JD-FL

Bass are oppurtunitc feeders, they will eat anything they think they can eat. I live near Rodman Pool in Florida and in the newspaper a guy caught a bass and filleted it to eat. He decided to examine the stomach contents and he pulled out something that resembled a bat. Turns out it was a flying squirrel that missed its mark in a tree and was ate. I checked on the net and Michigan has many different species of snakes, including water snakes. There is also one venomous snake in Michigan. Its the eastern Massasuga rattlesnake.

35 ft deep in a Florida lake? Must be a phosphate pit.

Your 3 rod setups seem fine. I'm not familiar with Pinnacle reels or rods.

Is that a conventional spinnerbait or an in-line spinner? Also what is the weight of the spinner?

I believe the meanmouth was first developed in the state of Illinois in the mid to late 80's.

They key to setting a hook on frogs and buzzbaits is to wait till you feel the weight of the fish. If you set the hook at the moment of the strike you're going to miss. Another factor is your rod and line. Use a 7' to 7'6" heavy rod and maybe a braided line in the 50-65 lb range. Another factor could be the sharpness of your hooks.

Definately make sure the taxidermist you select is experienced in replicas. He will need the length and girth measurements, along with the weight of the fish. A picture of the fish would also help if you want the fish to look exactly like the one you caught. Last I heard they charge about $12-$15 per inch for a replica.

There is nothing wrong in keeping bass, as long as the state or lake regulations are followed. However I can think of other fish that are better to eat than a bass. Most sunfish species are better eating and much more prolific than bass. In lakes where overpopulation is a problem, keeping fish will help. Catch and release became popular ni the early 70's. When B.A.S.S. first started, they kept all the bass that were caught in tournaments.