RoLo

If you're referring to striped bass and not hybrids, the approach would be different. Striped bass are more acclimated to pelagic prey and are commonly found in suspension. For this reason, suspended stripers are typically more active than suspended largemouth bass, where working birds are the most visible tattle-tails. Stripers hit most of the same baits as bigmouths, but since they attain greater weights, striper lures are generally larger. With regard to fight, a 5-lb landlocked striper is comparable to a 5-lb largemouth bass. On the other hand, there's a bigger difference between a landlocked striper and a saltwater striper, because the searun striper is bucking tides and current 24/7 (like living in Gold's Gym). Roger

It really depends on the plant species, the density of growth and whether you're just 'weed-probing' or truly 'mat-punching'. For instance, punching through dense matted hydrilla or peppergrass will normally require between 3/4 oz & 1-1/2 oz. You want your lure to reach the bottom and not stall-out in the foliage. IMO, it's better to have more weight than not enough, because a faster descent tends to trigger more impulse strikes. Roger

What he said Roger

FIFTY years in love with the same woman, if my wife finds out she'll kill me! Roger

Like most anglers, I've experimented with the Solunar Theory, read Doug Hannon's book and followed moonrises and moonsets. With the exception of moonrise and moonset, where some patterns seemed to emerge, I was never able to hammer out any concrete lunar premises. The most pronounced correlation I've made was negative. During full moon periods, daytime bass fishing tends to be poor, almost as bad as a post cold-front period. When I deer hunted with bow-&-arrow, I noticed that full moon nights were always followed by the worst hunting days. Deer would frolic all night in the moonlit fields, and were already bedded down before legal hunting light, before I was able to get on my morning post. After setting up on my evening stand, nothing came down the mountain until after dark, when I was in my car driving home. In the same manner, I suspect that bass activity during a moonlit night can seriously downgrade daytime activity. Solution: During a full moon, bass fish at night Roger

Rather than calling that device a "Fish Finder", it's much better to think of it as a "Depth Sounder" that may also display gamefish & bait. When the cover and bottom contour is ideal, the fish are there whether you see them or not. If you own a boat, your depth sounder ranks right behind your engine Roger

At the latitude of the US/Canada border, the first brood of red-winged blackbirds coincides perfectly with the pre-spawn peak of largemouth bass. I learned this association by accident, getting dive-bombed nonstop by blackbirds when inadvertently approaching an active nest. They artfully weave their nest among cattail stalks, a beautiful sight when filled with their light-blue speckled eggs. Bass could not be kept however, because the Ontario bass season didn't open until the late pre-spawn (may be different today). Roger

Focus on shallow, weedy coves, especially with northwest protection. Ideally, an estuary that adjoins the pond's basin with a lead-in ditch, natural channel or manmade canal. Roger

The older I get....the better I was

Gosh, I've been fishing the super fluke for decades, but this year I'm strictly throwing the Zoom Magnum 7" Fluke (smoking shad). I thought it might be a tad big, but it's surprising how many small bass seize that big chunk of plastic. Since soft jerkbaits are weedless, they substitute for hard jerkbaits when I'm fishing in weeds (which is most of the time). On the downside, soft jerks have no diving lip, so they depend on the weight of the fluke & hook to get down into the work zone. With an Owner 6/0 Open-gap Twistlock Hook (sku 5132 - 32 grains), the 7" magnum fluke has a nice lazy descent and is easily worked 1 to 3-ft below the surface. Roger

Ram Mount D-series (good all the way up to Onix) Avoid C-series, which allows the unit to fall down when towing and bang the boat (NG) Roger

Usually, when you lead with a question like : "Is This A Mistake"?, the replies tend to defend all possibilities, rather than pinpoint the best possibilities. Just about any lure can be fished year-round, but the idea is to stick to the highest percentages. Here in Florida, unless I hear a bass break the surface, I don't spend too much time with buzzbaits until water temperatures reach 75-deg. In 65-deg water, your percentages are probably higher with other lures like jerkbaits, jigs and swimbaits. Roger

I agree. For example, 'mat-punching' is possible with spinning gear, but casting gear is the correct tool Roger

I was the Best Man at her wedding, so why is she marrying him?

That's a difficult question to quantify (shimano doesn't produce junk). I personally prefer the Stradic, it's a splendid reel, but I wouldn't encourage a fellow angler to live outside his means. My best suggestion would be to stave off the purchase until you can afford a Stradic, that might be the wisest approach. Roger

Yeah it's real....but was made to look unreal Roger

In the example, I don't think it's color that would attract the bass.

Talk about native humility. That little shellbed shoal outside Shingle Creek gave Dean Rojas the B.A.S.S All-Time one-day stringer record of 45-lb 2-oz. Yup the cowgirl is right, that area can be good Roger

Very nice brace, Dave! Roger

Mid-Florida gas has crept up to $2.39, but it's beginning to look like consolidation Roger

For bluewater species in the ocean, I use conventional gear. However, when fishing for freshwater bass, the forum members will attest that I used spinning tackle exclusively until just a few years ago. Among the BR spinning aficionados were Glenn, Russ (LBH), Fish Chris, Snook & myself. What many angler overlook is 'Tackle Class', which is really the main man, not whether it's spinning or casting. The bulk of my spinning tackle for Florida bass is rated Med-Hvy | 10 to 20 lb line | 1/4 to 1 oz lure weight. Many anglers who looked down their nose at my spinning gear, were toting casting gear that was lighter than my spinning gear. Many moon ago, I boated my PB mossback on spinning tackle. Roger

> Time is a Great healer, but one Lousy beautician Roger

I enjoy catching fish, so naturally I wanted fluorocarbon to be everything it was cracked up to be (still got a drawer full of the stuff). Over time however, I had to loosen my grip on whimsy, and tighten my grip on reality (there go my delusions of grandeur). > Fluorocarbon is 'twice' the diameter of braid, but is not 'twice' as abrasion-resistant as braid. > Fluoro is dense, but trollers & deep-sea fishermen usually achieve greater depth with 'finer line diameter' not "denser line" > Fluoro fractures easily and thus has poor knot strength. The last 2 knot failures I had in many years was braid juxta fluoro > I admit to being spoiled by braided polyethylene, and no longer have the tolerance to fish with an elastic band. I've actually caught myself taking a step backward while setting the hook with Seaguar Tatsu fluoro (to absorb the elasticity). Roger

The problem being, 'apathy' has a very poor record for repeatability and duplication. In lieu, I invested in an ichthyic meter that quantifies the sex hormone in cow bass. It's called an "Estrogenograph", but be warned it's time-consuming and very expensive Roger

Looks like love to me