George Welcome

I have witnessed many times the discarding of $22.00 per dozen wild shiners into the lake, as the use of artificial baits far exceeded in performance. For this reason my page's service info states: artificial baits preferred. Reactionary opportunistic periods of feeding are what we find most often with bass, and at this time artificials can rule.

I tend to agree with this, as no matter how sharp your eye, or your amount of training: unless over 6-pounds it's anyones guess at male or female without careful study, unless you catch them shopping.

That's actually a very valid question and yes, if you use the chart from NY's DEC you could, because the chart assumes a certain girth to length based on torpedo shaped bass.

The above quoted charts use a logarithm which is standard amongst fisheries biologists: Log (weight in grams)= -4.83 + 1.923 x Log (total length in millimeters) + 1.157 x Log (girth in millimeters). It will be approximately the same as: Optional weight estimate based on TL*TL*G/1200: Hal Schramm's: Optional weight estimated based on TL*G*G/800: For gravid appearing bass from Texas and California: Optional weight estimate based on TL*TL*G/1000: Most of the countries biologists use the Logarithm based on the typical torpedo shaped bass. Texas and California have to adjust the formula as most of the fish there appear gravid.

Totally different

Don't pick on the guys fish - if you don't believe it just ignore it. Cold fronts - if you are not catching fish and the lake is a good one you probably haven't found the fish. Look cold front enough? George Perry's bass: Fatter than a fully inflated basketball - and 32 1/2 inches long - his 22-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass eclipsed the previous world record by more than two pounds.

Sounds like your sensor bit the dust.

1: Bring the hook up through the bottom lip and out through a nostril. 2: Put the hook just behind the anal fin. 3: Put the hook just in front of the dorsal fin. There are some more subtleties but the above will cover most applications. Number one is general use - Number two will make the bait swim down and forward. Great for getting them to swim into grass. Number three makes them swim upward and give more surface activity. Never attempt to set the hook with slack line. You must be taut to the fish.

Chain pickerel Conservation status Secure Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Esociformes Family: Esocidae Genus: Esox Species: E. niger Binomial name Esox niger Lesueur, 1818

If your shot at a deer had as much accuracy as any fish weight formula you would never hit the deer. Stop guesstimating: get a scale.

"I took them out again, moved the line tie and Game friggin' on!!! I brought the same 4 baits and within 1.5 hrs, I had a fish better than 3 lbs on each one!!!!" Was it the method of line attachment or the day? Playing with an animal that lives by no rules, it is very difficult to assess the difference.

I do believe that it would be more like 75%.

That's what they are designed to run - 3/5 feet.

My last trip on the Marsh proved to be a difficult on. With winds out of the NE at about 15 MPH and the direction of route traveled things were tough for us. Only 10 bass made it to the boat. With the wind blowing the one good thing is temperatures were substantially cooler. There were a couple of other boats that we encountered out there. One Stratos was carrying our friend Swede, and the other, a couple of regulars on the Marsh. Steve P and Champion Don were working the same ditch from the opposite end and had a very successful day of it. We just started from the wrong end of the ditch. Everything is in good shape on the lake as we come into the season. Water levels are good, and clarity is very good on the Farm side. We are already seeing some migration to the south and expect that October will be quite a month for us. The big gals will be feeding heavily in anticipation of upcoming spawns and we do know where they feed. It is still a bit warm so don't forget: hydration and sunscreen are two important items on this lake. See you out there.

Many have gone, and many will go their whole life without catching a 10-pound or better LM Bass. This fact will remain whether you use a guide or you don't, or you fish lake x, y, or z. You would have a better goal of enjoying each and every fishing outing and let size take care of itself. If it is to be it will happen. Too much emphasis is placed on that 10-pound goal. Many of the southern or western North American lakes provide the potential.

It's official: He's been weighed, measured, and photographed. He's a keeper! Congrats to all.

Last week the south end was a very strong producer. Thanks for the advice - I will look into it.

