Team9nine

It’s a pond - you’ve already found them ? The life of most bass in a pond centers around the shoreline, or the shoreline flat out to where it drops. Focus on that area with somewhat faster finesse tactics like Ned rig just to see where you get the most bites. Also, pay a lot of attention to where you see the most bass, especially in spring or in clear water, or where you see someone else catch a fish. Certain areas will be more productive than others overall, but most areas will hold a few. Beyond that, play the weather and water conditions to your favor, focusing on things like windy side, incoming or outgoing drains after rains, less pressured areas, or just times when conditions are bad and most guys stay home.

But I thought it was “too easy?” The two pound minimum has changed things quite a bit. That’s larger than most states minimum size limit, some by several inches. According to numerous state fisheries agencies, most people, most of the time, never get their limit or even come close. Yes, they are professionals, but somebody always has to finish last. How does Rick Clunn, winner of 2 previous Florida Bassmaster events in recent years basically blank two consecutive days on the same water this year? $@!/ happens - it’s fishing

A little too windy for the aluminum rig yesterday, but we stuck it out in the coves and creek arms and managed a few on jig. Things settled down a little by the time I headed in, and was treated to a nice setting sun.

Sunny days for me, for this exact reason ^^ Puts them tight to cover and structure where they are easier to locate and target ?

If it gives you confidence, then use it....but I’ve never felt like I needed to resort to it just to catch a fish. To me, it’s more a hassle than an aid ?

It’s expensive, but YGK SS112 has put itself at the top of my list. Pretty fantastic stuff. For everything else, regular PP and 832 get the job done.

Snake oil... ?

Finally set the crappie sticks down and hit a local reservoir for bass for the first time this year. We had 2" of rain a couple days back that has turned most of the reservoirs into chocolate milk, with high water conditions. This one is a smaller community reservoir that doesn't flood like the bigger flood control reservoirs. Stayed down near the dam where the water was just a good stain and caught half a dozen keepers in about 3.5 hours. Lost one that felt like a big girl, but caught a couple other decent fish to make up for it. Might go back in a couple days again if the winds stay down. Everything on jigs today.

Oh, but it is! True story: I was 100% a Big Game person, and had been for like 20 years. One day I’m out in the boat fishing football jigs with Jacob Wheeler, and he’s kicking my butt. He’s telling me “throw over here,” “feel all those rocks?” I’m like, “No.” He hands me his outfit, and wow, there they are. Night and day difference. I get popped, catch a fish and start wondering just what I’ve been missing (bites, “feel,” bottom comp changes, etc.). I kind of write it off to his equipment, just using a more sensitive/higher end rod (Loomis) than me (All-Star). But he’s using all Seaguar fluoro lines (at the time, InvizX). So, next day I buy a spool of the same stuff, pound test he had and respool the jig outfit I was using. Back to the same lake, and Holy cow, I can feel it all on my outfit, too. Night and day difference, again. Needless to say, that was the summer I switched and became a 100% fluoro person. That’s been about 10-12 years ago, and I haven’t looked back since.

Better longevity, as mentioned above, and better sensitivity while still maintaining similar enough stretch and knot strength characteristics. Characteristics don't fluctuate near as much as mono between wet and dry states. A little stiffer, but if you're a good caster, then that's close enough to mono/hybrid, too.

Yep - being at the southern most range is a good thing for most all fish records. Our IN state record bass was caught from a county bordering KY/Ohio R, about as far south as you can get. And the walleye, while disputed, was reinstated as the world record. Pretty good evidence at this point it was legit.

Tennessee’s 14-08 record stood for over 60 years. It is possible it was Northern strain, but also possible it wasn’t. It was caught in Lawrence Co., which borders Alabama and falls within what is believed to be the intergrade zone for NLMB/SLMB. When TN first went looking for FL genes in its bass population in the 1980s, they found them in low levels, but fairly widespread in many reservoirs already, long before they started their official/intentional introductions. Not certain if they did, but likely they wouldn’t have thought about testing for FL genes back in the 50s (may not have even been possible).

...And to think he says that’s 3-lbs off his PB two fish weight he later caught this year. Estimated 75+ over 8 lbs YTD so far landed by his boat (him and partners), including 25-30 DD bass - all from TX and OK.

To go along with the Tuliano big bass pic discussion. Josh just posted this today (unrelated). That’s 13.2 lbs left, 10.8 lbs right - or you can have Tuliano’s 14.2? I’ll take either of Josh’s two ?

