RoLo

You spoiled old geezers are all alike. You've been spoiled by the Foruno radar and North Star Loran-C on your lobster boat. I really pity the salesman who tries to sell you gyroscopic, 16-beam, Side-Scan Radar. I'm kidding of course, and keep up the good detective work Tom, you're educating us all Roger

I've become partial to a Spro Aruku Shad on MH spinning tackle spooled with 30-lb Fireline braid. A medium-heavy graphite rod with braided line is the wrong combination for good hook-sets, but the bass in Florida haven't figured that out yet ;D Roger

Bass? Ole mossback can live all winter under two-feet of ice, so no cold-spell in Florida is going hurt any bass Roger

It's funny, but I would feel a whole lot better if I had slammed the car-door on that rod. Here's the irony, it's just not in me to bother about warranties, and I rarely bother to read them. Generally I'll just trash anything that malfunctions regardless of the fault. Only because this rod snapped-in-two without any provocation, I actually took the time to pack it up and pay for shipping to get the replacement I deserved (first time ever for me). BANTAM wrote If you could only know just how ridiculous that statement looks to me. I was the head tool-and-die maker at Kleiner Metal Specialties for 20 years. I single-handedly tooled-up and maintained four OO Nilson multi-slide machines used for tube fabrication (blanking, forming, piercing, swaging, etc.). I worked in tenths of a thousandth of an inch for more than 30 years. Anyone at Shimano with that kind of hands-on experience would be highly overqualified. Here's the bottom-line, the blank was NOT impacted (I'll bet it is now). Roger

Based on my phone conversation with Shimano America, Bantam gave it to you straight (albeit a bitter pill). I can't blame Shimano, because after all, it was Loomis who was taken prisoner not Shimano. LUCKY CRAFT MAN wrote: I believe that's the reality of the situation. SENILE1 asked It would be the latter Ed, because my proverbial rope is not very long Hey, maybe I'll join you with a new Powell Based on their handling of this situation, and I happen to know that there was NO impact, I have lost my taste for Loomis and am not in any mood to play their Xpeditor game. That would only prolong our relationship, which is something I'd prefer to end. MARKWE1 said: You got it buddy...those are my sentiments precisely. Oddly enough, the price of Loomis rods did come down for me, all the way down to zero. Hey, I'm not a sore sport, but after throwing hundreds if not thousands of dollars at Loomis, you'd think they'd have the common decency to at least defray the cost of shipping. Roger

I'm quite happy here amid the Kissimmee chain of lakes, but if I were run out of Florida at gunpoint, I'd head to Falcon Lake, Texas Roger

You are either young, inexperienced or both. I cut my teeth in the Atlantic ocean using an aluminum 14-ft Starcraft Seafarer with an 18-hp motor. I was one of many Tin Cans that made up the so-called Jersey shore "Mosquito Fleet". During the 1960s and 70s, headboat skippers and charter captains routinely stopped in at Giglios Bait & Tackle in Rumson, NJ. They'd toss a green machine on the counter, but the real reason for them being there was to get the skinny offered by the mosquito fleet. Just days after Hurricane Agnes, I went out alone in my 14-ft can for striped bass. At the point of Sandy Hook, I had to make a wide berth around several boats in the 20 to 30 ft range, that decided not to venture offshore. One look at the towering swells, and they button-hooked back to the safety of Sandy Hook Bay (the little rowboat ventured forth). On another occasion, my wife & I were dropped off on a large Canadian lake in Quebec with my 12-ft rowboat strapped under the wing of a Bearcat float plane. Everyday we traveled a half-hour across windblown bays without another human being within 50 miles of our umbrella tent. It wasn't as though we couldn't afford a larger boat, because I also owned several large fiberglass boats such as a Winner, Key Largo, Hydrasport and Wellcraft, some packing over 100 gallons of fuel. Still, the mosquito fleet never referred to the owners of oversized, overpriced vessels as "sissies". By the way, I lived for several years in Walden Shores, on the north shore of Lake Walk-In-Water. I was in fact the writer of "Angler's Insight", the local fishing column. Since we had our own private ramp between Nalcrest and Lakeshore, I know 'The Walk' like the back of my hand. That little 14-ft Tracker you seen day-after-day was my wife and myself. Just last Wednesday we took delivery of a Tracker Pro 175 with a 'Revolution' hull, (hybrid Deep-V / Mod-V). Mom and I took took our maiden voyage this past Sunday, in 25 to 30 mph winds, gusting to 35 mph. Even with both 16 gal livewells empty, the hull never once pounded or slapped. Roger

I used Lazer Eye Colorado spinners for many years, and with excellent results. I then moved up to HeavyCover spinners, a custom-builder who went belly up > In any case, I don't throw spinners that often, and the HeavyCovers I have left should last a lifetime. Roger

Any jig can be used in any cover but some shapes are better suited to certain cover. For instance, the Arkie head that originated in Arkansas is deemed the best shape around 'wood', while Football heads are commonly used for fishing around 'rocks'. A jig used for off-bottom cranking needs no special shape or standup capability, but should have a pointed jighead to penetrate weeds. It should also have a weedguard that lies on an obtuse angle to the jighead to shed weeds. Bristles that stand perpendicular to the head create a horrible weed-trap. My favorite Swim Jig is the Outkast RT Jig , which offers most of the features I look for. > Eye On Nose > Bristle Weedguard > Obtuse Weedguard (135-deg) > Round-Bend Hook > Premium 5/0 Mustad > Double Keeper Barb > Double-Rattlebox > Lead-free Roger

However, rod failure was not due to neglect, wear or tear, and was not an accident. Incidentally, you don't speak with Loomis anymore, the caller ID was "Shimano America". Roger

