senile1

In an age of cocky NASCAR drivers, Benny Parsons was always a gentleman. He will be missed.

Good point, Tom Bass. When you back off and aren't working out as much anymore, you have to back off on your food intake as well. I don't eat a third of what I used to eat when I was younger. Otherwise, I'd be big as a house.

Since you've been in the 50s through the 70s I'd confirm what my water temperature is first. If you're water is in the 50s you can still use crankbaits and spinnerbaits. If in the low 50s down into the 40s, start slowing down with the cranks and Spinnerbaits and throw in some jerkbaits and jig and pig. Once you go low 40s down into the 30s, vertical spooning, jig and pig, and tail spinners come into play fishing them very slowly. Jigs and plastics can be fished in any of these temp ranges. None of this is set in stone, but these are just rules of thumb for me. I've read of people deep cranking or slow rolling a spinnerbait in water that was below 40 and catching fish. Keep in mind what has already been stated regarding structure to fish in the winter. Location is always the most important consideration.

That was a good read, Craig. As bassnleo stated, I appreciate that you differentiated between regions and the various temperature ranges at which bass begin to move up in those regions.

Floridabassking352, You aren't eating enough protein or carbs. Google Bodybuilding diets and see what you find that suits you. Most bodybuilding diets recommend eating 5 or 6 smaller meals a day, but with the proper balance of proteins, carbs, and fat. I was never able to do this because of time constraints at work, but I did eat a lot more than you are eating when I made my gains. I would at least divide up my protein intake into 5 or 6 different eating times. The reason you need to do this is because the body can only assimilate so much protein at any one time. The rest is wasted and excreted.

Chode2235, you make a good point about anglers with boats. We think there are more anglers because we see more boats now. When I was a kid in the 60s and 70s most of our fishing locations were ditches that we called sloughs. During the Great Depression Southeast Missouri was mainly forested swamp and these ditches were cut all through the flat delta to drain the area. The trees were cut and the area became a fertile farming area. These ditches contained lots of fish including bass. I remember seeing numerous people on these banks when we would fish. Most didn't use boats. They didn't need to. Now when I go back to visit my Dad the banks are empty, though some of these ditches still have good fishing. This was the perfect place for a poor kid, whose family couldn't afford a boat, to learn to fish. I do believe there are fewer anglers but more of those who fish now have boats.

I'm 46 now and all I do is exercise to maintain where I'm at. When I was in my early 20s I started a bodybuilding routine and did this on and off into my mid to late thirties. I gained from 155 up to 205 lbs during that time. This was all natural and the only supplements I took were a carb drink and amino acids. Assuming you are using a bodybuilding split routine, you are using enough weight, and you are eating enough protein, usually the problem with gaining weight isn't the amount of protein you're eating. You should eat a lot of protein but bodybuilding workouts burn mainly carbohydrates. A good weight gain diet is approximately 55 percent carbs, 35 percent protein, and 10 percent fat. The fats you eat should mainly be non-saturated fats like nuts. The carbs should be whole-wheat breads, vegetables, cereals, fruits, and even some pasta. If you don't eat enough carbs your body will resort to using the proteins for energy. If this happens it takes away from the protein you have available for muscle growth. Also remember that, scientifically, for the average human a muscle gain of 10 lbs a year is maximum. There are exceptions, but people who claim to gain 30 or 40 lbs of muscle in a year are usually gaining fat in addition to the muscle, or they're taking steroids. Most people will gain some fat with their muscle mass and this is why bodybuilders cut their diets and do carb loading in the last phase before a contest so they will lose the fat and get cut. So I would suggest making sure you are eating enough carbohydrates. What I always did was drink a carb drink that provided about 80 grams of complex carbs one hour before working out. I found that I had more energy, was able to lift heavier weights, and was able to do more reps when I did this.

Hey, Dink, something else to consider is forage availability in this area, though, under most circumstances it would be affected by the items mentioned by LBH and Rolo.

Yawn. This is interesting . . . . up to a point. Is the answer to this question going to affect how much any of us enjoy fishing? BTW, what is the price of eggs in China?

Russ (LBH) and Roger (Rolo) covered it pretty well. Assuming you are taking seasonal pattern into consideration, you didn't mention if there were any water level changes in the off years did you? Even without vegetation a honey-hole is a honey-hole due to some combination of structure and cover. As you stated in your first post you have stumps on a point with a dropoff so I think that what has been said by some would still apply here.

White/chartreuse for me with differing blades depending on water clarity and seasonal pattern.

PowerPro is good and is less expensive. I love PowerPro but since I tried Sufix Performance Braid this summer, I haven't bought any more PowerPro spools.

That's not so unpopular to me Muddy. I like Shimanos first and Daiwas second, but I have one Cabela's Tournament ZX that has served me well for three years with no problems. It's not as smooth as a more expensive reel but it gets the job done.

Yes, indeed, Roger. Rapala would be my favorite.

Rapala DT crankbaits? To quote the Kool-Aid man, "Oh yeah!!"

No. I love music intensely. I love nature and fishing intensely. At times in the past I would mix the two, but I haven't in a long time. I like to give each my full attention when I am experiencing them.

The link that Fish Chris posted explains this. While there are fewer participants, those who do fish now tend to be older, have more disposable income, and take many more trips than the fishermen of yesteryear. We take more fishing trips and spend a lot more money on equipment than our Fathers and Grandfathers did. I think Daniel My Brother has the right idea. Let's all make it a goal to turn some kids into anglers this year.

I was ignorant of the facts regarding how angling popularity has decreased until I read Fish Chris's link in the other thread. And his study comes from a different source, yet it supports the same conclusion as the study published in Bassmaster. In 17 years from 1987 - 2004, it shows a 59.3 percent decrease of participants in fly fishing, a 21.9 percent decrease in freshwater fishing, and a 31.5 percent decrease in saltwater fishing. I'm not one to say the sky is falling and I know that liars can twist statistics to support their views, but I think that when you have two different studies that show the same conclusion it would be wise to check it out. While I wouldn't mind fewer people on the water, when it comes to passing laws protecting our fishing rights, fewer people participating in our sport would decrease our influence in the law-making process and this could possibly hurt the future of fishing.

LBH stated" It doesn't appear that anyone was pushing an agenda with this story. The survey is conducted by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service every five years ending in the numbers 1 and 6. Preliminary findings from the 2006 survey are being compiled and will be released in the spring of 2007, so the current figures aren't yet available.

You're talking about a Hyundai model from 8 years ago. They have improved drastically since then.

For $3 - $5, I like Booyah first and Strike King second. So far from the posts, these look like the favorites in this price range.

Everything???!!! I'd have to use a big Zara Spook and watch 'em kill it or I'd go with a shallow crankbait.

Bimbelton, Great thread! Seriously, this is what the forum is for. If you don't understand something lay it on the line and the people here will be able to set you straight. Since you are a newbie, I can understand your confusion. If I were you, I would buy Kevin VanDam's book, Bass Strategies. Read it. Then read it again. Pick out sections that interest you and read those again. You will be amazed at the logical sense this guy's ideas contain regarding how to find and catch bass. This book was published in 1994, early in his career, before Biosonix. He had already claimed the Angler of the Year Title. This guy is truly an animal when it comes to catching fish and his ideas will help you catch fish. There are others as well but since you mentioned KVD I thought I would give you some info that would expose you to some of the fishing knowledge he possesses.

My hats in the ring. I support the idea.

I think Rapala is my favorite hard baits. I don't have one favorite plastic company. My favorite plastic lures include Culprit worms, Yamamoto lures, Tikki Sticks, and Yum Crawbugs.