J Francho

I asked about it elsewhere, and most said it was for safety reasons. Think about two guys in a 17' bass boat (the standard, back in the day) with 8' rods, and you'll see why they have the rule. Someone also said that it was put into place to prevent guys from using huge flipping poles having an unfair advantage. Imagine the damage you could do with a 12' rod, fixed length of line, and a jig.

Many waters in NY are catch and immediate release, artificial baits only during the off season, Dec. 1 through the Friday preceding the 3rd Saturday in June.

Jesus was a carpenter.

I have All Stars, Kistlers, and Avids.

By far, as mentioned - finesse plastics, jigs, and t-rig rods. Let me know if you want to hook up, and I can let you try out a few setups.

I actually think that ANY application benefits from a sensitive stick, though it isn't always the huge advantage that it is in with what has been mentioned. Sometimes its not always about detecting the bite, but more detecting the cover. Think cranking in laydowns or stumps/dick pilings, or slow rolling a spinnerbait through coontail.

I always have it in my head that TX, and Mexico are "on the Equator," when in reality, they are not. Up here, the difference in daylight hours per day is remarkable between winter and summer.

I agree there, and have faced that very situation recently. Current was so slack where fish were holding, and not even a 2g float could get through. There was a flyguy working the base of the falls, and me working the slack tailout - he couldn't get his fly down to the fish, and mine would just stall short of the fish. I said to him that we should switch spots, and he obliged. Payed off in hookups for both of us.I've been trying to tell Kase that there will be times when the versatility of my baitcasting rig will trump his 15' pin, but he says it doesn't matter, he'll catch fish his way, and never go back. He's officially joined the "Dark Side," LOL. We ran into near blown out waters at the Oak, and he went 0-0, while I went 5-7 using a hybrid float/bottom bouncing rig. I own him on Mills and Shipbuilders as well. Speaking of "One Cast Wonders" that day, I had a fish on 1st drift using that rig in the long ditch we found. Its cool when reading the water makes sense, and you are immediately rewarded with fish, reinforcing the confidence in you decisions.

Just wondering - you never know if someone's got something better

Back when Berkley Power Worms first came out, my uncle and I had a double on our first tries with it. Granted, we had these fish "dialed in" but we caught fish cast after cast. What I remember being really remarkable was how long the fish held on to the bait as compared to unscented baits we'd used in the past. I'm pretty sure I had a fish on my 1st Sammy within a few casts. Same for the Pointer and X-Rap. Many other hard baits and soft plastics have paid off quickly as well, though I generally only try new stuff when I feel I've already "cracked the case." Nowadays, most new baits are simply a variation of something I already know works. Sometimes its a new rigging that produces. I had already been drop shotting for largemouth in weedline edges, but when I tried it for dragging baits in Lake O. for smallies, I was amazed at how well the rig reduced breakoffs due to the zebes nicking up the line. One thing I tried last year for trout was the trout beads, and the 1st drift it was float down. All I could think was of all the fly guys and their meticulously tied flies, elaborate casts, perfect presentations, to trick what was supposed to be a "difficult" biter. The dumb things were killing little beads, LOL.

I'm not a big fan of landing nets, but for you, it may be the ticket. You'd want one with a 20-24" opening, rubber or knotless netting, and a long enough handle to make it easy for you. The technique for landing it yourself with a net is to basically get the fish to within 6' of the rod tip. point the rod at the fish, holding it at the reel, or behind. lower the net into the water, and gently lift the rod, gently guiding the fish into the net. Then just lift the net. Very little bending over this way. Make sure you drag is set to 1/3 the actual break strength of the line, so if a big fish is still "green" and decides to take off again, you won't lose it. Good luck

Almost anything hanging off a Johnson's Spoon appeals to bass. A classic that has stood the test of time.

Weedless hooks are nothing new either. Its not so much a "secret" technique, as it is a "forgotten" one. Sft plastic baits pushed pork to the wayside. Some of us still use real UJ pork.

The biggest of the big are found in HUGE concentrations in springtime in VERY shallow water. The spawning ritual is basically several males corner a female, and smash into her, forcing the eggs out to be fertilized. it creates almost a geyser like commotion that can be heard across the lake. Very easy to spot them, nothing at all like trophy buck hunting. --------------------------------- Anyway, to the original topic... Don't wait until you see something going down to try and contact your DEC officers (or whatever the agency that enforces the laws), get their dispatch number, or better yet, the local officer's cell phone number, and have it on speed dial in your cell phone. We have a guy here that is awesome. He responds to calls as fast as possible, and is on a mission to clean up the filth, and educate the rest. He is always friendly, always asks what is working, and relays what he's heard from others. On the flip side of this, if you're breaking the law, he is one tough guy. He has the "command presence" of a state trooper with a bad case of 'roids.

Raul, does your length of daylight even change that much? For us, we actually have VERY long days leading up to and just after summer solstice.

Honestly, I can't see changing out the line (unless he's got a bad batch) would fix this. Suffix mono is great line, I've landed many a 10#+ steelhead with it this winter, and last, using 4, 6, and 8# lines. There has to be something going on here. The lines roadwarrior recommended are definitely all great upgrades over Suffix for bass fishing, but I'd check EVERYTHING out before re spooling. Check the guide rings with a cotton ball for nicks, same with the blank. Check you knots - heck, I'd do the weight test on the knots themselves, with 6# mono they should be able to handle 5# worth of weight. Something is amiss here - I just can't see losing consecutive fish of that size to line failure. Bass fishing is frustrating enough when all your equipment works right

Megastrike, Berkley Gulp! in crayfish and night crawler.

I'd rather see a comparison of break strengths by line diameter. That would truly be "apples to apples." 8# CXX is 0.012". Want to bet what 0.012" line has the highest break strength? BTW, what is the deal with all the leader materials included?

Do you mean the "Big Dude" from Bite Me baits? The "Big Boy" that I know is a flipping jig with a brush guard.

That is a beautiful collection! LLS - Nice to see you. You can find quite a few places, but here is one: http://www.hatterasoutfitters.com/

10 years ago, that was "high speed." 20 years ago, all you had were 3:1. In other words, if you think you're missing fish because of slack line, use less slack, and don't blame the reel.

Why does everybody always assume that the bass swims away from the angler after picking up the bait?

Grease attracts dirt and grime, oil simply displaces water. The benefits of oiling these parts are probably negligible as amounts of dirt that will get in there will be there anyway. That said, I've never had to oil the brakes, ever. I did spit in an old Quantum once, though to get rid of the screaming sound it was making, LOL.

Sounds to me like the choke is out. Push it back in once its started and idling.

You guys fish the same water for every TX.?