RoLo

I hang-on to the tail sections of all damaged Keitech Fat Swings, Gambler Big EZs, Rage Lobsters, Wave Worm Tiki Snakes and Sizmic Toads, then use them for jig trailers. Roger

Any bass over 9 pounds is "GOLD". Over 12 pounds, that's "PLATINUM" Roger

That's the biggest pile of Red Chrome Rat-L-Traps I've ever seen!

> Area Color > Rattles > Scent > Trailer Hook I'm going to pass on 3 out of 4

1st: Depth Sounder (side-imaging is optional) 2nd: Minn Kota 12-ft Talon (no cricket legs) Roger

In the waters I fish there's very little open water so a "weedless" hook is mandatory. There's no best wacky worm hook, but I use a 'Gamakatsu 1/0 Finesse Wide-Gap Weedless Hook' (2309) Roger

Have you ever gone fishing when you couldn't?

'Red' is the first color in the light spectrum to disappear, which turns to 'black' just a few under water. 'Black' is one of the most popular of all lure colors, so how bad can the color 'red' be? Fishermen enjoy discussing color, but I'm not convinced that color has any affect on a fish's appetite Roger

That fish certainly has the earmarks of a spotted bass. If you're lucky enough to catch another, check for a raspy tongue patch then inform your Fish & Game Commission. Roger

You said the most versatile jig, to which I'd say the "Ballhead" jig. As soon as we deviate from a perfect sphere, we're dabbling in specialization. Roger

300-lb Super Dyneema

W-rigged trick worm with a 1/32 oz nail weight (quantity perhaps, but not necessarily quality) Roger

I'd give your fish 3 pounds, which by the way is a very respectable bass anywhere, USA. Roger

There you go. For that matter, a large donation would work just as well.

On a six-pack charter boat this can usually be avoided by backing away from the fish, but on a big party boat this cannot be avoided. When fishing on the drift, the headboat captain will typically expose both sides of the hull to an equal number of favorable and unfavorable drifts. For example, he might make 3 consecutive drifts on the starboard beam, followed by 3 consecutive drifts on the port beam. In this manner, he's giving all fares an equal number of drifts with their lines streaming away from the hull, and the the same number of drifts with their lines wrapped underneath the hull. This is the reason why savvy headboat fares will board the boat early then head straight to the bow pulpit Roger

It couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Scott's an awesome angler, fearless competitor, devoted dad and true gentleman. In short, he's a credit to our sport. Roger

Based on what I've been told by fly tiers, the bright white hairs are the most popular with anglers, but are not the best hairs to use. The whitest hairs along the bottom of the tail are the least resilient, and tend to kink like straws. The highest floating and most active tail hairs are the crinkly brown hairs at the base of the tail. These are the hairs that give a bucktail jig its natural, unique bellowing action. The only other materials that rival bucktail hair is bear tail hair and marabou, and all for the same reason. All three materials contain trapped air pockets that give the dressing buoyancy and pulsation (breathing action). The 'craft hair' used for toy dolls is not hydrophobic like animal hair, but tends to wick water. Although the action of synthetic bucktail is excellent, it lacks the same buoyancy and bellowing action of natural hair. Billy Westmoreland was the only angler to catch 3 smallmouth bass of 10 or more pounds. Billy's favorite lure was his famous Hoss Fly, a 1/16 oz jig dressed with polar bear tail hair (hollow hairs). The original Hoss Fly is now defunct, but a knockoff made by Punisher Lures uses craft hair and was renamed "Aspirin Head Jig". Below are alternate jig dressings, but only bear hair and deer hair offer hollow hairs: >> Squirrel Tail Very fine restless hair but not hollow. Slippery to tie (very popular with crappie pundits) >> Foxtail Arctic fox is the most common species of fox used for foxtail hair >> Coontail Roadkills offer the cheapest source of coontail hair ;-) >> Rabbit Hair Rabbit makes the best long streamers (e.g. bunny strips for pike) >> Kip Tail The tail from a calf Roger

Thanks for the info Dwight, I'll be giving Owner hyper-welded snaps a shot. Most of my negative experience with terminal snaps occurred in saltwater (the New York Bight). After using a number of different terminal snaps I eventually settled on Coastlock snaps which were very excellent. I always used terminal snaps rated higher than the tackle class, so the snap normally outperformed the line, that is, except for one condition. In the cushion of water the snap was always stronger than the line, but when the fish was in the air, the snap became vulnerable to the shock of an abrupt jolt. Most of my snap failures took place when the fish was jumping, when swinging it over the rail, or when it was thrashing on the deck. With a fish in the air, the line was superior to the snap due to its elasticity. I should add, most of my snap failures were caused by Atlantic Bluefish, which also snap treble hooks in two Roger

Delving in my angling reports, I found a couple sources of bucktail jigs: Kalin Hand-tied Bucktail Jigs http://www.cabelas.com/product/Kalins-Hand-Tied-Bucktail-Jigs/1514353.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dbucktail%26x%3D10%26y%3D6%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=bucktail Bug-A-Roo Bucktail Jigs http://www.northlandtackle.com/Product/product.taf?_function=detail&_ID=1031 Also in my archives was Jensen Bucktail jigs and Wright & McGill Hand-Tied Bucktails but unfortunately it seems that those two are no longer available. Roger

Texposing and Texskinning are really very similar. A Texposed bait is T-rigged with the hook-point exposed (Texas Rigged+Exposed = Texposed). A Texskinned bait is first Texposed, then the bait is stretched forward and allowed to retract over the point, which covers the point skin-deep in plastic (Texas Rigged+Skinned = Texskinned). In the salad bowls that I fish, I don't use either method, but instead I bury the hook-point in the core of the soft-plastic trailer, so it's completely entombed in plastic. Even at that, it usually isn't long before my lure is fouled in vegetation Roger

I was only kidding of course To answer your question Joe, I very rarely Texskin the hook, but only because most of our lakes are very shallow & weedy. In other words, the easier I make it to hook a fish, the easier I make it to hook vegetation. I only use braided line, so burying the hook-point in plastic doesn't pose any problem with hook-sets. Roger

I don't fish from the back of the boat, but I've heard it said that the most popular co-angler bait is a Shaky Head Worm. Roger

Way to go Chris. Just like you've stated, the demand for real bucktail has dried up. As a result, real bucktail is now being replaced by "craft hair", the same stuff used for hair on toy dolls. Problem is, synthetic bucktail hair (craft hair) is solid, but the tail hairs of deer and bear are 'hollow'. Roger

After an astounding string of top dollar years, KVD finally proved that he is human, and not a fish. The only surprise, is how such stellar performance could last so long!! If the 'Greatest Angler Debate' were repeated today, I'm afraid Clunn and Martin would be bumped. Roger

"5 Most Important Rods To Have On The Boat"1 Casting Rod 1 Spinning Rod 3 Piston Rods Roger