RoLo

I'd give it to my wife, they make excellent tomato stakes Roger

Yeah, I thought about that. Roger

Though I've never owned a Nitro, I'm yet to meet a Nitro owner who's not happy with his investment. In 2010, Fishing Rhino & myself were both in the market for a new boat. Rhino took the high road and purchased a Nitro, I took the low road and purchased a Bass Tracker. I've owned several glass & several aluminum boats, and know that aluminum doesn't have the ride of fiberglass, but Tracker's revolution hull negotiates a sharp chop remarkably well. The bottom line is their bottom line. Tracker Marine (Nitro/Tracker) enjoys tremendous volume, which allows them to turn a handsome profit with a narrower profit margin than their competitors. In other words, you'd be real hard pressed to find a better bang-for-the-buck. Roger

Wild Turkey

I agree. Your post placed me back in the toolroom again with a dirty white shop coat Roger

What he said Roger

I don't know where on Holston they were taken. Frankly, I've never heard of South Holston until 2009, when that 8-10 rocked the bronzeback world. Yes, the Virginia record is 8-1 from New River, VA in 2003. Just as you said, we don't want to hijack this gentleman's thread. I only came here to congratulate him on his beautful fish on that beautiful lake. Bosun, if you send me a token email I'll attach a photo of the Holston Hippo in my reply. Roger

Bosun, small potatoes & dead issue ;-) Hey, speaking of South Holston, you might remember when it pumped out a few surprise hogs. Around 2009 it produced a 7-lb 4-oz smallie, then a week later it yielded an 8-lb 10-oz! Roger

Maybe I worded it poorly, but my post was made in jest. For many years, Tennessee & Kentucky BOTH laid claim to the David Hayes world-record smallmouth bass as both states embody Dale Hollow Res. Virginia however lies many miles to the east of Dale Hollow, far away from the fray....hence: "Locals on the Virginia side??" Whether Dale Hollow is a candidate for a new world-record, that's another ballgame. Roger

Intuitive Angling...keep it coming Roger

Given a choice, most game fish prefer soft-finned baitfish to spiny-finned fish (bluegills & baby bass are spiny-rayed). Nevertheless, game fish don't have the luxury of selecting their meals as we do, and must make do with what's available. Bluegills are ubiquitous and bass are opportunistic predators, so bluegills naturally comprise a large part of the bass's diet. Although stomach contents tells us a lot about 'Availability', it doesn't tell us a lot about 'Preference' (they are commonly confused). Shad and golden shiners are both soft-rayed baitfish that bass 'love-to-death' and that's why bass anglers pay up to a buck & half per golden roach. Roger

Good point. That takes me back to the 1950s and one of the first bass books I read: "Jason Lucas On Bass". It was back in the day of the red-head plug (white wooden plug with red head) but Jason was way ahead of his time. I don't recall his words, but he suggested that instead of blasting off to Eden, begin and end the day by fishing around the dock site. Though Lucas attributed his success to low fishing pressure, I believe it has more to do with 'wind shelter', which benefits both human activity and bass activity. Roger

Like yesterday, I remember when the Gitzit tube was introduced by the late Bobby Garland. I believe they're still available from Canyon Plastics, but don't know if it's the original mold. Roger

Trouble is, Lee feeds his horse old torn-up Senkos Better wear a football helmet too.

Thanx Dwight

You sure that's the horse that's snoring?

'Locals' on the Virginia side?? Humph....TN & KY are still vying for the World-Record Smallmouth Bass set by Dale Hollow Reservoir. I guess Virginia threw in the towel (jk)

I'm an old man, color me gone

Dwight, do you ever use 10-lb braid tied directly to the lure without a nylon, fluoro or copoly leader? Roger

Lee, I'm not sure we can make the weigh-in tomorrow, it seems that I misplaced my down jacket. Roger

I did catch one bass that had hands, but all his teeth were missing! Roger

'Almost' don't cut it. Roger

1st Tap: The bass Inhaling your lure 2nd Tap: The bass Exhaling your lure 3rd Tap: Your buddy tapping your shoulder to ask: "What are you waiting for?" Roger

We lived in Georgia during the 90s and often fished West Point Lake & Lake Lanier. If I were looking for a trophy spot, I'd make a beeline for Lanier, but they're the bane of West Point Lake. In a mere 6-year period, we seen the decline of largemouth bass on West Point Lake, countered by the explosion of spotted bass. I felt sorry for the fishing guides who were running out of alibis. Eventually, the only real good largemouth fishing we found was near the headwaters of the Chattahoochee, but spotted bass can be taken throughout the entire reservoir at nearly every boat stop. Roger

That oughta work Roger