J Francho

I should be clear by that - it probably ran all of 20 yards. Heavy cover, 20# braid w/ 8# leader. Was fishing 1/32 oz. wacky jigs with a small 4" finesse worm. The fish were in < 18" of water. Only way to deliver the bait was a spinning setup. Even then, I never felt out of control. Normally, I'd be using a MH or H rated rod, which I was with floating frogs, but the big girls wanted something sinking that day. Meduim spinner, 1000 series Shimano, big NY fish:

I don't specialize on Erie like Dwight, but I gotta say, the fish are bigger than usual, and you can very quickly eliminate dink fests there. It's not like Lake Ontario, where you might run into a pack of small fish one day, and the same spot has bigger fish. The big fish are in big fish places. How you get to those places? Time on the water, and experience. I had help in the beginning (thanks, "No Good"), from an experienced angler. While it wasn't really picking up spots (there was a little of that), it was learning how to dissect a spot, and recognizing the micro structures within huge structural elements that was holding bigger fish. I wish I could do that better on other waters.

Raul's right on. To further clarify....when naming hybrids, it is generally accepted to use the male parent as the first part of the name, and female parent for the second. Therefore, a "coydog" would come from a coyote male and dog female. Or, Canis latrans x Canis lupus familiaris, for the scientific type. so are they Florimouth bass or Largida bass?

Bet he backreels.....

You're holding that fish out to the camera, dude.

More thoughts on the other half of the discussion.... Pegged or Sliding Pegging has the bait falling at the same rate a the weight. I call this a "drop bait." The weight can help the bait penetrate cover. The size of the bait can change the fall rate, but they always fall together. If you peg with a T-peg, rubber band/mono trick, or toothpick (my preferred method), you can get a sort of "ad hoc" Carolina/Mojo rig, though not exactly the same. Retrieving like a jig works well. The three-hop and let settle isn't quite as dramatic as with a sliding weight. Since the weight is always near the hook, it's a good option for working around cover where tagles are common, like lilly pads or submerged wood. A fish biting will always have the weight in it's mouth. The weight is always close to the bait after a hookset, so can be leverage to work a hook out. Sliding will have the sinker leading the bait down. Use a light weight and when you lift your rod tip, the sinker will slide down to the bait. Use a heavy sinker, and the bait will move towards the weight, if it's unobstructed. It's often easier to clear weeds with a little shake of the rod tip.The fall of the bait is a little slower, and more natural. The three-hop and settle routine works really nice with a sliding weight. It's not a great option to use around fallen trees and pads, since the weight and bait can be seperated by that cover, with the line in between. A biting fish may not always get a weight in it's mouth. Often, after a hookset, the weight is far up the line, and there's not as much leverage to shake a hook free. Not all of this is true 100% of the time, but it generalizes the differences so you can decide what's better for a given situation.

I'd have to pick a lake, and get an average. Even then, it can be seasonal. Honeoye in spring, 3-4 lbs. In dead of summer, I'd measure it ounces. If I take where I fish a lot, probably around a 1.75 - 2 lbs.

Yep, moth balls and dryer sheets work. Red squirrels don't seem affected by them though. The respond better to .177 cal pellets, though. I think we need to find if the OP means storing it through winter, or just between trips. For winter storage, everything comes out - gear, batteries, prop, electronics, etc. There's a whole process to wintering a boat, and that all depends on where you live and temperatures/climate.

If I see a big fish, bed or not, I'm gonna try to stick it.

I'm always like, 'Where is he coming from? Fish are over there..." LOL.

A lot of guys, myself included couldn't figure things out until mid July, lol. Nice work, man - that's a great season.

What bass owns you that bad? My 2nd biggest NY bass (7-1) made three drag stripping runs. Never felt helpless, or out of control. I can't tell you the lake on the internet, but it was one of those stump filled, CNY mud puddles. Plenty of heavy cover.

Gonna be in the 80s tomorrow....might have to take a personal day, lol.

Yes, I got my kitchen painted, and started on the living room, lol. My friends went back up to Pulaski with their wives, and my FB feed was littered with pics of big mud sharks, so.... I'd say it's on. All the fish were kyped up, and brown, so not my favorite to eat, but they're fun to tangle with. Still waiting for the browns. It's gonna be in the 80s tomorrow. Hopefully that will bring some serious rain, and my ditches will fill up.

Don't feel alone, lol. I have four 6-3 spinners. Three are the same rod, lol.

Better motto: when current conditions oppose prevailing conditions, ignore your success in prevailing conditions.

BTW, back then when describing how to rig a Slug-O, "just rig it weedless, like a Texas Rig, but without sinker."

I think the first time I heard Texposed, was in reference to rigging "new" baits that were thicker than the average worm, like the Slug-O. This was in the late 80s. Wide gap worm hooks weren't the norm. To get the bite you needed, you popped the point through, and let it rest against the bait. It was still weedless, with bait taking up most of the hook gap. Along came wide gap offset worm hooks, and Texposed rigging continued. Though, now many - myself included - were pushing the hook to just below the surface, or back through. Hence the term "skin hooked." Many baits still have a slot in them. That was for skin hooking or Texposing the bait. It's also why many fluke style jerk baits have a deep slot in the belly. Can you imagine the best hook option being a 5/0 straight gap worn hook? That's what we had, along with those slow 5:0 reels and floppy 6' rods.

I know where Paul is coming from. I don't back reel a spinning reel, but with a centrepin, that is all you can do - there's no drag, gears, anti reverse - just an arbor on a bearing. The fish takes line, and you control how much with you pinky. It's a different way to fish, for sure. I'm not sure that I can say I've never lost a fish because of the low tech, but like anything else, you learn to use the tool and exploit it's strengths. I know I'll never use anything else in current. It's so simple. Not really a bass fishing rig, but I have caught smallies in rivers with it. I think a few will pick up back reeling, but I don't see it becoming the norm. Drags are so, so, so much better. Never mind that you can do exactly the same thing as Paul dies with his finger, to feather the spool if you need some extra stopping power. I don't recommend back reeling (or forward reeling) what the drag us spinning. You gain nothing and twist the heck out of your line.

Here's the best Co Polly: Wait, I misunderstood.......

I use two for that type of bait: Avid, AVC62MXF, AVC68MXF. I have a review coming soon of a Pinnacle DHC5 rod that is great for this as well, Perfecta DHC5 Micro Casting Rod 6'8" Medium.

In order to be considered a Texas Rig, in my book it has to have a sliding bullet weight. Otherwise, it's just weedless on a offset worm hook.

I will fish until my hands and arms become T-rex claws - contorted, cramped, and useless. Never once did I regret it or complain about it, lol. If it hurts, take a break, try something else.

I seem to recall that bass' eyes adjust quicker to lighting changes, faster than many prey items, hence their heightened activity during crepuscular periods (dawn and dusk).

You may need help, lol