RoLo

Point well made, and good advice.

Nice Going! You fought a blacktip shark, so the next question naturally follows...Did she jump? Roger

Very nice videos! I noticed in the first video, when you mentioned the word "alligator" Luke back-pedaled slightly from the shoreline (smart boy) Roger

My sentiments exactly.

Congratulations Clancy, she is a beauty! Roger

Very informative video. Mike wisely places strong accent on backup gear, and his emphasis on marker buoys is spot-on. (The very one in his hand is always in easy reach) Roger

Excellent read Gary In overview, I suppose we could say that some guys prefer Top-Heavy, others prefer Butt-Heavy Roger

As intimated above, "Vanish" was Berkley's initial entry in the fluorocarbon market. If you prefer to stick with Berkley, go with Triilene 100% fluorocarbon instead. Roger

Welcome to the forum You might try a brand of fluorocarbon with greater diameter. Thin diameter line has many advantages but increasing the diameter lends to increased abrasion-resistance. You'll notice that lines rated 'excellent' for abrasion-resistance are often lines with the heaviest diameter. Given the same depth of fraying, the fatter the line diameter the lower the percentage loss in breaking strength. Roger

I fished Greenwood Lake in the 60s (before Jungle Habitat) but never came close to 7 lbs. That's a Super Sow Roger

Bar none, the 'lipless crank' is my favorite crankbait because as noted above they’re highly versatile. Once you’re familiar with the sink-rate of your lipless plug (e.g. 1-ft /1-sec) it can be counted down to any depth, Lipped divers that have a wide wobble are fine in summer but are not well suited to coldwater, On the other hand, lipless plugs have a short tight wiggle that’s effective in a wider range of water temperatures. Roger

I agree with that. Looks like a garden hose with the head & neck of a Canada goose

Hmm, that was a short thread. "Say Goodnight Gracie"

In the grand scheme, "guarding" fry and "eating" fry are both functions of survival. Guarding is only necessary until the fry become self-sufficient, thereafter dad himself is often the first predator to enforce "survival of the fittest", the same way he was raised. Don't knock it, it's been working for millions of years Roger.

WOW, good for you A native brookie is a treasured resource. Roger

When I lived in the Northeast my favorite spinner was a Panther Martin, but fly-fishing was my preference, particularly with streamers (e.g. muddler minnow) and wet flies (e.g. light cahill). As a beginner though, you should also consider natural bait (no stigma attached). As an example, salmon eggs work well for rainbows, worms for brookies & minnows for brownies. Roger

There's really no comparison, 3x plastic is virtually indestructible Equally important, Elaztech is also the most buoyant plastic available to anglers. Used as a bottom worm, the 3x finesse worm rises boldly upright off the bottom, eliminating the need for a shaky-type head (any head or bullet sinker will do).. Roger. .

I'm not sure that your question was directed at me, but I'll give it a shot anyway. An unweighted trick worm is a great lure regardless of its color. Many anglers insist on dark-colored worms, but why should 'lure type' determine the color? In my opinion, the closer to the surface a lure is worked, the more I"d lean toward white (e.g. chartreuse). Oppositely, the closer to the bottom a lure is worked, the more I'd lean toward black (e.g. junebug). Pink is a light color and well suited to surface and subsurface work. If the ability to visually monitor your lure can effect success, you'd be hard put to beat Bubblegum Roger

If indeed the main theme is "Cheap", do not rule out "Do It Yourself" maintenance. If you have access to a schematic, basic reel maintenance is pretty simple stuff. (why is this in "Southeast Bass Fishing"?) Roger

I've done a great deal of deer hunting in Jersey with shotgun and bow-&-arrow. I must say, your above statememt (in blue) definitely strikes a nerve. Without a doubt, there are powerful recurring periods of natural activity, but in my case I've never found a reliable way to predict those periods before they unfold in real-time. There is one moon-related event though, that unquestionably affects my deer hunting, and I'll bet you've experienced the same. Deer are far more active on night's with bright moonlight.. During the full & gibbous phases, deer are usually bedded down for the day, "before" I get on my dawn stand. When I take my dusk stand during that same day, the deer aren't moving on trail until "after" shooting light, when I'm on my way home Roger

When I shore fish (which I love), I bring one fishing outfit and a tackle box that fits in the glove box of my car. In stark contrast, the list of gear that I tote in my boat is embarrassing, and would stress the bandwidth of the website Roger

If I understand you correctly, you limit your hunting and fishing time to favorable solunar periods. I understand that, but what do you compare your results to? Differently put, if instead you limited your hunting and fishing time to the worst solunar periods, how do you know that your results would not be the same (or even better)? Roger

I"m sorry...I forgot the question (just kidd'n) It's difficult if not impossible to segregate 'Memory' from 'Instinctive Conditioning', which reside in different parts of the brain. In most cases the memory of a bass is evaluated based on how soon after striking a lure, the same bass would be vulnerable to the same lure. Although results vary, most estimates are short-term (minutes rather than hours). Based on different studies, the mean estimate of bass retention is about 20 minutes. As a result of this presumption, when a trophy bass is missed the common practice is return to the same bass about 1/2 hr later. Again, this excludes instinctive conditioning which is imprinted and lacks the 'storage & recall' function of memory.. Roger

You not only broke the ice, you landed a real nice chunk Roger

Normally, those with a problem are the last to admit it. Well, I openly admit that I'm a tackle junkie, but my lack of denial has provided no cure I weigh over 200 lbs, and my soft-plastic stash 'alone', now outweighs me. Roger