RoLo

MAN...those Erie bronzebacks don't stand a chance Dwight; you've sure got their number! (I dig your trolling rod-holders) Roger

Great pix Paul, they sure tell the story. If you're referring to ruffed grouse, I wholeheartedly agree (my nemisis) Roger

The Florida spawning season stirs the highest expectations and draws the biggest crowds for sure, but the 'post-spawn' period should not be overlooked, because it usually provides better overall action. Lois & I used to live on Lake Walk-In-Water, Florida, and it's been a while since we fished there. We know from years gone by that the month of 'May' is normally prime time for cow-bass. Unlike the fat girls we boated in April ('early' post-spawn), the cows are in much better shape now, and they were striking with enough force to jolt the rod out of a relaxed hand Lake Walk-In-Water is not what it used to be, but we managed to put together a 5-bass stringer weighing 22-lb 14-oz, something we haven't done in a long time. This girl fell for a Berkley 6.0 Hollow-Belly swimbait, she taped 23-1/2" and weighed 7-lb 4-oz. Not to be outdone, Lois boated a 23-3/4 cow weighing 7-lb 8-oz Roger

7.0" Gambler Big Stick The hollow body floats brazenly erect, the skirt-like tail is excellent for deadsticking and the tough plastic head is extremely weedless. Strike King 3x worms (aka: cyberflexxx & elaztech) are also high-floaters, but the soft mushy plastic is not nearly as weedless in heavy cover. Roger

When I used to fish the Shadilicious, I rigged them sidewards on an Owner Sled Head. In my opinion though, the Shadilicious (like the Money Minnow) is made of junk plastic, and while it may be okay in open water, it does not stand-up to Florida's heavy cover. Roger

You betcha (Palinism). In the crystal-clear phosphate pits of Florida, the most popular colors are transparent silver, translucent white, translucent yellow & chartreuse. Roger

When two anglers are fishing from the same boat, using the same lure and same scent, they'll almost never catch the same number of fish (why so?) Bass fishing entails a countless number of variables such as lure placement, retrieve technique, lure depth, lure speed, angle-of-retrieve, ambient lighting and the list goes on. Man is a simple beast who relates best to the few variables most obvious to man himself, such as color' and 'scent'. Sadly, there's no way to identify the triggering properties and eliminate the coincidental properties that just go along for the ride. As a result, 'herd instinct' will thrive indefinitely. Roger

I apologize for going somewhat off-topic, but every lure has an intrinsic weight, with or without a sinker. It might be better to call them unweighted senkos rather than 'weightless' senkos. Heavily salted lures such as the senko, usually exhibit a considerable variation in weight. I just weighed several 5.0" senkos of different colors & laminates and the intrinsic weight ranged from 155 to 170 grains. Since 3/8oz is equivalent to 164 grains, it would be fair to say that an unweighted 5.0" senko weighs 3/8oz. BTW, an unweighted 7.0 Zoom trick worm weighs 90 grains, just a bit over 3/16oz (3/16oz = 82 grains). Roger

Who's "Berkeley"?

In clear water, I would not opt for the darkest color. Roger

It's an even bet that we'll eventually learn that bass are attracted to the scent of man. In the meantime, I use caffiene-scented lures in the early morning, before bass are fully awake.

I use a Harvest Log for each species of fish and my freshwater logs are different from my saltwater logs: Date Water Name Quantity (Largest) Weather Apr 21, 2010 Lake Rosalie 8 bass (23.5" x 7lb 9oz) Mostly cloudy, calm winds Water Temp Water Depth Fish Depth Best Holding Site 78 deg 4 to 6 ft About 2-ft Horseshoe Ledge Best Cover Best Lure Best Retrieve Comments Milfoil + Eelgrass 6 Deathadder Crank & Glide Gators roaring - Mayflies thick Roger

