A-Jay

That's a new one on me - but you better believe I'm trying it. A-Jay

For the benefit of those who may be seeing this most excellent information for the first time. BR member WRB put this put together during the 15 year period between 1959 to 1974 from this experiences during that time. Below is some supplemental info & directions by WRB on how to use the Cosmic Clock. Introduction: A cycle is usually thought of as a measure of time in which something starts and stops. For example, the sun rising to its next rising is one cycle called a 24 hour period. This circular movement of revolving objects always having a starting point only to return to start again is the basic law of the cosmic clock. The Cosmic Clock law tells us that bass will return to exactly the same locations every year of their life cycle. Their rhythm will also return to the same condition within each feeding cycle. When environmental conditions are exactly the same, bass react exactly the same no matter where they are. Bass search out conditions favorable to their survival. The pace which bass live is called rhythm. This rhythm is broken into five basic categories: Very active, active, neutral, negative and very negative. These break down into percentages like this: 70% neutral, 5% very negative, 5% very active, 10% active and 10% negative. The life cycle of bass is also broken into seven basic categories: Pre-spawn, spawn, post- spawn, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. The basses’ habitat, surrounding environment, totally governs the calendar periods. Water temperature is the most important factor, controlling most activity. The water condition, including weed growth, clarity, chemistry, oxygen, etc., determines their location. Basic bass behavior is very simple, they are usually the prime predators within their environment, their prime concern is survival; seek prey, eat, rest. How do you recognize the basses’ rhythm? Or calendar periods? First, to recognize rhythm we must observe water conditions. Are bait fish active chasing insects, or are they located suspended under boat docks and around weed breaks. Are birds grouped and feeding on schooled bait fish or scattered along the shoreline feeding on insects? Active bait fish indicate active bass; neutral bait, neutral bass, etc. Calendar periods vary but basically water temperature is the prime factor: 58° – 62° indicates pre-spawn, 62° – 65° is spawn, 63° – 65° is post-spawn, 65° – 73° is Spring, 68° – 80° is Summer, 65° – 73° is Fall, and 48° – 61° is Winter. (Note: The Thermocline only regulates location, not calendar periods). Bass school during pre-spawn, post-spawn, Fall and Winter period and scatter into small groups and singles during spawn, Spring, Fall and Winter; and horizontally migrate during post-spawn and Summer periods. These are behavior factors which are important keys determining calendar periods. General Instructions: 1. Start at the center color dot and first surrounding ring, which represents’ monthly moon phase and rhythm. The six day periods of the new and full moon are active periods, because they coincide with daily tidal affluence and active sun phases. Daily lunar gravity affects are not shown because of many variances, see tide or solunar charts for high and low or major and minor times. Gravity has a minimum effect on daily rhythm during mid-day, unless there is an overcast weather condition present or extremely light fishing pressure. 2. The second ring and color band represents daily solar phase and rhythm. Activity peaks when the sun is positioned near the horizon. This is based on light penetration into the water. As the sun rises, light intensity increases and shadows disappear, causing an abrupt change in activity. (Weather conditions will have an affect on solar rhythm by changing light intensity.) The sun’s location is measured in angular position by degrees from the horizon, not by time of day. Time is man’s invention and is based on location zones. By pointing your middle finger parallel to the water surface, then raising your index finger upward the movement will be approximately 30 degrees, the position solar activity changes. Observe the sun’s position. 