RoLo

Well..one thing is for sure, you will "always" find stacks of bass fillets in my freezer...always! If you enjoy eating fish, come on down and Lois will grill you some delectable bass fillets (I think she has a magic wand). If you can find better tasting fish in ANY Florida restaurant , please give me the name of that restaurant. Roger

Move over farmer, I'm in your camp ;-) My wife has given me a number of taste tests between crappie and bass, both quick grilled & ungarnished. With my eyes closed, I can always identify the bass, which has firmer, more flavorful flesh than crappie. Yeah, I guess we're in the 1% who don't want fish to taste like chicken might be 2% Roger

I was really expecting: "Go ahead punk, make my day" Roger

So how ya bin doin Mista Cottah?

well....ARE you??

The line with the greater diameter

We can handle the little cold-fronts pretty well, but the big deluge of snowbirds not so well Roger

"Anybody Ever Eaten Largemouth Bass Before?" Before What?

Nice report, Goose

Though I don't own the 400, I do have a couple Lexa 100s. They're okay reels, but that's the best I would give the Lexa. Roger

Back in the 70s & 80s, Cabelas maintained a robust inventory and went toe-to-toe with Bass Pro Shops & Gander Mountain. Since that time, Cabelas reduced their inventory and drifted farther & farther from one-stop shopping. Today I only visit their website if I'm in the market for pike or musky lures. Roger

I did go overboard once, it was on Lake Kissimmee in February, 2010 (67 at the time). I was standing in the bow, holding my fishing rod in one hand and a sandwich in the other hand. I tossed a piece of bread to a passing gull, who promptly scooped up the offering, then swooped upward above my head. I made the mistake of trying to keep the bird in sight, which was directly above my head. I bent my head backward as far as my neck would allow, then suddenly realized that my balance was irretrievably lost. Instead of trying to regain my balance, I choose to break the fall, then rolled over the gunwale in a nice tight ball, smack into the drink. It was a bitter day, the water was over my head and we were far from shore. The water temperature was 59 deg (cold for Florida), the air temperature was colder and I was not wearing a flotation device (You've made your bed, now lie in it). I was underwater about 4 seconds, but it felt more like an hour. When I grabbed the bow gunwale, I seen my wife's hands reaching over the side. I shook my head 'no', and told her to meet me at the transom. There's really nothing a woman can do for a 220-lb clown floundering in the water. Hand-over-hand, I walked about 15 feet of gunwale to reach the stern. I had difficulty boarding thru the motor cutaway until I remembered the anti-cavitation plate, which possibly saved my life. I was wearing a brushed cotton jacket that wicked up the lake, and as I finally stepped over the transom, it felt like I was wearing a lead X-ray jacket. After spending about 10 min in 59-deg water, my energy level was noticeably lower (a very humbling experience). My sunglasses had disappeared, and despite the snug chinstrap, my Stetson somehow wound up in the drink!? I started the engine, retrieved my hat, and then proceeded to my next waypoint. "Where are you going?", my wife asked. I said I'm going to my next waypoint. She replied: "You're soaking wet, we've got to go in!". Realizing that hypothermia was still a latent threat, I knew she was right and begrudgingly called it a day. Roger

Try natural gliding a Fuzz-E-Grub dressed with a live worm (if that doesn't work, they're probably not catchable) Roger

It's true, some of the TV hook-sets are definitely overkill (past high noon!). I've set the hook on some pretty big tuna and sharks with less ferocity Then again, not every televised angler is using braid, and stretchy mono requires a 'much longer' rod stroke. Roger

You said a mouthful. Florida has no less than 14 documented bass on record that are heavier than the state record (one over 20 lb) Despite being weighed on certified scales, the main reason for non-recognition> 'Not identified by a Florida biologist'. Could've been a bowfin Roger

The answer to this question is often muddied by semantics. For this reason, 'structure' & 'cover' should be defined at the onset, so everyone is on the same page: 'Structure' refers to the configuration and composition of the bottom terrain, it's essentially immovable and relatively permanent. Elements of structure include bottom 'projections' (ridges, bars, humps, reefs ~), bottom 'depressions' (ditches, potholes, gullies, channels ~), and changes in substrate (clay, sand, loam, silt ~). On the other hand, 'cover' refers to more portable and more temporary objects that are found upon structure. There are 3 basic forms of cover: 'weedy' (soft), 'woody' (firm) and 'rocky' (hard). In the grand scheme of things, 'structure' reigns supreme. Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to 'always' regard structure as more influential than cover. Prey fish and predatory fish both seek a similar habitat, a menu that evolves from natural balance. So what's more important, structure or cover? The answer can vary sharply from one lake to another lake, but as a rule-of-thumb, the commodity in lowest supply holds the greater worth. Roger

Exactly. If you're not more busy in retirement, you're doing it all wrong. We only retire from our job, not from our life. Roger

25% stronger and 25% thinner...that's incredible! Is that a monkey I smell? Roger

When we have to pay for the name, it's generally because the product made a name for itself (product before name). Although a Ranger isn't fully hand-laid like a Bullet or Allison, it's a chopper gun hull that's hand-laid in high-stress areas. In addition, Ranger claims to use 3/4 fiberglass and 1/4 resin, if that's true, the result is a stronger hull for the weight. Although the price of a Ranger is high, based on consumer surveys, owner satisfaction is also high. Roger

I've done it both ways, but there's a lot to be said for the open boat. What a center-console may lack in 'internal' storage it makes up for in cockpit space. Before the advent of the silly bass boat, fishing and boating gear was usually toted in dry boxes and wet boxes then stored on the deck in quick & easy reach. In my bass boat, I have to move stuff to open the locker lid, then grope around in a storage bin. But at day's end, I still have to unload all my valuables from the lockers, otherwise risk it to theft. In a center-console or pike boat, we just grabbed the wet box, dry box & rods (done). Roger

Good idea Dwight The same as you, I only sit when on plane or to re-rig. Roger

I never thought I'd hear KVD say: "I'm a fan of the sport" (yah think) That's what happens when you can't quality 25 times in a row One thing's for sure, Kevin's going to be a dynamic anchorman. Roger

More like a "lure magnet" ;-)

Some things never change (fish have no money).

The most important factor in abrasion-resistance is 'line diameter', which reveals the volume of material at war. Many anglers compare the abrasion-resistance of braid to fluorocarbon, while neglecting to compare their line-diameters, the most vital contributor to abrasion-resistance. The diameter of 60-lb braid is 0.014", while the diameter of 60-lb fluorocarbon is 0.028" (exactly twice as fat!). When punching heavy cover with $10 tungsten weights, what would you gain using a line thinner than 0.014" in diameter? Roger