RoLo

She came from 3-1/2 ft of water. Getting clues from coloration is clever. Dwight was correct; she was smack on the bottom. Jakob was also correct, who got his clue from the dark lateral line. Frankly I wasted most of the afternoon working the outer edge of hydrilla in 7.5 to 9.5 ft of water. I clung to that depth range because schoolies were occasionally breaking water around the boat. Shortly before sunset, I lifted the Talon, tilted the motor up and skated through the slop into knee-deep water. The little chunk was on the edge of alligatorweed, and Lois lost a larger bass in a wad of spatterdock. Rick Clunn used to say: “Never leave fish, to find fish”, but Al Lindner took a more aggressive stance: “Always stay flexible”. Roger

We fished about 4 hrs (1 pm to sunset) and boated 3 bass & 2 pickerel. The bass were 'very' active today. The weather was gorgeous and the lake was empty (probably more duck hunters than anglers). Gene Larew Rattlin Crawler and tungsten weight. Roger

Lois & I hit Lake Kissimmee this afternoon, and pretty much had the big pond to ourselves. Don't worry, I'm not going to ask: "What Does This Fish Weigh" She weighed 5-lb 9-oz, but I'd like to ask a more useful question: What 'WATER DEPTH' Did She Come From? (Florida-strain bass | Natural lake | 67-deg Water) ==================================================================== Sunset on Lake Kissimmee (Today: 01-21-2015) Roger

My original response was based on 'bottom contour', which by itself can keep the angler on the right side of the law. The addition of new limnological and biological data will naturally put constraints on bass location. A secchi depth of 6 feet indicates 'clear' water, which would encourage me to fish away from the dam, where water clarity might be more user-unfriendly. Technically speaking, 'chara' (muskgrass) is not a true plant, but a high form of algae very similar to 'nitella' (stonewort). Nevertheless, bass find these unrooted, bottom-clingers very attractive (nitella & chara). Still and all, I wouldn't consider either algae form as a game-changer. With respect to largemouth bass, I don't envision separate lake regions for breeding, foraging and refuge, but look for year-round sites that can satisfy all their needs. The 'daily migration' theory of bass is not supported by telemetry studies, nor is it supported by Mother Nature herself. Largemouth bass possess a swim bladder, an organ devised to maintain neutral buoyancy. Furthermore, when you fillet a migratory fish you will always find a dark bloodshot median, which supplies oxygenated blood needed for daily migration. The median flesh band of largemouth bass is flaky white, which strongly suggests a residential homebody. It stands to reason, that a residential fish would strive to compress breeding, foraging and refuge into one common area (year-round holding site). In some lakes their wish can be granted, in other lakes it cannot. In waterbodies shared by both largemouth bass and northern pike, the "pike" is deemed the dominant predator. The test lake contains longleaf pondweed (cabbage), which certainly lends to a pike population, and to a greater extent if broadleaf cabbage was also present (P. amplifolius). In addition, if this lake contains populations of high-fat pelagic prey like alewives, smelt, herring or ciscoes, then bass location would almost certainly be dictated by pike. In lakes shared by bass and a sound population of large pike, the main biomass of largemouth bass will typically inhabit the littoral zone between the shoreline and 10-ft contour line. An excellent example is Lake Huron's Georgian Bay where bass fishing is tremendous, but confined to peripheral coves and back-sloughs. Nevertheless, since bass are basically homebodies, this causes no real hardship. Gamefish are 'opportunistic' predators, and bluegills are 'ubiquitous'. Consequently, bluegills generally get far more credit then they rightfully deserve. Given a choice, gamefish prefer soft-finned baitfish like shiners, dace, minnows & shad, more so than spiny-rayed forage like bluegills & perch. Based on stomach contents, yellow perch constitute by far the highest percentage of the northern pike's diet. Based on angler success however, soft-finned baitfish such as chubs, shiners & even frozen smelt will far outperform a live yellow perch on the hook, which come in dead last. In other words, it's very difficult to differentiate 'Preference' from 'Availability'. Roger

If it provides suitable cover (weedy or woody), the topography at "+" could be a year-round site. I like it because the northeast bay is a sizable food-shelf & bedding flat, and its southern perimeter lies in fair proximity to the lake basin. It also appears that a couple of indistinct humps with 4-ft crests lie north of the lake basin, which could have seasonal interest. All bottom contour aside, the "headwaters" to the south might provide the best weedbeds, because the water farthest from the dam is generally the most turbid and fertile. Roger

RoLo = Roger & Lois Lois has been my rock-steady fishing partner since 1964 Roger

