Paul Roberts

Could be a social effect? Dance and Roland are from the same era. As to purple: nowadays it's Green Pumpkin. I wonder what's next?

Sometimes. It could also be bc color is low on the list of triggers.

No, it's an adaptation of Admiral Bob's "Slow Blues", by spinningmerkaba.

I'm a nature freak, and I mean all aspects of it. I want to know what is up with this place we're walking around on. This "quest" has been the motivation for most of the energy I've burned over the years. I was a terrible shy kid -and no great shakes as an academic- who got himself into an ivy school nearly through the back door. In part, some kindly prof's really liked my entrance essay. It was the only school I applied to. Years later I stayed on to do research in eco-physiology and on interview I was asked why I wanted to do science. I practically blurted out, "Because I want to see the face of God!" And it all started with a rock bass. I was 5 yrs old, hyperactive and distracted, standing for the first time in a little tin boat with my dad. He handed me a sapling he'd cut at river-side with a length of line and a worm-baited hook affixed to it. I remember being distracted by the tippy-ness of the little boat, shifting under my weight. I remember the smell of mothballs in the orange life preserver crowding my neck. I was not paying attention to the "fishing". I didn't even know what that was, much less meant. Then, suddenly, I received a tug on the line. I will never forget that feeling, or my reaction. I can best explain it this way: There was something else "down there", it was "alive", and "it wasn't me". What that meant, I think, was that I was not aware of what was outside my own body, until that moment. Under that opaque sheet of water was mystery, and I made a connection with it. That feeling has never left me. I then pulled up a rock bass and I remember the stunning reflective, metallic, iridescent colors -complexity that still wows me to this day. The closer you focus, the more amazing they become. And it had an eye, that appeared to look at me. I was... in awe. I still feel that way, with just about every fish I catch. When I see a wild animal, any wild creature, I have one over-riding question: "What is that thing?? No, really... what IS that thing???? I have been trying to answer that question ever since.

Sorry, haven't read all posts. Kinda jumping in here. Hope I'm not redundant. Wind resistance and momentum are probably part of the issue with bass baits -compared to a "3oz lead". Also, spool diameter will weigh in too. There are some real limits out there just in terms of scale.

I've got a few, but cannot yet give an adequate review (I'm not a fan of the "my new toy" reviews). I acquired some bc I believe they were designed for ripping vegetation. They are compact little buggers and fall like a hot knife through butter, no skating to one side like some lipless. They have a tight shimmy that does not feel as strong a vibration as some others. I pictured their use on weed edges, knifing down in and ripping out. However, I'm seeing many people using them, and liking them, in other situations. Best I can do at present. I've not really given them the work-out they deserve.

Now that's a good article. Thanks for that one.

Sounds like, and looks like, Gene is getting back on point. And then there's all of BR's vids. They tend to be about angling instruction, techniques and management. Critical stuff and frankly what most people are asking about. My focus will be more on conditions and fish behavior -not what most people are asking about. But, hey, I'm not interested in running a popularity contest. How's that song go... "I fish alone... Yeah, with nobody else...."

Thanks all. So.. no criticisms? How about all the "jump cuts", where I have to edit out the um's and tangents. How much did they bother you? Were they too distracting? There's definitely a learning curve there on my end. Do I spend too much of your time fighting each fish (I show the whole fight). Do I ogle the fish too long? Be honest, how much did you feel the urge to skip ahead? As to "selling out". I think that Gene went through that and learned a few things, something he talks about in his "New Years resolution" vid, about getting back to what he's really about. I had a dip in the industry quite a few years back, full time for a few years, and was offered a rep position with Berkley. But I turned it down to pursue my true interest: fisheries biology/ecology. I won't be straying too far from what floats my boat. Yeah, it works great, especially considering that my "boat", and waders, can be pretty easily punctured. Clamp a fish and it freezes.

Well, you are going to meet your wife's family. Filppino culture is very family oriented -very Latino that way. It could be lovely. And, maybe they live in a beautiful place.

