RoLo

The Manasquan Reservoir is arguably your most promising lake. Roger

I concur Kirby I figure that within the next 50 years, I'll strike that balance to which you allude Roger

Shaky Worm vs. Shaky Head I used to live on the shores of a clear water lake in Florida that had a 100-yd long community pier. That gave me a golden opportunity to study underwater lure behavior at various depths along the pier. Several years back, a lot was written about plucking the line of a stationary shaky head to impart a subtle motion to the worm. I simulated that action many times, but failed to see any perceptible movement until I actually twitched the rod-tip (my vision is still 20/25). This is what I learned on the Walden Shores pier. If the worm was a floater or at least neutrally buoyant, virtually 'any' jighead was able to impart a seductive wiggle. On the other hand, if the worm was made of sinking plastic, almost 'no' jighead was able to produce the action I was looking for. Since that time, I place the lion's share of emphasis on finding a buoyant trailer, then choose the most weedless or snag-free jighead, and the worm will get jiggy with it ;-) Roger

That's hilarious, I didn't stop laughing till the promo. Roger

I was around 10 years old and went trout fishing with my dad in Saxon Falls, NJ. I had a split-bamboo flyrod and was casting a Mickey Finn bucktail streamer. I was fishless all morning and dad decided that we'd take a short lunch-break. We wolfed down a couple of sandwiches alongside the Muscenetcong River, where there was a small, round artificial pond with a jet fountain on one end. Just a bored kid, I cast my streamer into the whitewater spout, and as soon as the streamer hit the pond I hooked an 11" brown trout, it was the first trout of my life. My only guess is that one of the stockmen from the Hackettstown Hatchery decided to pitch a stocked trout into the pool as a prank. Poor thing must've been starving to death. Roger

Every manmade impoundment has its own personality but if your mainly interested in natural lakes, you've got it made. I've lived in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and vacationed extensively in Canada. Whether it's a natural lake in Florida or Canada, target the same contours & cover, fish the same lures and use the same delivery techniques (don't believe the hype). Roger

"THERE she is!.......There she isn't" "Should've been here yesterday" was a saltwater cliche from the 70s. When I miss 2 or more bass, I'll tell my wife, "They're really not feeding today" Roger

It's not nuts at all, I'm just a naturalist at heart. Do you pinpoint your fishing holes using a topo map, then use GPS to reach your destination? Roger

There's a lake in Florida, which shall remain nameless with a very heavy population of tilapia. As a direct result, this same lake boasts an unusually high population of pig bass. A couple years back, Florida experienced an unprecedented cold winter. That same year the unsustainable range of peacock bass was pushed back down to where it belongs and the snook population was pruned back hard. That year same year, I observed many dead tilapia along the banks of this lake, which struck terror in my heart. Happily, the tilapia have made a strong comeback since then, where outsized bass still abound. Conventional wisdom generally buys into the notion that every competitive species is automatically detrimental to their pet species (whatever that species may be). Well, they were wrong about killer bees (still waiting to see my 1st), they were wrong in the 70s about lamprey eels and they were wrong in the 2000s about the detriment of the round goby which actually turned out to be a boon to walleye and smallmouth bass. More often than not, history has shown that a species will benefit in the long run from competition. The twists & turns in ecology are highly complex and as difficult to predict as the weather, and we all know the batting average in that ballpark. That said, if you have access to any study corroborating tilapia's influence on dissolved oxygen, I'd be very interested in the URL. That doesn't mean we'll automagically buy into it, but it'll give us the opportunity to poke holes in it. Roger

Surely you jest Every imaginable topic has been addressed countless times, but that's the fabric of a forum. Even if the hook is not made of stainless steel, it's not going to rust away during the lifespan of the fish. If the fish isn't bleeding profusely, then hook-removal gives that fish his only chance for survival. If the fish IS bleeding profusely, it will most likely become an angling casualty (so be it). The greater emphasis should be placed on reducing the possibility of gut-hooked fish. With regard to artificial lures, more than 'one' gut-hooked fish per year indicates the need for an overhaul in hook-setting operandi Roger

