RoLo

Could not agree more. Roger

It wasn't my intention to revisit this thread, but I’ve changed my mind. Paul, I believe that latitudinal differences play a major role in the grand scheme. In fact, the impact resulted in the advent of the “Florida-strain bass”, a special subspecies that accommodates the tropical and subtropical niches. I’ve spent several decades angling in New Jersey and now live in Florida. I've been fortunate in being exposed to both northern-strain and Florida-strain bass. This I can tell you, both strains share many similarities in kind, but on the other hand, they exhibit noticeable differences. To be specific, the Florida-strain bass is much less tolerant of cold-fronts, but far more tolerant of high temperatures. IS TEMPERATURE THE KEY? In my opening post I stated that I believe that water temperature is coincidental rather than causative. Since fish are cold-blooded creatures, it stands to reason that water temperature can be too low or too high for successful incubation. Water temperatures often swing back-and-forth, which beg the questions: 1) Is the spawn triggered by “initial contact” with a key water temperature? 2) OR, does the key water temperature need to be “maintained” for a given number of hours? This is often the case in the vegetable kingdom, which paradoxically may also require a given number of “chill hours”. 3) If the above conditions are met, does a severe pullback in water temperature abort the spawning cycle? Degrading all the above, it’s been well-documented that largemouth bass can spawn successfully in water temperatures from 55 to 75 degrees. Going further, I’ve seen Florida-Strain bass locked on a bed in water over 85 deg F. WHAT CONFIRMS THE SPAWN? What are the visual signs that verity the actual spawn? Does the sight of light-color discs on the bottom serve as spawning evidence? Buck bass are a lot like buck deer. During the rut, buck deer mark their territory by scraping the bark of several saplings in their small rut site. During the bedding season, buck bass will sweep several mock beds, which may explain how their tailfins get so beaten up. Owing to their territorial instincts, “live” beds are normally spaced about 20-ft apart or more. When there are many beds spaced 2, 3 and 4 apart, it’s most likely the work of one buck-bass marking his territory. OVERLAPPING STAGES Bass are most aggressive during the “pre-spawn” and again during the late “post-spawn”. During the actual spawn though, trophy cows are focused on reproduction and disinterested in feeding. Although it's rarely discussed, most lakes undergo a generous period in time when all three stages overlap simultaneously. Bass taken during the spawn that are not actually pulled from the bed, arm most likely in the pre-spawn or post-spawn stage. PHOTOPERIOD Plant life cannot generate its own heat, so it must rely on solar energy. Fish are cold-blooded creatures and similar to the vegetable kingdom, they too must rely on solar energy. Although plant growth is limited by air temperature the key growth regulator is “photoperiod”. I don't think it’s farfetched to believe that “photoperiod” plays a major role in timing the bass spawn. Though rarely mentioned, there are spring runs in Florida that maintain year-round water temperatures of 70 to 72 deg F. Examples include Silver Glen Springs, Rainbow Springs and Wakulla Springs. Bass living in these ecosystems receive no thermal clues as to the timing of the spawn. Nevertheless, spawning takes place much the same as other area waters, during the period of lengthening daylight, chiefly during the months of February and March. In the final analysis, predicting the exact timing of the spawn is like working with a bunch of pieces from a jigsaw puzzle. The problem is, the funny-shaped pieces come from several different puzzles Roger

"DITTO" BTW: I like your rod choice Roger

"DITTO" BTW: I like your rod choice Roger

If I were actually trying to catch small bass, I'd probably throw a T-rigged 4" finesse worm or a Wordens Rooster Tail. (Back in the day, we've caught our share of Jersey runts on CP Swings and ABU reflexes). Roger

That's easy, a "Toy Airboat"

In my view, the two most influential factors of the spawning event are “photoperiod” (above all) and “water temperature” (essentially coincidental). For a few years, we lived in an adult community on the north shore of Lake Walk-in-Water, Florida. We had a private boat ramp and lakefront pier that extended several hundred feet into the lake, giving me a unique opportunity to learn. On this same waterbody, I’ve found fresh-swept beds as early as January and as late as June, which represents a six-month disparity! During this half-year period, water temperatures varied between 25 and 30 degrees, yet all nesting activity occurred during the period of increasing day-length (Dec 21 to Jun 21). To my mind, this clearly implicates “photoperiod” There are several spring-fed lakes in central Florida that maintain a year-round water temperature of 72-deg F. Bass living in these stable ecosystems receive zero input from water temperature, yet they spawn unerringly every year during the period of increasing day-length. To my mind, this only further reinforces the "photoperiod” theory. As for “lunar influence”, I simply do not know. Based on tidal cycles in saltwater and menstrual cycles of primates, the moon’s influence certainly seems plausible. All the same, my own harvest records have failed to identify a correlation tied to lunar phases. I was relieved to read a similar statement published by the In-Fisherman staff. Roger

In 1998, Al and Ron Lindner sold In-Fisherman to Primedia. Although Ron retired in 1998, Al is still affiliated with "Lindners Angling Edge". Al said that his 40 years in the business went by in a blink (I hear that) Roger

That's what I meant in an earlier post when I mentioned that feel is often referred to as balance. For example, my favorite 'feel' puts the point-of-balance at the front of the reel rather than the tang. If you're getting a Gary Dobyns, I have a hunch you'll be happy with the feel 8-) Roger

The goal is a balanced "combo", where the pivot point falls in the center of the reel. In reality though, most combos are tip heavy, and oddly enough, when we buy the lightest available reel we exacerbate top-heaviness. Roger.

