RoLo

Thank you for a fantastic review regarding a fantastic reel Lots of luck with her Roger

You Dink, whereya bin?? Yo Dink...where ya bin?

Tilapia are common in a few lakes in central Florida. Though I've never personally caught one with an artificial lure, those I've seen taken were caught on bread, and to a much lesser extent on redworms. A few years ago, central Florida got walloped by subfreezing temperatures that resulted in a serious tilapia fishkill (that same year the snook got clobbered). For about a month afterward I would see feral hogs and vultures dining on dead tilapia along the shoreline. For some reason the "match-the-hatchers" never talk about tilapia, but in lakes where they occur tiiapia are at the top of the bass's menu. Roger

About 5 or so years ago Paul, I was fishing both soft and hard swimbaits. Among others brands, I was chucking a 6-inch Berkley Hollow Belly (only available in 5” today). At that time, I was also throwing a Huddleston 6” x 1oz Weedless Trout Holdover (hard swimbait). Indeed the Hudd moved more water, but I'd hesitate to say that its thump was noticeably greater than a soft swimbait of equal size (e.g. Hollow Belly, Big EZ or Basstrix). What impressed me most about the Hudd was its rhythmic cadence. What impressed me least was the short lifespan of its weedless slot. I believe that hard and soft swimbaits have a lot in common. Tail activation at low speeds is very important to me, and in that regard both the hard and soft versions remain active to a near standstill. As far as running depths go, its adjustable in both the hard & soft versions. Be it hard or soft, bass tend to blast swimbaits like it’s their last meal, and I’m not quite sure why. IMO, the most notable difference between hard and soft swimbaits (aside from cost) is the difference in ‘weedlessness’ (is 'weedlessness' even a word?). In a weed-strewn lake you can cast a soft T-rigged swimbait with your eyes closed, but I wouldn’t advise that with a hard swimbait Roger

Can't tell you how important this is! Here in Florida, the vast majority of bass I lose (only talking big bass), is because I didn't turn the bass's head fast enough. Once a broad-bodied bass gets wedged in the weeds, head-thrashing is going to grant him his freedom, as though the hook was held in vise-grip pliers. Yeah, you'll get your lure back, but there won't be any bass on the end. Roger

In what respect, Paul?

That'll work. And will also give you a longer stroke for hauling fish quickly out of cover. Roger

For the most part they would be the same rod, but it really depends on the weight of each lure, the trailer used and where it is fished. For example, a rod used to throw a 3/8 double-willow-leaf spinnerbait over a submerged weedbed, wouldn't be the same rod used to throw a 3/4 oz swim jig with a swimbait trailer into emergent cover. Roger

In saltwater, I've always used conventional casting tackle as well as spinning gear. In freshwater though, I clung strictly to spinning tackle for decades. I was told that a hammer is used to drive a nail, not a screwdriver. but was having too much fun to pay attention. For those who recall: SirSnookalot, LowBudgetHooker & Fish Chris are all spinning purists. Today I use a fairly equal amount of both gear, but rest assured, many of the spinning blanks I use have more backbone than the average casting blank. In the final analysis, it's a decision that only you can make, I love'em both. Roger

Unless you'd like to find another one (four-leaf clover)

If you ever decide to lose the 'offset shank', you might want to look at a Mustad grip-pin rebarb hook. On a Mustad 3/0 Flippin hook, the front-end of your fluke or senko will never slide backward, but will stay put indefinitely! Roger

I would imagine it depends on the individual fisherman, but speaking for myself, I appreciate the higher power of a low-speed reel, more often than I appreciate the high speed of a lower-power reel. For instance, there are many days when I'm winding a swimbait through lily pads, not the pads that lie flush on the water but spatterdock (cow lilies), the pads held above the water surface on stalks. If properly fished, the lure will get bogged down a hundred times a day, but with a 5:1 ratio reel I can bull through the veggies and keep it coming. Roger

"How To Cast A Light Bait Farther" > Longer Rod > Lighter Line > Lighter Rod Power (ultralight spinning gear can handle 2-lb line) > Slower Tip Action (e.g. moderate fast) > Cast Downwind Roger

