RoLo

> Zoom 7" Mag Ultra Vibe (slit paddle-tail) > Culprit 7 Fat Max (sickle-tail) > Berkley 10" Power Worm (ribbon-tail - Remove 6 ribs) > Manns Hardnose Worm (ribbon-tail) Roger

I prefer to fish right in the weeds, and normally use a weedless hook for W-rigging: Gamakatsu 2/0 Weedless Finesse Wide Gap Hook http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_58035_100010002_100000000_100010000?hvarAID=shopping_bingshopping Roger

I did not see the coverage, but I did read yours. I have spools of fluorocarbon that mark time in my den drawer, but like yourself and Bobby Lane, it would be braid all day. Roger

Mark is a Hoot!

Would you like that numerically or alphabetically? :-? Roger

Now that sounds like a Go, but I just hate sharing my Budweiser ;D Roger

To quote Ghoti: "Now that's funny, right there" ;D Roger

Ever since day one, Lois and I have always hunted and fished together (hence RoLo). The thought of hiding fishing tackle from her is quite hilarious to me. As it stands today, Lois buys and owns more angling tackle than I do. The fact is, she also outfishes me on a regular basis. Not to sell myself short, I'm one heckuva net man 8-) ;D Roger

To that I might add, I've had days when they wouldn't hit Lures OR Bait ;D Getting back to stripers, we used live eels mostly after dark. The worst part is handling slimy eels, in fact, it's nearly impossible without a dry rag. Big eels are so powerful that even after they're swallowed by a striper, they're known to slither their way to freedom through the striper's gullet. Striped bass instinctively know this and really "wallop" an eel, If you enjoy a ferocious strike, you'll love fishing live eels and surge tubes. Roger

Right on the mark Bruce, it took place in Lake Kissimmee. To be exact, at Brahma Island in the backwaters of East Bay. Roger

In my experience as well, striped bass show a marked preference for natural bait over artificial lures. I'm now out of the northeastern loop, but between Sandy Hook, NJ and Monmouth Beach, NJ the most deadly bait was menhaden followed by herring. Jerseyites refer to menhaden as mossbunkers and the method back then was known as Bunker Dunk'n (in a word...'devastating'). With respect to artificial lures for striped bass, I agree with SirSnook. We've trolled up our share on Tony Accetta Pet spoons, but my favorite lure was surgical tubing, which we called "surge tube Roger

Thanks guys and gals for your kind words, I only wish you could've been there. While watching the fishing skills and courage of this great bird, it made me think about Ben Franklin. During the selection process for our national emblem, Ben's choice was the wild turkey. In a letter to his daughter, he stated that bald eagles steal fish from other birds and have poor moral character. Ben's point is well taken, but this was one bald eagle capable of doing his own fishing Roger

Though we see bald eagles on nearly every fishing trip, they rarely give me a decent photo op. But last weekend Lois and I got real lucky. A bald eagle apparently spotted a bluegill that was about 50 ft from our boat. What followed was a unique experience. The eagle plunged into the lake next to our boat, but it came up empty. It flew away and then lit in a live oak tree that was too far away for taking pictures. To my surprise, the eagle then returned to pursue the very same fish. It was not happy with our presence, and tried to drive me off the spot, but that was never going to happen. This eagle was so determined that it plunged several times into the water next to our boat. Although it looked hopeless for the eagle, it was extremely persistent and ultimately captured that bluegill. Unfortunately, I missed the critical seconds when the eagle left with the bluegill. I'm grateful just the same for the images I got, and most were taken within 100 feet of the camera. It was a show we'll never forget! ============================================================= After resting in an oak tree, this was the eagle's second empty air strike. This was the third missed attempt, and the first time I seen a bald eagle in this awkward position. This would be the fourth time the big bird plopped into the exact same spot in the lake. Each time it groveled in the lake and beat it wings, it was a stubborn devil that refused to resign to failure. At one point, the big raptor remained motionless on the water for nearly a full minute. This had me convinced that the eagle was just marking time. I laid my camera down for one moment to bite my sandwich...Big mistake. Just then the eagle emerged from the lake for the fourth time. Only this time it had a plump bluegill in its talons. BOY, are they good! Roger[b/]

Roe is Overrated Most anglers agree that the growth rate of fish is influenced by water temperatures. On the other hand, anglers are sharply divided as to the seasonal period when bass attain their peak annual weight. Fish eggs (roe) add an average of 8% to the bodyweight of a cow bass, reportedly ranging between 5 and 11%. For all practical purposes, cow bass fast during the bedding season, and the 8% weight gain due to roe, amounts to about 10 ounces for an 8-lb bass. Solar energy peaks during the summertime, when weed growth is full-blown, feeding is in high gear and baitfish are large and plentiful. The same 8-lb cow that gained 10 ounces during the spawn is very likely to lay-up a pound during the summertime, while toting a 1/2 lb minnow in her gut. Roger