I’m not aware of the details, but I know that Ish is highly territorial, shall we say Remember the MLF on Lake Istokpoga? At one point, Marty Stone was approaching Ish Monroe's boat to chat with him. Marty almost got his head bit off, and promptly backed out of the canal The water temperature in the K-chain today was probably in the high 60s, not a good place to spend much time. Roger

Lake Wales, FL: $2.06

The Bassmaster 2015 Southern Open kicked off today, a 3-day tournament running from Thu, Jan 15 to Sat, Jan 17. The launch pad as usual is Lake Tohopekaliga, so the competitors have access to the entire Kissimmee Chain: Toho, Cypress, Hatchineha, Kissimmee, Tiger & Rosalie. The BPS weigh-in and Lake Toho are both within an hour of my house, but I’ll be watching televised coverage like everyone else, a much better seat ;-)) The weigh-in began at 3:13 with John Marshall who bagged one fish. You may watch the weigh-in on the Internet: http://www.bassmaster.com/video/2015-bass-pro-shops-southern-open-1-weigh Roger

Another example of covert structure: In 2013, I watched Major League Fishing on Lake Istokpoga, Florida. Istokpoga is another 'seemingly' featureless lake, and Marty Stone said something to the effect that the pros are degrading the importance of drop-offs and bottom contour, because there isn't any on Istokpoga. I'm sure that statement caused a lot of throat-clearing in the ranks. At one point, Chris Lane jumped ahead in the standings by pulling a couple good bass from the same spot. Chris was asked why he caught those bass at one spot and not in similar spots. Chris said, I don't know, they look exactly the same. I think he knew In a "featureless" lake, bottom contour and structure become even "more" important, not less important. They require closer inspection, because it's usually some small difference that separates the blue ribbon from the red ribbon. Ish Monroe won on the Big-O because he discovered a minor bottom wrinkle, while Chris Lane jumped in standings by working a merger of bulrushes and maidencane. Very often, a break in plant species that's visible to the angler, will disclose a breakline of soil types not visible to the angler. Roger

I follow an unwritten premise I call the "Priority of Poverty". Before you begin any chart survey, always take in the Big Picture. A lake that consists predominantly of shallow water, say between 0 & 8-ft deep, obviously requires no search for food-shelves because the whole lake is a foodshelf. As a result, the offsite survey should begin with a search for 'deep water'. In lakes that consist predominantly of deep water, such as highland reservoirs, canyon reservoirs, pit mines and cavernous natural lakes; shallow water is Gold and that's where I'd begin my search (poverty takes priority) Roger

That statement can't be over-emphasized, and is especially true in flat, saucer-like natural lakes. The distance between the back-line and belly-line of a ten-pound is about 7 inches, but they'll settle for half that step. In 2012, Ish Monroe won the Bassmaster Elite on Lake Okeechobee. He found pay dirt in Pelican Bay, which the casual observer would describe as featureless. When asked what he found in Pelican Bay, Ish replied that he adhered to a wrinkle in the bottom that was just a few inches high. Experiments made with completely featureless bottoms with nothing more than a change in color found that bass tended to spend more time along the color breakline. Things that make you go 'Hmmm'. Roger

Van T Barfoot (Jun 15, 1919 to Mar 2, 2012) Some may remember Van Barfoot, the stubborn old man in Virginia who despite orders from his Homeowner’s Association, flatly refused to remove the flagpole in front of his home that flew the American flag. In 1940, Van Barfoot enlisted in the US Army. On the front line in Germany, Barfoot set-out alone to flank German machine gunners who were raining bullets on American soldiers. Advancing single-handedly through a minefield, Barfoot took out 3 enemy machine gunners and captured a total of 17 prisoners of war. As though that weren’t enough, Barfoot later destroyed three German tanks to reclaim American machine gun positions. Given the scope of World War II, his heroism did not make news. Barfoot later served in the Korean war and also served in the Vietnamese war. In addition to many other medals he was awarded 3 purple hearts and the Congressional Medal of Honor, ultimately retiring as Colonel Van Barfoot. In spite of 34 years of service for his country and all his heroic deeds, none were deemed newsworthy enough to make headlines. At age 90, Van Barfoot flew the American flag on a 21-foot tall flagpole in front of his home. Residents in his neighborhood regarded it as a community eyesore and his HOA ordered Barfoot to dismantle the flagstaff. In defiance of court order, the aged American patriot flatly refused to comply. Finally realizing that Colonel Barfoot was a man not intimidated by adversity, the Homeowner’s Association backed down and withdrew their mandate. It’s a shameful irony, but the benign skirmish between Van Barfoot and his HOA made national TV headlines, but all his heroic deeds made none. It behooves us all to broadcast the positive news, because when it comes to negative news, the media leaves no stone unturned. Roger

