Team9nine

Been old schoolin' it this spring with an 1/8-oz. hair jig. Over 325 bass since ice out <30 days ago, and still working. -T9

I've used it. Does handle very well, but has a lot of stretch, to the high side compared to most lines. Think that's the trade-off for the good handling. I've been using the Upgrade for jig work, etc. in the 16-20# range, and the Super finesse for the light weight stuff. Been VERY happy with both. -T9

I've studied this one a bit, and to date, I haven't found any published research documenting the ability of adult bass to see UV light. Therefore, it is only speculation at this point that they might, barring some unknown studies to me. There is some literature that has suggested that YOY largemouth bass might have this ability, similar to some other members of the sunfish family, but it is also generally known that UV photoreceptors are only present in many freshwater fishes during early life history stages and coincide with feeding on planktivory. As for depth penetration, it varies with type of UV wavelength (UV-A or UV-. UV-A typically will penetrate to about twice the depth of UV-B. That said, a lot depends on water clarity which is tied to the amount of organic matter in the water column. In one study I read, where visibility would frequently reach 20' or better, the 1% UV-B light level (only 1% left) reached about 8' in the spring, and was reduced to about 5' in the summer after plankton blooming. In murkier water, these 1% levels would decrease accordingly. -T9

X2 - I fished ENE winds with a rising barometer last Saturday that peaked around noon at 30.5" and caught 63 bass. The next day, with winds turning more southerly and barometer fallling all day back to 30.0, I caught 57 more. Water temps were mid to upper 40's both days. If you can figure out location and presentation and adjust accordingly, there are always some biting bass to be had. There are many other more important environmental cues to be paying attention to in my book. -T9

It's an interesting line worthy of consideration because of its low stretch qualities. To give you an idea, here's some comparison test data I generated on various brands and types of 6# line.

Like most any other jig, anytime can be good, and retrieves vary. In the spring as a bedding bait because of it's visibility. Swim it shallow around cover during the shad spawn Swim it or work it through timber in the fall back in the creeks, again when bass are keying on shad Also good on bluff banks and around docks. These are just a few of my favorites. There are others. Best to toss it a little all year to see just when and where on your specific waters. -T9

George is pretty much right on. Weight varies by the exact timing of your catch relative to the spawn, but in general, 5%-8% is very common in most waters, with 10% being toward the high side of the curve. -T9

If they're stock needlepoint round bends, I'll keep them on to start regardless of brand. All other regular points along with any EWG/Triple Grip types get removed and replaced, usually with RB Gammi's. -T9

Another vote for 'Never'.

A lot depends on what your overall expectations are. In other words, are you just talking about a regular old fishing trip where you're trying to catch bass of any size, or do you have the tournament mentality that you're after 5 of the best quality in the lake? If the former, location becomes a considerably smaller percent of the equation and probably isn't even primary. If the latter, then location takes on a much greater significance. -T9

IMO, solid sticks for the money, especially if you can get a 35% discount on a new one. Won't be the fanciest/lightest/most sensistive rod on the block, but won't let you down either. Landed a 45# flathead on my 6'6" ML Premier last year using 8# line and a shaky head after a 1 hr. 45 minute fight. Good bang for the buck at a mid-level price range. -T9

Not easier - just more efficient. Used to be you could run down a bank and whack stupid fish on obvious places. Not necessarily so today. I can still catch plenty, and maybe more because equipment, information, sonar, etc. have made us all more efficient and more knowledgable, but the fish aren't "as easy" as they used to be , IMO. -T9

Potentially could be either, though I would tend to lean toward the latter myself, though temp changes and spawning probably wouldn't be the key drivers. I've also spoken with the lead fish pathologist at one of our state universities and he suggested either chemical reaction/sensitivity or possibly a localized reaction (overstimulation) related to something physical/biological, like a defined skin irritation under the scales and protective coating. -T9

JFrancho has the best answer...we simply don't know. I've corresponded with 3 different researchers involved with the Auburn study quoted above and nothing definitve came of that study, hence why you haven't seen anything else published. The most promising lead at the moment ties to being simply a genetic phenomenon. -T9

