RoLo

Harsh perhaps..but spot-on Roger

I was a Ford guy for years, used to blow-off chevys at Old Bridge, Island & Englishtown Raceways. Be that as it may, THIS Ford is 'ugly' (needs new rubber too!) Roger

You will notice that the girl in the lower right was already facing the action, before there was any action <??> She's obviously the girl who orchestrated that age-old but effective maneuver.

Largemouth bass and chain pickerel lie at the same hierarchy on the food chain. So it boils down to body mass where mite makes right, no different than a small bass versus a large bass. It's a different story however when it comes to the pickerel's big brother, the 'northern pike'. The mean mass of northern pike is substantially greater than largemouth bass, therefore the pike is the dominant species. Consequently, in lakes where pike and bass coexist, the habitat of largemouth bass is largely dictated by the seasonal movements of northern pike (not so with pickerel). Roger

Sorry to hear that you southern boys are also dodging lightning bolts. It's been crazy in central Florida for the past 14 weeks. I'm sure we're dealing with a record-breaking year, and I'm waiting to see the figure on the 2014 total rainfall. Roger

As a whole, our sport would benefit from growth, because conservation would be better funded. On the other hand, how many fishermen would be happy to see twice as many boats on their favorite lakes? As for the word "sport", it's basically semantics. Baseball is more strenuous than fishing, but wood-chopping is more strenuous than baseball, does that make wood-chopping a sport? Most people who say they love football don't play football, they just 'watch' football. Most people who say they love fishing, actively 'participate' in fishing. To me, baseball and football are just 'games', but hunting and fishing are 'sports'. Roger

I have a house full of rifles, shotguns and sidearms, but they're all remnants from my hunting years, and have nothing to do with home protection. Nevertheless, if I ever felt threatened in my homestead, I'd just slide a #4 buckshot shotshell in my 12-ga Remington 1100. A scattergun has an astronomically wider striking area than a handgun, and far greater knockdown power. Roger

YES...I'm ready for the fall, and even more ready for all this 'rain' to end (it's slashed our year-to-date fishing time about 65%) Our traditional rainy season has always been June & July, but the past 3 years it's extended through August and this year it's continued halfway thru September. Rant over Roger

The state of Florida is over 500 miles long, so my reply pertains only to central Florida (Orlando region) If you're looking for a record-class bass (over 10), the months of January, February & March are indisputably best. Not surprisingly, the bass action during this cool-water quadrant can be slow (when live shiners are most popular). If you're looking for max action with trophy-class bass (6 to 9), my favorite months by far are April & May. Again, this is applicable only to central Florida. If you're serious about landing a personal best, I can't think of one advantage to using 10-lb line. Bass are not afraid of alligators with which they coexist, so they're certainly not afraid of fishing line. On the other hand, I can think of a couple reasons why NOT to use light line. We use 30 lb braid almost exclusively, which is adequate for most of the heaviest cover. Roger

In 1992, we had a house built on 10-acres in Georgia. Seizing an opportunity, I had the bulldozer operator excavate a backyard pond. I learned a great deal from that pond, and one thing I noticed was that our captive bass did not behave the same as the bass in West Point Lake (from which they came). I believe that the manner in which captive bass feed depends on the availability of natural food. Early on, our backyard pond lacked a natural supply of baitfish, so the bass were dependent on my wife & myself. They quickly grew accustomed to our presence, they associated us with food and followed us around the pond like puppy dogs (the marvels of adaptation). One day I sprung for a few dozen shiners, and set the bag of baitfish on the bottom of the pond in a few inches of water. My plan was to grab one or two minnows at a time, and pitch them into the pond, but the bass had other plans. They could see the shiners through the clear plastic bag, and my 17-inch bass blasted the bag with such meaningful force that the bag busted and released all the shiners at once. His mouth also contacted my hand leaving a visible cut, so you might say it was my most intimate contact with bass It's true that bass will often seize a live minnow, debilitate their prey and then lose interest. But I believe that's more of a cat-&-mouse game than serious feeding. Back in the 70s, it annoyed me to discard the remainder of my minnows, so I took them home and froze them, which lead to a breakthrough. Since that time, I've taken some pretty nice bass on a jig-&-dead minnow from Georgian Bay Ontario to the Withlacoochee River in Florida. Dead natural bait is more alive than any artificial lure, but like fishing a Zoom fluke you want to add action. Dead bait is fine as long as it's "fresh" dead, but once dead bait becomes stale, it's game over (bass are not scavengers). Our little pond revealed other interesting finds. Our bass loved grubs, worms, frogs & grasshoppers, but NOT toads & snakes which apparently are toxic, distasteful or both. The bass would smack every snake and toad we tossed in the pond, but within 30 seconds it would invariably end-up floating on the surface (regurgitated). After a while the bass the bass learned, and stopped hitting toads and snakes altogether. That might explain why large swimbaits made the big time, but large snake lures never did. In a healthy pond, it's not necessary to feed the bass, unless of course you're looking to grow fat bass (Just like people, bass that overeat become overweight). For example, as I type this there’s a fat 5-year old goldfish in my backyard pond in Florida. I never once fed that fish in the past five years (tadpoles are his favorite). On the other hand, the bass in my Georgia pond did not have an abundant source of natural food. I got lazy over time and let the bass fend for themselves. I never lost a single bass to disease or starvation, but their growth rate was very disappointing. Then one day my wife called me outside to see something. The 17” bass had swallowed the 12” bass, and the tail of the 12 incher was sticking out of the 17 incher’s mouth! That poor fellow had to swim around like that for a couple days before his gastric acids dissolved enough of the bass's head so he could finally close his mouth. Roger

