Team9nine

This ^^ The Kurita fish has never been genetically tested and proven to be, or have, Florida bass genes that I'm aware. Biwa was originally stocked with 'northern strain' bass, but later had Florida bass introduced, as I understand it. It is likely that the Kurita fish is either a hybrid, or possibly a pure Florida depending upon original FL stocking date(s), but the IGFA will not alter the records until proven otherwise. The fish mount is still around, so it is possible we'll see it tested at some point if they could recover some DNA samples from that mount. That is not the case with the Perry fish, which is long gone according to all accounts. This whole saga still has a good ways to play out, and I expect some changes to the current "records" somewhere along the line.

Been 2-1/2 weeks since I last got the boat out, but finally got a break in the heat and rain. Snatched this one off a brushpile this afternoon.

Just a matter of time before co-anglers become a thing of the past at nearly all levels of the sport. They’re going to have to go back to giving them some kind of incentive to sign up if they don’t regulate FFS more going forward. I think you’ll see the first shot fired in that direction by at least one of the big orgs next year.

Summer has been a largely non-event for me. Kind of ironic, but moving down south, I simply traded a couple frozen winter months of non-fishing for a couple crazy hot summer months of non-fishing. January through mid-June was great, but once the early heat hit, with our streak of 90+ degree days coupled with 100+ deg. heat indices, the boat hasn’t seen much action, and there are no ponds to fish locally. Also, night fishing is out because all the ramps close by sunset. Last boat trip was 19 days ago, and prior to that, was only able to get out 1 day a week the latter half of June. But it hasn’t been a total loss, either, as I did manage another bass over 5 lbs. from my 4th different reservoir this year on that last boat trip…and then school starts up in another couple weeks, so lake traffic should start dying off a bit just as we begin cooling down, hopefully.

As you might have already surmised, it’s not so much an issue of getting the bait (un)hung, but of getting the hooks sunk in the fishes mouth. You’ve got to beef up the tackle a bit. Ditch the leader - go straight braid. With the Jr., I like to throw 40# braid. Then bump up the rod to a MH - something with a bit of tip but more backbone. You might also have to adjust your hookset timing, giving the fish a second or two longer to close his mouth or turn on the bait before swinging. You won’t be “flying” 2-3 lb. fish over your head, so no worries there, but you might pull a few away from the slop in a hurry 😉

The first post in this thread is a detailed list of a lot of the better books frequently recommended. You can also use the search feature to find other lengthy posts on the subject, though most tend to recommend the same books over and over (for good reason): Book thread

I did the same as above ^^^ at my last house, setting up 3 or 4 rain barrels on multiple downspouts. Doesn't take long at all for a good rainfall to completely fill them up, but they also don't last near as long as you would think if you have a large area to water. We used ours mostly for hanging plants and potted plants on our porches, which it worked well. You'd need to scale up significantly to a larger commercial setup, I imagine, if you wanted to do any size large garden, or go to an inground system like that used for lawns.

No. Just saying that the northern and FL all-tackle records will need to have genetic analysis done to prove they are pure before they will accept them going forward. They will not accept hybrids into either category. Very unlikely anything north of the Ohio R isn’t pure northern, but certainly anything south of there could be hybrid. Same goes for Alabama bass and spotted bass (no hybrids), and a couple other new categories. Still early in this process, so things could change or evolve yet.

Same where I lived, but definitely check your local regulations. The property owner of the land the tree sat on was responsible, regardless of where the tree fell. That said, that likely doesn’t preclude the other property owner from cleaning it up and/or taking the wood if he so chooses. I’d have a brief chat with him and work it out.

While there are some visual markers like lateral line scale counts and visual pigmentation, they are not guarantees since the two strains can interbreed. Genetic analysis is the only real way to definitively differentiate and determine lineage. At the moment, hybrids aren’t eligible for either WR all-tackle categories. There is also some discussion by those directly involved in all this to test the NY bass and perhaps make it the northern WR. There is also interest in the MA state record (if it could ever be located), or possibly the IN state record for these same reasons. Not sure where that discussion might go yet.

That might have been the case then (storms), especially since the thermocline was setting up so shallow. If a thermocline, it should reform fairly quickly if stable and hot weather return.

Probably wasn’t a thermocline then. Might have been a zooplankton migration or a mass bug hatch. Would explain the few feet difference you saw a bit later as you fished, as well as the absence today. That said, you can completely lose a thermocline over an entire lake in the course of 24 hrs, but it usually takes significant storm and wind activity (think “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” stuff - lol).

Flathead on a Shad Rap… Hybrid striper on an A-rig…

If you look at diet studies done on largemouth, you’ll find that while there are always a few bass of most any length that will consume crayfish, they tend to take on greater importance once a bass reaches the 8”-12” length. Prior to that, and if available, grass shrimp can be an important substitute or stepping stone. The key from an anglers perspective is to keep your jig size proportional to the bass. If you want to catch a bunch of smaller bass (“dinks”) on jigs, use a micro jig and craw, or a small crankbait like the Rebel Wee Craw.

Just arrived - Took advantage of the July 4th sale/discount and did a mid-year Ned restocking along with a @Pat Brown special just to play around with 😎

I’ve stopped fishing in this 90+ heat (SC). Last trip was June 27. No relief in sight until next Friday, so I won’t be heading out before then. I’m not a morning person, unfortunately, and all our launches lock at sunset, so night fishing isn’t an option. No biggie though…

Here's a possibility. This model (EX1000XPHS) only appeared in 1999 ads I found, and while not in color, you can tell it has the metallic handle caps you mentioned, looks very similar to a hooded Curado in design, and carried a combo price tag that matched their Curado combos of the day ($200).

For me, its the fluorocarbon line he’s using and its invisible properties that pulls everything together and makes the rig so deadly

In the really small HOA ponds I used to fish, I honestly think I might have caught the largest bass in at least 2 of them. These are sub 1-acre ponds that I fished about 200 days a year on (rotated through about 6 of them). The largest was 3 acres, and I caught some nice bass from that one, but still doubt I caught the largest one living there. Any body of water I’ve ever fished bigger than those, I’m certain the answer is “No” 😄

Do a forum search for “heat shrink” and you’ll pull up about 25 pages worth of examples and ideas. Member WayneP was a big proponent of this, and used it for weedless rigging around heavy cover. Seems to work well once you get the diameter of the shrink matched properly to the diameter of the baits you use regularly.

This should tell you: St. Croix warranty check You’ll need serial number and model from the looks of it.

Lol - I read the story of the record crappie catch a couple days ago. I certainly approve of that slab. Kind of freaks me out a bit that I’ve caught two that size already this year. Always hoping for a bigger one, but the party won’t last forever. It never does.

I’m with @TnRiver46 - I’d submit it if I knew for certain it was a record. I’d also do what I could to try and not kill the fish in the process, if possible. One of my pet peeves is reading headlines and stories such as, “Possible state record fish released.” Every really good “under the radar” fishery is just one catch/fish away from being ruined. You never know when it might occur, so you might as well take your 5 minutes of fame if it just so happens to drop in your lap.

Ditto. One of my least favorite colors, mainly because it has never produced well for me in any water color. I’d take GP over it any day. Probably mental….

Highs in the 80’s today, so snuck out for a couple hours because every day going forward through the weekend will be over 90. Slow bite as I expected, but still picked up 3 keepers on Ned along with a couple bonus bullheads. Could have been worse - lol