military issue survival gear, isn't it. The only rod that'll curl up into a fanny pack. OK J...that's primitive enough.

Bingo!