RoLo

Very good read Tom. I too was fortunate enough to witness firsthand some of Ted Williams angling exploits. I remember Ted fishing in the 50s on black-and-white television. He was the only man I seen that actually hooked-and-landed a 100-lb tarpon on a fly rod. At battle's end, Ted hoisted the 100-lb fish about shoulder-high then lowered the beast back into the water. This during the era of catch-and-keep. Roger

Wow, there's a lot of bull in that statement. Please feel free to pinpoint any statement in that paragraph that you feel is not true. Roger For one thing, Navionics maps are available on disc. http://www.navionics.com/HMExplorerFeatures.asp Burley, I searched the URL you provided and first I found GPS software on SD cards (SecureDigital) and CF cards (CompactFlash). But then I typed DVD in their search engine and aside from a bunch of tutorial disks, I did find something released in 2008 by Fuwagi software, is this what you're referring to? If I understand it correctly, the Fuwagi software is loaded onto your PC which can then print a paper map to take afield. In itself, this doesn't look interactive with your GPS, but I do see that it comes with some kind of Planning Software. Does this go-between software allow the user to interact between PC and GPS I'd be very interested to know. Is there anyone in the house who can upload, download and edit their Navionics waypoints in their PC, then load the map, waypoints, routes & tracks into their GPS unit (and vice versa). I would love to gain that capability with my Lowrance unit. Roger

Since I only seen one post before mine, I had to assume it was a new thread. My post only dealt with the software differences (cartography), but I also had problems with the Lowrance hardware (chartplotter). I was unable to upload waypoints to the Lowrance H2O and learned from Tech Support that this unit cannot handle "high-speed" SD cards (struck me as very odd, because I swear by Lowrance depth sounders). When I was on with Lowrance tech support they admitted to me that their iFinder H20 GPS has many glitches and they are planning on an upgrade in the future. For edification purposes only, I photographed both my units. What reason would I have to recommend Garmin, if I thought Navionics software was better? Roger Not a problem RoLo. Now, I have to play with it and learn how to get good with it. And I am sure that this will not be my last handheld as they keep making things better and upgrades! That's a very healthy attitude, and you can rest assured that your Lowrance unit will provide you with a very rich learning experience. Best of all, you'll have the coordinates of your favorite sweet spots forever. - Arched Rods Roger

No, not always. One of my very spinning rods is a 6' 6" Okuma Concept (C3-S-661MH) Power> Medium heavy Action> Fast Lure Wgt> 1/4 to 1oz Line Wgt> 10 to 20 lb Titanium Guide Frames <> Zirconium Inserts <> Fuji Reel Seat (ported) <> Carbon Grips (no cork) <> $150 Roger

Fishing line doesn't make the fisherman. I've run the gamut from braided nylon & braided dacron to lead-core & monel, in fact, Uncle Homer has only braided linen & catgut over me After all is said and done, "polyethylene braid" is my line material of choice. The reasons however are better discussed in a more appropriate thread. Roger

In Florida, the nucleus of the topwater bite ranges between 70 and 80 deg F. (post-spawn period) There's a secondary topwater bite in fall, between 80 and 70 deg F (post-summer period) Roger

> The Fishing Hole Jerry McKinnis > Fishing with Orlando Wilson > Gadabout Gaddis Roscoe Vernon > Go Fish Claude 'Fish' Fishburne WHAT?! There not on anymore? ;D

Since I only seen one post before mine, I had to assume it was a new thread. My post only dealt with the software differences (cartography), but I also had problems with the Lowrance hardware (chartplotter). I was unable to upload waypoints to the Lowrance H2O and learned from Tech Support that this unit cannot handle "high-speed" SD cards (struck me as very odd, because I swear by Lowrance depth sounders). When I was on with Lowrance tech support they admitted to me that their iFinder H20 GPS has many glitches and they are planning on an upgrade in the future. For edification purposes only, I photographed both my units. What reason would I have to recommend Garmin, if I thought Navionics software was better? Roger

Wow, there's a lot of bull in that statement. Please feel free to pinpoint any statement in that paragraph that you feel is not true. Roger

Central Florida golden shiners, threadfin shad, crayfish, tilapia The last time I tried to "match-the-hatch" was flyrodding for stream trout with wet Light Cahills Roger

Roger and I in this are in opposite side when it comes to skirt color, he says black I say white ( no kiddin ', when I say white I mean white ) . That would indicate to me that color isn't as important as we may think In the absence of sufficient light, white does not appear white. Black takes advantage of this phenomenon, by absorbing what little light exists, thereby increasing the lure's contrast against the lighter sky. Roger

The bass missed...it was his nose he was after

Tackle Warehouse is a class-act, and has been my first stop for many years. Roger

Soft-Plastics on a T-Rig Head. (as to one best lure, that changes every few hours). Roger

3/8oz Single Colorado Blade (#5 - Gold) Black Skirt Using more than one blade causes an annulling effect, where one blade dilutes the thumping action of the second blade. Muddy water is where overspinners really shine! Slow wind the spinner while watching the tip-top guide, and strive for maximum tip-throb. With a #5 Colorado and a high modulus blank, the throbbing may reach your elbows Roger

Subject to change without notice > Sizmic Pop'n Toad > Johnson Spoon & Single-Tail Grub (double-tail grub dampens spoon wobble) > Berkley Hollow-Belly Swimbait > Strike King Rage Lobster > Gambler Big Stick Roger

