RoLo

After reading the responses Tom, I felt it was well covered. IMO, night-fishing would be the most effective option, though I personally don't enjoy it. Roger

When an angler purchases a new rod, he usually has a job in mind for that rod, so in a sense every rod is technique-specific. But the customer has a choice: He can allow the rodmaker select his rod, or he can select his own rod based on the features he desires. Before purchasing any rod I make a list of desired options: such as length, power, action, blank modulus, guide material, butt length & so on Most of the time I won't find what I'm looking for, but will have to settle. For example, my first swimbait rod was marketed as a musky rod. Roger

30-lb braid tied direct (our lakes are stained to murky and rock-free) Roger

I would hesitate to advise an angler to head offshore, without first knowing whether he's fishing a Natural lake or Artificial lake. When I used to chase tuna & sharks, we spent most of our day in 100 to 200 ft of water. In freshwater reservoirs, we're often fishing in water only 10 to 18 ft deep, and in natural lakes (Florida to Ontario) most of our time is generally spent in 2 to 10 ft of water. The 10-ft contour line in one lake might reach a mile offshore, but in another lake it might only be 5 ft from shore. Bass aren't interested in the whereabouts of the shoreline and neither should the fisherman. Moving offshore just for the sake of distancing yourself from the shoreline is not always a savvy tactic. Roger

That's a great little story. Talk about blind luck! Roger

The buck bass is the designated protectorate who defends the fry for an indeterminate period. When he grows tired of his chores and the fry are bite-size, the buck turns on the fry and devours his own offspring. This sends a clear signal to the fry pod, that it's time to leave the nest. Roger

Lake Mum, Florida

When Bass Pro Shops opened up in Orlando their shelves were loaded with Gambler baits. Gambler is based right here in Florida, so that made me a tad skeptical. I suspected they were local knock-offs with a fat profit margin, but I was wrong. Gambler makes high-quality stuff, and their baits are made of tough plastic that doesn't fall apart after 1 bass. More importantly, you'll notice that most Gambler baits 'Float' (test them in your bathroom basin). The Gambler Big EZ is a hippo-hanger in Florida, right up there with live shiners. Another winner is the Gambler Cane Toad, which Chris Lane used to win a major Florida tournament. IMO, the Cane Toad is rivaled only by the Stanley Ribbit & Strike King Rage Toad. Roger

My sincere condolences to Mark and his family Even in times of weakness, strength may still be found Roger

There is no over-thought, but there is errant thought

Here's my point: Water Clarity is only 'one' component of the fish's Underwater Visibility. Other criteria that enter the equation are Sun Angle, Sky Clarity & Wave Action. For instance, regardless of the 'water clarity', fish see much better at high noon than at midnight. Regardless of water clarity, which is 'fixed', fish see much better on a sunny day than on a day with heavy overcast, which equates to degraded water clarity. Regardless of the water clarity, underwater visibility is superior on a calm day when there's no underwater distortion. Wave action caused by high winds produces crisscross refraction that can sharply impair a fish's underwater visibility. Last but not least is Lure Depth For example, suppose I select my lures colors based on 30" water clarity (stained water). I begin to fish the lure as a subsurface bait about 1 foot below the surface. Then I decide to deliver the same lure about 10 ft below the surface. Regardless of water clarity, which is 'fixed', the light level at 10 ft below the surface will be significantly lower that the light level 1 ft below the surface. So in spite of water clarity, I'd probably change to a darker color at 10 ft, in order to enhance the contrast. Roger

Today, when I fish a Devil's Horse, I'll let it sit after the cast until the ripples flatten away (about 7 sec). Then reel it at the slowest speed that produces an audible sizzle (slow roll - pause - slow roll - pause ~ ~) I should add though, lots of guys are better horsemen than me Roger

I'm no herpetologist, but I'll share what I do know about snakes. The diet of a snake is an extensive list, and frogs and toads are on the menu. For the most part, American frogs are harmless, but many toads are toxic. Although snakes and raptors are immune to the toxin, it sickens other animals such as fish. Toxic toads are generally distasteful, which serves as a warning to would-be diners. Interestingly enough, snakes that devour toxic toads also become toxic and also become distasteful. I'm convinced that this is the reason why the bass in my backyard pond regurgitated toads and snakes. Then after continued exposure they totally ignored all toads and snakes I offered. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As promised, below is another personal experience relating to bass and snakes: Though I might have a photographic memory, I recorded the details of the following account in May of 1999. My wife & I were fishing in Nalcrest Canal on the north shore of Lake Walk-in-Water, Florida. We were both casting 7-1/2" Culprit worms, only the colors were different. Lois cast to a small patch of lily pads and ended up boating a fine bass that scaled 5-lb 12-oz. What takes place next however was something I'll always remember: We were anchored, so after weighing, photographing & releasing her fish, the boat was still in the same spot. While restoring order in the boat I noticed a snake slithering across the surface toward our boat. The snake passed alongside our boat and was headed 'directly' into the same patch of lily pads. I got all excited and said to Lois: "Watch This! we're going to see a bass blow-up a snake". We watched in apprehension as the slender serpent entered the lily pads slowly and seductively, it even paused daringly at one point. Well, to our surprise and to our disappointment there was no explosion, and the charmed reptile made it safely to dry land. Surprise 2 With nothing to lose, I intentionally cast my 7-1/2" Culprit worm into the lily pads, 'exactly where the live snake had just passed. The worm barely sunk 3" when it was grabbed by a bass. The bass took to the air and came unbuttoned, but we got a good look at her. My wife & I agreed that it looked like the twin sister of her bass. Losing the bass was small potatoes compared to the unique learning experience. This poses the question: 'Why was the Real McCoy rejected, while the plastic fake was eaten?' What was the deciding factor: Size, Action, Depth ~ ? We can only speculate of course, but I believe the snake was rejected because it looked like a snake. It passed within a yard of our boat so I got a long, close-up view of what I carefully estimated to be 13" in length (never able to identify the species). In any case, I'm sure a large hungry bass would lambast a 13" plastic worm, and since plastic worms are neither toxic nor distasteful, she'd have no reason to spit it out. Be that as it may, I've since limited my plastic worms to a maximum 'true' length of 10". At least this removes any suspicions that I might have, to keep my confidence intact. It occurred to me, this might explain why the Hannon Snake never made the Big Time. Roger

