RoLo

My log is very similar to Tom's, which is also compiled in MS Word Nearly all the waters we fish are weedy, natural lakes, so I list the plant species found at every holding site. In fertile waters like Kissimmee, the plant list at any given waypoint can be long-winded For example: "Spatterdock, Maidencane, Waterlilies, Hyacinths, Hydrilla, Coontail & Eelgrass" All within a single cast Roger

When I fished in saltwater off the Jersey coast (New York Bight), I found Big Game nylon line to be head-&-shoulders above other nylon brands. Two of our heavy hitters are long-time advocates of Trilene Big Game, namely: Catt & Raul. Roger

I too live in central Florida, and know exactly what you're talking about. Mimicking the prey is not always a free ticket to success. Before anything else, it's important to identify the source of the commotion (crappies & hybrids also create dancing whitewater). One day on Lake Winterset (I'll bet you know where that is) I threw everything at bass breaking water (i.e. shad jump). I threw a tiny floating rapala, super fluke, Hopkins spoon, sabiki rig and finally made contact with a plastic worm. By that time the blitz was over, so I had to settle for one little knucklehead. Bass break more rules than you & I do...LOL Roger

Portable sonar units have become scarce, but for small craft and rental boats (e.g. Canada), a nice portable unit is the "Eagle Fish Mark 320" Roger

BERKLEY TRILENE BIG GAME (15) - XT (14 & 17) - SENSATION (14 & 17) Roger

Surface and subsurface lures Roger

The Yamamoto Senko is the stickworm to which all other stickworms are compared, and justifiably so. I've compared a throng of worms to the Senko, and found only one worm that I would recommend, and that's the 'Gambler Ace'. The Ace is a 5” stickworm that is virtually indistinguishable from the original 5” Senko. The only visual clue is the “GYB” logo on the smooth band of the Senko. The Ace has the identical length, diameter and surface pattern of the Senko. The Senko is a heavily salted stickworm that weighs 10 grams; while the Ace is a heavily salted stickworm that weighs 9 grams. Though I'm not sure why, the Ace generally holds up for 2 bass, while the Senko is generally toast after 1 fish. Make your own side-by-side comparison of those two worms in a crystal-clear lake, or better yet in a swimming pool. You might be surprised to find that there’s absolutely no discernible difference in action. On some freefalls the Senko will look better, and on other freefalls the Ace will look better. Roger

With regard to fishing the Fat Boy Ika, I'd suggest you PM 'Roadwarrior' Roger

To those '4' I would also add 'Shimano' Roger

Tenoroc and Saddle Brook both cater to shore-fishermen and both consist of many lakes and ponds. Saddle Brook is the most user-friendly, as you can drive to several different waterbodies. Though Tenoroc is more widely touted, every lake and pond has a separate set of regulations. Roger

Stream or lake, when I lived in the northeast, my go-to lure for smallies was a "3/16 oz Ballhead Jig & Grub" (Kalin 5" Lunker Grub - smoke hologram) Roger

Stock-up on the lures that have treated you best Roger

Debatably, the 3 best waters in the Lakeland vicinity are Teneroc WMA, Lake Parker & Saddle Creek Park. Roger

The use of 'tungsten' sinkers can be taken out of context. For heavyweight sinkers in the 3/4 to 2-1/2 oz range, the smaller diameter of a tungsten sinker tends to enhance weed-penetration. On the other hand, for lighter weight sinkers in the 1/8 to 1/2 oz range, I prefer a sinker with the "greatest" diameter to serve as a weed-deflector. With respect to lightweight sinkers, the smaller diameter of a tungsten weight often creates an unwanted 'step' between the outer edge of the sinker and the outer edge of the lure (sinker vs. trailer). In weedy natural lakes, that innocent looking shoulder is colliding constantly with vegetation, and will ultimately get hung-up, even though the hook isn't involved. Roger

We all know that fishing is even less predictable than the weather. That said, I'd go with 'dusk' in both Autumn and Spring (thermal advantage). Roger

SO...You got sumhin agenst "JoeBob's Lo-Stritch Floro??"

If the Bantam Curado was the reel I wanted, I'd definitely spring for 85-bucks for a reel in mint condition. Roger

I can't argue with your underlying premise, but I'll bet that comes as no surprise As an aside, Bill Dance started out as a furniture salesman (prior to the "All-American Bass Tournaments"). Roger

Due to eBooks and online access, the price of magazines and newspapers has been in a steady decline. I've been a subscriber to In-Fisherman since their birth in 1975, so I have mixed feelings about falling prices. The subscription price represents their bottom-line, and declining prices generally precede declining quality and ultimately default. For my money, there's no better fishing magazine than In-Fisherman. Roger

When 30-lb braid is combined with proper spool tension and an experienced thumb, 'wind-knots' and 'line-burrowing' become distant memories. The likelihood of 'line-burrowing' is highest when you're finesse fishing with an unweighted lure, then use your rod to pump the boat over to a snagged lure (even then it is rarely a problem). As for 'wind-knots', I'd rather have a half-dozen of those, than one nylon rat's nest...just sayin Roger

That's an excellent question! I can only speak for myself, but in my experience structure puts NO constraints on fish depth. Depth constraints are imposed by other stuff like water temperature, thermocline, oxycline, light level and last but not least, 'forage'. All the same, the underlying structure (terrestrial contour) serves as the magnet. Roger

Sadly, the best bathymetric charts available are never as accurate as you'd wish them to be. For this reason, I always begin the Field Survey by comparing my 'alleged' sweet-spot to the real-world depths and contours displayed on my 3D sonar. Unless you plot your own charts, disappointment is very common. Only 'after' I've confirmed and pinpointed the presence of structure would I bother to evaluate the cover. Lastly, I might look for a wad of baitfish on the 2D sonar (not 3D), but seldom would I look for largemouth bass directly, which in Florida are usually shrouded in vegetation or blended into the bottom. Roger

I was only kiddin of course, but that's really remarkable! Your description of buried under leaves with small parts exposed takes me back to bow hunting and looking for my arrows the next day Roger

For you to find those baits, they had to be visible. That tells me 2 things: 1) The boat anglers are too lazy to beach their boat 2) You're the only bank fisherman Roger

The number of trial sites I pre-select depends on the length of my paper route. In every case though, I'll pinpoint more trial sites than I actually need because several sites will be rejected during Field Study due to subpar cover, which is something you cannot evaluate at home. Roger