RoLo

Frog, Mouse, Toad, Rat they're all man-assigned names for man's amusement, It's not likely that bass actually make a distinction between them Then again, I did overhear a couple bass talking about swamp donkeys, smokin roosters & space monkeys The important difference in topwater plastics is whether it's Solid (toad) or Hollow (frog). A solid toad typically sinks so they're normally fished nonstop to keep them on top (buzzed). A hollow frog floats so they can be fished with a stop-&-go retrieve without sinking. Roger

My personal favorite is P-Line CX Premium (single-x, not double-xx) It's an extremely tough copolymer line with a fluorocarbon jacket. Roger

I bring 7 rods, my wife brings another 7 so there's always 14 pre-rigged outfits onboard. Roger

MacMichael asks the most interesting questions: Striped Bass 44-lb 20-lb Ande (Shimano Conventional) Bluefin Tuna 175-lb Estimated 30-lb Ande (30-lb International) Blue, Dusky & Mako Sharks 100-lb to 225-lb 50-lb Ande (50-lb International) Roger

NO My cellmate uses only stolen Megabass cranks Roger

Did you actually hang around waiting for the reappearance of that snake? All predators prefer eating to starving, so the impulsive "wham" is merely an instinctive reaction (what anglers call a 'reaction' strike). In any case, if you perused the water surface for another 5 minutes, the odds of seeing that snake again ran between excellent to guaranteed (alas, a spent snake can easily get lodged beneath floating vegetation). Later in this same thread, I'd like to relate another personal account regarding bass & snakes that reinforces the same conclusion. Roger

Glenn's advice is spot-on. When fishing out of a boat, alligators don't have to be feared, only respected. But gators can be problematic when shore-fishing, especially if your slogging thru heavy brush and inadvertently come upon a nesting gator. Gators and black bears are beginning to realize that man is the weakling on planet Earth. "Lots of bugs & mosquitos?" Nah, that's more about south Florida. Roger

Prey that's immersed in powerful gastric acids does not survive very long in a predator's stomach. I can almost visualize that happening if the bass was in the process of regurgitating that moccasin, which dovetails into their dislike for snakes. Roger

You would certainly think so, but it's really not that simple. Although bass adore frogs, they dislike toads and snakes. In 1992, I had a home built on a 10-acre wooded tract in Georgia. Seizing an opportunity, I had the dozer operator excavate a small pond that Lois & I subsequently stocked with bass we caught locally. I never fertilized the pond, and only feed the bass on occasion for our own enjoyment. Once in a while I'd buy a dozen minnows just to have some fun. Whenever my wife or I came upon a toad, grasshopper, worm or snake, I'd toss it into our tiny pond and watch the festivities. The bass were lean and always hungry, and would blast anything that hit the surface. Much to our surprise though, every toad and every snake was eventually regurgitated and ended-up floating on the surface. Over time though, the bass became conditioned, and though they continued whacking frogs, worms, grasshoppers, etc, they totally ignored every toad and every snake. I've always been curious as to why this was so, but then a transient member on BR shed some light on the matter. If I remember correctly, he had hands-on experience dealing with reptiles and amphibians, and stated that the hide of snakes & toads is distasteful to bass, probably serving as a covert defense mechanism. Roger

Boaters sometimes forget that when the boat is underway, conversation and music must be pumped-up to compete with motor noise. While passengers just 6 feet apart are in a shouting match, you're 50 yards away and can hear every word clearly. Then one of the guys hollers "WHAT?", now you've got to listen to the same speech again, this time at a higher decibel Roger

John & I may not agree on everything, but when it comes down to vital tasks like Fish Location, we're both sitting in the same boat. If you remember this one tidbit, your time in this thread was not wasted: "The bite moves, not the fish". Between freshwater and saltwater I've probably fished for about 50 different species of fish (never bothered to count them). Regardless of which species I might be targeting, I ALWAYS run a paper route of waypoints based on Species - Waterbody - Season. Needless to say, a great deal of time, homework and experience goes into each and every holding site, and tweaking the nuclei is ongoing. Roger

The following statement is usually met with sharp skepticism, but based on everything I've experienced, bass are not fond of snakes. Roger

If the lake has recently been impounded, you'll need to find the topographical maps for that area. The United States Geological Survey has plotted nearly every square yard of the United States. If you obtain their master map you can get the numbers of the quadrangulars you need. Unfortunately, what anglers refer to as "topo maps" (topographical maps) are actually "hydro maps" (hydrographic maps). A "Topo Map" is a survey of raw land before any manmade reservoirs, so a true topo map only displays Elevation (no water depths). When a reservoir is new, the quickest way to acquire the depth lines is to acquire the necessary topo maps of the area, then convert the elevation lines to depth lines. All you need to know is the elevation that represents the shoreline. Roger