Thank you Dwight, that answers all my questions. It definitely does resemble a smelt (she's going on my next order) Roger

Dwight, what do you think of the Slender Pointer (action / casting)? Roger

I quashed cabin-fever with a double-whammy: > I moved to Florida > I live in a tent Roger

That's odd scenery for a guy targeting swordfish. Roger

Lake Wales, FL: $2.11 Roger

Bass are opportunistic predators that eagerly seize bluegills & perch, which makes it very difficult to distinguish between 'Preference' & ‘Availability’. Given a choice, bass prefer soft-finned prey fish like shiners, dace, shad and minnows, and a healthy waterbody will generally support most if not all of them. Roger

After the leading edge of a cold-front has passed, we'll be dealing with a flat surface, high blue skies and passive bass. Many fishermen move deeper during postfrontal conditions, but I'll generally cling to the same water depth but fish close to bottom and more slowly. You have many options such as a jig & craw, wacky worm, dropshot ~ ~ Roger

Not all that much, I think my electric bill is larger Roger

'Lindner's Angling Edge' Roger

There are very few things that fish love more than abrupt depth-change, but a long running bluff can be too much of a good thing. For this reason, I'll pass up much of the bluff, fishing at the beginning of the bluff, the sharpest juts and deepest nooks along the bluff, and the end of the bluff As for lure selection, that usually has to wait until my wife boats the first fish I like Mister Hottle's approach (topwaters): Active fish are attracted to vertical drop-offs, where they can trap their prey. In turn, topwater lures tend to attract active fish, and if a fish doesn't respond....well...he's just a "bluff" Roger

A small statement; a 'mighty' message! Roger

This thread began as a question to Catt posed by ‘Deep’, but was somehow hijacked by Buck Perry..LOL. Indeed, Buck Perry revolutionized the sport of fishing, but that was about 50 years ago. Nothing that happened 50 years ago stopped the wheels of progress. If it were me, I'd want Catt to answer the question directed to him. Tom, unlike Buck Perry, has the benefit of radio-tracking results that eluded early pioneers (save Homer Circle), not to mention 3D down & side-imaging sonar, a wealth of data provided by pro tournament results and last but not least, Tom's own experience. Northern pike make an excellent training camp for contour fishing, because they have a more diverse lifestyle than largemouth bass. Many anglers scorn northern pike because they’re only familiar with the hammer-handles that pave every weedy bay. As a pike ages however, it requires more dissolved oxygen and will move offshore often beyond the deepest weedline. By the time a pike becomes a gator over 40" long, it can rightfully be classed as a coldwater fish. Big pike are not uncommonly caught by offshore netters targeting salmon, which is another coldwater fish. Remarkably, the flesh of pike ending up in salmon nets is often pink, just like the flesh of the salmon they eat. This is proof positive that trophy pike feed on high-fat pelagic prey fish. Therein lies the stumbling block, the Bait Car you might say. The trophy pike hunter who begins his hydrographic survey pouring over deep contour lines may be headed for trouble. The overwhelming majority of deep water is totally void of pike and bass, so rather than roaming vast areas of barren deepwater, it’s much quicker to enter through the front door. In the case of northern pike, you need to begin the chart survey by searching for backwater marshlands (spawning grounds). Pike do not build a nest, but are free-spawners that broadcast their eggs. As a result, the life of every pike begins in a shallow marshy slough. In Lake Superior for example, suitable spawning marshes are often more than 100 miles apart. Unlike largemouth bass which are essentially residential fish, northern pike are known to make long spawning runs up 20 miles. All the same, this still leaves plenty of 50 to 100-mile stretches that are virtually void of pike. Enormity never intimidates a contour fisherman, in fact, therein lies his strength. When we take contour analysis to the Atlantic Ocean we learn the exact same lesson but on a larger scale. When I lived in New Jersey, I regularly fished a food shelf that was 100 miles wide, a food shelf better known as the Continental Shelf. Littoral species, bottom species and pelagic species alike, all proliferate on our continental shelf, and Russian trawlers used to cross the ocean to fish America’s continental shelf. Where along the vast coastal shelf would the angler find the greatest concentrations of fish. Well, we're done with our shallow water search, so now we need to shift our attention to deep water. It goes without saying, the steepest drop-offs into the deepest water are most attractive to all forms of aquatic life, in both freshwater and saltwater. For my own edification, I like to call fast slopes 'compression points', and their importance is well known to every saltwater & freshwater captain. The steepest drop-offs in the Atlantic ocean suddenly plunge many fathoms, these are among the grandest super structures on planet earth, and each has earned its own personal name such as the Hudson Canyon, Baltimore Canyon, Wilmington Canyon, etc. Roger