Hi Brian! B_d, I found precious little tackle there although there are a few smallish shops. If you Google you'll find them. Getting around in Manila is difficult (putting it nicely) due to traffic -can be nightmarish at times, and those times aren't always rush hour (which lasts 3 hours). I've planned on a 20 minute ride only to abort halfway 3 hrs later. Don't expect to hop and skip between shops. More likely, getting to one or two shops in a day will suffice. With your wife along, and speaking Tagalog, it should be somewhat easier. But, expect to practice the patience of a saint. The traffic could explain some of the deep and widespread devotion to Catholicism there. Also, don't expect BassPro. Prices will not be bargain as such things as sportfishing caters to the wealthy there, and the markets are pretty small. You'll definitely want a back up plan. I'll send you to someone with more info: Ben Fogle. He lives in Cebu but is connected to the sportfishing there. His site: https://fishingthephilippines.com/about/ Paul

Neat that you could see them. Then the two were probably focused on the same "critter". Those Whites have got to be competitive buggers, and quick. And bass are agonistic shoaling/aggregating opportunists. It's always interesting to see things and get a better bead on "just who is who" out there -through how different fishes interact. Most certainly telling that the two were nearly identical in size. OK, I'm a nerd. Carry on, folks.

Gorgeous fish. That's the way to start the year. Another SB monster.

'Tis 'Trap season.

Where I'm at, that's a big one. But, I've see your previous posts. Welcome home. Can't wait to see more.

Great story. Always love the details. Hey, and that's a great photo too. You were one happy guy.

Nice! That is a big smallie.

Very nice. Very pretty fish. I'm guessing the SM tried to take the bait from the white, instead of the other way around.

I've kept a written fishing journal for 40 years now, full of descriptions, explanations, data, photos, illustrations, and diagrams with circles and arra's. I then went to word processing, some of which I've shared in the trip reports section here on BR. Just this year I started some video-journaling. Man, talk about adding work to my fishing! But it is fun and creative, so I'm... just starting to enjoy it. Tell me what you think. Don't hold back. What do you like? What can't you stand? You can't hurt my feelings; My son's already done that. He told me, picking his words carefully, "Papa, you need... a personality....".

That's very cool. What kind of decal paper are you using? I might want to play around with that some!

Weedlessness is indeed a word. Or it should be. We should all write it in the margins of our dictionaries. (If anyone actually own a dictionary anymore.) I've messed around with a number of less expensive soft plastic paddle/boot tails and am pretty much ready to bite the bullet and get some of the more expensive ones.

The Hudds are massive baits -even the 6"er- and I suspect that a chunk of their effectiveness is how much water they move, as well as how they move with both head and tail kicking. The Big EZ and others are slim with... wimpy tails. I'm not a big swimbait chucker so I dunno really. But I've bought a few different big paddle-tail type grub/swimbaits, including hollow bodies, and not found anything yet that swims and thumps like that.

Very different applications, me thinks.

Personally, I'd lean toward M not ML. IMO, if there were a rod to cover the middle road in freshwater fishing it would be a M (6-12lb) spinning rig, esp here in CO where many reservoirs are rubble bottomed with little cover, besides vegetation. My guess is, if you end up doing much summertime largemouth fishing, you'll end up adding a MH rig. Not to replace the M, but to add to it. All in good time.

Your rod could be used for either. Depends. Smallmouth and walleye occupy similar places -often more open water- so a medium rod would suffice for both. A M (spinning) would be most usable for largemouths in open water scenarios, where there isn't a lot of cover. I use M spin gear for LM's in the early season, before vegetation grows in. Now, just to confuse things, casting rigs tend to be rated a bit different from spinning. A M casting rod is usually a bit more powerful than a M spinning rod. Two main considerations: -Hook size: Largemouth lures tend to have bigger hooks, so require more power from the rod and line. -Cover: Largemouth's like cover, vegetation in particular, and a MH tends to be a better all round LM rod. Hope this helps.