The map you provided displays no contour lines. A map without depth lines is like a dinner plate without food. The first step to fishing any new lake is to procure a hydrographic map or GPS bathymetry Roger

Over the years, I've probably used enough Sevenstrand steel leaders to fill a garbage can. Steel leaders are highly kink-prone and rust-prone, but since the introduction of titanium leader I discarded my entire inventory of steel leader. Two excellent brands of titanium wire leader are "AFW Titanium Wire" and "Knot2Kinky Nickel-Titanium Wire". No sleeves, no crimping pliers, just swing a quick figure-8 knot and have at it. Yes, wire leader dampens lure action, but I'm not sure that it also dampens your catch rate. Either way, a low cutoff ratio is just as important as maximum lure action, especially with my luck. Titanium leader will boat every toothy fish without a single cut-off, something that cannot be said of steel leader (which weakens as it kink) and something that could never be said of fluorocarbon leader. The sticker shock of titanium leader scares many anglers away, but thanks to its high kink-resistance, one titanium leader can last the better part of a day. In the long run, titanium begins to look reasonable, and is far more pleasurable to fish than steel. Roger

Lake Kissimmee consists mainly of 'Florida-strain' bass (some intergrades - no northern-strain), Anyone who tells you that Florida-strain bass prefer cooler temperatures is pulling your leg. A minor drop in water temperature generally doesn't cause a major change in action, but a water temperature drop of 3 degrees or more will usually cripple the Florida-strain fishery. Fortunately, cold-fronts are normally followed by a warm-front, when you can make up for lost time. Roger

Virtually all my sinkers are black, green pumpkin or unpainted (lead & tungsten). I've never witnessed any difference in success based on sinker color. On the other hand, if a certain color combination enhances your comfort level, then go for it. Roger

Well, you can dabble in Conway or Underhill but why bother You've already traveled 1,500 miles from Boston to Orlando, why not travel 20 miles more and fish West Toho, Tohopekaliga set and holds the B.A.S.S. all-time 1-day stringer record. Roger

Failing to find 'good fish' during the spawning season is often the result of fishing too deep. This is particularly true in clear lakes, where anglers have been conditioned to bassing in 12 to 18 feet of water (or deeper). Similar to the vegetable kingdom, 'photoperiod' apparently exerts the major influence on spawning and not water temperature. Water temperature is a coincident indicator that varies significantly between northern-strain bass & Florida-strain bass, In any event, it's vital to understand the role and disposition of cow bass during the actual spawn. The buck bass selects the bedding site, sweeps out the nest and guards the fry. This makes it abundantly clear that the nest is HIS and not hers. To that end, the bed of every buck is normally visited by several cows (hot dang). During the actual spawn, cow bass 'fast' and are not interested in food or eating. Moreover, since cow bass are not the designated protectorate, they are not aggressive during the actual spawn and difficult to catch. As a result, the lion's share of cow bass caught during the spawning season are caught during the "PRE-spawn" or "POST-spawn modes. Happily, there's a generous overlap in the 3 sub-seasons. Roger

A recording of the "Iaconelli Yell" -- I BLAST it after every fish! Roger

"Deps" is the creme de la creme of lure manufacturers, I love everything they produce. Their R&D division is six sigma, but there is one caveat. Deps produces many limited edition baits. Apparently they're only interested in barnburners, so when sales taper off on a lure, they're quick to discontinue production. Deps has left me flat on several lures, so now I stockpile their baits. Oops, now you know who's responsible for all those "Sold Out" banners Roger

--- Jackall TN/70 - SG Threadfin (5/8oz x 2.8") --- Spro Aruku Shad - Chrome blue (5/8oz x 3.0") Roger

Canadice,Wow! My next guess would've been Keuka (I blew that one). We have a couple fishing guides living in our community. One of them guides in Florida during the winter and guides on Honeoye Lake, NY during the summer. According to Frank, Honeoye has a lot of bass but is not a good lake for size (nothing like your hippo). Roger

Yes, I do miss them nasty north country gators (not the snot rockets in weedy bays, but 35" up). When targeting pike & muskies I use titanium wire, so their dentures present no problem. Roger

Gotcha I *** you, I really miss smallmouth bass & northerns. (I'm guessing Conesus on that LMB) Roger