Marty

There's a few articles here on the subject. Try this first. Scroll down just past halfway and you'll see them. http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/features.html#techniques

It's been good here.

As to throwing near the bank vs. throwing straight out from shore, you need to learn the characteristics of a given body of water. I've done an awful lot of shore fishing over the years and some waters require throwing far out to get something, while others never yield a fish more than 20' from shore, so I obviously cast parallel to the bank or at angles to it in these waters. Topwaters can work fine in what you call "semi clear"water. My favorite topwaters are Jitterbugs, buzzbaits and Ultra-Vibe Speed Worms.

Another vote for the Palomar. I never had breakage with mono and now that I use a lot of braid, it's just as good with that too.

Anything can hang up, no matter how weedless it's rigged, because weeds can collect at the line tie or the hook point if it's not buried or skin-hooked. I've used worms, Senkos, soft jerkbaits, Beavers and other soft plastics in holes in the weeds and at the edges. I'd recommend braided line because it's very abrasion-resistant to vegetation and is strong if you have to bring a fish in through heavy gobs of weeds. In addition to slowly dragging the lure along the weed tops and letting it sink into holes, you can also try retrieving it faster hoping a bass blows up through the weeds. If it misses the lure, get a soft plastic into that newly created hole ASAP. Good luck.

Anti-reverse setting or drag setting won't affect casting distance. Casting with a spinning outfit is not mechanical. You bring your rod back, then bring it forward and the weight of the lure pulls line off the spool. I don't know that much about the Zebco 33, but is there a reason that the spinning outfit should cast farther than the 33?

Actually, the Bass Assassins 5" are about 15% heavier than Super Flukes.

Paul nailed it but if you'd like to see it in print, so to speak, http://www.maxrules.com/Merc_model_files/115-150.html

I think channel cats are great fighters, although I don't catch too many. I've caught them on grubs on jigheads and crankbaits, with my most recent one on a Gambler Swim Blade.

I don't see it much these days, but it was fairly common years ago. People fishing without a rod or reel, just using line wrapped around a beer can. Their casting motion was less than smooth.

I don't change very often, only when the line gets too low from retying or I want to change to a different brand or size. I use that $3 stuff for backing, but fish with name brands that are typically $5-8 for 300 yards or so. My line can last for years with proper storage.

I do, as do many others. Why do you think they're paying rights fees? Agree with Jake that The Bass Pros is a good show.

I'm not into fishing DVDs, so I can't answer directly. But the Lindners have made huge contributions to the sport of fishing for 30+ years and I would trust their info as much, if not more, than anyone. I'd say if you want to buy DVDs and the subject of the DVD matches what you want, then a Lindner product should be a good choice.

Largemouth will readily hit lipless cranks. At one time or another, any category of lure can be great, so we can't generalize about one type working better than another. Use your lipless when you think the conditions are right for them, use others when you think they're called for.

Pickerel will readily hit anything, from topwaters to bottom crawlers and everything in between. Expect biteoffs, just like pike. If I had to pick one lure I'd give a very slight edge to spinnerbaits, but really, it's slight, they'll hit anything in your tackle box.

Agree, you had no right telling someone what to do. Spreading your message about catch and release is fine, but wait for an opening, then go about it with a little more subtlety. I also think that someone who's only interested in tonight's dinner might not be too receptive to C&R.

I wouldn't know, but it sounds very plausible. However, many states have outlawed the use of goldfish as bait, so check your regulations first.

Duckweed can be loads of fun. If there are fish under those mats and they're in the mood, they'll come crashing up to hit that lure. Sometimes they'll hit it, much of the time they'll miss and blow a nice hole in the mat. That's the time to cast a soft plastic into that hole, ASAP, before the hole closes up. I rarely pass up duckweed mats, I just wish there were more of them where I fish.

I replace mine when it gets low, regardless of time frame. Line can last for years if stored properly.

Just because there is deep water available doesn't mean that all fish will use it. My partners and I are primarily shallow, weedy water anglers and we catch fish throughout the summer, many of them on topwaters under sunny skies. But I can't answer the questions you asked.

Knowing Bass by Keith A. Jones, PhD. This is about how a bass uses its senses and how it reacts to various factors in its environment. This is not a how-to-fish book, but serious tournament fishermen ought to understand the fish they're after. There are sections of the book that are too much science for some people (like me), but if you like that kind of stuff, then this book is for you. But I still learned from it, even though I couldn't wade through all the chapters.

As far as I know, BPS is not in the manufacturing business, so it is someone else's scale, at least as far as the manufacture. Maybe it was made to BPS's specs and not an exact duplicate of something else, but if it is, so what? Try it, test it for accuracy by weighing stuff that's already been weighed on a supermarket's certified scale, then return it if not accurate. BPS is good about returns.

I reported to the statewide dispatcher a couple of months ago a guy who was keeping bass illegally. Later the officer called to tell me the guy was still there when he arrived on the scene and how he tried to lie his way out of it. The officer told a little fib of his own, based on what I reported, and told him that he saw him keep a fish. Then the guy came clean and got his ticket. Unfortunately, there's loads of illegal keeping around here and the officers are spread thin and barely make a dent in it.

There are countless crankbaits which catch fish. You're going to have to be arbitrary and buy a few from well-known manufacturers in the depths that you'll be fishing. I wouldn't worry about color too much. Something muted, like shad or bluegill and something bright, like firetiger, are all you need, in my opinion. For what it's worth, my favorites are the original Rapala balsa, non-rattling Shad Raps.

My partner Jeff caught a 6.75# one last week. He thought he had his best-ever bass until it got close. Here's a not-that-great picture.