RoLo

There are spinning outfits whose weight range "begins" at 3/8 oz, and these outfits will throw 3/4 oz lures into the next county. Surf-casting spinning rods are designed to throw 4 oz lures to the far side of the swash and have the backbone to beach a 200-lb shark. Roger

You can't be serious. When the weight of the spinning lure is matched to the diameter of the stripper guide, line friction is virtually immeasurable. I've been approached by boats that seem to resent spinning gear. It's kind of comical. while we're just flipping from the wrist, they appear to be chopping wood. If I'm looking for extra casting distance, I'll use a catapult cast. My right arm merely serves as the fulcrum and the fingers of my left hard jerk the rod-butt sharply backward. Although this action is hard to discern by a bystander, the lure seems to enter the stratosphere. Spinning gear is too often thought of in terms of 8-lb tackle, but spinning rods are available in blank spines similar to baitcasting gear. Most of my freshwater spinning gear is 15-lb-class tackle, which allows me to finesse fish with same outfit that handles Florida's heavy cover. Roger

As the name "uni-knot" suggests (universal knot), I use it for everything in both fresh & saltwater. At the risk of sounding like a parrot, if the uni-knot is pre-snugged it will 'never' slip, otherwise operator-failure may be mistaken for knot-failure. I use braided line exclusively, and due to its ultra-fine diameter I can get away with 30-lb line. Although I don't need 30-lb breaking-strength, it has a diameter equal to 8-lb mono, but more importantly, 30-lb braid virtually eliminates line-burrowing and luff knots (wind-knots). Since the line has 30-lb breaking-strength, I'm not interested in any knot that might offer 3% more knot-strength : Roger

With a spinning reel, the line simply uncoils off a stationary spool which produces negligible friction, but the spool of a baitcasting reel must revolve in order to pay line. The record cast-length was set with spinning tackle, but I don't know if that record is still pending. Roger

Wisely stated Tom I've boated tuna and sharks weighing in hundreds of pounds using conventional tackle, which in freshwater jargon is called "baitcasting" gear. Without a doubt, revolving drum reels are an asset for wrangling powerful bluewater species, but for freshwater bass that rarely exceed 15 lbs, "Sissy Stick" may describe a baitcasting rod, but certainly not a spinning rod (don't need a cannon to kill flies). Roger

Yes, "flat" refers to any bottom terrain with little or no depth change. The flat may be anywhere on the lake, but will normally be located very close to shoreline protection. The shoreline does not have to belong to the mainland, but may be the shoreline of a peninsula or island. At any rate, the lion's share of bedding flats are typically found in the "back" of a "backwater". Roger

One to four ft deep on balance, depending chiefly on water clarity (photosynthesis). Bass prefer to be in close proximity to deep water, "year-round", however in their search for the ideal bedding flat, spawning bass are often remarkably distant from deep water. Roger

Bass beds appear as light-colored disks about 2½ ft in diameter, typically contrasting against a dark bottom. The black bottom is the result of several years of decaying vegetation, which produces a black organic soil known as "humus". The buck bass sweeps away the upper layer of detritus to expose the firm sand substrate below, which the eggs require for proper circulation. Roger

It's easy to lose sight of the fact that cow bass are fasting during the spawn, and not interested in feeding. What keeps it interesting is that every cow has her unique behavioral strengths and weaknesses. Roger

Probably : Roger

Hey! I was being serious Roger. I know a wealth of information when I see him, just looking to get as much as I can. Never even heard of that Deps worm... As I'll bet you know, Japanese fishing tackle has cornered a special market niche, not the least of which is the Senko. Browse the Ichiban Tackle & Lee's Global Tackle websites and you'll find leading edge lures from Deps, Keitech, etcetera Roger

That's a good point. I can live with that though, because during the spawning season I usually keep the anchor and a short length of rode lying on the bow deck (I don't even bother to uncleat the line). Thanks for the review Mike Roger

Don't hold back Roger. How about colors, weights, techniques?? Please?? Touche' ;D I'm sure each will be covered in due course. When I read your preference for the color "Junebug" in your former post, it took me back to the 1960s. Not long after the first plastic worms flooded the marketplace (Cream, Manns & Culprit), the cliche' of the times was "Any color worm will work, as long as it's "Purple"". Remarkably, 40 years later and it's still a "Purple Worm"! Roger

Correct me if I'm wrong Mike, but would the Terrova iPilot preclude the need for the homely & obtrusive "Power Pole"? Roger

Name some locations for us if you don't mind. Depending on if the bass are in pre-spawn, spawn, or post spawn Main & secondary points: pre-spawn & post spawn Back of creek channel coves: protected areas with hard bottoms & feeding flats; pre-spawn, spawn, or post spawn Pre-spawn to spawn: start deep work shallow Spawn to post spawn: start shallow work deep That's just a short list Yah...that's exactly why I stayed off this thread.

Passive Bass (most of the time) Gambler Big Stick Roboworm Zipper Worm Brewers Slider Worm Aggressive Bass (some of the time) Berkley 10" Power Worm Gambler 10" Ribbontail Worm Deps 6" Deathadder Grub (can you say 'Dynamite') (anaconda: too much active ribbon, not enough stable body target) Roger

I'm not a nocturnal aficionado because my night fishing is limited to the dog days of summer. (though it's never too hot for bass...it may be a little too hot for the old man). I'll work all the same holding sites that I hit by day, but the depth range of coverage will extend further up on shallow flats. I'll use the same noisy lures that I use in murky water, for instance, I'd switch from tandem willow-leaf blades to a single Colorado blade and break out the jitterbug, which I no longer chuck by day. Where there is no light, there is no color, so all my night lures are dark in color to produce the most contrast against the dimly lit sky (black, brown, purple & red which becomes black at night). Finally, the retrieve on average will be a tad slower to allow some zero-in time, but will hinge on the intensity of moonlight, if any. Roger

I keep one 8-footer onboard, just in case someone loses a hat 8-) Roger

Right before you pull up to the wiegh-in station, be sure to tie a Senko on the line ;D Roger

My preference is 'finesse' fishing, which I view as the "rifle approach" where vertical deliveries and gliding deliveries prevail. Nevertheless, the crank-intensive, "shotgun" approach is equally important, and I use both approaches interchangeably throughout the day. Roger

Amazing! Last Sunday we had a day that was a carbon-copy of your day, but about 1000 miles east of you We were fishing the lead edge of a cold-front, and until I found a pattern, we were coming up empty. The bass were holding tight to spikerush drifts (inside actually), and though we ended up having a very good day, one lure was responsible for ALL the action: Kalin 5.0" Lunker Grub (watermelonseed) on an Owner 1/4oz Bullet Type-Z Head (medium steady retrieve) I must confess though, I've seen this pattern many times before Roger

Then the term "featureless" might be pushing the envelope. There are places in the hydrilla beds that are taller, shorter, denser, sparser, greener, deeper, shallower, and places where hydrilla merges with another plant. Once feeding bass are located, finding a lure that works is much easier. Roger

Kardashians beware...the G-man cometh :

Sounds to me like the ideal Maiden Voyage. The best of luck Boca, with your new watercraft Roger