My wife and I attended her high school reunion. I noticed her staring at some drunken guy at a nearby table. I asked my wife: "Do you know that guy?" She replied, "Yes, he's my old boyfriend. After we broke up, he began to drink heavily and I'm told that he hasn't been sober since". "My goodness!" I said, "Who would think that anyone could celebrate that long?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had just retired and was applying for Social Security. To verify my age, the woman at the desk asked for my driver's License. I couldn't believe it, but I actually left my wallet at home that day. The clerk said, 'Just unbutton your shirt'. When she seen all the silver hairs on my chest she said, "That's proof enough" and I was accepted. At home, I told my wife about my fortunate experience. She said to me: "You should've dropped your pants, then you might've gotten disability too!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My wife was standing nude in front of our bedroom mirror. She said to me, "I look old, fat & ugly, I desperately need to hear a compliment." I replied: "Your eyesight is EXCELLENT!" My doctor said that I will walk again, but not without a limp. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On my way to work this morning, I rear-ended a car. As it happened, the driver of the other car was a Dwarf. The little fellow came up to me and said 'I am NOT Happy!'. I said to him: "Okay, so which one are you?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our marriage anniversary was rapidly approaching and my wife would drop hints about the gift she wanted. "BOY" she said, "It must be fantastic to own something that goes from 0 to 200 in less than 10 seconds!". So I bought her a bathroom scale. Roger

It's been several hours since my last drink I only drink medicinally of course, to benefit from the French Paradox and to keep my HDLs over 55. Killing yourself with alcohol is not easy, but killing yourself with nicotine is assured. Roger

The first braided line I ever used was Power Pro, but since that time I've experimented with many brands. My two favorite polyethylene braids are Berkley Trilene Braid and Sufix 832. What's a wind-knot again, I keep forgetting? Roger

Overlooking the basics is going down the wrong path, something we realize after more thinking rather than less. Roger

Does anyone truly believe that there's any such thing as 'Over-thinking'? Is KVD an 'Over-thinker'? Indeed, there is thinking that goes down the wrong path, but the best cure for errant thinking is 'more' thinking rather than less. If I were told that I had to keep my fishing simple, I'd be looking for another avocation. New lures, new knowledge and new technology don't complicate fishing, they keep it exciting. An earthworm under a bobber will always catch fish, we do not need 'side-imaging' and 'on-site chart processing'. On the other hand, I enjoy on-site chart creation as much as I enjoy catching fish. No chart company in the world can devote the time necessary to create accurate charts of your favorite lakes...but you can. Roger

There is a difference between an 'aggregation' of fish, and a 'school' of fish. An 'aggregation' is just a temporary collection of fish drawn by food supply or attractive conditions. A 'school' (in both freshwater & saltwater) typically consists of fish born during the same spawning season. Year-class schooling is nature’s way of minimizing intra-school cannibalism (same age, similar size). With each passing year however, every year-class grows progressively smaller through attrition. Lunkers aren't loners by choice, they're simply the last of the Mohicans. For this reason, 50-lb striped bass and 12-lb largemouth bass are normally found as a pair or all alone. Roger

Years ago, I purchased an expensive saltwater center-console. In order to defray the cost (and placate my conscience) I thought seriously about professional guiding. It's questions like this however that make me happy I never took the plunge. Would you be okay knowing that your daily wages are hanging in the balance, based on a cold-front or other circumstance beyond your control? Have you ever had an unproductive day at work? Is your pay docked every time you have a bad day at work? Anyone's who's done any amount of angling knows that there are no guarantees in fishing, and even KVD can't guarantee you a fish. I've never hired a fishing guide in my life, but that's only because 'locating' fish is my very favorite part of fishing. It would be foolish for me to pay someone to take away my favorite part of fishing (anybody can wind a fish to the gunnel). In any case, if I ever did hire a guide and he put in the time and the effort, I could never bring myself to accept a freebie or half-price fare. Roger

