RoLo

Your only hope is to ban smallmouth bass

I don't know any bass angler who wouldn't be jacked-up by a trophy bass, in fact, that's a good reason right there to target private ponds However, the original poster wisely removed the 'joy' of catching a trophy bass from the equation. The question raised was whether a 5 lber from a pond involves the same 'level of achievement' as one from a large reservoir. I believe the answer hinges more on Private vs. Public, rather than Small vs. Large. In keeping with my reply above, if a small pond is heavily fished by many anglers, it might be harder to find a 5-pounder there, versus a big sprawling lake. The greater the lake's surface area and the heavier its cover, the more fishing pressure it can absorb (think Kissimmee & Okeechobee) Roger

Other than Al Lindner, I really have no favorite pro angler. It's kind of a moving target that changes over time, muddied by migrations from B.A.S.S. to FLW: 1960s: Bill Dance (Out of the chute, B.A.S.S. was known as All-American - Bill was top-dog) 1970s: Roland Martin (A formidable force in his era) 1980s: Larry Nixon / Rick Clunn (By now, pro fishing had become much more advanced and competitive) 1990s: Denny Brauer / Jay Yelas (Brauer was then the biggest moneymaker - Yelas was lost in the shuffle between BASS & FLW) 2000 to Date: Kevin VanDam (What can you say? The man is part fish) Roger

I'm really surprised to hear that. Have you fished Orange Lake & Newnans Lake? (Rodman Pool?) Roger

Ain't that the truth. If you're in a tournament, the only time to play with a fish is 'after' it's in the boat. But if you're not in a tourney, you might as well live-on-the-edge and add a couple Bill Dance hoists to cause some tail-walking. You're going to release her anyway, so whaddaya got to lose? Sadly, even a hippo will rarely give the angler more than one-minute of pleasure (pretty sexy, eh?) In truth, if you squeeze 2 minutes out of a largemouth bass, you might've reduced her survival rate or you might be under-tackled. Roger

You'll get over it Snook Hey, I like your new avatar (crevalle jack or amber jack?) Roger

That makes two of us. I like to think that every lure I tie-on is a 'search bait' (locator bait). When we arrive at a new fishing spot, I generally begin with a fast-moving lure to quickly cull any active fish. With the exception of schoolies, there's usually only 1 or 2 'active' fish at any given time. Before abandoning a spot, I normally switch to a slower delivery in search of 'passive' bass. Roger

I've never considered a Texas-rigged worm and a shaky-head worm as mutually exclusive, but view them as different methods with separate purposes. A T-rigged worm is a highly versatile rig that can be delivered horizontally, diagonally or vertically, and in any cover. A shaky-head worm is 'normally' fished with a horizontal delivery and laggard coverage. In submergent weedbeds, a T-rigged worm is more weedless and more visible than a shaky-head worm, which I generally reserve for slow days and sparser cover. Roger

Happiness is not a steady state. Your state of affairs and your financial well-being are not measures of your happiness. Some are happy with little, others are unhappy with much. Happiness is a state of mind, not a state of being. Roger

Exactly

When we were living on Lake Walk-in-Water, I was fortunate in meeting Don (avid). He rode to our house from the Gold Coast, and he & I caught a couple bass on the Walk (miss that boy). Lee, the next time we're on US-60, I'll drop off that affidavit that you demand. You know, the one stating that I caught the bass, and not Lois Roger

I agree with the consensus, a 5-pound bass from a low-pressured pond is not the same achievement as one from a large high-pressured lake. On the other hand, bass in small ponds are more rapidly conditioned. My wife is a real estate agent, and when we lived in Georgia we got permission to fish several private ponds. The pondmaster (puddle lord) would generally be landed during our first few outings, and the fishing would be Red Hot. Almost without exception though, our success rate would taper off rapidly with each successive outing. This leads me to believe that bass in private ponds are rapidly conditioned to our lures and deliveries. Roger

Backing and topping hinges on the 'line material' in question. For braided line, I use a few wraps of tape for backing, then fill the spool with braid. IMO, a few extra yards of braid is a small price to eliminate a migrating junction knot. I used to respool when the knot passed thru the guides, now I respool when it's time to respool Roger

In central Florida, you'll normally see at least one bald eagle on nearly every outing, which depends mainly on the lake you choose to fish (and how observant you are). I've read that except for the Pacific Northwest, the Three Lakes WMA just east of Lake Kissimmee has the highest count of nesting bald eagles in the world. Some may recall the bald eagle images I posted here on BR, which were all taken on Lake Kissimmee. Also very abundant but nonetheless appreciated are barred owls, a 'diurnal' owl. On one lake we often fish, there's rarely a day when we're not treated to their comical monkey-like clucking or their song: "Who cooks for you?". While on the water, Lois and I have seen whitetail deer, moose and black bear, but I believe my biggest thrill came from seeing a mink (lifetime total of 3). Preoccupied with finding an aquatic morsel, mink tool along the shoreline seemingly oblivious to objects offshore (i.e. boats). I'll set the boat adrift in the mink's direction, and we usually aren't noticed until the boat is 20 to 30 ft away from the mink. But instead of bolting in fear, they'll stand prop up their hind legs, sniff the air, then scamper off into parts unknown. Roger