Not sure where or how this theory got started, but I've never seen anything by way of studies to support it. Citric acid is actually used in blood work as an anticoagulant to prevent clotting of blood specimens. Doesn't make sense that you would pour it on an open wound to stop bleeding then. Maybe there is some other ingredient that does that. There is research to show that a citric acid application works well as an antibacterial agent though. -T9

Not sure where or how this theory got started, but I've never seen anything by way of studies to support it. Citric acid is actually used in blood work as an anticoagulant to prevent clotting of blood specimens. Doesn't make sense that you would pour it on an open wound to stop bleeding then. Maybe there is some other ingredient that does that. There is research to show that a citric acid application works well as an antibacterial agent though. -T9

Not sure where or how this theory got started, but I've never seen anything by way of studies to support it. Citric acid is actually used in blood work as an anticoagulant to prevent clotting of blood specimens. Doesn't make sense that you would pour it on an open wound to stop bleeding then. Maybe there is some other ingredient that does that. There is research to show that a citric acid application works well as an antibacterial agent though. -T9

Yep - It's the physics. Most are dictated by blade configuration as either 'torque left' or 'torque right'. If you want a straight running bait find a double bladed version, either dual arm like the Blue Fox or Highrider models, or a double counter rotating blade model where one blade is right behind the other on the same shaft. This way the two torque effects offset each other. -T9

-T9

Quantum EX300P - 4.4:1 gear ratio (discontinued) -T9

Turns out it doesn't matter which technique you use as survival has been determined to be equal among most all options presented here. Bass will resume feeding faster using the through the gill technique, but in the long run all techniques showed little negative effect. Some, like just cutting the line and leaving the hook in are much faster (through the gills removal was slowest), but again, doesn't matter. Just keep a good pair of hemostats, long nose pliers or something like a debarb tool handy and get to it with whatever technique you decide to use. -T9

Ditto this, with the addition that they feed all night, too We've been fishing local waters here anytime between 4AM and 10PM including a lot of time right in the middle of the day (1PM-5PM) with the sun beating down and temp indices in the triple digits. I'm convinced on many of our lakes that the daytime boat traffic actually helps the daytime bite. There are always some nice bass to be caught regardless, as we haven't blanked yet. Certain days the timing is different as to arguably the "best" bite, same with certain lakes it seems. Still, hot water or high air temps are no excuse for not catching. Just look at the recent U.S. Open for example. Match the technique to the basses mood or the water/cover conditions and you'll catch your share. Lots of shallow biting fish on our lakes right now sitting in the shade of docks 8-) Pitching jigs, skipping tubes and dropshotting have all been producing well the past few weeks. -T9

It's going to be around for a while. Blue-greens fire up during the warmest months of the year, though they can be found in your water at lower levels year-round. Since we're just getting into the two hottest months, expect a lot of it around at least until waters start to cool in Sept. A lot depends on the severity of the bloom. Has become a very common occurrence around here in our reservoirs from May-Oct. Lots of good info out on the web if you do a Google search for "toxic algae" or "blue-green algae". -T9

X2 - They can be either, depending. You cast short and drop a Popper on a basses head and you can get a reaction strike. He's sitting down there watching as you walk a Spook over his head before blasting it and you have a feeding strike. Same with buzzbaits. In more open water, often at night or where they have a "heads up", you get a feeding strike. In very heavy cover where they might hear it but can't necessarily see it and it suddenly "appears" in their strike window, you get a reaction strike. -T9

Another option. I place the shot on the end of the line first, clamp it down snug and then run the shot up and down the tag end of the line several times quickly to create a little groove in the "tooth" of the shot. You'll still get some sliding on rock bottom, but you eliminate a lot of the pinching effect that can damage line. After wearing the groove, just slide the shot up the line into place, cut off the end of the tag used to groove the shot and then tie on the hook. I played around quite a bit with it this spring using 2.5# fluoro and it worked very well. Line twist seems to be pretty inherent to the technique if you fish it a lot, so you just have to "untwist" after each trip either by hand or by trolling the line behind the boat without a bait tied on for a few minutes. Worth the time in less headaches to do this. A great numbers technique when downsized versions are used. It will sometimes surprise you just how many bass of all sizes are in a given area that you might be "passing by" with other techniques. -T9