RoLo

I agree with that. In central Florida this has been a banner year for bald eagles, Everglades Kite and big rabbits in my wife's garden. I erected a bluebird nest-box in 2008 (7 years ago), and this was the first year it was finally occupied. No, not by bluebirds, but the red-bellied woodpeckers enlarged the aperture and great crested flycatchers called it home ;-)) Just yesterday my wife & I watched each of their 5 young in turn, take off from the nest-box. Incredible experience! A copperhead on your desk?! That is definitely where I'd draw the line Roger

Only a striper jetty-jockey would recognize summer flounder Roger

You got it skip, every night I put a little supper aside for the fox ;-)) I got a couple shots of the kits, but they didn't come out very well (they're chest high to mamma)

Every spring during the mating season, red fox appear in our backyard. From early April thru August, they can be seen 'every' evening around sunset, as many as five reds at a time. Unfortunately, I have to shot the photos thru a glass pane, which compromises image resolution. We also have Cougars in our neighborhood (locally known as Florida Panthers), Bobcat (was a roadkill 1/4 mile from our house) & Coyotes. If I get the opportunity to snap any other wild cats or wild dogs I'll post them up. Roger

That is true, but to a fault. The forage base of bass fry and fingerlings consists mainly of invertebrates (insects, larvae, aquatic worms~). On the other hand, the difference in forage between dinks and toads is not as clearly defined. For instance, we've all caught big bass on tiny lures, and we've all caught tiny bass on big lures (KVD landed an 11+ on a 4" fry worm) Differently put, big bass eat small meals, and small bass eat large meals....provided it fits in their maw Roger

In hindsight, some of the fastest fishing I've experienced took place along windblown banks and reefs. Although wind-generated feeding binges are real, they're far from a given. When there's a steady wind from the same direction, a couple of factors come into play: 1) Baitfish feed on buoyant rafts of plankton that are blown around by the wind. Unlike residential gamefish that tend to lie in ambush, baitfish are obligated to chase after windblown rafts of plankton. When a school of baitfish is blown onto a prominent holding site, it will generally trigger a wind-generated feeding binge. 2) If the wind is brisk and prolonged, it will also push the warm surface layer of water toward the downwind shores, and with or without plankton, rising water temperatures tend to elevate the activity level of fish. Be that as it may, fishing along windblown banks is a mixed bag. Although it "might" provide fast fishing, it "always" makes for annoying conditions. Fishing in a brisk wind compromises the angler's sense of feel, boat control & lure control. Normally I don't concentrate on windblown banks, but prefer the more pleasurable fishing found along sheltered shores, at the same time watching for a wind-generated bonanza. Surefire tattletales of a feeding blitz are working birds and/or breaking fish. Roger

Healthy lakes never approach their carrying capacity. Nevertheless, competition is omnipresent, even in a horn of plenty. In order to produce a trophy bass, competition for food must be sharply minimized to assure that intake far surpasses combustion. Roger

Academically, the biomass cannot surpass the carrying capacity (it's a self-fulfilling prophesy). In any case, 'over-population' is not the issue, the issue is 'Age Composition'. On the contrary, young, sleek & nimble bass present fierce competition for fat, old bass. It's a well-documented fact of lake management, you either manage a lake for 'fish density' or 'trophy-class fish', but cannot have it both ways. Roger

Yes Are you using Lowrance or Humminbird? Roger

You've always had a way with words Hey I wonder if Muddy would mind that I borrowed his bouncing balls

I don't even count bass, so there's no way I'd ever count casts...LOL Without counting though, I'll bet it's less than 1000 casts per bass Roger

Bass don't toy with soft swimbaits, they generally blast them; in fact they hook themselves half the time. Assuming that you're using braided line, I really see no reason to Texpose or Texskin the hook. Roger

I only throw 'War Eagle' spinnerbaits: > Low-Light Conditions: 1/2 oz Single Colorado > All Other Conditions: 3/8 oz Double Willow-leaf Roger

I thought about contributing to this thread a couple times, but nope...that's where I draw the line Roger

Reminds me of a spot in the Oklawaha near the St Johns River Very nice bass Roger

About the only time I'm not peering into the depth sounder is when I'm busy fishing (it remains 'on' till I haul the boat) Kudos for calling it a depth sounder and not a fish-finder Roger

Seven inches of rain in one week? (drought indeed) During the past couple weeks, the weather in central Florida has been sunny & pleasant (cool dry air - hot sun). All the same, we really need some rainfall; because a lot of our backyard plants are badly wilted. Fortunately, June and July is our rainy season, so my fingers are crossed. Roger

In my opinion, it's more about 'line diameter', and less about 'breaking test'. For example, if a spinning outfit is spooled with 20-lb Power Pro, the line diameter will be 0.009". If another spinning outfit is spooled with 30-lb Seaguar Smackdown, the line diameter will still be 0.009". Hypothetically, both the 20-lb & 30-lb outfits will offer the same casting distance, running depth & abrasion-resistance. Roger

Frankly, the only time I'm meticulous about color selection is when I'm purchasing a new lure. I'll normally choose a color that I believe is highly visible under the widest range of lighting conditions. In my opinion, once a bass sees my lure the importance of color falls thru the cracks (color isn't likely to effect appetite) In any case, this mindset allows me to focus my attention on more meaningful lure properties such as lure type, lure depth, lure speed, lure action & lure size. Roger

"How Do I Catch Bigger Bass?" Focus 'only' on lakes with a solid reputation for lunker bass. Roger

When fishing a jig, my favorite bottom is strewn with large bass

When they flick their tail they move 'backward'

Three-way tie: Dolphin (mahi-mahi), Tripletail & Yellowfin Tuna Hot on their heels: Black Sea Bass, Pompano & Blackfish (tautog) Roger

Yup Roger

I've reached the same conclusion Wayne (Few things are more powerful than urban legend) Roger