LMB: Spawning Habits - Spawning occurs from December through May, but usually begins in February and March in most of Florida when water temperatures reach 58 to 65 degrees and continues as temperatures rise into the 70s. The male builds saucer-shaped nests 20 to 30 inches in diameter by placing its lower jaw near the bottom and rotating around this central location. Bass prefer to build nests in hard-bottom areas along shallow shorelines or in protected areas such as canals and coves. Depending on her size, the female can lay up to 100,000 eggs, which are fertilized as they settle into the nest. After spawning is completed, usually five to 10 days, the male guards the nest and eggs and later the young (sometimes called fry) attacking anything that approaches the nest. The female bass stays near the nest or may swim a short distance and remain listless for up to a day. After hatching, the fry swim in tight schools, disbanding when the small fish reach a length of about one inch. Look for the strong possibility of two spawns of LMB per year where you live. Peacock: SPAWNING HABITS Typically spawn from April through September with a peak in May and June; both adults prepare a flat, hard surface near shore, then lay between 4,000 and 10,000 eggs; young are guarded by both parents, sometimes for several months; males commonly develop a nucchal' hump on foreheads when reproductively active.

What started as a very slow day ended up in a not-so-bad manner. This morning Tim Wong from San Francisco and myself left the ramp under a full moon, anticipating a hot bite at one of the local hot spots. It was not to be however as the current that produces the bite wasn't there. We did try for a short while looking for some possible leftovers, but what we got was nothing. Moving from that location to the outside wood on the south end of the Farm we worked from the bottom of the eastern N/S ditch all the way over to the bottom of the western N/S ditch. Nary a bit was to be had as we worked weightless Senkos, Swimimg Senkos, and Lewis rattle traps. Giving that up as a cause that was lost I headed to the E/W feeder canal. The move was the right one as we soon found fish that wished to play. At the start we had a weightless Senko and a rattle trap going. First hookup was on the plastic but it was a short lived fight as he/she slipped off. The second fish came on a rattle trap, as did the third, and from there through the end of the day all fish were caught on a rattle trap. Twenty six fish from 3 - 9-pounds were landed throughout the day. Conditions were tough today with heat and humidity soaring to uncomfortable levels. The big fish inhaled the trap and was solidly hooked up. She put up a gallant fight, posed for pictures, weighing, and measuring, and then returned to her watery home to fight another day. Tim and I will be out there tomorrow looking for more of the same. Hopefully the heat will be less, and the big fish more. See you out there. Say hi if you get the chance.

Whew, at least it doesn't only happen to us.

Sorry I missed ya. I was busy prepping to have my insides looked at today. Will be out there for the next couple of days though. Isn't that location something when it's working!

As with the jig vs. T-rig, these are two totally different baits. Although usable in many similar situations they work totally different, presenting different movement, and profiles. The differences are many.

Totally different baits with totally different applications. Your analogy of similarity is akin to saying that channel lock pliers are the same as needle nose pliers, are the same as vise grips.

$20. http://www.fugawi.com/web/products/navionics_hotmaps_explorer.htm

Went out yesterday to see just how well the spillway was producing. Parties that had fished it Friday were there regaling us with tales of wonder of the numbers and size of the bass caught on Friday. Having fished these conditions many times before, I knew that their tales were very true. However, yesterday was a complete contradiction of the previous days event. Seven fishermen fishing the mouth of the spillway only produced eight fish over the two hour period that I was there. Amazingly the water flowing into the Marsh went from excellent to poor with DO levels dropping and pushing the bass back out into the lake. Since my goal was to follow up on the previous days report I was down the road and headed to check on conditions at Ansin/Garcia. Ansin/Garcia's condition is typical summer conditions. The impoundments are hydrilla packed making for difficult travel with the big motor. Of particular note was, contrary to rumors being spread by those that don't truly know, the reported fish kill was false. I traveled this lake in all navigable waters, talked with a couple of the fishermen out there, and at no time saw so much as one dead fish. I do know that some carp had washed through the gate south of route 60, and drifted through, but no fish kill on Ansin/Garcia. Of particular interest was the inflow of water through the pipes from the east marsh. Water was screaming through all three pipes, and I marked many fish on the bend.