I use 25 lb Berkley Trilene Big Game. The fatter the backing, the quicker the job gets done. Just leave enough space on the spool to bury the uni-to-uni connection. Roger

Many seem to be under the false impression that G.Loomis offers a no questions asked replacement warranty. While that may have been the case when Loomis was autonomous, it certainly isn't the case today. About two weeks ago, I was cranking in a hooked bass, and because it was just a runt, I admit to ripping it briskly over the pads. Much to my surprise, the rod suddenly snapped in two, but not at the slender tip, but closer to the butt. I wound up hand-lining the little tyke to the boat. We shipped the rod to Loomis and I finally got a call today from "Shimano America". I was informed that the rod would not be replaced because they found a hit mark about 14 above the butt section. Ironically, I inspected the break before shipping the rod, and seen no evidence of impact under a 5x toolmaker's eye-loop. I asked to speak with the inspector, but to no avail. After getting nowhere fast, I informed the caller that the loss was really not mine, because that will be the last Loomis rod I shall ever purchase. Right before I hung up, my wife asked for the phone. She asked kindly if Loomis would at least reimburse us for shipping coststhe answer was NO. Roger

In my case, the size of the spinnerbait would have little affect on the size of bass. I only fish spinnerbaits where the visibility is poor (low-light or murky water) so the size of the next bass is up for grabs. Roger

What Dwight points out is very sobering but very true. I remember duck hunting in New Jersey back in the 1960s. A sea goose called the "Atlantic Brant" had a daily bag limit of "6". One year when waterfowling in Brigantine, NJ, I harvested nothing but huge brant, and marveled at how well the brant were doing. Well, I had it dead wrong! What I didn't realize was that juvenile birds, which perpetuate the species were dangerously scarce due to poor breeding results. The very next year, the daily limit went from "6" to "0", as the state imposed a moratorium on brant hunting. Al Lindner recently stated, "If you're not catching the biggest smallmouths of your life, you're snoozing". But perhaps the rest of that statement might be, "If you don't do it now, you might miss out". Roger

Largemouth bass are known to spawn in water temperatures ranging between 55 and 75 deg F, which is not exactly sticking a landing. Although the temperature needs to be supportive of spawning, water temperature by itself does not provide a definitive time-line. At best, water temperature is a coincident indicator of the bedding cycle, roughly on par with forsythia in bloom or the appearance of nests built by red-winged blackbirds. During peak bedding activity, water temperatures are typically in the 60 to 65 deg F. range, when the likelihood of a fatal trend-reversal is very low. The spawning cycle is also tied to "photoperiod" (day-length), the same as our vegetable kingdom. This stands to reason, because the trend of day-length is a more stable yardstick than the yo-yo trends of water temperature. Roger

Minn Kota is your solution Unfortunately, a Motor Guide came with my new boat, and I unwisely left my Minn Kota on the boat I traded-in. It only took ONE outing with the Motor Guide, and I knew it must be replaced by a Minn Kota. Every time I looked cross-eyed at the Motor Guide it got bogged down in the salad. However, the Weed Wedge on the Minn Kota is a two-bladed prop that cuts its way through just about anything. Until the powerhead is encased in 15 lbs of weeds, a Minn Kota keeps on keeping on Roger

Don, there are dead tilapia littering the shorelines of lakes that I didn't even know supported tilapia. I guess it's nature's way of moving the distribution line southward, especially snook & peacock bass. You said a mouthful. Central Florida got down into the low 20s, and citrus growers have been watering overtime to prevent frozen fruit. Excessive irrigation is washing out caverns in the underground aquifers, and now we're seeing a great deal of sinkhole activity in my region Roger

About 20 years back, a Berkley representative was quoted as saying that XL and XT enjoy enormous popularity, but according to Berkley in-house studies 'Trilene Sensation' was their best line. This line was originally called "Sensithin", but to invigorate sales it was renamed "Sensation" (apparently to little avail). Roger

I've caught more bass on a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap than any other lipless crank, but ONLY because it had a head start. I now use only one lipless crank which is destined to catch up and pass the Rat-L-Trap and that's the "Spro Aruku Shad". Unlike the Rat-L-Trap, the Spro Aruku Shad remains erect when it's paused, which is a deadly feature during the bedding period. Roger

The color spectrum is as follows: Red - Orange - Yellow - Green - Blue - Indigo - Violet The color "red" is first to disappear, while the purple family is last to disappear. However, the last color to disappear and the best color to use are two separate entities. Roger

Very good pitching lure on a T-rig jig (Prefer the ugly otter). Roger

I'm with Mike. I'm a repeat customer, and just took delivery this past Wednesday on my THIRD Bass Tracker. The 'Revolution' hull in particular is a modified-V with a decent wave-cutting angle at the bow, and some deadrise at the transom (kind of a hybrid hull design). If you find a better all welded aluminum boat than Tracker, please shoot me a PM. Go for it Roger

Holy Cow, where you've been Brad? I'll drink to the Spro Aruku Shad and watermelon/green pumpkin laminate Roger

Maybe I misunderstood your question. I thought you were asking when topwater fishing is typically the most successful. If you're asking when surface strikes are possible, the answer is any month of the year (Not much of an answer, huh?). Roger

DEET has been dubbed a fish repellent back when Tommy Mann was still molding Jelly Worms. PABA (par amino benzoic acid) is just a B-vitamin like lecithin and folic acid. PABA has been eliminated from sunscreen products decades ago, mainly because it tended to stain clothing. Paradoxically, before we learned the scoop on UVA and skin cancer, PABA was my favorite because in spite of liberal application it allowed a nice golden tan. Gasoline was supposedly another offender, but throughout the era of 2-stroke engines my hands always smelled of petroleum, but still I managed one bass a day ;D Well, until bass grow barbels, I'll continue to disrespect their sense-of-smell Roger