Team9nine

Florida DEP has one of the more extensive list of aquatic plant resources you can readily access: Resources link Since anglers are often most dealing with submerged aquatic vegetation, this particular presentation is one of the more detailed for identifying a wide variety of common aquatic plants: Submerged Aquatic Plants .PDF

Charlie Brewer Slider/worm and Buck Perry Spoonplugs and related baits…but what do you consider “old school?” Shad Raps are now over 40 years old and still work great, as are similar cranks like the Bomber Model A. So many baits I could list that are still made and sold.

Depends on how bad I want to catch a fish 😉 Nothing wrong going either route.

The fight is kind of like this neutral ground - a necessary and important part of fishing, but a part that doesn’t really elicit any particular feelings one way or the other for me. To me, the bite - knowing that for that one moment, I put all the variables and nuances of the puzzle together to get that fish to commit - did everything “right,” or at least good enough, is “the deal.” But if that were the sole purpose, I shouldn't ever really care if I actually land the fish because I got what I wanted - But I really want to land and hold the fish, too, so the fight is the important connection between the two that I have to go through to get both satisfactions. It completes the puzzle. I don’t love a hard fighting fish more, or look down on a wet sock fighter. Each fish is different, unique and special in their own way. I appreciate them all. Then I release them, forget about ‘em, and just want to catch the next one 😛

One last trip before the 90-100 degree heat returns this coming week. That will keep me off the water for a while. A mixed bag of fish that included a pair of keeper bass, including one good one. This fish was strong - couldn’t turn it or stop it. Figured it might be a big cat. Ran right out into a large fallen tree and wrapped me up. I get over to it, a little see-saw action, then nothing…then something…then nothing again. After about 60 seconds of stalemate, she somehow comes back out and free, and she’s big and green 😎

Just another opinion, but the difference is the expectation. Pre FFS, nobody, including the angler, really knew if there was a fish where he was casting, or whether or where it might hit if there was one. It was the unknown that kept the viewer glued to each cast…the anticipation that each cast, or any cast, could be ‘the one’ that got bit, and you had no idea what size that fish might be if it did hit. Now, FFS guys stand up front and don’t even bother to make a cast unless they spot a fish. Could be minutes or longer of nothing but zig zagging, and there’s no suspense when he finally does make a cast because he only made it because he saw a fish. Often, he’ll even tell you, “it’s not a big one - not the one I’m looking for” - before even hooking it. Then they narrate the cast; “he’s looking at it,” “here he comes,” and “oh, he turned away.” There’s very little suspense; no unknowns. I think it takes a lot of the excitement out of fishing for a lot of guys.

Been 3-1/2 weeks since I last got out, but they hadn’t moved far. Did have to switch up baits though - everything coming on Ned today. Water temps still 86-88 here, so no signs of fall yet. Hoping for one more day out later this week before we roll back to 90 starting Sunday.

It literally has been about an even trade-off, but missing out on summer trips is better. Last year I fished through the entire winter and rarely saw more than a boat or two most days. I’ll gladly take that vs. more summer trips when everyone is off work or out of school and the lakes stay much more crowded. True story ^^^ …more than once, even.

Beautiful area and pics, but it’s nowhere near fall down here (unfortunately). Can count on one hand the number of days below 85 since early June, with more than 60 percent of those days over 90. We get a couple days in the low 80s later this week, but back to 90 by next week. I haven’t had the boat out in a month because of the heat and humidity. Hoping for a trip or two at the end of the week before the heat returns.

This is where I’m at with it. Call it user error or whatever, but I think it’s almost impossible to avoid them completely unless you’re just a casual spinning angler or a bit OCD with your technique. That said, I agree with several posters points that the primary factors are built up line twist combined with loose line or overspooling, with a smaller component being brand of line, and brand/design of reel. Get the last two figured out, then just deal with the occasional wind knots that happen. Like baitcast overruns, the more you’ve dealt with them, the easier they are to untangle.

Sunset tonight as a small storm cell moved in.

Agree ^^ If you're not going to use Sunline, Seaguar (InvizX and Tatsu) is my recommendation, too.

The traditional formula commonly shown is: LxLxG/1200 which would put yours at 5.7 lbs. Others online will come up with a different number and formula including the BR weight calculator: https://www.bassresource.com/bassfishing/fishcalculator.html

Did true remote wilderness once when I was younger. A group of us (4 or 5) drove up to Atikokan and got dropped off on the far west end of Quetico PP after a very long drive along a dirt trail road. Outfitter told us to meet him 10 days later on the east end of the park at a certain time and ‘Good luck.’ Was a pretty neat experience that I’m glad I did. After the first day, only ran into one other human being over the next 7-8 days. Packed very light as we planned for fish meals twice a day during the trip. This was before cell phones, etc. Just a watch, a map and a compass, along with a camera. Only similar thing since has been fishing some of the old abandoned strip mines which usually have questionable access trails, or similar 4-wheel drive access paths to some secluded river stretches, but those were just day trips.

Nope - that’s par for that line 😛 You can do a quick search for similar stories.