3. The second color band and remaining rings represent the calendar periods, rhythm, prey and location. Calendar periods are based on basic bass habits and water temperature. Water chemistry has a minor effect on calendar periods, but will affect prey and location. The data shown is based on the average bass lake, reservoir or pond, having a balanced ph of 7 or below and acid/nutrients at normal levels. Hard water will tend to lower the temperatures shown, soft water having the opposite effect. Hard water is clear, depth of visual light over ten feet and a ph greater than 7. Soft water is murky, depth of visual light less than two feet and high acid nutrient levels accompanied by weed choked conditions. The locations and prime prey shown are based on largemouth bass being the prime predator in the lake. If other fish are prime predators, seeking the same prey, bass will become secondary predators and rarely use major points or mid-lake locations. Migration habits are used to determine subtle changes in calendar periods. It is not necessary to be a biologist to understand basic bass behavior. Water temperature controls bass behavior, thus controlling the calendar periods. The lower the water temperature, the lower the basses’ metabolic rate, need for food decreases and sizes of food decreases. As water warms, food need increases, food sources increase and bass move into shallower water to seek abundant prey available during warm water periods. Bass first follow schools of small bait fish into bays, spawn, regroup at inside bay points, then scatter along the weed-line, shoreline until Fall when the water begins to cool, Bass then move onto major points, begin to school and feed on bait fish schools, following the thermocline out into mid-lake for the winter cold water period. Bass are most wary during the summer period when they are in shallow- water. Unfortunately, man is most active with water sports during. the same warm water period, making conditions difficult. Night fishing can be good during the summer period, because of reduced traffic and light. Because of the pecking order, large adult bass are first to move into different calendar periods, locations and feeding zones. They stay very close to cover and seldom roam seeking prey, instead locate near prey during all periods. Do not chase small bass roaming the shore lines. Instead, observe the calendar periods and concentrate on large adult bass. To Summarize: Very active bass will chase and strike anything that they think will fit into their mouths. Active bass will strike almost anything, but rarely chase it more than a few feet. Neutral bass must be teased into striking using a presentation with out-of-sync (rhythm) bait motion. Negative bass must also be teased into striking using a slow, quiet presentation slightly out-of-sync. Very negative bass will rarely strike anything. Observe your environment and fish locations that have active bait movements. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Use a goose-herding dog. Border collies and other herding breeds can be trained to scare geese away from an area. The geese will perceive the dog as a predator and may be convinced to leave the area for good. Only dogs that have been specially trained by a handler should be used to scare geese away. Do not let the dogs catch or harm the geese. If not specially trained, the dogs may cause the geese to re-locate to the water, where the dog will not pose a real threat. If the geese are nesting or raising young, do not attempt to scare them away with a dog. Use decoys and effigies for a temporary solution. There are several products on the market solely for the purpose of scaring geese, such as fake alligator heads or plastic dead geese. Geese will eventually get used to these devices, but they may buy you some time to plan a more permanent solution. Cutouts of dogs or coyotes may work better in an area where geese have already learned to fear these animals. Keep cutouts moving by placing them on a swivel. The wind will cause them to appear more lifelike to the geese. Move the cutouts around your property to maximize the effect. Scare geese with loud noises. Sonic repellents can be effective at moving geese away from an area, but only for a short period of time. Most sonic repellents come equipped with a timer and make use of a recorded goose "alarm" call. When the geese hear the alarm, they flee. Like decoys, sonic repellents may only work as a temporary solution. Geese can get used to loud noises rather quickly. Sonic repellents are much more effective if the geese associate the noise with a mobile threat, such as a dog or a person. As always and like Bluebasser86 advised, check with the DNR before any action is take to keep from getting in a bind. A-Jay

