RoLo

I'm really not clear at to what is happening. Automatic bilge pumps generally have a switch with a "Manual" and "Auto" position. In "Manual" position, the pump will run constantly of course (till the battery runs down). In "Auto" position you might never hear the bilge pump run until there's a buildup of rainwater or wave water that trips your float switch. But a triggered float switch would be accompanied by a water stream at the discharge port. If you hear the bilge pump running without any discharge stream, it could be a stuck float arm (in high position) or a faulty panel switch (uncommon). Roger

Raul, you need to add two more Rage baits to your arsenal : You've got to try the Rage Lobster, which is a rage craw with a man card. You might also want to try the "Space Monkey", which places the emphasis on the tail instead of the wings. Those big double claws generate big vibes and stay active almost to a standstill. Roger

Depends. Hard jerkbaits are available in three different buoyancies: > Floating Jerks (lighter than the water they displace) > Suspending Jerks (weigh the same as water, i.e. neutral buoyancy) > Sinking Jerks (heavier than the water they displace) The fluke is a "sinking" soft jerkbait. Roger

'Fertilizer' (NPK) is at the bottom of the natural food chain > Fertilizer provides nourishment for phytoplankton (microscopic plants) > Phytoplankton provides food for zooplankton (microscopic animals) > Zooplankton is the staple diet of prey fish (baitfish) > Prey fish is sustenance for game fish One thing I really miss are the Pay-to-Fish ponds strewn throughout the state of Georgia. All the well-managed 'pay-to-fish' ponds were fertilized on a regular basis, not to cure or prevent any problem, but to maximize population density and average weight. Lake Butner (now Ono Road Lake) was a private, pay-to-fish pond managed for bluegill production. It was regularly fertilized (along with alkali) and displayed the characteristic fertile pea-soup green color. I've never seen so many cab-over bluegills in my life, than those from Butner Lake. On a trek around the pond (no boats allowed), I encountered a woman sitting in a lawn chair who had four 1-pound bluegills on a stringer. About 75 yds away was a fellow with five bluegills that I'd estimate at least 1½ lb each. The lake record was 3-lb, 2-oz and that little pond also produced monster cats and several 8-lb bass. When I managed my tiny backyard pond in Georgia, I was able to control water clarity using fertilizer to reduce clarity (increase nutrients) and liquid barley to increase clarity (reduce nutrients). Roger

The very first baitcasting reel was designed by a guy called "South-Paw Corrigan" The reel in the picture was obviously intended for a right-handed angler. Roger

Good read Randall. Frankly, I never get too excited about another angler's techniques or data, unless that is, we're both fishing the same lake classification, same cover types', same bottom contour', same 'water clarity', same forage base' and the same seasonal period'. If any one of those criteria is contraindicative, that lottery ticket may be long in coming. Randall, I know you've boated more than your fair share of double-digit bass, so I was happy to read that your swimbait of choice is 6" long. We've been up-and-down the ladder of length, and found that big bass eagerly hit small baits and that small bass eagerly hit big baits. Although my wife prefers the 5" length, my favorite by far is the 6" swimbait. Everyone has heard the oft espoused witticism, "Let the fish tell you what they want". But if your swimbait is "too" large, it might snuff vital communication. Roger

In New York and Ontario we've often fished waters that hold both largemouth bass and pike. Wherever both species occur, the northern pike is always the dominant predator. Bass hold their own against hammer-handle pike, but do not knowingly comingle with large pike. Whenever trophy pike move inshore, largemouth bass take their game into shallow backwaters. When targeting bass in the backwaters, I'll take my lumps with pike, but it's never a big deal. When targeting pike along the outer weed-line, I don't use heavy mono or steel, but only use "titanium leader". Titanium is knotable (no need for sleeves), kink-resistant, non-corrosive and it's also shock-resistant (it actually stretches.......a lot). Roger

The average water clarity on the lakes I'm fishing ranges from 1.5'-3' typically, especially during summer with algae and plankton blooms, but toward the end of the season last year our water cleared up to the point of having visibility in the 4'-6' range. Even with the higher clarity of water in November and December I still had no problem catching bass on the flame green Fireline and red Power Pro braids. I didn't even bother throwing mono or fluoro those last couple months, or using a leader of any sort. -T9 I'm in the same camp with T9. I've used nylon monofilament line for most of my life (Trilene XL) and when I switched to braided line (PowerPro) I began using a leader. Early on, I used a fluorocarbon leader (uhh!), but soon switched to a copolymer leader (sufix siege). Today I tie Fireline Tracer Braid direct to everything, regardless of water clarity or lighting conditions. If there's any difference in catch-rate between using a leader and not using a leader, it has eluded me. Line color? Line color is only important to me inasmuch as I can see the line. Braid is very fine line and often difficult to see. Tracer braid is a little easier to see, and I'm not even sure what colors they use. Bass eat rattleboxes, bullet sinkers and large treble hooks; does anyone really believe they're afraid of line? As I've often said, highly visible line helps fish to zero-in on the lure ;D Roger

