RoLo

Exactly Brian! We see the same cruelty here in Florida, where unforturnate bass yanked from the Kissimmee chain are hauled all the way to Orlando for a BPS weigh-in, then hauled back for release. Man is a selfish creature. As far as the location and timing of a tournament, that's a zero-sum game, because the pluses & minuses affect all contenders equally, which translates to "fair". Roger

"I spend a couple hours a day"...doing other stuff Roger

WAY too much time!. Roger

We also spent a lot of time and both Little and Big Swartswood Lakes (had a cabin on Culvers Lake). Roger

The short answer is No, there is not a big difference in sensitivity between a 1-piece and 2-piece rod. There is however an alleged 'dead spot', but if you were blindfolded I'm betting that you couldn't tell a 1-pce from a 2-pce rod (nor can I). All other things equal, let no one convince you that a longer rod is more sensitive or more powerful than a shorter rod. The reverse is true, which is why commercial fishermen use hand-lines rather than fly-rods. Just like the transmission in our car, you either opt for power or speed, but cannot have both. Roger

Oldies But Goodies > Arbogast Jitterbug > Heddon Zara Spook > Rapala Original Floater > Rebel Pop-R (discontinued & reintroduced) > Smithwick Devil's Horse > Lunker Lure Buzzbait > Culprit Original Worm > Johnson Silver Minnow > Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap > Charlie Brewer's Slider Worm Roger

That's what I meant to say

That's how we ended up in Florida. It's as far south of Jersey you can go without getting wet Roger

South Dakota & Delaware Oh wait a second, you said "Best States"

During my saltwater years, I've tied hundreds if not thousands of snell knots and blood knots. The snell knot used today is nothing more than an "internal uni-knot". ' Instead of being wrapped around the standing line 'outside' the eyelet, the uni-knot is wrapped 'inside' the eyelet around the hook shank. Commercially tied rigs generally use snelled hooks because they have more eye appeal. I used the snell knot for tying saltwater dropper rigs, which held the hook parallel to the dropper line (no other reason). By eliminating the dropper line, the 'dropshot rig' today replaced the snell knot with a palomar knot with a long tag-end leader. Therefore, for freshwater fishing I've never found a use for the snell knot, but use an "external uni-knot" for everything. When a big bass chomps down on the bait, the odds are high that the hook will end up lying horizontally flat in its mouth, which is another reason I prefer an upward sweep to a sideward sweep. Fortunately, the tiptip guide is always higher than the bass, so regardless of the knot used, the odds of hooking the upper jaw are overwhelmingly high. In my opinion, that little flip-up action from a snelled hook exerts no more pressure than a feather duster. Roger

I'm very happy with my knot-free method, but thanks for the suggestion

Cum on, you'd never leave those gargantuan bronzebacks

We're living in a new fee-simple 1,700 sq ft block-home in an adult community between Scenic Hwy & Hatchineha Rd. Our property tax is $600 a year (plus $200 for garbage & recycling). Roger

Like anywhere USA, property taxes do rise as you approach either coast. They're high in West Palm Beach on the Atlantic coast, and they're high in Naples on the Gulf coast. As you move inland though, the scenery improves, the terrain begins to gently roll and property taxes decline. Roger

Back when I bothered tying to a mono backing, I was probably my own worst enemy. I found myself pushing the limit with mono backing to get by with less braid. This only shortened the spool life of the topping and caused more frequent repooling. By spooling with straight braid, I'm getting much longer spool life and my main line is 'knot-free'. Yes, when it's 'finally' time for respooling, I load her up with new braid. I cheat a little bit though by laying a heavy layer of backing tape. Roger

I used to do this, but there's one disadvantage that caused me stop. When the spool line has been shortened by normal use, long casts find the junction knot passing through the rod guides Now I use backing tape then fill the spool completely with braid, and now I'm respooling far less frequently than before. Roger

There are no constants in bass fishing, but there are many rules of thumb. As a rule of thumb (not a constant), the lion's share of suspended bass are made up of 'schoolies' of similar year-class. In contrast, old loner sows are not into chasing bait wads, but spend the bulk of their time 'on bottom'. When schoolies launch an attack on baitfish, the casualties that end up on the surface are eaten by gulls, and those that settle to the bottom are devoured by grandma (enter the jig). Roger

Whenever my braided line gets that fuzzy look, I'll cut-out the frayed section and retie. I lose my share of good fish, but not due to broken line. A swivel makes a handy sinker-stop for a Carolina rig, and is necessary for lures that make a full 360-deg rotation, but they're virtually a thing of the past. Roger

You've got plenty of time. 'May' is a stellar month in central Florida, the firemen don't get here until June. Roger

Ditto

Well, less attention to color and more attention to depth & speed, but not at the expense of lure choice. For instance, instead of changing the colors of a spinnerbait, it might be better to switch to a jig, which is a depth change. Roger

The search for bedding grounds should begin with a search for water with good wind protection. Although Currituck Sound is itself an estuary, you want to be looking in the back of the back of backwaters (bay -> cove -> pocket). Three aquatic plants that strongly favor sandy soil are Bulrushes (tules), Watershield (looks like small waterlilies) and Pennywort (dollarweed). Like bass, plant life is also very adaptable and often found in soil that's less than ideal. Nevertheless, everything is relative and when you've found the best stands of vegetation, you've also found the best available bottom content. Watershield rarely grows in water deeper than 6 feet, bulrushes usually end around 4 ft and pennywort peters out in water over 2 ft deep. Depending on water clarity, largemouth bass normally spawn in 1 to 4 ft of water, so running the 2.5 ft contour line offers an effective search. Roger

Only your 9th post, and a barnburner at that Roger

During the spawn, largemouth bass instinctively seek a firm bottom, usually of sandy soil where the eggs will get good circulation. Eggs deposited on a soft mucky bottom are susceptible to silting-over and suffocation. On weedy bedding flats, the sand substrate is usually not visible to the angler. Decaying vegetation from previous years deposits a layer of detritus or black humus over the sand. However, since vegetation grows best in sandy soil, the presence of certain plants is your best indicator of a sand bottom. The other indicator of course are the sand-colored nests swept clean by buck bass. Roger

I'm with you, it's not about the fish, it's about the achievement. I'm afraid I'd have to tell said genie: 'Thanks, but no thanks'. For me at least, the best part of fishing (the only part) is the planning & preparation that hopefully leads to success. In support of that mindset, I've never hired a guide in my life. Roger