RoLo

No longer a proponent of Loomis or St. Croix. > Shimano > Dobyns > Kistler Roger

I don't know the cause, but lubrication is rarely the answer to non-illusory problems. Careful inspection will ultimately expose the culprit, which tends to be less serious than originally suspected. Roger

Quarry lakes generally share two traits in common: > They typically feature steep depth drop-offs (not necessarily tangent to the shoreline) > They generally contain clear, and often crystal-clear water. In quarry lakes & phosphate pits, the main focus should be along the breakline of depth drop-offs. If the drop-off can't be reached via shore casting, keep moving until it can. Worry about Location first, before getting too involved in baits & colors. In gin-clear water, light colors are favored, especially 'white' (In clear water, you DON'T want contrast). A topwater bait may work better in turbid water, but no lure is off-limits in crystal-clear water. Roger

Pure and simple, the higher the temperature of water, the lower its capacity to hold dissolved oxygen. Florida-strain bass is mother nature’s answer to waterbodies in the deep south that sustain high temperatures. The water temperature in a livewell can quickly exceed the thermal tolerance of even Florida-strain bass. It’s like leaving a dog in a car parked in full sun. There was once was an upscale lakeside restaurant situated alongside a ramp used for tournaments. The restaurant eventually went belly-up, mainly because the sight of dead bass bobbing in the lakeview window, was not conducive to customer appetites. Throw a few ice cubes in the livewell every hour, and you’ll perform a service equivalent to most chemical additives. Better yet, I’d love to see an MLF-style format abolish the ego trips we refer to as ‘weigh-ins’. Many years ago, my wife & I were at the ramp when Gerald Swindle won on Lake Toho. When Gerald told me he was on his way to the Orlando weigh-in, it blew me totally away. Roger

Though a tad higher than $500, I'd recommend A "Lowrance Elite-7 Ti2". You definitely want a touchscreen unit, and though a 7" screen isn't ideal, it's adequate. Roger

I use a 'spring-lock' keel-weighted hook (Never superglue). If the coil tears plastic out of the bait, I'll just bite 1/4" off the head. Roger

The ideal length & action of a fishing rod depends entirely on application, there are no magic numbers The odds are even that you'll be happy with your new rod ? Roger

I'd be more inclined to move in the opposite direction. Roger

Would you class weedbeds & vegetation as abundant, spotty or scarce? Is rocky bottom common? Is woody cover common (Stumps, standing timber, docks)? Roger

Back in the 60s & 70s, I don't recall seeing Black-&-Blue worms, not until the multi-colored worms appeared like Fire & Ice & Tequila Sunrise ~ ~ The first worms were monotone colors like purple, black, strawberry, blue, plum & grape. If Black & Blue were available at the onset, I believe it would've have bumped plain blue early on. A Black & Blue worm plays right into my hands, because my favorite worm color is 'black', but most of my worm fish were probably boated on a blackish worm with bluish highlights. Roger

I never heard of it either, that is, until this gator was taken in 2007: 39 lb 13 oz | 48.5” L x 27.5” G | Coeur d’Alene Lake, Idaho Bob Ringer - April 17, 2007 Roger

Roger

What many people don't understand is that land topography can have as much impact on climate as latitude. Water heats-up and cools-down much slower than air. As a result, there are many 'maritime climates' in the deep south that never get as hot as many 'continental climates' in the far north. The hottest temperature on record in North Dakota is 121 deg (continental climate far from big water) The hottest temperature on record in Key West, Florida is 97 deg (maritime climate surrounded by water) http://joedorishweather.blogspot.com/2014/08/record-hottest-and-coldest-weather_5.html Roger

Are you fishing a natural or artificial lake, and are you targeting largemouth or smallmouth bass? Roger

Roger

Not so fast. We all know a guy who'd never give away a beer, he'll be looking for later Roger

Berkley Lightning rods have basically cornered the market at their price point. By no means a recent phenomenon, Lightning rods have always stayed a leg-up on the low-end market. Roger

I have some Zoom Ultravibes in 'California 420'. As you mentioned, the tail portion is similar to watermelon, probably closer to green-pumpkin. What I like the most is the 'very dark body' (contrast), which they infuse with red flakes Roger

You bet Roger

Roger

Amen! Roger

I've done my share of back-reeling, so I know how it feels on both sides of the fence. I admit to conceding to fishing without an anti-reverse, but I'm not happy about it. As you mentioned, I also back off the drag when I feel its a good idea, after the fish is out of cover. The worst part of altering the drag tension is remembering to restore your default setting ? Roger

I believe Roland also mentions blue as his favorite color in his book: “101 Bass-Catching Secrets”. It’s the most disorganized book I’ve ever purchased, and I wasn’t able to locate it. I did find the following interesting quote by Roland (circa 1970s): <Quote> “A poll of plastic worm manufacturers revealed that out of all their worms sold, nearly 40 percent are 6-inch purple or dark grape. The second choice is 6-inch black. Black is an extremely popular color during the spawning season. Third most popular size and color is the 6-inch blue worm. Blue seems to be a particularly good hot weather color after the fish have spawned and moved to deeper water” <Unquote>. Remarkably, Roland’s personal favorite worm color was blue, and during that same era (1970s), blue was also the favorite worm color of Bill Dance. Roger

After owning a bunch, my preference in chartplotters is Lowrance > Garmin > Humminbird I dumped my Humminbird Onix and replaced it with a Lowrance Elite touchscreen which I recommend. Goes without saying, the Lowrance Elite has access to all Navionics bathymetry, but the chip I use the most is the Navionics Plus microSD "United States & Canada". Lowrance, Gamin & Humminbird all offer real-time mapping via C-Map Genesis Live. Roger

Aren't the fry gone from the nest during the post-spawn? Roger