In your price range (not over $300) I'd seriously consider the Lowrance X125 (480x480 pixels - Monochrome - Waterproof - 5" screen - To 900 ft) I'm currently using the X135 at $360 (in a word: Awesome!) I like the fact that you called it a "Depth Sounder" and not a Fish Finder Roger

The stick worms in my den cabinet could only be measured in pounds: Ø Gambler Ace Ø Yamamoto Senko Ø Strike King Ocho Ø Wave Worm Tiki Stick Ø Yum Dinger Ø Strike King Zero Ø Netbait Salt Lick Ø Bass Pro Stik-O Ø Manns Freefall Worm Still and all, fishing with nothing but drop worms would make for one BORING year I'll give you two outings before you cave. Roger

We always take "six outfits" aboard: 3 pre-rigged by my wife and 3 pre-rigged by myself. Regardless of what lure is pre-rigged, when push-comes-to-shove we both have access to 5 outfits. We've come to prefer all-purpose spinning rods between 6' 6" & 6' 9" long, and for Florida's heavy cover we use medium-heavy blanks (1/8 to 1oz lures <> 10 to 20-lb line). All outfits are pre-rigged at home with the appropriate jig or hook, but all soft-plastics are installed on the water. For quick lure-change and experimentation, one of the 6 outfits always dons a snap (no swivel). The lures chosen for pre-rigging are rarely the same from one outing to the next. Roger

DITTO To be specific, the "late" pre-spawn which tends to find receptive cows in shallow water (= More Big Fish) Frosting on the cake are the hordes of mindlessly protective bucks Roger

I'll drink to that Roger

Then you missed my question ;D Some reel aren't as good as the Citica, some are better. I was just curious as to the brand of the predacessor reel. Roger

Excellent! Let's hear it for 'Petroleum Jelly' Roger

Cherish your gift, it's a great 'all-purpose' casting outfit (minus finesse fishing). Roger

I used to live just minutes away from Lake Nona on Goldenrod Rd. It sits right next to Orlando Int'l Airport, so I never bothered fishing it (maybe I should've). I did fish Lake Hart though, a much larger water about 3 miles away, and can attest to its fine fishery. I'm willing to bet that Nona also offers good bass'n. California may be famous for its morbidly obese transplants, but Florida is the only place in the world where a 10lb bass is possible in ANY one of its myriad of ponds and lakes. Roger

WOW, that's a great story! Not for nothing, but my first spinning rod was a blue Conolon 8-) Roger

;D ;D Ya beat me to it.

That'd be my guess too. The Ladyfish is nicknamed the "Poorman's Tarpon", and though they rarely exceed a few pounds (do reach 28"), they're lots of fun and often acrobatic. Roger

That might be good news. In any case, I'd pull her apart and peek inside. Roger

If she's not turning over at all, the motor may have siezed-up (galled piston-ring perhaps). Was there a good water-discharge when she was running? (pull the water pump and check the impellor) Was the motor hot to the touch after she quit? Roger

I have lost a Daiwa rod with Shimano Stradic reel, a pair of expensive prescription sunglasses and my dignity Roger

BINGO! In a word, "forgiveness". Graphite is lighter, faster acting and therefore more sensitive than fiberglass. Fiberglass is heavier, slower acting and therefore more shock-resistant than graphite. For fish with soft keyholing mouths, fish caught on small gap trebles and lightly hooked fish, fiberglass offers more forgiveness. For bluewater game-fish however, anglers have another motive for favoring glass blanks. Sportfishermen in quest of giant tuna, and blue marlin have gotten away from graphite blanks due to their brittleness (prone to shatter), and tend to favor E-glass blanks. Roger

My watch was OK as it is water resistant down to a few feet. On the wallet, I must have had a premonition as I left it in the trunk of the car : I'm glad we're having this discussion, because it's an important part of angling. Though I joke about my age, I was in my teens when I first discovered that getting back into a boat is a much different ballgame than bailing out of a boat. The legs tend to float underneath the hull, making it difficult (or impossible with high freeboard) to pull yourself up-and-over the gunwale. A couple of failed attempts, and you'll be looking for the transom cutaway. Now...when you interject the loss of muscle tone caused by hyperthermia, you've only got minutes to get yourself aboard. Roger