The idea of an Extra-Wide Gap hook (EWG hook) is to accommodate the bait and have enough leftover throat to hook the fish. On the other hand, 'straight shank' and 'offset' refer to the shank rather than the point. Technically speaking, the word 'offset' was originally used to describe the offset between the point and the shank (lateral offset). A 'kirbed' point was offset to one side, while a 'reversed' point was offset to the opposite side. Today however, the word "offset" typically refers to the shank of the hook, a Z-bend used as a trailer keeper. Trailers can also be retained with a shank-barb, screw coil or (you guessed it) superglue. Nonetheless, many anglers (count me in) believe that the line-of-pull of a 'straight-shank hook' offers a better hook-up ratio than an offset hook. This notion in fact, gave birth to the 'rebarb' hook Roger

I'm not familiar with that pattern, but it reminds me of a Rapala DT color called 'Chartreuse Purple Shiner'. Although Rapala used the same purple upperside, it had a chartreuse underside. Roger

Another vote for 'Berkley Trilene Big Game' (my hands-down favorite in saltwater). Frankly you'd be hard put to beat your current brand: 'Berkley Trilene XT' (It's always available at Tackle Warehouse). Roger

Several years back a comprehensive shootout was performed that compared the line-stretch of nylon monofilament to the line-stretch of fluorocarbon monofilament. I looked everywhere for that article, but was not able to locate it, hopefully someone may be able to produce that study. Although the research is now several years old, the study was very comprehensive and very broad-based; it included virtually every popular line brand (wet & dry). The conclusion reached was that "all" 3 monofilament lines stretch a great deal (Nylon, Fluorocarbon & Copolymer). Some nylon brands stretched more than some fluorocarbon brands. Inversely, some fluorocarbon lines stretched more than some nylon brands, a LOT more! In the final analysis, line material by itself was a poor measure of line-stretch, which hinged instead on specific line brands rather than line material. Roger

Yes, I fish Winterset a great deal. IMO, Winterset holds the highest trophy potential in the Entire Winter Haven Chain (north & south chains) During a tournament in August 2007, Lake Winterset yielded a 34-lb, 4-oz winning stringer (Lake Record: 15-lb & change). But like every trophy water, the populaion density is low. We can't have it both ways, it's either quality or quantity. You're right, Eloise, Roy, Lulu & Shipp are all dingy, but Lake Summit is nearly as clear as Lake Winterset. Roger

The 'weight range' specified on a rod is meant only as a guidepost. If you cast a lure that's heavier than the upper parameter, it will overload the blank and cause it to feel spongy on the cast. If you cast a lure that's lighter than the lower parameter, the blank won't load properly, which will seriously reduce your casting distance & accuracy. Though it varies from brand to brand, the ideal lure weight tends to be somewhat above the midpoint of the two parameters. Without knowing your price point, and how you intend to use this rod, I can't give you any meaningful suggestion as to brand, power or action. Roger

It does vary from rod-maker to rod-maker. In general though, a single-hook lure leaves your options open (mf-f-xf), while treble hooks and small single-hooks are favored by a 'moderate-fast' action

As 'N Florida Mike' pointed out, many lakes & ponds in the Ocala Nat'l Forest are gin-clear. To that you may add the Silver River (the open stretch), Lake Winterset in the Winter Haven Chain, Lake Easy, Lake Patrick and the phosphate pits in Bartow/Mulberry. All that said, crystal-clear waters generally put the angler at a disadvantage, because the flaws in his delivery are obvious, and due to their enhanced vision, the bass's hunger is usually satisfied. Speaking only for myself, I prefer water bodies with 1 to 4 ft visibility. Roger

There's a variant of Hearts called 'Black Lady', that's one of the only card games I've played that doesn't rely on the luck of the deal. For example, if you're dealt an atrocious hand, you might try running the deck for a big minus score. Roger

Stickworms - jerkbaits ~ Roger

My frog rod is a Dobyns 705C I prefer a 'fast action' tip to a moderate fast, because it gets to the backbone faster for hauling slobs out of the gunk. Roger

It seems that 'Augustus', the OP is gone! Was it something we said?