RoLo

I believe you're on the right track My onboard charger is a Minn Kota 2-bank 15 AMP (MK230PC) It has been flawless. Roger

Buzzbaits will catch bass year-round, but I assume you're asking for the best season. In my experience (Canada to Florida) the best topwater bite occurs during the 'post-spawn'. My second favorite time is the 'post-summer' period, but usually not as pronounced as the post-spawn. Roger

Straight-Shank Hook Go with a Mustad grip-pin flipping hook and the head of your craw will become a permanent fixture. Without knowing the craw you're throwing, I really can't recommend a hook size. Roger

“Catching larger fish in a school of dinks” It seems that I've dredged-up an old, but thought-provoking thread Short Answer: Bass innately school according to year-class, so in my opinion, the best way to catch a trophy bass among immature bass is to move ‘away’ from the school of juveniles. Longer Answer: Juvenile fish don't willingly intermingle with adult fish, and there are 2 good reasons why: >> First & foremost, immature fish instinctively sense that they fit nicely in the mouth of a big predator. >> In addition, immature fish are faster and more energetic than adult fish which are unable to compete with juvenile bass. In deference to Timing & Territory, trophy adults and runt bass either eat at different restaurants or eat at the same restaurant at different times. WELL, as a rule Same Restaurant / Same Time In saltwater, we’ve often found slammer blues (bluefish in the teens) lying on the bottom beneath a school of busting choppers (2 to 6 lb fish). Although the mature and immature fish might be separated by 15 feet, any crippled baitfish and fish chunks that flutter to the bottom are vacuumed-up by bottom-hugging adults. This same scenario can play out with freshwater bass too, but to a much lesser degree. Since bass have no teeth they’re forced to swallow their prey whole, which will leave the occasional cripple, but no residue forage. Roger

There aren't too many vital organs in the vicinity of a fish's mouth (I hope you're kidding) More to the point, 'rippin lips' is not as innocent as it might sound. Roger

No I have not. When I pay top dollar for a product, I'm hoping to avoid the hassle of customer service. That may sound like pie-in-the-sky, but it has served me pretty well over the decades. Instead, I made the necessary repairs myself, but kept mental notes Roger

Just For Fun > Gambler Big EZ (Hot right now on the Big-O) > Revenge 1/2 oz Viberator Jig (bladed jig) > Yum 6.25" Swurm (soft jerkbait) > Jig & Twin-tail Grub Roger

Dobyns blanks are top-rung, and I'd personally rate their lower-end blanks higher than St Croix. On a low note, I hope his new line of rods has upgraded guide-wrapping. Detached line guides are more common on my Dobyns blanks, than all my other rods combined. Roger

I'm not familiar with your reel, but 'line-burrowing' is generally easy to prevent. It's best to start out with a good 'round' strand braid like Sufix 832 or Trilene Braid. Select 30 lb test or more, but frankly I've never had to go higher than 30 pounds (0.011" Dia.) Burrowing is most common when you're fishing with a lightweight lure, which stacks the line loosely on your spool. Then, when you apply heavy pressure to the loosely spooled line, as when tugging on a snagged lure, the line may burrow into the spool. After exerting heavy pressure on the reel spool, it's wise to take notice of how the line is spooled on the reel 'before' making the next cast, rather than after the cast. Roger

More than a joke, that statement runs deeper than it might appear. The fish in Florida are color-blind, so I've got it real good

When living in the northeast, the Silver Buddy & Bucktail Jig got a lot of play during post ice-out. Here in Florida where fishing is year-round, January favs are Soft Swimbaits, Soft Jerkbaits & Bladed Jigs. During most years, and this year included, the 'Gambler Big EZ' gets the nod. Roger

I for one, would love to see 'barbless' hooks become a universal law (As it is in much of Canada). The hook barb is generally the underlying cause of most unintentional harm to fish. Mandating barbless hooks in a tournament would also be fine with me, because every competitor would be competing on the same level playing field. Roger

I've tried eating pretty near everything I've harvested hunting & fishing. I gave carp a shot about 40 years ago, but haven't touched one since. It was a big fish, and the rib-cage resembled that of a human being. I like Roadwarrior's recipe, only I might throw away the plank as well Roger

In his book, KVD said that color isn't as important to him, as it is to other anglers. BUT, in his book entitled "Bass Strategies", Kevin states: "Red is a super color in Texas during the spring" Roger

Any basketball courts near that lake ?

There are no two ways about it, a flotation vest should be worn at all times in a boat underway. I admit that I don't always practice what I preach, but don't be a jerk like me, and take a "vested" interest in your PFD Roger

The cushion & forgiveness needed for treble hooks is better provided by your line material, blank material or rod-tip action, rather than the length of the rod. On the other hand, ‘length’ directly influences a wide set of rod properties: > Cast Distance a longer rod means longer casts (very important with cranks) > Haul Stroke a longer rod is preferred for quickly hauling bass out of heavy cover > Power all things equal, shorter means more power, though commonly confused > Sensitivity all things equal, the shorter rod is more sensitive > Accuracy all things equal, the shorter rod is more accurate > Storage shorter rods facilitate storage at home and in the boat Roger

Since the word "survival" is in the mix, you will need a durable lure for all seasons and all water temperatures. To that end I would opt for a 'Bucktail Jig" (plastic trailers are not durable). After the first fish was caught, a fresh bait-strip would be added to the jig ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Roger

Don't count her out so fast, now put her to work in your tomato garden Better Boy tomatoes cozy up to St Croix tomato stakes Roger

You beat me to the question.

I would love to tell you, but a secret is something you tell to one person at a time Roger

If I'm not mistaken you're asking about jig 'Weight' & 'Type', not jig brand. In 7-15' of water I'm normally satisfied with 1/4 oz jig, which will usually draw more strikes than a heavier jig. Unfortunately though, the jig fisher has 2 other issues he must deal with: Weed penetration & Trailer activation. In weedy lakes (natural lakes) I rarely get by with less than a 3/8 oz jig. But since I like high-throb plastic trailers, a 1/2 oz jig is usually needed just to activate the tail during a pendulum glide (lower weight is needed to activate the trailer during a freefall). As for jighead configurations, the football jighead is the undisputed king over hard bottoms, the Arky jighead (i.e. Arkansas jig) is generally preferred in stump-fields and standing timber, while swim jigs are best in heavy vegetation (Any spire-point jig with the eyelet on the nose). Roger

You sayin, the guys are small in Wisconsin?

The longevity of my fishing rods is pure happenstance, and their ages run all over the lot. If I accidentally break a rod, it becomes a tomato stake, often at a very young age. When there's an appreciable breakthrough in blank or guide technology, I'm generally game for an upgrade. I've also got a slew of rods that I regard as second-class, and those basically become dust-collectors from time immemorial. Roger

Actually, Tackle Warehouse sells 12 different 'Pointer' models, so if you're going to buy 3 of each model, you'll probably have to break the bank The generic models are the 'Minnow' (4-5'), 'Deep Diver' (6-8') and 'XD' (8-13'), Here in Florida the Pointer Minnow is the most useful, but if you mostly fish reservoirs you might prefer the Deep Diver or XD. Roger