RoLo

It's like anything else, after the first one the rest will come easy. We've found lipless cranks to be star performers in central Florida. Between mid-February and mid-March, we've had years when the Spro Aruku Shad would outfish soft-plastics and even live shiners. This winter is far from normal, and Florida-strain bass detest coldwater. I can't remember a year when water temperatures were in the low 40s! Be a little patient, and when water temperatures get back up to 60 degrees, I'm sure your rat-t-traps will break the ice Roger

Isn't "change" the byproduct of due diligence? I can show you rods that you'd never guess were manufactured by St. Croix, that's how much they've learned and changed. I have no experience with the Kistler Z-Bone rod, but would buy one in a heartbeat. I've owned several Kistler LTX Helium ll rods and though it's not my favorite rod, I can't say a single bad thing about Kistler quality and workmanship. Except for secondary components from China, they are American made. I know from a gentleman in my community that Kistler honors their warranty and very expediently. He broke a high-end Kistler that was his fault (high sticking) and was told that he could select any rod within the model at no extra cost. The complete turnaround took 7 days. Roger

I'd guessing around 70 lbs from New Jersey Striped bass are included, right? :-? : Roger

No, but it might be difficult to apply while standing in a boat Roger

Hmmm, maybe "transparency" would be a better word than 'purity'. Many deadly toxins are crystal clear Secchi disks aside, this is a simplistic version that I compiled: Underwater Visibility (Six Variables) > Sun Angle (RANGE: Midday (max angle above horizon) to Midnight (max angle below horizon) > Water Clarity (RANGE: Crystal-clear to Muddy) > Sky Clarity (RANGE: Cloud-free to Heavy Overcast) > Wave Action (RANGE: Flat (minimal refraction) to Sharp Chop (max refraction) > Sun or Shade (RANGE: Full Sun to Full Shade (a wild card that can vary within the same retrieve) > Lure Depth (Even gin-clear water has a twilight depth) Roger

Roger I would like to use this knot based on its approval rating, but I just don't seem to have the dexterity to do it. :-[ Maybe I can just get my wife to learn it and tie it for me. I'm just not sure my fragile ego will allow that though... : Knot-tying is one place where I have my wife beat, the only thing she's better at is catching bass ;D Like any knot, the more times you tie it, the better you become. It's always best to practice with heavy nylon monofilament line. The directions for a knot are always more foreboding than actually tying the knot (here goes nothing): UNI-KNOT (right-hand version) > Thread at least 6 of line thru the eye > Fold the line tightly around the eye by clamping the thumb and forefinger of the left-hand over the eye (the tag-end & standing line should be lying side-by-side together) > Grasp the middle of the tag-end between the thumb and forefinger of the right-hand and form a loop in the tag-end by pushing toward the eye while rolling the line between the fingers > Transfer the loop thus formed into the left-hand by tucking it between the thumb and forefinger (everything is now under the thumb and forefinger of the left-hand, and the right-hand is free) > The looped tag-end will appear like the number 6, and should now be adjusted with the right-hand so the bottom loop of the "6" and the upper leg of the "6" are the same size. > Finally, wind the tag-end through the loop at least six turns moving away from the eye (more turns are fine, but not necessary) > Close the knot 'snugly' before the final tightening and it will 'never' slip (snugly = never) > Trim the tag-end within 1/8 of knot. Roger

Back in the 60s and 70s, the "Indiana" blade used to be my favorite style. It's a nice middle-of-the-road compromise between the 'Colorado' and 'Willow-Leaf' blades. Unfortunately, as the years rolled by, a good spinnerbait that sported Indiana blades became increasingly hard to find For a couple years I made due with the somewhat similar "Oklahoma" blades, but eventually threw in the towel on compromise blade-styles. Roger

I use a Uni-knot to join any line to any other line, all the time (fresh & salt) The only time I bother with any other knot is for Rig-Typing for example dropper lines (for out-rigging), palomar knots (for dropshotting), sinker loops, etc. Roger

Spinnerbaits excel in water with poor underwater visibility, for instance in muddy water, during windy days with surface refraction and in low light (dawn, dusk overcast) The 3/8oz spinnerbait is by far the most popular weight among bass anglers. However, moving up to 1/2oz or even 3/4oz offers three advantages. Exactly as Catt mentions above, the heavier lure is easier to slow roll near the bottom. Plus, a heavier spinnerbait can be fitted with much larger spinner blades without unbalancing the lure. The additional vibration and flash from larger blades are both assets in water with poor visibility. Roger

