RoLo

I believe Bluebasser indicated MH power (medium heavy) with M action (moderate) Moderate & Medium fast actions give you a couple benefits over Fast & Extra Fast: > Better fight tension (slack-line prevention) > Better tear-off cushioning (more important with trebles & small single hooks) > Longer casts (not important in dense cover) Roger

Incredible!

"WOIK"....that reminds me of a regional dialect in New Jersey called the "Hoboken Accent". After Benny Goodman's song called the "Jersey Bounce", some B-24 bombers from WW2 were labeled "Joisey Bounce". Looks like I went off-topic in my own thread, Humph!

Tuna, sharks and mat-punching for largemouth bass Roger

That puppy answers the question: "What topwater lure can I use in whitecaps?" Roger

Aside from northern pike and saltwater fishing, I only throw about 3 metals for bass: > Johnson Silver Minnow (weedless spoon) > Hopkins Shorty (jigging spoon) > Silver Buddy (bladebait) Roger

Before WD40 was introduced, my favorite bass attractant was DDT

Okay, I'll give a shot A-Jay...but no guarantees

Worst of all, they don't hit senkos. I'm tying on a Fat Ika as we speak.

It's man's inborn tendency to evaluate bass behavior from a warm-blooded point-of-view. Based on the weight of the evidence, cold-blooded creatures are comfortable in 'all' temperatures, so they have no reason to seek warmer temperatures (Firstly, they're VERY lethargic in winter <> Secondly, in what direction should they travel???) Discomfort is easily confused with disposition. The metabolism and disposition of any cold-blooded creature is sharply influenced by temperature. In winter, bass move much slower, they feed much less often and digestion takes much longer. I lived several decades in New Jersey, and have never seen one bass taken through the ice (not one), it was all chain pickerel and yellow perch. Back then, northerners actually believed that bass hibernated in winter. For the most part, bass in winter are in suspended animation, bottom-oriented creatures with a "Don't bother me" attitude. During a warm-front in winter, things can change quickly and drastically. Most of the best winter stringers of northern-strain bass have been taken during a winter warm-front, and are typically taken from water less than 6 ft deep. Roger

But you've got to admit...that's more than a little pornographic

IMO, reduced visibility caused by surface turbulence helps to hide the delivery flaws in "any" lure. However, since topwater lures ride on the surface, there's a point of vanishing returns. When the surface turbulence exceeds lure disturbance, it's usually a good idea to switch to a subsurface lure. Roger

Congratulations Tom on your recent retirement I always offer the same advise to new retirees (though it doesn't apply to a man with your active mind). You are not retiring from life, you are simply retiring from being told what to do, which finally puts YOU at the helm. Though it flies in the face of conventional wisdom, retirement has been the most wholesome part of my life. And yes, I know full-well that the gravy chain is subject to change without notice LOL Roger

Actually, every feature of a spinnerbait concerns me, and the line eyelet is no exception. Though it was back in the 70s, and though it was just bluegill sunfish, I'll never forget the lesson. We were on Greenwood Lake, NJ targeting bluegills with Beetle Spins dressed with green grubs. Once the gills were located, it was pretty much a fish on every cast, but the closed eyelet contributed nothing to success. During about 25% of my casts, the line got wrapped around the closed eyelet! That would be the last day I ever cast a spinnerbait that didn't have an open R-bend eyelet. Not coincidentally, I noticed that R-bend spinners have virtually displaced looped eyelet spinners. Roger

North is designated as 0 degrees, while South is designated as 180 degrees. Water freezes at 32 deg F, and it boils at 212 deg F. Do you see the elephant in the room? The difference between 212 and 32 is "180", which also designates polar opposition ;-) Roger

I've noticed that the word "jig" made a strong appearance, but what exactly is a JIG? From a mechanical perspective, a "jig" is nothing more than a unitized sinker and hook...period. Put differently, the word 'jig' describes your weighting system better than it describes your lure. Of course, there are skirted jigs and unskirted jigs, so if you happen to be using a skirted jig, the only "lure" in play is the silicone skirt. In addition to a jig skirt however, there's an endless selection of trailers that may be added to the jig hook (live & artificial). Oddly enough, the lure attached to the jig is frequently unspecified. SO....if you're ever reluctant to divulge your most fruitful lure, simply say that you were using a "jig". It's the easiest and most credible way to say nothing....and get away with it Roger

This is Catt's ambitious thread, but allow me to reiterate his point. Tom is a bottom-up angler (such as myself) who looks first for 'structure', THEN for 'cover' Roger

I do not accept money nor criticism from guest anglers. Post-event beverages are welcome and highly encouraged Roger

When I offer coordinates to a fellow angler, he can rest assured that it's a contact site. On the other hand, sharing waypoints is not the same as divulging your favorite hotspots. Roger

You're right about that. Between pike & bass, the northern pike is the dominant predator. While a bass has to swallow a pike whole, a pike can chomp down on any size bass (Dentures reign supreme) When 'gator pike' infiltrate a holding site in fall, the fishing for snot rockets & bass will take a conspicuous nosedive. Not to worry, when you're done fishing for the toothed gators that patrol the 8 to 16 ft deep cabbage beds, move up to a waist-deep vegetated flat where bigmouth bass aggregate to hold down their tooth-free zone ;-) Roger

The best casting outfit is my wife's, mine is the second best ;-)

Triton or Skeeter? To each his own of course, but for my money it's 'Triton' I’ve never owned a Skeeter, but in spite of its rich price they’re rumored to have a choppy ride, known as the “Skeeter Jounce”. For the past couple years I’ve been running a 17 ft Triton with a 115 hp.Merc. We just got back from a week vacation on Lake Michigan (Les Cheneaux Islands). The trailer didn't do too well, because I had a blowout on the way to Michigan and another blowout on the way back to Florida (14" tires & a 36-gal fuel tank is a bad mix). The Triton however did remarkably well. Despite a stiff eastern wind, the little girl handled the chop very nicely all week. Roger

Does This Make You Mad? Nah

Even in large waters, when I can't put a fish in the boat I don't perceive the fish as having vacated the area, but accept the fact that they're simply not feeding (Fish actively feed only a minority of the time). When a bass isn't feeding, it will move just enough so your lure doesn't hit him. Roger

Since I stopped using DEET as a bass attractant, I haven't noticed any decline in my catch rate (little curve ball there) Roger