RoLo

Hmm...need an answer right away?

Never used the EZ Swimmer (too small), but the Gambler Big EZ should be outlawed. Roger

Of course, bass can be caught year-round on just about any lure, but every lure seems to have its ideal season. Cranks and spinners have been most effective for us during the spring and fall, but not as much during the summer. Whether it's Florida or Ontario, the bass in summer seem to be more buried and stationary, when Texas-rigged worms, punch rigs and slow-moving swimbaits are effective. Roger

I'm not one who believes in search baits, but think of every lure as a locator bait. If I'm throwing a crankbait when there's no crankbait bite, I'm not only covering a lot of ground, but I'm also wasting a lot of time. For cold-calling, I'll generally target aggressive fish first and passive fish last. So the baseline sequence would be Topwater - Mid-water - Bottom Needless to say, conditions often change lure selection and if a noteworthy pattern emerges it will get top billing. Roger

I'm not familiar with the other cable networks, but Bright House/Road Runner still airs very good hunting & fishing programs on their 4-digit high-def channels. Roger

Does anyone see a pattern here?

I avoid lakes with a thermocline (that's a joke btw)

That's what I've been trying to tellya. Roger

I hope the guys that exchange Xmas gifts are taking notes ("Fish-eye lens") http://www.bestbuy.com/site/cell-phone-photography-accessories/cell-phone-camera-lenses/pcmcat332600050000.c?id=pcmcat332600050000 Roger

Now that's a hog for Ohio! Just wondering, did that fish come with a tail? Roger

Fishing Game? Seriously? If I've got the time to play a fishing game, then I've got the time to read, study & plan. Roger

Based on historic records kept by the musky clubs in Hayward, Wisconsin, the average musky weighed 12 pounds, which is a fish about 37" long. The serpent that you were dealing with was 'far' above average Roger

Unlicensed fishermen is a real concern of mine. Over the past 10 years, I’ve been approached only 3 times by the FWC (Eloise, Walk-In-Water & West Toho). The wardens checked my life vests, fire extinguisher and boat decals, but never once was I asked to produce a fishing license. As a matter of fact, I don't ever remember being asked to show my fishing license in Jersey, Ontario, Quebec, MI, MA, NY, PA, TN, SC, GA or Florida. In the interest of their own revenue, the state agencies need to be a lot more aggressive. Roger

An inescapable fact. There's a rumor going around that as a fisherman ages 'both' of those resources are diminished....Then what? Roger

Unfortunately, a decline in fishing licenses is 'not' the same as a decline in people on the water. There may only be a few bass anglers on the lake, but they could be inundated by jet skis, waverunners, ski-doos, airboats and 'splashabouts' ('Runabouts' the just run around and make waves). State revenues generated by waterbodies come from a variety of sources such as annual watercraft registrations, manditory safety courses, park entry fees and so on. One of my favorite lakes in Florida is a fairly remote, uncrowded, pristine lake. The wildlife on that lake is absolutely incredible, it's a joy just being there without catching a fish. Rumor now has it that Florida is planning on opening a State Park on that lake, which would be a deadly blow that has my knees knocking. Roger

The Florida bass was used only as a benchmark for estimating the weights of the Cuban bass. In my opinion, the Florida bass isn't held outward anymore than the Cuban bass. Furthermore, no matter how far out you hold a fish, your hand moves with the fish, which keeps them on the same plane. If the angler was holding the bass out at arm's length, his left hand would look like a boxing glove, but appears rather small for a big guy. Roger

Hmph..a new one on me (wild stuff) Roger

If your goal is a 10-pound bass, your sights are definitely trained on the correct state. The above photo was published by CubaTravelUSA, an infomercial claiming that Cuba yielded a 22-lb bass. No weights were provided for the bass in the photo, which were left to the imagination of the viewer. The bass are obviously dead, and to me at least they look like they've been plucked from a freezer locker. Notice the body dents and closed tails, fish that could've been taken over a long period of time. This bass can be used as a benchmark for guesstimating the weights of the fish from Cuba. This is a 14-lb 1-oz bass that was caught-&-released in Rodman Reservoir, Florida in 2013. The excerpt below is taken from Larry Larsen’s Book: “Trophy Bass – An Angler’s Guide” Sorry for the obtrusive print size: Roger

Best way to dispose of carcasses after filleting? I use an underhand toss

I blame it all on IKE

Everyone's experience is bound to be different, but I can certainly relate: Back in my apprenticeship years as a tool-&-die maker, there was a guy in the toolroom that nobody liked, but me. I seen Jimmy as a man with a troubled past, but a person with a good heart. After a while I just sloughed off comments like: "How can you stand that guy?". One day I took Jimmy pickerel fishing to my secret spot on the Wading River in Jersey. I boated a couple pickerel that day before Jim got his first strike. Instead of sharing in community joy for 'our' boat, Jim uttered an expletive which made it a personal competition. With that, I just opened my arms and allowed my rod-and-reel to plunk hard on the deck. Jimmy immediately got the message and blurted: “AH Cum-On captain, I was only kidding”. I said Jim, kidding or not, do you really want me to sit here and hope that I don’t get a strike? A word to the wise was sufficient. I took Jim fishing many times after that, but he got with the community spirit, and there was never another awkward moment like that. Roger

What I do know Dwight is that Mr. Crumpler was the first guide on the Stick Marsh/Farm-13, who began guiding in 1991. I believe he's still active today, but going back about 5 years Hugh's clients laid claim to "460" bass of 10 lb or more. To the best of my knowledge, Hugh himself boated a 32" bass on July 29, 1992 at 12:30 on a bright sunny day. At the time it was touted as the lake record, and though I'm not certain of its weight, it was taken on a soft jerkbait, not a fluke but a local knock-off. Raul, that's why I never jump into a Floridian lake without a sharp knife laid across my lips Roger

Removing bass from the waters of Cuba probably does more good than harm (think Japan). IMO, it's year-round hot water and fish with short lifespans that excludes Cuba from setting the next record. Roger

That's correct Dwight, back in the day when Hugh Crumpler ruled the roost. In 2006, when I was a newbie on the forum, I inadvertently made that remark. But a then-active guide in Farm-13, took exception to my comment Roger

There is no question that attitude affects fishing. We all know the importance of 'confidence', which is simply the word we use to describe a positive attitude. In addition to attitude affecting my fishing, I've also noticed that fishing can affect my attitude....if you get my drift Roger