J Francho

I like my bling kept stealth

What's the big deal? Most of our parks are "carry in, carry out."

Actually, Fireline Crystal is a fused fiber line, not a braid, and again, no it isn't low vis. In fact, it usually ends getting stained the same color as the water. Use whatever braid or fused fiber you like, and tie a fluoro leader on it, if you are looking for "lo-vis." : I was suggesting a low vis compromise, since nothing exists for your question. 15# Power Pro + 8# CFX leader worked fine for this fish:

All the time. I have a few on speed dial. I'm on a 1st name basis with several of them. Most are good guys, if you're a good guy, too.

I've opened up just about every flipping hook there is, except the BMF. Problem is, they are hard to come by. I've been using Owner 8/0 SSW and Gammy 5/0 Octupus hooks for this lately. Haven't bent any. Here's an article on how to do it: http://www.burniehaney.com/blank.html

There are no lo-viz braids. Try 15# Power Pro with a 6# CFX leader on a spinning rod.

I'm a recovering Catholic, and I can laugh.

If an expert can't tell you what it is, what makes you so sure its a fungus? Doesn't look like any true aquatic fungal diseases I've ever seen. Looks more like an encapsulated cyst (the dark center), and necrosis from secondary bacterial infection (the pink and white ring surrounding). The fact that it was in the same location is remarkable. I'll try to find some time, and look at my texts for anything in the ball park. it is weird stuff! I should have known better than to post this photo, sooo many experts here. The disease expert was my advisor from graduate school, hes a slacker and he only looked at the photo. He did not run tests on it, or try to key it out, or look through the multitude of text books he has. He said it was a fungus, which I agreed, the species of which was uncertain. d**n, you people make it so hard to write brief posts, always want the full blown explanation. Here, I know what it really was. The fish was caught in a lake in the middle of bigfoot country. I think that is a scar from bigfoot trying to grab it. Yeah, im pretty sure thats what that is. Maybe the infection was from a claw mark bigfoot left on that fish LOL, that would have to be the Eastern subspecies of bigfoot, closely related to the lackalope. I'm no expert, just willing to put in a little effort. Its been a long time since I dealt with fish pathology. I wasn't trying to make it harder for you. I didn't get a chance to look, but I have some good text still, with some decent photos to compare. Just an aside, I actually had a college professor try to tell me that "Ick" (Ichthyophthirius multifilis) or "white spot" disease in tropical fish was a fungus. I ended up having to write a short paper on the life cycle of the parasite, in other words, a critter, not a fungus. Seems like some of these guys like to call everything a "fungus." Russ, I thought about lamprey, but location would have to be known.

Ringworm is a skin disease (fungus) you can get from cats and dogs....not fish.

If an expert can't tell you what it is, what makes you so sure its a fungus? Doesn't look like any true aquatic fungal diseases I've ever seen. Looks more like an encapsulated cyst (the dark center), and necrosis from secondary bacterial infection (the pink and white ring surrounding). The fact that it was in the same location is remarkable. I'll try to find some time, and look at my texts for anything in the ball park. it is weird stuff!

In a tournament, its, "@$#%#^&!!!!" Otherwise, "WHOOOOOOEEEEEEE!!!!"

Braid, all the way

8 or 10# CXX for most treble hook baits. 12# CXX for spinnerbaits/buzzbaits. 50# PowerPro for medium jigs, frogs, t-rig. 65# PowerPro for the big jigs, t-rigs, frogs in pads. 15# PowerPro for drop shot, shaky, other finesse stuff. 6# CXX for dragging tubes. Depending on the cover and structure, I will add a fluorocarbon leader to the braided setups, anything from 4# to 25#. I like Gamma and CFX leader.

I generally use Owners. There are a few other brands that I like specific hooks. Gammy Wide Gap Finesse in 2/0 is one. I like their Drop/Split shot hooks as well, but I'm also having good results with Owner SSW. The cutting point on the Owners really does make a difference. It turns a muffed or wimpy hookset into a hooked fish.

Thanks Bass-1. Good to hear another positive report on that culling board. Same hole you made when weighing the fish. For dinks, through the gill plate works fine.

I was VERY hot on the Ardent system, until I started to hear about issues with the balls blocking the return drain in the well, causing overflow. So many reports, that I wonder if it just isn't compatible with certain livewell systems. I did find this, and it looks just as good as the Ardent syatem. No more smudged culling cards in the rain, LOL. http://www.***.com/descpage-ACCUCULL.html

Vibrio, commonly associated with food poisoning from bad fish. I've had it, it sucks, though through getting some water from an infected fish tank in my mouth. You'd know if the fish had it; it looks like velvet on the fish. You wouldn't kiss it if it looked like that. And yes, I kiss a few nice bass every year.

Thanks dude. Its a factory, with a 15" minimum there are plenty of 14.9" fish there for me

If you're asking this much, at this point in the game, then my prediction is that this will only end in disaster. Why do you need to take your reel apart? And why don't you send it to a qualified reel tech?

It looks like a warmouth to me.

that is basically what I did. I have a pile of this style hook, but being on lunch, was pressed for time. I happened to have some of the hook weights in my little hook box I carry, so that pinched on a 5/0 EWG was what it had to be.The old highlight color on the tail is a good tip. I'm clearing out a spot in my worm box for three colors, and adding room for the keel hooks tonight. But only after I annihilate the pond after work, LOL.

I was wondering what those funny fins on my fingers were.....

Berkley Hand Pour Finesse worms have quite a bit of this loose salt in the bag. Get rid of the salt, and they are a PITA to get apart from each other and stick to the bag. The salt is definitely there for packing purposes. The same goes for a few other baits, like Venom Tubes. They are very tacky.

Chlorine becomes a gas at 78° F. Warm water rinse should remove any residual chlorine. I'd check and replace the line that was in the pool, though.

Thanks man. In some small part, you actually made my week a little better http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1245693683/0#0