Cum'on...do I really have to answer that?

PHEW! Talk about a fate worse than death

Okay jiggin_it, now you're cooking with gas

It's always been my believe that barometric pressure is purely coincidental and not at all causitive. High-pressure weather cells and low-pressure weather cells typically coincide with blatant changes in wind speed and light levels and therein lie the causes. When a fish adjusts its water depth by one-yard (distance between water surface and fish) the change in pressure per square inch is greater than a cat-5 hurricane. Roger

I've related this story a few years back, but we have a lot more members since that time. This incident goes back to circa 1990, but even though that was a long time ago, it's amazing how business trends tend to persist. In preparation for a pike trip to Lake Huron, I was in the market for two new casting reels. I found exactly what I was looking for at Efingers Sport Shop in Bound Brook, NJ. The salesman, who was also a personal friend, advised me in hush tones to stay away from Quantum reels. Skeptically, I asked him how so? and he replied, "Quantum reels have faulty gearing". As a tool & die maker by trade, this didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I thanked him for his advise but went ahead and purchased two new Quantum casting reels with spiffy red sideplates. On my second day on Georgian Bay, Ontario I was pumping a trophy-class pike to the boat. In mid-battle the thumb-bar suddenly lost communication with the reel handle, and the spool failed to engage. Long story short, I ended up losing that pike. Two days later, my wife's Quantum reel also malfunctioned, yet another gear-related issue. I now realized that I owed my friend an apology, and placed Quantum reels on my Personal Blacklist (haven't purchased one since). Yes, the reels were still under warranty, but I'm pigheaded about slapdash workmanship. Instead of a long trip back to the manufacturer, both reels made a short trip to the dumpster. To keep things in perspective, the above pertains only to Quantum reels. In fairness to Quantum, I have since purchased two Quantum PT Tour spinning rods (now discontinued). I have only praise for that rod, which I believe is on par with the best high-end blanks. Well, when you consider the money-making machine that Quantum has on their team, a positive product-report should come as no surprise. Roger

In central Florida, panfish enthusiasts seriously outnumber bass fishermen. This suits me fine, because I'd much rather catch bass and much rather eat bass. On several occasions, my wife offered me an anonymous taste comparison between crappie & bass. I'm always able to tell them apart, crappie flesh is mushier and less flavorful than bass. Since I enjoy the taste of fish, I don't like too much camouflage (let a fish, be a fish). I'd feel guilty if it took my wife an hour to prepare bass fillets that I knock down in 3 minutes ;D The bass recipe shared by Lund Explorer makes me feel right at home. Roger

If you own a GPS unit, create your waypoints on your home computer using lat/lon coordinates. This is typically more accurate than waypoints established with a hardcopy map. Roger

F-I-T nailed it! When the "In-Fisherman" magazine was first launched in 1975, they published 10 "Study Reports" per year, which they called a "Segment". It is not recreational reading (e.g. "This happened to me"), it is hardcore knowledge. If you get your hands on the first Segment (10 Study Reports), you'll have a mountain of angling information. Roger

My first boat was purchased in 1964. a 10-foot Appleby aluminum jon boat from White-Modell's. I don't recall the price but it was powered by Caviness oars, and used for angling and waterfowling. A year later, I clamped on an air-cooled 5-HP Eska outboard that set me back $100. I'm now on my 13th boat, but that 10-ft Appleby is still among my favorites. Roger

The gold standard for rod weight has long been 4 Oz. That's fine and dandy, as long as levity isn't the result of component scrimping. Arguably more important than "levity" is the overall "feel" of the outfit. Although "feel" is often referred to as 'balance', you'd be lucky to find one balanced outfit out of a dozen. Roger

Thank you Flip, great find.

In my experience, the magic lies in braided polyethylene, not in the brand. I've tried most brands of braid and have found that all behave remarkably similar. Most anglers evaluate the quality of braided line by the number of member strands. By that measure, PowerPro has fallen behind the pack, where Berkley Fireline and Sufix Performance are in the forefront. Roger

I've found that most any short, slender soft-plastic lure will do the trick. But one lure I tend to favor is the Zoom 4.5 Finesse Worm (watermelon seed) Roger

Thanx for the heads-up, IMO the Rapala DT Flat is dynamite! Roger

Frankly, I almost never throw spinnerbaits in clear water. If it HAS to be a spinnerbait, I'd probably choose a single willow-leaf (nickel blade / white skirt) and keep it moving briskly. Roger