When you've found a drop-off from 6 to 22 ft, your depth sounder became a fish finder Rather than limit yourself to any one approach, a drop-off should be fished from various angles. There may be a step or some feature on the slope that's only accessible from a given angle. Naturally, casts made parallel to the breakline will offer the most potent coverage, but I wouldn't rule out climbing up the slope and walking down the slope. For instance, crankbaits and T-rigs can be used for running parallel to the breakline, T-rigs are also good for walking down the slope, while a jig or C-rig is usually a better choice for climbing the slope. As for the best trailers and colors to use, your personal confidence baits and colors will be real tough to beat. Roger

Lee, with you living in the same state I don't stand a chance, but count me in anyway. After all these years, ya still ain't cuttin' Avid any slack? (Hint: Jackie Onassis) Roger

When I lived in Jersey, the Manasquan Reservoir was in the works and Monksville Reservoir had just been opened to the public. The Hightstown / Roosevelt area was my favorite upland covert for pheasants, quail & woodcock. Sadly, they inundated my favorite farmlands and called it Assunpink Lake. On the upside, the pickerel & bass fishing was great! Roger

Thanks everyone for your empathy and thoughtful responses. Frankly, I was hesitant about submitting such an intimate post, but now I'm glad I did. The human experience never ceases to amaze me, and I'm grateful for the incredible stories that were shared in this thread. Though bass fishing is the common thread that brings us together, our members run a lot deeper than fishing. The compassion at Bass Resource makes me proud to be a part Roger & Lois

Let's face it, some people simply don't like the taste of fish. My own brother for example, does not like fish and does not eat fish. The only fish that George might eat fish, if it's been marinated, blackened, deep fried in motor oil then smothered in almond chips & hot sauce On the opposite end of the spectrum, Lois and I enjoy the natural flavor of fresh fish. For this reason, my wife prepares fish fillets as natural as possible without any camouflage. = Roll the fillets in Egg White, followed by a light coating of Italian Breadcrumbs = Shake on some Lemon Pepper, then saute the fillets about 2 minutes on each side...Voila! On a number of occasions my wife has given me a Taste Test. She'll offer me two chunks of fish both cooked in the same manner, one from a crappie the other from a bass, With my eyes closed, the bass can always be identified immediately, which has firmer and more flavorful flesh than crappie (which tend to be mushy). Give it a try Roger

Though it's located in an urban setting, Underhill is a very good bass fishery (but I can do without the executive airport). A fellow who once frequented this forum (Gobbledog) won a few tournaments on Underhill. As I recall, he fished a T-rigged trick worm behind a 1/16 oz bullet sinker and barrel-swivel, and worked in offshore hydrilla beds. You might also consider Conway Lake in south Orlando. Roger .

What Lee said If you don't find all the answers in the library, post your questions on the appropriate forums. The members here are all Team Players who take pride in helping fellow anglers. The knowledge base at Bass Resource is probably measured in Terabytes, and grows everyday with the endless stream of new members. Roger

Less than 2 years ago when my mom was 92, she was still a cheerful and witty lady with an unflagging sense of humor. She was very much like her own mom, my grandmother, who I regard as one of the greatest women in my life. Early last year, mom lost her balance and broke her hip in a fall. Since her hip surgery she entered a downward spiral that still leaves me perplexed today. To make a long story short, Lois & I visited her today at the healthcare facility. Mom was catatonic with a faraway look in her eyes, and for the first time ever, she never once mirrored the smile on her son's face. I can't remember feeling so helpless and meaningless, but this was not at all about me. On our way home I said to my wife: "Mom is alive, but she's no longer with us". We all know that no one gets out of this world alive. Even though we have our entire life to prepare for the inevitable, why do we always feel so ill-prepared? The gist of this message is not for well wishes or solace. More importantly, it's about expressing your gratitude today for the loved ones that surround you, don't wait till tomorrow Roger

Hydrilla and Milfoil are my favorite types of cover. Particularly where they merge with emergent veggies like bulrushes, waterlilies or maidencane (the more the merrier). Roger

There's really no fixed courtesy distance between boats, where each confrontation has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. For instance, in saltwater inlets with a strong tidal current, boats of all sizes routinely sift & surge within a few yards of one another, where a hot-head is likely to end up on the jetty rocks. In freshwater, a boat fishing in a boat-trail can be expected to be approached very closely by other boats, whose only other choice is to blaze a trail through 6-foot tall bulrushes. For that matter, I've often been approached by a lonely angler who just wanted someone to talk to. I have a short fuse for inconsideration, but I usually try to rationalize first, because two wrongs don't make a right. Roger

Congratulations on your new Personal Best Roger