Realistically, this topic probably deals more with limnology than opinion. In crystal-clear water, predatory fish can see the flaws in our delivery and tend to be more 'skittish & noncommittal'. In dark murky water, predators tend to be more aggressive due to sharply comprised vision but in very dingy water they're highly reliant on 'sound & vibration'. I prefer middling secchi depths, where a white lure disappears about 4 ft deep (3 to 5 ft). In central Florida, there's a small, deep, gin-clear lake of sinkhole origin (karst). When the sun is shining you can easily see the bottom in 9 ft of water. The outer weed-line in this lake averages about 14 ft deep, so if you work along the deep weedlines (edge of photosynthesis) you'd be keeping your lure in the twilight zone where fishing can be excellent in a clear lake. Roger

Good question. Swimbaits are relatively quiet lures, but they produce strong vibration. Although vibration is very important, it’s not as far-reaching as sound. I would say that water clarity of 2 feet or more is ample for swimbaits, but it really depends on how you intend to fish the swimbait (distance below the water surface). If you're going to fish a soft swimbait deep on a heavy jighead, clear water is definitely an asset. On the other hand, when it's fished just below the surface on a weighted swimbait hook, the importance of water clarity falls off sharply. I feel comfortable with that statement because our favorite swimbait lake for big bass has water clarity that normally ranges between 5 and 20 inches (about a foot on balance). Roger

She's a beauty Jeff...well worth the wait Roger

Earlier in this thread, I said that Where, When & How are all key players, that no single element can stand alone, because success depends on the whole ball-of-wax. On the other hand, I never suggested that equal time should be devoted to each component ‘Location’ is a comprehensive science that begins with Waterbody Selection and ends with Cast Placement (geographic location to bass lair). The lion’s share of my time is spent on ‘location’, both at home and on the water. Before fishing any new lake, I’ll always have a 'paper route' of trial sites that were meticulously pinpointed at home. The original waypoints will be tweaked over the years, but the basic framework of the route usually remains remarkably the same. It goes without saying, this isn't possible without a deep understanding of location, which makes a compelling case for learning as much about ‘location’ as you can (depth ranges, bottom contour, cover types ~ ~). Roger

Dwight, one day you & I are going to bump boats OH, PA, NY, GA, FL, TN, Ontario, KY, AL, SC, NJ & MI Roger

I don't believe Matt is degrading the importance of location, he's saying that fishing is a 'percentage game' with several elements. In order to boat trophy fish, you need the right lure, in the right place, at the right time. That's a mighty tall order, but when we come up short on any one element, our odds fall off dramatically. For many years I've refrained from stating flatly that Big lures catch Big bass. However, one has only to look in my tackle box to see that big lures is basically all I throw. Fishing with large lures doesn't promise anything, but a large lure is going to boost your trophy potential more than a small lure can. On the contrary, many anglers who parrot the phrase: "Big lures, Big bass" are apparently not targeting big bass. When you look inside their tackle box you will often see single-tail grubs instead of double-tail grubs, Rage Craws instead of Rage Lobsters, Skinny Dippers instead of Big EZs and so on. In central Florida at least, the majority of my heaviest bass during the past 5 years have been taken on soft swimbaits. On the other hand, most of my wife's largest bass have been taken with a Deps Twin-Tail Grub on a homemade skirted jig. In both cases, a hefty lure with good bulk. I like pitching hard swimbaits but exposed hooks don't go very far in our shallow, weedy lakes. I've tried the weedless Hudd with good results, but the weedless feature doesn't hold up well under my cruel abuse. Roger

You lucky devil, I was married 5 years when you were born. You bet I'm jealous Roger

I find it pretty interesting how jokes transition to fit the era. I know Slonezp is much too young to remember, but I first heard this joke during the late 1950s / early 1960s. Back then, restaurants and a la carte were out of reach of most laypeople. In fact, hamburgers took a backseat to the 25-cent frank. Hotdogs and wieners were all the rage, long before the first Carrolls, Wetsons or Burger Chef. Anyway, here goes (60 years earlier): Same trailer, different park: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A man enters “Vinnie’s Franks” and is fascinated by the sanitary practices he sees in a lowly hotdog joint. Vinnie never makes physical contact with any food. Every frank is placed on the grill using stainless steel tongs, which is then grilled to perfection under Vinnie's rolling spatula. Using a pair of tongs, Vinnie deftly places a sanitary napkin into his hand, followed by a bun into which the frank is placed. The man said to Vinnie: "I must say, you run a tidy operation here, I’m impressed”. With a proud grin Vinnie said: “Thank you very much, and I’d like to show you something”. “You see this string attached to the hole in my zipper?” Yes the man said, but what’s that's all about? Vinnie replied: “When nature calls and I’m in the restroom, I just pull down on the string to lower my fly". 'WOW', the man said, 'that's incredible!' Then after a brief silence the man came back: 'But after your fly is down, how do you umm.....how do you ahh. Vinnie jumped in, “With these tongs right here!” Roger