RoLo

Wouldn't that be the 'western' basin?

Welcome aboard ljnichols. How bout that Chris Lane? (right in your backyard) Roger

I've never "worn out" any reel, but have had many reels with shoddy workmanship, several with bail problems, gear malfunctions and outright failures. The biggest offenders over the years have been Quantum, followed more recently by Daiwa. The only reel brand I even consider anymore is Shimano, From Symetre to Stella, I've never had a Shimano reel that failed me. As for rods, I don't wear them out, I just pop-out guide inserts and break them in half Our vegetable garden sports the most expensive tomato stakes in the county. Roger

Welcome aboard Josiah I've never striper fished in Virginia, but Chesapeake Bay is a renowned striped bass estuary. In fact, most of the stripers caught along the Jersey shore were born in the Chesapeake Bay. In the inlet south of Fisherman's Island looks like a shoe-in for stripers. Roger

Yes, in Michigan's uppermost lower peninsula, just south of the Mackinaw Bridge. Of late, Burt has been producing smallies heavier than Grand Traverse & Sturgeon Bay (rivaling those out of Erie). Jonathon VanDam has a bronzeback honey-hole in the UP that he refuses to divulge. I'm willing to bet it's Burt Lake. Roger

BEAUTIFUL I was hoping you'd say Burt Lake (thinking about vacationing there) Roger

That pretty much sums up where I stand on rattles At a recent pro tourney everyone was using plugs with rattles except KVD...guess who won the tournament? Roger

John, if you don't mind me asking, was that bronzeback from Lake Erie? Roger

NONE The noise of man is left in my wake, so I can listen to the music of nature. Roger

WRB contributed a lot to the forums and shouldn't be defined by one post. Humans are fallible, so poking holes in an errant post is as easy as taking candy from a baby. Roger

The most important line property is not buoyancy or invisibility, the most important line property is 'Line Diameter'. Regardless of whether a line floats, sinks or is neutrally buoyant, the line with the fattest diameter will generate the most resistance, will produce the greatest line bow and therefore offer the worst sensitivity. Although this is less pronounced in the shallow freshwater venue, it's a way of life in saltwater. All that said, P-Line CX Premium is a copolymer nylon line with a fluorocarbon jacket The bulk of copolymer lines are monofilament, but P-Line CX Premium is cofilament. Roger

No, there isn't any nylon or copolymer line that sinks as fast as pure fluorocarbon. The fastest sinking copolymer lines are those that incorporate some fluorocarbon. For example, "P-Line CX Premium" is a nylon copolymer line with a fluorocarbon jacket. Be wary of the consensus. Although braided line may float it possesses a much thinner diameter, and that throws a big monkey wrench into the equation Roger

The focal point of a Carolina-rig and Texas-rig are entirely different. The focal point of a C-rig is the SINKER, while the focal point of a T-rig is the HOOK. The distinguishing feature of a C-rig is any rig that separates the sinker from the lure, thereby relieving the lure from the burden of the sinker. Needless to say, a sinker-stop is needed, but whether you use a swivel, split-shot, Carolina Stop or jam knot has no bearing on the definition of Carolina-rig In its purest form, a "T-rig" describes nothing more than a method of hooking. When the T-rig first reached New Jersey, we referred to it as a "self-weedless rig". However the expression 'self-weedless rig' was soon replaced by "Texas-rig", then T-rig. On its heels, Tru-Turn offered a Z-bend hook that facilitated T-rigging. The addition or omission of a slip-sinker has no bearing on the definition of Texas-rig. Slip sinkers, beads, rattles and toothpicks are simply accessories to a T-rigged plastic. That's my indoctrination, and I'm sticking to it Roger

Even worse, I have a Tackle Warehouse right here in my house

Thank you 1-7. Still in Lake Wales, FL

Good read Roger

I give up, when were "Blob-baits" renamed Swimbaits?

That's no joke! I believe that Sir Snook and myself are the biggest night owls on Bass Resource. In the wee hours of the morning, Sir Snook is one of the only member names I'll recognize on the roster. I usually hit the sack between 2 and 3 AM (EST), never nap and very rarely get more than 6 hrs of sleep per night. Roger

Thank you everyone for your kind replies and for having the courage to share your own heartfelt familial experiences. They are more mending than you might imagine. I also want to say that the compassion expressed in this forum goes far beyond this thread. It gives the members of Bass Resource a better understanding of the solid support system that exists here. Glenn at the helm of this enormous vessel should not be taken lightly, because he can steer his ship in the direction of his choosing. Roger

I don't know about you A-Jay, but when I turn '100', I'm tossing my smartphone into the lake Roger

Bingo!

It would probably be too early for soft-plastics with a wide stroke (big footprint) but not too early for the rage craw and rage lobster. Like a lipless crank, the fast tight wobble of rage baits can be very effective in early spring, and they remain active to a virtual standstill. Roger

Ah-hah, somebody has a new ice auger and tip-ups

Far more important than the weight of any bass is having a lifetime fishing partner. Looks at least "5" to me Roger

GPS (Garmin hardware - Navionics software)