Hello Eric from up in snowy Otsego County. Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello Dylan and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ We are the Rosetta Stone of fishing web sites and are dedicated to changing people's lives through the power of language. If speaking English in the real world is your goal, you've come to the right place. Bass Resource lets you learn your second language the way you learned your first, with an intuitive, immersive method that's as fun to use as it is effective. The Bass Resource forum offers live interaction and real-time feedback by humans, some of us can actually string 2 or 3 coherent sentences together in a row. All of this will keep you making quick progress. Learn to use phrases like, "That's a Dink", "My darn rod broke", "I'm snagged again", "I forgot the blasted boat plug" and who can forget the eternally popular - "How much do you think this one weighs?" Enjoy A-Jay

I saw that as well - Pretty Cool A-Jay

As mentioned above, I go when I can regardless of "The Conditions". Additionally, I believe that it can pay off in the long run to mentally record many of these "details". That way, when I can only manage a day full of Dinks or even dance with the Skunk - I have plenty of "Factors" to blame it on. A-Jay

A-Jay

Hello twocast and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ Please Lighten up on the All Caps. The 3/4 & 1 oz Mag-Force Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap comes with quality upgraded split rings & Treble hooks - catches fish. The 3/4 oz Strike King Red Eye Shad accounted for my PB as well as several other bass in the Beast category. Just started throwing it this season, The 6th Sense S n a t c h 70 X Lipless Crankbait weighs in a 5/8 oz but offers a decent size profile. Catches fish too. The above baits catch but when a lipless bait bite is on, for me the standard SK 1/2 Red Eye Shad is the confidence bait. A-Jay

I have never been a big fan of style / design construction. Also sounds like a perfect candidate for the TW Demo program, though it doesn't look like it's available just yet for the try before you buy deal. A-Jay

Sweet ~ What's not to like about that ? Interesting to note ~ from the reviewer "The 2500 and 3000 sizes look almost identical and both weigh in at 8.3oz. with the main difference being line capacity and a retrieve ratio of 6.0:1 for the 2500 model versus 6.2:1 for the 3000 model. At 8.3oz. the Stradic FK is certainly not a heavyweight, but it does feel substantial, and you will want to test it out on various rods to determine whether or not it balances out your rig the way you like. " "The Stradic ST-2000 was the very first spinning reel to ever be awardedan Editor’s Choice from us all the way back in 2001, and Shimano proves that they are still on top of their spinning game with this latest iteration. The Stradic FK doesn’t build on traditional design elements or cosmetics specifically tying it to the past, instead the FK is a revolution in the series versus just another evolution, and anglers looking for a high performance spinning reel at and around the 200 dollar price point should definitely consider it." I'm looking for a replacement in the 3000 size. This could be a contender . . . . A-Jay

The word on the street is, the OP was indeed down on Lake Baccarac with his Pops this past week. And wouldn't you know it ~ something good happened - Very Good ! I sure he'll fill us in when he can. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Sadly, the Patriots season is over. I hate the way it ended. I am however grateful for the fun they provided. Thank you. Either way, you'll still never see me "Dab" EVER ! A-Jay

Variable speed is Dramatically better than the models with set speeds - which never seem right. A-Jay

I don't know what your version of clear water is. For me clear water is 20 feet plus of visibility. If you've never fish that - I'm here to tell you that in that kind of envinonment, whatever is presented is either going to have to look very real or be moving very fast, or both. In the crank bait category, there are several options that can get the job done. Depending on the time of the year and water temp, the earlier & colder the better; a lipless bait, usually silent models, as well as square bills are a good choice. As the water warms the speed of the presentation will need to increase. And regardless of the temp - a long cast in that kind of visibility, is a must. A-Jay

This may be hard for some of the younger BR members to believe, but before the advent of braided line, some of us actually hooked & landed very respectable bass from various weedy type cover with monofilament line; and thought nothing of it. Now, is braid a better choice for this and some other applications, many believe so. And do I use it for this application now, yes definitely. But the truth is in the last 3 or 4 years, every bass I've taken over 8lbs, was landed on mono. Just sayin' A-Jay

Pick a spool - any spool A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Hello Kash1 and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

A-Jay

I participated in your poll - but I'll add this. Concerning yourself in what others are throwing may not lead to your best success but learning when, where, why & how to fish a jig certainly can. The results of this poll, whatever they may be, could be misleading. There is more in the one thread posted at the top of the "Fishing Tackle" forum and linked below. It contains a ton of the kind of helpful information one can learn from and apply. Jig fishing threads are in the hundreds here. Lots of Good Stuff on Bass Resource. A-Jay

Outstanding ! Way to peak early. And you love that bait ~ and apparently, so did she. Congrats A-Jay

Sounds simple in Theory ~ in execution, Not So Much. "Let's Go ! " A-Jay