At this point, couldn’t it be argued that all nylon based fishing lines available (not including the “hybrids”) are actually copolymers whether specifically labeled as such or not? Is there any manufacturer that only uses a single nylon polymer in their formulation? I would think about all lines are now a mix of various other nylon components (polymers) depending on properties desired. I’m not certain any companies actually list their “ingredients,” so it might be hard to know for certain. Just a thought after reading the question.

Up until this year, much of my fishing life for the previous 5-6 years was built around short trips. Bring one rod and reel, your favorite bait or two, preferably something versatile, then fish. For me, that’s some variation of Ned or soft plastic to start. Once you’ve been a couple times, then you can adjust presentation to conditions, but still keep tackle limited so you don’t waste a ton of time changing things up, thinking something else will work better. Fish what you have and learn.

Agreed, especially with how popular crappie fishing has become, including the tournament scene.

This ^^ Two options, both opposites, seem to help. One is giving the fish some loose (not slack) line if you realize it’s going to jump. The sudden lack of pressure will often stop them from jumping. But more often than not, I’ve gone toward trying to yank their head over the minute they are about to break water. Tight drag and a good hard pull - almost hook-set like. The fish wants to see how high it can jump - I want to see how little I can let him. As @Catt said, it’s part of the game and you’re going to lose some regardless, but I feel a little better about it knowing I at least tried doing something other than letting him just jump and taking my chances.

Very controversial at the time, and short-lived. It was around 1999-2000. Dug up this old article from Bassmaster on it. Lowe's World Championship Fishing - A Real Fan Favorite Great Parity in the Powerboating Competition MONTGOMERY, Ala. - November 2, 2000 --With the first full season of Lowe's World Championship Fishing just completed, it is abundantly clear that the concept of combining bass fishing with performance powerboating works extremely well. From the very start, there was a full range of opinions expressed over the viability of such an event. The Internet was abuzz with questions concerning boating safety, fan acceptance and industry support. In every case, the Lowe's W.C.F. format has emerged with flying colors. Early on, tournament director Don Corkran and his staff addressed those concerns over the safety of the powerboating competition. With the invaluable assistance of the American Powerboating Association (APBA), the Lowe’s W.C.F. course and rules were formulated with safety as the utmost concern. In fact, APBA officials remarked that Lowe's W.C.F. is perhaps the safest form of competitive boating anywhere. And, the results of the inaugural season bear this out. Yes, these are fast boats and yes, they generate real water-churning excitement, but it also has a very positive connection to real-world bass boating. "Certainly we're not trying to send a message for the fans to go out and do this in their boats. But, it does say if they're going down the lake and they have to take evasive action, it gives them confidence they've got a hull under them that will make that sharp turn without problem," remarks Earl Bentz, president of Triton Boats. The Triton influence backed by Bentz' formidable experience also made some observers wonder if the Lowe's W.C.F. boating competition would turn into a man-among-boys juggernaut. Clearly, that wasn't the case. Of the five events in Louisiana, Illinois, Virginia, Alabama and Kentucky, the winning boat/motor rigs showed a representative slice of the marketplace - including companies like BassCat, Champion, Mercury, Skeeter, Triton and Yamaha.in the winner's circle. After Dean Rojas stunned the crowd at the season opener in Monroe, Louisiana with a win for Skeeter/Yamaha, Gary Klein found "the zone" in putting together back-to-back wins for Triton/Mercury. But, the other competitors were climbing the learning curve. Perhaps none better than Skeet Reese who piloted a smaller, 19-foot Champion and a less-powerful engine - a 200-horse Mercury - than any other driver, yet still dominated in the final two events of the year. "With four different overall champions, four different fishing champions, and three different boating champions, it absolutely hasn't been dominated by anyone. We could not have scripted this any better," remarked Corkran. In terms of fan participation, large and boisterous crowds were on hand at every Lowe's W.C.F. event, many of which were drawn to the championship fishing and then later captivated by the powerboating. "It gives you the excitement of two different sports. We saw it on television so we decided to come out and get a firsthand view," said B.A.S.S. member Gary Thomas, who along with his wife, Tammy, attended the Kentucky event. "Last Sunday, we were in Frankfort [KY] eating supper and we ran into Shaw Grigsby at a restaurant. We sat and talked for a little bit. He was very polite, just a super guy." Thomas and every other fan who attended a Lowe's W.C.F. got even more up-close-and-personal contact with their favorite fishing heroes. Of the fans polled, the accessibility of the pros was one of the most memorable aspects of every event. In addition, they were treated to a festival atmosphere, a bit of bass fishing heaven that offered everything from the tension of a weigh-in to a hands-on look at the very latest in fishing tackle, boats, motors and marine hardware. Of course, the future of Lowe's W.C.F. rests precisely where it should, in the hands of the bass fishing fans themselves. And, perhaps the positive nature of these responses is best offered in a succinct comment from Steve Dyer, a 35-year-old automotive service technician from Louisville, Kentucky. With the roar of outboards as a backdrop, Dyer smiled and said, "I'll be back."

Couldn’t link directly, so screen shotted…

Msg sent…

Can’t say I’ve ever seen a 3rd CC book. If it existed, someone would have at least a picture or reference to it online, even if hard to find. I’ve not found it - going with just 2 in that series along with the bigger crappie books.

Stopped a blue trophy from going to a Johnston bro - I'm good with it