> Strike King 3x Finesse Worm > Roboworm Zipper Worm > Gamber Big Stick Roger

Charter member of the Shimano Posse 8-) Daiwa was a close second, but is loosing ground. Many moons ago, Quantum made my Blackball List. I'm sure they're better today, but that's too little, too late. Roger

It goes without saying, blatant hijacking of another member's thread is clearly unacceptable. But I think it's a mistake to view every subtopic response as a "hijacked" thread. I've found that some of the most interesting and informative threads were collateral byproducts of the parent thread, something from which we all benefit. Roger

He da Bate Munkey ;D Paul, I agree with your take regarding slow horizontal speed in cold water, and bass's tolerance to the speed of lure-action in cold water. Two good examples are the "lipless crank", which exhibits very rapid lure action at a low forward speed, and winter blade baits like the Silver Buddy and Cicada, which winter anglers routinely rip rapidly upward, so bass can seize the lure during its slow parachute decent. Exceptions are rampant of course, but that's fishing. Roger

I'll drink to that. Even on those rare occasions when color SEEMS to matter, I've never had proof that some other color may have been even more successful during that same bite. In order for a bass to strike a lure, the lure must be visible within the bass's window of response. In view of that fact alone, color certainly does matter, but only inasmuch as it may enhance or hinder lure visibility. Roger

Due to poor workmanship, Jobee Heads have been phased out by most major distributors. Grab the hook in one hand and grab the leadhead in the other hand. Now twist the head against the hook and without exerting a great deal of pressure the bond will be broken and the head will rotate freely around the hook shank. What's more, the jobee head uses a long thin and very rubbery hook AVOID! The identical jighead has been farmed out to Luck E Strike but to no avail. The hook is still long, thin and rubbery with no backbone. After you've lost several wall-hangers and retrieve an empty jig with a straightened hook, you'll share the same sentiment. Owner is the finest name in hooks, and they produce two jigheads for shaky worming: 1) Owner Ultrahead Shaky Type http://www.performancetackle.com/freshwater-fishing/terminal-tackle/jigheads/ultrahead-shaky-type/prodOHUSHAKYHEAD.html 2) Owner Ultrahead Bullet Head http://www.performancetackle.com/freshwater-fishing/terminal-tackle/jigheads/ultrahead-bullet-type/prodOHUBULLET.html While most anglers would opt for the "shaky type head" I personally use a heavy-duty version of the bullet head I listed below. The Owner Bullet Head above uses a thin-wire hook, but I prefer the Owner "Type-Z" Bullet Head which uses "medium-wire hook", a finesse jig capable of landing Kurita's bass. This is the jig I'm referring to: Owner Bullet Head "Type-Z" http://www.performancetackle.com/freshwater-fishing/terminal-tackle/jigheads/ultrahead-bullet-type-z/prodOHUBULLETZ.html On the downside, Owner's fine-wire bullet head is available in 1/16oz, whereas Owner's type-Z Bullet Head starts at 1/8oz. Based on clear water study, when a high-floating worm is used, the worm tail will be held upright above the head regardless of the jighead configuration. Oppositely, if the worm is made of neutrally buoyant or sinking plastic there is no jighead configuration that will hold the tail aloft for more than a moment, without falling over and settling on the bottom. I could go to jail for that remark, so keep it under your hat ;D Roger

I came very close to mentioning the jerkbait analogy, I'm glad you filled in that space. As Big-O rightly pointed out, we certainly do get impulse strikes during the cold water period, but IMO, most bass in cold water cannot muster that surge of power, and would be more inclined to let it get away (of course, this all depends on the definition of cold) I too avoided the chatterbait hype, which has really cooled off as late. Keep us abreast on your slow-rolling findings Paul, I might still latch on. Is that banana-breathe I smell ;D Roger

Lowrance is licensed only for Navionics cartography, which is not available on DVDs (comes on miniSD cards) You will not have the ability to download your charts and waypoints onto your resident computer drive. If you attempt to break the code, you'll be warned that the SD card will self-destruct. As a result, you must have physical possession of the SD card in order to upload, download or edit your waypoints. With Garmin cartography, the data resides on YOUR computer where it's totally interactive and editable. Both Garmin and Navionics offer Hi-Def charts in 1-foot increments, but some (maybe all) of Navionics HD charts begin at the 6-ft depth line while all Garmin charts begin at the 1-foot contour line. The lion's share of Florida bass live in the top 6 feet of water, which renders useless the Navionics HD chart of Lake Kissimmee (I run both Navionics (Lowrance chartplotter) and Garmin (Garmin chartplotter). Why would you buy first, and then ask if it was a good idea? Roger

That's a moot point Ed, and I'm glad you brought it up. The answer to that quandary should be relevant to the best wobble for cold water cranking. But oddly enough, I've read articles written by "professional" anglers that were diametrically opposed as to the best crankbait wobble for cold water. I'm going to lead with my chin here, and say that the speed of the wobble is less important than the "stroke" of the wobble. That is to say, a plug with a wide wobble, although it may be a slow wobble, would be more appropriate for warm water. Conversely, a lipless crank which has a very fast wobble but a very short stroke would be better suited to cold water. Indeed, most would agree that the Rat-L-Trap is the first plug to catch bass after ice out. Based on that analogy, the strike king rage craw and rage lobster should be excellent cold water lures. I hope to find out in the weeks ahead. Roger