J Francho

A Sammy 100 is what I downsize to when I think the smallies want something smaller. Also take a look the Spit'n Image. It's short in length, but still has a large profile. Just keep in mind, length is more associated with cadence than actual profile, when it comes to spook baits. In a general sense, the shorter the bait, the faster you can walk them.

All it means to us in NY, is we no longer have to be affiliated with an ABA chapter to fish the NYBCF series. In the past, we used a dummy ABA club, designated "club 0" for this. I'm thinking it means less dues as well. I could be wrong....I'll try to ask Burnie what it means to NY bassers.

It's always when you are least prepared, lol. Caught on a a very valuable to me LC Flat Mini DR (discontinued, of course!) on 8# P-Line, no leader. Glad to have gotten my bait back. The fight from a kayak on a 7' medium/moderate cranking rod was something else!

Maico is generally tossing $20-30 JDM baits in waters that hold northern pike in the mid teens class - fish capable of literally taking that bait on the strike. there are also some pretty big largemouth there, too. My guess, he's using titanium leaders (if he's not, he should!). For about $11, you get two that will last you a season, or more. Another option I use, and this works incredibly well when you are losing tungsten T-rig weights, is Cortland Toothy Critter. It's a tieable, coated steel leader. Get it in the fly fishing section. Great for wacky senkos, too. Lastly, when targeting pike in clear water, I use 60-75# fluoro leader. You can go up to 100# or more, but you'll need a crimp tool and supplies, sicne it's too thick to tie a knot. Bucher sells come pre rigged leaders, and I've been planning on trying out the solid, inflexible, 4" jerkbait leaders this fall. I hate feeding my big Pointers to the lake gods.

There's should be a warning in the title.

Random. Luck. Probability. Some things math and science can't explain.

When we finally fish together, I'm bringing extra JJ's and a pair of floaties, lol.

I disagree. Not in the sense that I don't catch fish on a steady retrieve, but that using a steady retrieve allows me to sense when something is different, be that a following fish, the bait ticking a weed top or contacting bottom, running into fallen timber, or other cover....it's those events, when the bait's action is interrupted, and becomes erratic that they get bit more often than when simply hauling water.

50% mortality is a BIG STRETCH. Do you have a study to back that statistic up? I'm not trying to be rough here, just sharing some info. Let me share my experience... Breading your bass in dirt and gravel is not good. Removal of slime coat is not ideal, but it's also unavoidable, and is not as lethal as you think - they constantly produce it. Though it's best to minimize this. Lying a bass on grass is not going to result in 50% mortality. No, it isn't ideal, but if you wet the grass, it's fine. At the hatchery, we counted delicate trout fingerlings by sliding them across a wet Formica counter top, into a hole, where below was a bucket of water. Baby trout are fragile, and adult bass are very tough and resilient. I think you can see the comparison. In my opinion, the BIGGEST cause of mortality in catch and release fishing is: Time out of the water. Guys catch their fish, admire it, show it to their buddies, dig the scale and measuring tape out of their bag, maybe drop the fish a few times, measure it, weight it, dig a camera out, try to pose for the hero shot, snap off five or fifty pics from all angles, show it off some more, and then release the thing. Yeah, it swam away....how many of those fish became turtle food? So, laying them in the grass for a quick pic, I got no problem with that, so long as you are being as careful as possible, and are prepared to document your catch, and get it back to the water in 90 seconds or so. Otherwise, it's better off on the dinner table, whether yours or a turtle's.

Remove one ten pound pike from a population, and you have reversed six years of year class growth. Keep doing it, and you'll soon be overpopulated by annoying hammer handle pikes. The largest fish in a pike population feed upon the smallest; in fact they rely on it. More larger pike in a population, less smaller pike. You do the math. Makes zero sense to kill all you catch (or any for that matter, though the 5-8 lb. fish taste great) if you're concerned with your "private pond" and these pests, you might want to rethink your strategy.

I usually employ a steady retrieve on the handle, and add action via the rod. There are times with moving baits, when I only move the bait with rod, and simply reel up the slack. Navigating a diving crankbait through weeds, yo-yo retrieving a trap, or bouncing a spoon along bottom are some examples.

I equate rod power to cover, not baits, though there are general correlations. The bait size recommendation, along with the power and action together will give you a pretty good idea about the rod's casting characteristics. In other words, you can't cast a 4 oz. swimbait on much less than a H or XH power rod, but you cast a Texas rig with a 3/8 oz. bullet weight on many rods rated M to XH.

The original reason for not bringing bananas was to avoid bringing dangerous spiders on board. It's from centuries ago,but has simply developed into superstition of bad fishing nowadays. My uncle would not let you on his salmon charter if you had them, lol.

I use group 29, and have never run out. 100% has felt like 50%, but never ran out.

Robert, use a block of ice in the bottom, and fill the rest with cubed ice. It will last for days like that.

I just hook the fish at first, and hand the rod and reel over to them. After some practice, "pushing the button, and reeling up slack," You can try a spincast setup.

Hmmm, remember the one that I whiffed on, and thought was pretty big.....

I drill drainage and vent holes in all my utility boxes.

LOL, I just use it to pin them to the side, and lip 'em. Or net their head, and belly them. I just have an old, wood handle aquarium net - comes in handy. If your livewell hatch is bigger, use a bigger net. My Bullet has narrow hatches.

Belly grab them, or use a small, 12" bait net.

http://www.ownerhooks.com/hooks/basshooks.htm#5130W

I would not turn the motor off while in gear. The manual will tell you it's a no-no, and IIRC, you can run into low compression issues. There shouldn't be any problem putting into gear after the motor has stopped. I'd pull the kill switch though....

The owner beast only comes in even sizes. A 6/0 is a little small for the 6", but will work. The 8/0 is what I use.

If Mike is fishing where I think he's fishing, northerns are abundant, to the point of annoying. Last time up there in July, I fed them a half dozen spinnerbaits, lol.

I only share this stuff from experience, not to try and out "interwebz" someone. Sharing experience is what this place is about.