Wise decision. My wife and I have fished them quietly for the past couple of seasons, and they were responsible for a boatload of bass over 3 lbs. I now see that the redfishermen in Florida are using hollow bellies too. Brian Velvic recently shot off his mouth about the hollow-belly being his favorite soft swimbait. KVD who works for Strike King, came real close when he recommended any hollow swimbait which kevin admitted he is fishing more-and-more (I suppose that means less & less spinnerbaits). In a swimbait video made by Al & Jim Lindner they were catching GIANT northern bass using Berkley hollow-belly swimbaits. As I write this, the NorthAmerican Fisherman is airing a show on Versus,featuring two fellows on Guntersville who're matching threadfin shad with Berkley's 4 hollow-belly swimbaits. My wife's favorite size is 5", mine is 6", but my wife catches more bass on the 5" size. Roger

Super question, by the way KVD, who catches a bass now-and-then, once stated that bass feed about 10% of the time. If we're dealing with passive bass 90% of the time, it's a given that delivery angle is hugely critical. When working a favorite holding site, I usually like to hit it on the approach, then hit it again on the exit, by casting to used water in the opposite direction. This alters the delivery angle by design, but also alters the lateral line-of-retrieve by accident (distance the bass must travel). Roger

The first edition published in 1990 is still in my library. The DNA of bass eggs has remain unchanged, so the 'Where' and 'When' still apply today. The 'How' also remains basically sound but many of the methods are quite antiquated. I'm sure even Al would admit that he's doing things a lot differently today. Roger

WOW, a blast from the past! Hey Catt, those were the good ole days when we kept things simple ;D Roger

This guy's good I believe the color of braid is 'extremely' important............but only to fisherman Roger

Just curious, how cold of water are you talking? I can't seem to buy a bite on a Bandit 100,200, or 300 in water less than 52ish. But they bite the Wiggle Wart for me............go figure. That's a very good question. I live in Florida, so it wouldn't compare to what you experience. The Bandit works well in our shallow natural lakes, especially for pausing the retrieve to float-up over trouble spots. A more productive coldwater crank is the Spro Aruku Shad (rat-l-trap) but the poster specified "lipped". Roger

I'm also in Florida, and this would be our preference order for soft swimbaits: 1) Berkley Hollow-Belly 2) Basstrix Paddletail Swimbait 3) Luck "E" Strike Bass Magic Many of the other brands we've tried either tear-out too easily (junk plastic) or have a labored or erratic swimming action. Roger

BRAID on a Spinning Reel?? Roger

Kistler, hands-down. Roger

When 'kevlar' line first hit the street, it did in fact groove the rod guides unless the rings were made of silicon nitride or silicon carbide. Although kevlar triggered a stigma, polyethylene braid is a different animal. I use nothing but PE braid, and I've only seen guide-grooving once, and it was the tiptop guide of an $80 Bionic Blade with non-fuji aluminum oxide inserts. Roger

Bandit 100 series (floating diver) Roger

I've always believed that French spinners (mepps) are overpriced, but there's no denying that they are fish-catchers (Musky favorite). If they're in your stash, they're already paid for...Go For It Roger

Heavy Cover: Johnson Weedless Spoon Jump Fishing: Hopkins Shorty Winter Jigging: Cicada (any bladebait) Roger

Deck Shoes (year-round) Roger

Touche' But seriously, I'm pretty sure you're going to have a great time, and will love Camp Mack. There's also an outside chance that we may meet, I'm at Camp Mack fairly often. Roger

As noted above, when forage fish are distracted it presents a great 'opportunity' for bass, and they use it. Mucking up the matter though is another commonplace phenomenon. When game fish are 'OFF' the feed, most of the rules of the road don't apply. Anyone who's ever owned a fish tank or aquarium is familiar with this phenomenon. When the predatory fish are off the feed, the prey fish have a way of sensing that and will often swim past the game fish within easy striking distance, but without event. On the contrary, when baitfish sense that predatory fish are in feeding mode, they just melt out of sight. Nat Geo I believe it was, had a great special depicting this behavior. Apparently the forage fish kept an eye on the fin position of sharks, which revealed their level of aggression. Roger