RoLo

I'd only wish that every heads-up were that easy. 'Price' has never stopped you or I, there needs to be a more rational reason ;D ;D ;D ;D Roger

The Devil's Horse is a propbait, not a popper (it sizzles rather than pops) Roger

You boys are truly HILARIOUS! If the joke-writers at Comedy Central ever run out of ideas, we can sell them our unending, cutting-edge source of comedic material ;D Roger

Of all the blank comparisons I've seen on the boards, this is definitely one of the tightest shootouts. As Five-Bass pointed out, nearly every blank manufacturer deals with growing pains somewhere along the line. It really boils down to the specific model and when it was purchased. Though my exposure to Powell rods is very limited, I've experienced first-hand the way Kistler has overcome design flaws, one-by-one. Kistler definitely gets it, and ever since their spell of poor favor, they now bend over backwards to satisfy their customers. Powell is a highly reputable rod and rubs elbows with the best blanks in the field. In my opinion, the only meaningful comparison between Kistler and Powell would have to a specific Kistler model versus a specific Powell model, and would then be decided by personal preference. Roger

True, but some anglers spend that much for one swimbait. In any case, I'm guessing that Tatsu will eventually find its way to one of your reel spools Roger

There's a video of Al Lindner lambasting smallies on a Skitter Pop (probably several videos). His favorite color is "Clown", which I believe they discontinued because it's very hard to find. Roger

Thanks Ghoti, that sounds like something I need to try Roger

Deja vu! Deer hair bass bugs are a shear joy to fish, but those darn fly-rods are as long as the boat : I shouldn't admit this, but bull frogs also have a strong affinity for hair bugs. The following year however, I was in for a big surprise. Apparently frogs have highly acidic saliva, and all the hair on my bugs was lying on the floor of the lure trays > Roger

Has anyone tried "Seaguar Tatsu Fluorocarbon"? Their so-called dual structure fluorocarbon (DSF) uses a soft jacket for improved knot-strength and flexibility, and a hard resin core for improved tensile strength and sensitivity. SEAGUAR TATSU NYLON MONO Refractive Index (water = 1.33) 1.42 1.57 Sink-Rate 15 sec = 1 ft 40 sec = 1 ft Wet Strength-Loss 5% 20% LB-TEST TATSU DIAMETER 4 lb .007 in. 6 lb .008 in. 8 lb .009 in. 10 lb .010 in. 12 lb .011 in. 15 lb .013 in. 20 lb .015 in. Roger

Whats your fav. line (make, lb test, colour)for: 1/ Topwater 2/ Crankin 3/ Soft-plastics 4/ Blade baits (spinnerbaits/ buzzbaits) 5/ Finesse fishing Berkley 30-lb Fireline Tracer Braid Roger

"Braided line" for FISHING?? No Way...that's a fate worse than death! But I do use a length of Berkley Fireline braid as a safety-line for my boat trailer 8-) ;D Roger

An uncharted pond is a treasure, like a small lake but with a greater biomass of fish-per-acre. No two ponds are alike, and the best advice I can offer is to learn the Bottom Contour of that pond like the back-of-your-hand. For instance, in one spot in the pond, a long cast perpendicular to the shoreline may land in just 15 inches of water, but in another spot, the depth may drop-off sharply right underneath the rod-tip. If necessary, don a pair of waders and instead of fishing gear, bring a notepad and pen. By hook or by crook, learn the location of all shoals (bedding flats) and all basins (retreats). Learn the ledge-line of the best drop-offs and the best weed-lines and fix them with shore-sightings. Only then can you target your casts to parallel the weed-lines and drop-offs. Making every cast count instead of fishing blindly, is the pond strategy that will lead to all other strategies. Roger

Agreed. Algae will do more good than harm, in fact the worst it will do is louse-up the sight-fishing for spawning bass, and how bad is that? Roger So basically if the bass are always cleaning the nest,then in the Algae on the bottom,if conditions are right,I should have no trouble finding nests??? I was alluding to the algae "in suspension" which reduces water clarity and makes it more difficult for anglers to find the light-colored disks. But regardless of bloom or water clarity, an active nest will always be scrupulously clean. Roger