I agree, the Mass. record belongs right up there with the other world class bass catches - a true freak of nature. I also am in the camp that the Tuliano fish isn’t anywhere close to what was asserted weight wise. Not that much bigger. Look at the pics and it’s pretty obvious she already has a significant belly. Eggs actually start forming in the fall, and are carried through the winter. They do swell and mature the closer it is to spawning time, but it doesn’t add near as much weight as most people think. I’d say in this case, maybe half a pound additional weight. Would have been interesting to be the taxidermist in this case and seen the food to egg ratio in this fish. All the above...everything has to go right for these giants. They have to live long and grow fast; have that freak genetic capacity; and never go a season starving for food. Nope. There have only been a handful of 14 pound northern strain bass ever caught to my knowledge. Our state (Indiana) record of 14-12 is in that same class; a freak of nature. Haven’t seen anything close in the 30 years since it was caught. Arkansas had a couple fish in that 14+ class caught, but that’s about it. Not certain about California, probably a few there, but FL genes were brought in to the state early, and while never officially stocked in most waters, if you’re not testing for it, you wouldn't know if someone transplanted a hybrid to other waters along the way. Lots of bait bucket biologists in the world.

Wouldn’t it be δB = (FB*L3(AB))/3C?

Yeah, I don't disagree with your longer rod/magnified force point, I'd just argue that's it's not as simple as a single factor. Longer rod has to travel further to move the fulcrum angle the same distance. Your force point might offset that or possibly exceed, but then there is the whole longer rod probably weighs more, likely isn't as stiff, etc. which would all come into play. And again, there's your "completely different blank" argument that makes any exact answer on this whole thing impossible. I will admit longer rods can be more fun, similar to ultralight type actions, but I have friends that are professional crappie pros and they all tout their "super sensitive" long rods (10'-14')...but they can't touch the sensitivity of some of my 6' and 6'6" rods I use for crappie (IMHO). Fun discussion though for a late winter day

Can’t say I agree with either of the two above physics concepts, but thanks for the additional build info on your rod.

Technically, I think it would have to dampen it somewhat because the lure is trying to move more mass (+greater surface area, resistance) at the same “frequency” if you will, just like heavier line affects the action and movement of all lures. The bigger question is how noticeable it might (or might not) be to the angler.

Generally not these days. What you see most on the Internet listed as "meanmouth" is a smallie/spot hybrid. However, the term first originated by scientists in the lab that created a smallie/LMB hybrid and referred to it as such. Over time, that original definition kind of faded away and the newer one (smallie/spot) became the norm. Even more confusing is that in some cases, you see every suspected hybrid bass referred to by some as "meanmouth" - lol

So then no fair way to compare sensitivity if you can never compare equally because even identical rod lines are built differently based on length, thereby making the question in a sense, unanswerable? I've got multiple rods from the same line listed as the same action from a couple different manufacturers, just different lengths (6', 6'6", 7'0"), and all I can add is that the shorter rods have the best senstivity in each case. Trying to understaand your mods. So you didn't actually increase blank length, just handle length? So the rod blank now doesn't run through the full handle to the butt, or it does because you added a longer handle/reel seat but shortened the working length of the rod (the part above the reel seat)? Wouldn't that then add weight but create better overall balance? And you rewrapped the guides, which would also change how sensitive the rod is? Asking because I'm not a rod builder, but have studied it a bit.

Same here; multiple models of same rod and action, except the shorter ones are always more sensitive in my case. They’re lighter, stiffer and better balanced. I could see how a specialty build like yours might offset the differences enough, but it would be the exception, not the rule, especially in mass production lineups, I’d say.

Mostly true, but it depends somewhat on what stage of life they are in (how fertile - oligotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic, hypereutrophic, etc.). Generally, the greater the fertility, the more likely to have shallower thermoclines, if any at all depending upon overall depth. Current as in a river system, yes. Current as in wind driven - generally not unless excessive (severe storm related). Again, it partly depends on depth, and @WRB covered some of the less frequent variables you may or may not run into depending on reservoir type, or natural lake. River-run lakes like TVA impoundments that are also used for power generation tend to stay better mixed, and mixed deeper than more stable reservoirs that are typically for flood control purposes. Very possible because springs offer a stable input of cooler water, and cooler water holds more oxygen. That inflow would also be from the bottom, and cooler water is more dense than warmer water, so it would tend to stay in the lower levels of the water column, and subsequently aid in mixing. Again though, overall nutrient levels in the lake will play a role, as will current/mixing sources.

Yeah, if you catch things on sale, pretty much $2,000-$3,000 to get into the game right now if you don't have one of the newer compatible units already. More than that if you want to go bigger than a 10" screen. Lowrance is Active Target and is out. Garmin is Livescope. H'bird hasn't officially released anything yet, and heard it might be a bit before they do now.