RoLo

If you're capable of finding one hotspot, you're capable of finding another hotspot. You'll be dead a looong time, so the best time to share is while you're still alive Roger

Reproduction rates typically hinge on the health of the environment. For example, doe deer normally give birth to two fawns, but triplets are not uncommon in a luxurious ecosystem. By the same token, a doe living in a marginal environment may only produce one fawn or might even fail to conceive. Like most game fish, bass are programmed to spawn once per year, but may lay two clutches in a lush environment. Bass living in mild climates such as Florida and California have a long spawning season that may extend up to a half-year. All the same, the number of clutches per year will still hinge on the health of the ecosystem rather than the length of the spawning season (i.e. Duration of favorable water temps). Roger

But aren't you using the same reasoning? Let's say you catch 3 bass on transparent line, how do you know you wouldn't have caught the same 3 bass on braid? In fact, you might've caught 4 bass on braid, because thinner line offers a more natural delivery. Roger

The fall transition seems to be related more to 'nighttime air temperatures' than daytime water temperatures. As a result, most are often blindsided by a fall bite that kicks-off earlier than expected. Even here in Florida, you're liable to encounter a wild crankbait bite during the 2nd week in September. Our natural lakes have no creek arms, but instead of casting to the weed-line, you'll be firing over open water. Roger

My vote is the "In-Fisherman" magazine. Their magazine is a multi-species publication, but they're nonetheless on the leading edge of bass fishing. Roger

Okay, first hold the rod vertically upright and lower the lure until it's dangling just above the rod handle. Now slip the Rod Glove over the rod-tip and pull it down over the blank. Depending on the length of the rod, the Rod Glove will end about a foot above the reel and the lure will be sitting between the Rod Glove and the reel. Now wrap the Velcro Lure Guard around both the rod & lure, which will clamp the lure in place at the base of the blank (done). For plugs with treble hooks (cranks, jerkbaits, topwaters, ~), a plastic bottle is used instead of the Velcro Lure Wrap. For small cranks a prescription bottle works fine, but of course a larger plastic bottle is needed for a larger lure. The treble-hook lure is lowered tail-first into the bottle then the cap is screwed right over the line. Plastic bottles have sloppy threads with ample clearance, so the clinch on the line is no greater than a punch stop. Now the rod can be stored anywhere without fear, because all the hooks are locked inside a bottle ;-) Roger

Very nice bass, but I enjoyed the camera angles even more...very classy shutterbugging Roger

T-rigs, jigs-&-trailers, spinners, spoons, you name it, they're all slapped into homemade Velcro lure protectors. However, cranks and plugs with treble hooks I store in plastic bottles then screw on the cap the keep it unitized. The cap threads are very sloppy and cause no more harm to the line than a punch stop. Roger

In my opinion, rather than trying to bail out the ocean, you might be better off selecting another waterbody. Roger

Same here. Years ago, my wife made up a batch of Velcro 'lure wraps' with see-thru windows. When we're done for the day, we simply slap a lure wrap on every bait, and that's where they stay until our next outing. This has never caused any expedited hook corrosion. Roger

I'm sure the next time, he'll cut off the head then scale the fish the following day

You make a valid point, and I have to agree. I can remember when the owner of a sport shop told me: "Make sure he's inside & dead!". As I recall, that was in the 70s (Herman Treptows, Milltown, NJ), so that sick ideology has been around a long time. Roger

For smallmouth bass, Roboworm 4.5” straight tail worm Two colors I like are 'Salt-&-Pepper Chartreuse' & “New Ayu” (pronounced ‘IU’) Roger

There is no doubt that a larger mill can deliver better fuel economy than a smaller engine under a strain. Your example is particularly remarkable because the Mercury is producing 100 horsepower more, and is displacing a lot more water (longer boat | deeper ‘V’ | greater deadrise). Roger

Hootie, you're on a roll ! Roger

Spread a large sheet on the ground, those droppings make excellent fertilizer (don't forget your umbrella)

Interesting, my best buzzbait day was a calm, sunny afternoon in late spring. Location didn't seem to matter that day, and at every stop I encountered a nonstop feeding frenzy, and a hook-up ratio close to 100%. Now for the bad news. That was about 10 years ago, and I'm still waiting for a repeat performance Roger

Thanks Dwight, I was beginning to think it was only me, and hesitated to mention it. I can't be accused of pampering my gear, but all my outfits are subjected to the same abuse, but only the Dobyns rods are complaining. Roger

Pandora or Spotify

I'm not aware of the upgrades coming to the Dobyns lineup, but I hope they revamp their guide wraps. For the past couple years I've been taking 7 outfits on the boat, and my wife takes another 8 (15 outfits in all). Over that period of time, we've had 4 guide rings come undone, and every one was from a Dobyn's rod Roger

Either 'natural cork' or 'painted' Roger

Black, White & Green covers all bases After that, the angler is the only beneficiary Roger

Between bass and pike, the northern pike is the dominant predator. Juvenile pike (hammer-handles) are commonly caught on the same weed-flats as largemouth bass, but in holding sites where pike run over 30 inches, largemouth bass will be very scarce or absent. When the big open-water pike move shallow in September, the largemouth bass are trapped in skinny water, a phenomenon I've witnessed year-after-year in Canada. In this situation, I'll tie on a titanium leader and forget all about the bass. Roger

When a school of large fish is marking on my sounder, the first thing I look for is attractive contour & cover. Fish that are marking on your sounder may or 'may not' be bass, and they may or 'may not' be feeding. Nevertheless, if their presence helps you to pinpoint an attractive piece of real estate, then you've found something far more valuable than a school of fish. Roger

At close range, both buckshot and birdshot is going to decommission any intruder, murder isn't necessary. Gunmen on TV unload their weapons like 8-year old kids playing war, but in the real world, you fire one load at a time then observe the result after each round (you have the upper hand). Most any wall will absorb the energy from a shotshell, and any pellets that make it thru the wall will have very little left on them (except for paper-thin trailer walls). Roger