Now that you mention it, I've learned the same thing too. I'd use a slow-roll to stay in contact with the plug, fast enough to get a good 'sizzling' sound, like bacon on the grill. Roger

That's the same basic technique that I use as well. However, that word "muddy" is confusing to me. For instance, the water visibility in a gin clear lake at midnight (-90) might be 8 inches. But at high-noon (+90) the water visibility in that same lake might be 8 ft. My question is this: Do you adjust your secchi depths throughout the day to compensate for current lighting conditions? To use another example, the water visibility may be 5-ft during a 4 mph early-morning breeze, but by mid-afternoon it can be reduced to 1-foot by a 20 mph blow (spinnerbait time). Roger

And the 'Funky Bunch'?

Jig colors are typically selected according to current Water Visibility' (Secchi Depth). However, rather than recommend pet jig colors, I think it would be more useful to focus on 'water visibility' and its components. When lure colors are chosen based on water visibility, we're turning our backs on 'matching-the-hatch' (you can't have it both ways). Nonetheless, I believe that color selection should hinge on water visibility rather than trying to match the colors of prey. (1) You may be dead wrong about the soup du jour (2) Targeted prey is subject to change without notice (3) Bass forage is available in every color under the sun and then some. Although 'lure color' is debatable, 'lure visibility' is not. Ideally, the lure should be visible within the effective Strike Window of bass. The scope of the strike window hinges on Water Visibility and Water Temperature. Cold and muddy water severely compresses the strike window of fish, a scenario that pro anglers despise. In reality, when anglers speak of water transparency and water color they're only addressing water clarity, which is only 1 out of 6 components of water visibility. To accurately appraise underwater Water Visibility, all 6 determinants must be evaluated: Water Visibility - Sun Angle (midday to midnight) - Sky Clarity (cloudless to heavy overcast) - Water Clarity (crystal clear to muddy) - Wave Action (flat calm to sharp chop) - Lure Depth (1-ft to 25-ft) - Cover Shade (open water to dense cover) Be reminded, this post is not a Color Picker, but a breakdown of the components that comprise Water Visiblity. If you believe that lure colors should be based on lighting conditions, this post provides the framework Roger

With jerkbaits in particular, there is a period of adjustment, but after a couple bass, you'll be riding that two-wheeler. Remember one thing about jerkbaits, the emphasis is NOT on the jerk, the key is the the duration of your 'pause'. Water temperature provides a rough guide, but onsite experimentation provides the best input. Roger

This post jogs my memory. The Rapala Original Floater was a popular vintage lure, but like Roadwarrior, my first topwater was a 'Propbait'. Unlike Roadwarrior though, my first propbait was a black 'South Bend Crippled Minnow'. The early version I was using was made during the transition from wooden plugs to hard-plastic plugs. I say "plugs" because 'crankbait' was not a word back then. The first plastic propbaits had a center seam that ran around the circumference of the lure. I caught my first bass on that propbait, but got all excited and whacked the standing oar on my next cast (we were fishing out of pram rowboat). Anyway, the impact busted my lure into two halves, and since it was the only lure I had, it ended my fishing that day Roger

I'm assuming that you mean Large Hard Swimbaits, rather than Small Soft Swimbaits. Either way, I'm not aware of any fraternity, clique or pomp surrounding swimbaits, but maybe I'm in the dark. Living in Florida, my exposure to swimbaits is limited to soft swimbaits, which are weedless. The only exception is the weedless Huddleston, but they simply don't stand up to the abuse Perhaps the machismo evolves around SIZE, but swimbaits are available in all sizes. For instance you can fish a 5" swimbait, a 7" Mag Fluke, 7" Senko and a 10" Grub with a 1-1/4" diameter that I showed Fishindaddy Roger

Probably not, but I only say that because I'm so familiar with all of them (I'm a relic myself) What muddies the water is that many discontinued lures are later reinstated (e.g. Pop-R - Crazy Crawler - Manns Jelly Worm & so on) Today, the Crazy Crawler is most popular with pike & musky anglers The Helin Flatfish was my father's 2nd favorite lure, which gives you an idea just how old it is (the Lazy Ike came later) If I'm not mistaken, the Bayou Boogie was the very first lipless crank, followed shortly by the Heddon Sonic (later by the Super Sonic). In any case, you have a really cool collection there Roger

- Gambler Big EZ Swimbait - Jig & Deps Twintail Grub - 3/4oz Johnson Spoon & 5" Kalin Grub - Culprit 9" Fat Max Worm (junebug) Roger

This thread should give a big boost to the tackle industry

You came to the right place, Bass Resource is like a honey hole in cyberspace. Roger

I wouldn't attribute the difference to shape, I would attribute it to size difference On average, the smaller lure will outfish the larger lure, while the larger lure will usually produce a higher mean weight. Small poppers like the Pop-R is a numbers lure, but big buzzbaits are lunker lures. A Zoom finesse worm will usually outfish a Zoom Ole Monster, but the trophy is more likely to fall to the bigger worm Roger