Berkley Sensation has always been an outstanding line. Several years back I remember reading that a Berkley Rep allegedly stated that based on Berkley in-house testing, "Sensation" was Berkley's best polymeric line. ================================================ Technically, the terms "copolymer" and "multipolymer" are interchangeable, however 'copolymer' normally refers to 2 polymers, whereas 'multipolymer' normally refers to 3 or more polymers. Fluorocarbon is monofilament line and is also a polymer. Therefore, blends of different nylons as well as blends of nylon and fluorocarbon are all "copolymer" lines. Most copolymer lines are monofilament, but some are cofilament. Roger

The Rapala DT is one heck of plug! We fish mostly shallow natural lakes, and my personal favorite is the DT-7 Flat Sureset. As Vinny pointed out, I too have never encountered a faulty Rapala DT, they're a great tool. Roger

When we speak of water temperatures, we're normally referring to 'surface water temperatures'. Incidentally, during the bedding season there isn't much temperature difference between the surface and 2½ ft below the surface (both are in the epilimnion). Hmmm, that view might encounter a few opponents on an ichthyic board ;D Humans must maintain a core body temperature of 98.6 degs, else run the risk of dying. For this reason, nature provided man with a built in warning system. Whenever our core body temperature is challenged by cold or heat we experience "discomfort". Fish on the other hand are cold-blooded animals, and have no special body temperature to maintain. As a result, fish have no use for a built-in warning system, in fact, it's widely believed that fish are comfortable in all water temperatures. Indeed, water temperature influences the body processes and disposition of cold-blooded animals, but these can take place without causing discomfort. Roger

I've tried pretty near every brand of braid, and quite frankly, braided polyethylene is braided polyethylene. For a few years, I used and enjoyed PowerPro, that is, until I encountered a bad batch. Turning down a free replacement spool, I migrated instead to Berkley Fireline Tracer Braid, where I plan to stay. BTW: All my spinning reels are spooled with "30-lb" braid. Although it's very thin line, 'line burrowing' and "luff knots" are virtually non-existent with 30 lb test. Roger

In the 50 to $100 price range, I'd go hands-down with a "Shimano Symetre". Roger

In my experience, the two most buoyant plastic worms are the Gambler Big Stick and Strike King 3x Finesse worm. Strike King 3x plastic (AKA: ElazTech & Cyberflexxx) is inherently buoyant, whereas the Gambler Big Stick has a hollow body. For fishing in heavy vegetation (e.g. central Florida), I prefer the Gambler Big Stick, which has a head of tough plastic. On the other hand, 3x plastic is jelly-soft, and a T-rigged worm frequently gets impaled in heavy cover. Roger

From all appearances, the first baitcasting reel was designed by a southpaw. Either that, or the designer did not give much thought to fighting large fish. Small fish can be winched with the reel, but powerful fish MUST be pumped with the rod. I'm right-handed and all my casting reels are left-handed, which in saltwater is called "conventional tackle". Since I use left-handed reels, my dominant arm is used for both casting the lure and fighting the fish. The reel merely takes up the slack line during each downstroke. If the fish is small (most freshwater fish), then it gets cranked to the boat with the reel, but at no time is there any hand-switching. Roger

Your hook-up ratio might be noticeably improved just by switching to a solid floating toad In any case, hold the rod-tip high in the air, which offers two benefits: 1) The lure is better positioned to negotiate mats and surface vegetation. 2) The time consumed lowering the rod is usually enough to bolster your hook-up ratio. Roger

No matter what lure color we might choose, it's going to resemble some living creature. It's highly unlikely that any color will cause an inactive bass to feed, or that any color will cause a hungry bass to lose its appetite. I choose lure colors based on "underwater visibility" under the current lighting conditions. She's got to see it, before she can eat it, and once she sees it, the importance of color will fall through the cracks. Roger

To my knowledge, the most buoyant plastic concoction is under three pending patents: 3X (3M corporation), "Cyberflexxx" (note the 3Xs) and ElazTech. Be that as it may, 3x plastic is too soft and mushy to handle the heavy cover that prevails in central Florida. My personal favorite plastic craw is the Zoom Big Critter Craw, which is made of highly buoyant plastic that floats up in the defensive posture of a crayfish. Additionally, the Big Critter Craw is made of tougher plastic that holds up in heavy cover. In 2006, Preston Clark set the BASS all-time 4-day stringer record (Mar 30 to Apr 2). The collosal stringer from Santee Cooper, SC weighed 115-lb 15-oz As it happens, all 20 bass were caught on a Zoom Big Critter Craw (green-pumpkin/orange claws). Preston T-rigged the critter craws on a 5/0 Z-bend hook with 1/4oz bullet sinker (NO jig, NO skirt, NO weedguard) Roger

That jogs my memory: Back in the 50s and 60s, the 'chain pickerel' was actually voted the most popular freshwater game fish in New Jersey. A common method of pickerel fishing used a canepole and a weedless spoon dressed with a strip of rind. The method was known as "skittering", where the canepole was used to skip the spoon across the tops of lily pads Roger