I may be alone on this, but I do not perceive 'time-on-the-water' as a key component (we all know career beginners). In my opinion, success depends on HOW MUCH you study when you're 'not' on the water, and WHAT you study when you 'are' on the water. Roger

The word 'magnificent' comes to mind, absolutely awesome Dwight! Roger

Tilapia will definitely NOT survive in Indiana. In fact, during cold spells in central Florida we get heavy tilapia diebacks. They are not at all invasive, in fact, Florida lakes with strong tilapia populations produce some of the heaviest bass in the state (bass love tilapia as much as alligators love bass). Roger

Why dignify this fellow's statement by giving it more attention than it deserves? Dwelling on the negative it just so Twitter Roger

My wife informed of that yesterday. In spite of absorbing a large share of their competition, Jim Beam felt it would be more profitable to sell out. (It drives me to drink) Roger

I'm 71, and if I had to lug my angling gear several miles thru the woods to reach a waterbody, that's exactly what I'd do. Roger

I think you'll ultimately find that success with the horny toad isn't dictated by color (unless of course, you want it to). Here's a trick (by no means a secret): Pitch the toad up onto the shore, then drag it into the lake (works with any color) Roger

Berkley Hollow-Belly flank-rigged on Owner Sled Head (BOTTOM VIEW) Gambler Big EZ flank-rigged on Gamakatsu Swimbait Hook (SIDE VIEW) The lakes we fish in central Florida are all shallow & weedy, where 'weedlessness' is a bigger issue than depth. In fact, I begin the retrieve upon splashdown without any waiting period. Fished in this manner, the head weight has surprisingly little affect on the running depth (measured in inches). Given a choice, I'll opt for a lighter head which has less momentum, is more easily deflected and therefore less likely to skewer a stalk. Also, the swimbait has a little more action with a lighter head. Although you're maintaining a slow, steady retrieve, the swimbait is bouncing around in the pads with an erratic track. When pike fishing over submerged cabbage beds, a much heavier head is needed along with a waiting period while the lure sinks. When weights over 1/2 oz are needed it eliminates the use of Swimbait Hooks which rarely exceed 1/2 oz. Roger

Speed, Depth & Action are 3 separate and independent elements of lure delivery: 'Depth' is important insofar as the lure is within the fish's strike zone. The importance of depth increases as water clarity decreases. When anglers speak of 'Speed' they're typically referring to FORWARD SPEED regardless of the lure (for example: 1.5 mph) When we speak of 'Action' we're focusing solely on the lure: fast wiggle, wide wobble, slow blade rotation, stick-worm shimmy~ ~ ~ Roger

Weeeeell, Not Completely. Denny's son Chad is talking about throwing in the towel and becoming a high-school teacher or basketball coach. Do you suppose Denny is holding something back from his son? Roger

Yes, and if I'm not mistaken the old boy retired after that event, only to throw his hat back in the ring. This also takes us back to January 17, 2001 on Florida's West Tohopekaliga (affectionately known as 'Lake Toho"). Dean Rojas broke and still holds the all-time B.A.S.S one-day stringer record: 45-lb 2-oz The frogmaster also set the 4-day stringer record on Toho weighing 108-lb 12-oz (Bested by Elias on Falcon) Roger

I give up...Wasn't that a David Bowie song? Roger

Thinking back, I was around 4 years old which would make it 1946. Dad didn't own a boat at the time, so we bank-fished for catfish in Passaic River, NJ. For rod rests, dad jammed 'Y' shaped branches into the mud bank, and some 67 years later the smell of that black muddy bank is still in my nose. Roger

What took you so long, Hootie? Roger

There's no evil in a little horseplay among family and friends, but just as you've reaffirmed, horseplay has a reputation for ending badly. I probably would've done the same as you, or I might have been less honorable than you and withheld my little secret. Not to spare myself, but to spare my brother. Thanx for sharing your story Roger