There are no bad poppers, but any popper that can't negotiate vegetation, is no favorite of mine. My favorite popper is the "Sizmic 4.25" Floating Pop'N Toad" (mossback). Most importantly, it's totally weedless and can be pitched directly into the surface salad where Big Bertha lives. It can be popped explosively, quietly twitched or buzzed like a freight train. As a bonus, the soft mouthable body does not discourage comeback strikes. Roger

In years gone by, I used a split-bamboo flyrod during an insect hatch, and threw a floating gray-brown Hair Bassbug. Althouth I no longer use fly gear for bass, that's the ultimate approach during an insect hatch. Florida undergoes a series of mayfly hatches and associated surface activity throughout the year. I've had fair success with a 2" Rebel Pop-R, and if that doesn't produce, I'll chalk it up to bluegills Roger

That's a super cow, Tom! It's also a great showing for a non-resident angler Roger

Agreed. Algae will do more good than harm, in fact the worst it will do is louse-up the sight-fishing for spawning bass, and how bad is that? Roger

I like that ;D That reminds me of the rabbit hunter who hides in the brush then makes noise like a carrot. My favorite use for the crawbug was bed-fishing. In that scenario, you first need to find the hot-button for each nest. Once found, the lure would be flicked without moving off the hotspot, using a dropper rig, which is called a drop-shot rig today : For open coverage the crawbug is fished as any other plastic craw. Most anglers prefer to hop a craw, but over uneven terrain SLOW bottom-crawling is normally enough. Over very smooth bottom, intermittent hops or flicks may help activate the tentacles. Roger

I can't think of a more realistic crayfish imitator than the Yum Crawbug. In addition, it has a hollow body and is extremely buoyant. The crawbug used to be my mainstay for Florida bed-fishing, but we've parted company over the past few years. Its extreme buoyancy is a double-edged sword, which makes it a bit clumsy and difficult to control, especially for blind bed-fishing in dark water (okay for sight-fishing). Lure size is immaterial during the spawn because the cows are fasting. Today I use smaller crayfish imitators that offer more finesse and better control. Roger

It's good to hear from the ole angling pedagogue himself. I don't know what the line-up is today, but I well remember when Denny Brauer was the biggest money winner on the B.A.S.S trail. Thanks Glenn. Roger

That's a great story Chris. Thank Goodness for both the otter and you that the hook-set failed. Last week, my wife and I were fishing a nondescript lake in central Florida. Suddenly, a red-shouldered hawk swooped down and snatched my wife's hollow-belly swimbait and began to fly away with her lure. Happily, the hawk released its grip on the lure and it dropped back into the lake.....pheeeeww! This wouldn't be so unusual if it were an osprey, which are totally piscivorous, but red-shouldered hawks are buteos that feed on lowland creatues like mice, birds, snakes, frogs & lizards. No wonder he dropped it. Roger

Now there's a Fat Cow Anglers in Florida have a strong tendency to rush the seasons. It's interesting to note that things are just heating up in Mexico. Roger

Based on aesthetics, that lure really stinks!

Frankly, I'm not an avid fan of spinnerbaits, and only throw them where underwater visibility is poor (murky water, choppy surface, twilight and nighttime). For this reason, I'm partial to spinners with a large single-Colorado blade which generates more vibes than a willow-leaf or Indiana blade and more vibes than a double-Colorado (tandems suffer from a mutual cancelling effect). "Heavy Cover" spinnerbaits used to market custom-made spinners but closed their doors due to health issues. Though I have plenty Heavy Cover spinners on hand, I'm also throwing the Booyah 3/8 oz Moon Talker which sports a single No.5 Colorado blade (black nickel blade with black & chartreuse skirt). The 1/2 oz Moon Talker wields a No.6 Colorado and the 3/4 oz sports a No. 7 Colorado, but IMO, Colorado blades larger than No.5 retrieve too slowly for water clarity less than muddy. Roger

Yes, for smallmouth bass in water below 50 deg F, hair jigs and live bait are my first choice. Roger