Like any lure that was ever introduced, the Fluke and Senko can both be fished in a variety of ways. In the main though, the fluke is a light-colored 'jerkbait' that spends lots of time near the surface, while the senko is a dark-colored 'dropbait' that spends lots of time near the bottom. I'm not aware of the original intent of the Fluke nor the Senko, but I am aware of their major physical differences: Fluke = Minnow profile Senko = Worm profile Fluke = Sluggish fall-rate Senko = Rapid fall-rate Fluke = No body wiggle Senko = Seductive end-waddle Roger

That's easy: Daiwa Light and Tough (unmatched latitude) Roger

The only way to determine the correct hook size (throat & bite) is to lay the hook on top of the lure and phantom its rigged position. Roger

The smokin rooster has a pair of large wings, but has a single tail. On the other hand, the space monkey has a double-tail, but has atrophied wings. It's a matter of personal opinion, but I prefer the pulsing double-tail of the monkey to the wings of the rooster. Roger

You're just kidding...right?

The story is the same in Florida, where the majority of boats on the water are crappie anglers. : It's probably because crappie are much easier to catch, but whatever the reason, let's hope the crappie fleets never find out that bass are just as delicious. Roger

Dobyns makes an excellent finesse blank, as does Powell and Damiki. Roger

For me, it's all about the "rod" because I use canepoles ;D Roger

Fundamentally speaking, any light-colored swimbait is fine during "bright light" conditions (clear water, bright sunny day and shallow water). Opt for a dark color during poor lighting conditions (murky water, overcast day, deep water), and in moderate lighting it's normally best to go with middling colors like watermelon. Overthinking color only plays into the hands of window-dressing, which catches more fishermen than fish. It's better to stay focused on the vital criteria such as lure placement, running depth, running speed and lure size. Roger

When I used to trap muskrats, and deer hunt with the bow-&-arrow I often used animal musks and coverup scents but with marginal success. When bass fishing however, I never use scent of any kind, nor do I intend to. When the Lindner Brothers were still doing their 'magic act' for Lindy Tackle (Northwoods) the use of bass scent was espoused. However, after launching the "In-Fisherman" magazine the staff members agreed that the use of bass scent produced no measurable benefit. Roger

Provided the water is not contaminated (can't tell by looking) and provided it doesn't dry up during a prolonged drought, it's a pretty safe bet that it holds largemouth bass. Roger

I've tried nearly every Soft Paddletail Minnow available and these are my favorite three: (criteria are rated 1 to 3, where 3 is best) BERKLEY HOLLOW BELLY SWIMBAIT Weedlessness: 3 (Weedlessness and durability in heavy cover) Body Stability: 2 (Absence of tail-wagging-the-dog, which degrades target fix) Low-Speed Action: 3 (Lowest forward speed that paddletail remains active) SCORE> 8 BASSTRIX PADDLETAIL SWIMBAIT Weedlessness: 2 (Weedlessness and durability in heavy cover) Body Stability: 3 (Absence of tail-wagging-the-dog, which degrades target fix) Low-Speed Action: 2 (Lowest forward speed that paddletail remains active) SCORE> 7 LUCKY E STRIKE BASS MAGIC Weedlessness: 3 (Weedlessness and durability in heavy cover) Body Stability: 1 (Absence of tail-wagging-the-dog, which degrades target fix) Low-Speed Action: 2 (Lowest forward speed that paddletail remains active) SCORE> 6 Simply put, where the cover is light to moderate I prefer the stable fuselage and tail throb of the Basstrix Swimbait In heavy cover though, where "weedlessness" plays the major role, the super tough plastic of Berkley's Hollow-Belly stays weedless in the heaviest cover. The Bass Magic is also very weedless in heavy cover, but the tail stops throbbing sooner than the Berkley Hollow Belly, and the fuselage is erratic and not as stable the Hollow Belly or Basstrix. Roger

Though it's usually taken for granted, my workshop revolves around the 'table vise'. Hand-drilling, prying, bending and sawing are real tough without it Roger