RoLo

Spending many years on the ocean, I've come to rely on the Hopkins Shorty for most vertical jigging and jump fishing (shad). Particularly in winter, the bladebait is another good metal for vertical jigging, my favorite being the Reef Runner Cicada. Not surprisingly, the key to spoons & blades is keeping the metal at fish level (more easily said than done) Roger

As the name suggests, I believe that "finesse" fishing is less about size, and more about an adjustment of speed & action. Lately the smallest worm we fish, even on lockjaw days is a 7½" Gambler Big Stick. Fished as a shaky worm on a 3/16oz jig (flicks & pauses) it's usually able to get the skunk out of the boat. Roger

My first love affair with a car was the 1958 Plymouth Fury By the time I was in the market for a new car, I decided on a 61 Ford Starliner (second sexiest car). She ran C-superstock at the drag strip, and I almost always made it to the elimination run (The "Wild Canary" ate chevies for breakfast) 8-) Roger

When I first reached drinking age my favorite beer was Schaefer, that was during the 1960s. Schaefer draught beer had a creamy, long-lasting head, and then a white cardboard quart-container cost 50 cents. Ultimately, Schaefer changed brewmasters, which caused me to switch to Rheingold, which then tasted more like the original Schaefer brew. As DUI, DWI and checkpoints began to emerge, a throng of beer companies went belly-up, and Rheingold and Schaefer were among the casualties. After that, I drank Keystone Light for several years, but today my favorite beer by default is Bud Lite. Back in the day, Newark, New Jersey had exceptionally pure water from the Pequannock Watershed, and major breweries flocked to the area. In Newark, NJ alone, breweries that are now defunct include Pabst, Ballantine, Kruegers and Henslers (Budweiser is the sole survivor). Roger

Speaking of swimbaits and Florida. Lois caught this girl just today (Nov 22) on a Berkley Hollow-Belly Swimbait (5.5" tennessee shad) I boated a couple bass today on the Basstrix Paddletail Swimbait, but the Hollow Belly did the best of the three swimbaits today (i.e. hollow belly - basstrix - bass magic). Roger

When a sharp rock is struck with enough force, it'll open up an aluminum hull like a can-opener to a soup can. Although rocks are normally struck in shallow water, there isn't much that can be done with an aluminum hull in that condition. On Canada's rock-studded lakes, some fishing lodges actually use the reverse strategy. They'll maintain a rental fleet of "molded" fiberglass boats using glass patch kits (glass mesh, two-component epoxy & catalyst). It only takes about 15 minutes for the glass patch to harden, and when you look over their fleet of rental bathtubs, you can usually find a patch on most of the boats Roger

Uncanny but true, bass that live in perennially dark murky water are somehow able to track a lure without any help from rattles or scent. Have you ever noticed that bass from muddy water are just as fat or even fatter on balance, than bass from clear water lakes? The ideal water visibility for maximum growth rate is estimated to be around 2 feet. Given a choice, I'd rather fish a lake with 1½ ft water visibility than a lake with 4-ft visibility. Roger

A neighbor where we live keeps a pontoon boat in the south Winter Haven chain, and he's been basically landlocked for several months! But I wasn't aware of how widespread the problem is. Well, we're heading out in a few minutes, either to the private launch at Walk-In-Water or maybe the Kissimmee River (the raingear is packed). When this shad jump is over, we won't just be passing by "Shiners Unlimited" Roger

My most productive soft swimbaits (right now in Florida) are the Luck "E" Strike Bass Magic (5.5" moccasin) and Basstrix Paddletail (6" perch). My wife's favorite soft swimbait is the Berkley Hollow Belly (5.0" gizzard shad). She's been doing great with that lure. Another soft swimbait I like, but do not recommend is the Huddleston Weedless Trout5 (6 Holdover). The bass whack it to death (even little bass), but the weedless slot gets beat up much too quickly for a $17 lure. The other swimbaits are far cheaper. Swimbaits have been working well in Florida for the past three months (since mid-September), but they work best by far when bass are heard busting on top (chasing shad) Roger

Summit is the one that interests me (en route to Winterset), and now of course, the Cypress Gardens water shows are history That'd be great! Roger

Lee, I was informed just last week that the ramp at Lake Fannie was upgraded. But I don't know what the water level is like right now, and was wondering if you did. I personally haven't been on Fannie since last year, and if I didn't have a 14-footer I'm not sure I could've made it out. Very good bass water by the way. Roger

unbalanced your boat?!?! come on, out of all the fish youve caught, surely you can come up with a ballpark within 2 lbs, i'll believe you I was hoping that my story was absurd enough to liberate me from providing a weight. ;D I suppose that such a preposterous scenario is remotely possible if I were fishing for mako shark from a 12-ft aluminum rowboat, but NOT my biggest bass : Roger

I remember your big bass Ryan, she was a real fatty. My longest measured 28.25", but weighed 12-3 Roger

Elvis Presley "I Was The One" (flipside of 'Heartbreak Hotel') Roger

MAN-OH-MAN...We've never boated 500 dolphins, but I'm sure we'd be banged up too ;D Roger

That doesn't scare me. I'm not quitting until I need glasses (oh that's another joke) :

Not bad at all Roger

Why didn't I think of that, would've been a lot less typing John, do you know where I might find a pickerel tournament, I'm due for a trophy bass ;D Roger

My father was an excellent carp fisherman, and drummed up his own concoction of doughballs using cornmeal, vanilla extract and some other stuff. I was just a kid, and used to knead the dough in a handkerchief on the way to Lake Paulinskill (NJ). Kneading makes the dough tougher, which then stays on the hook longer. Long after dad's passing, I discovered that four corn niblets threaded on a short-shank No.6 hook worked just as good or better than dad's secret doughballs Roger

I've fished all three freshwater sizes and much prefer the "Super Spook JR." at 3-1/2" x 1/2oz. I use heavy spinning tackle that easily handles the 7/8oz Super Spook, but on so-so days, it doesn't raise as many bass as the Spook JR. (everything works on good days) As for the Zara Puppy, it's just too small for my liking. Roger

The day I landed my biggest bass, I didn't have any scale, ruler or camera. I decided to keep her for my den, and laid her down next to the gunwale. Her weight unbalanced my boat, and water came rushing over the gunwale like a waterfall!!! To prevent my boat from swamping, I had no choice but to quickly toss her back in the lake. I will not hazard a guess as to her weight & length, for fear of being accused of a "fish story" Roger

Welcome aboard Tim, You'll be traveling to Florida, and we'll be traveling to Canada. I'm counting on you to fill me in on the best gator pike fishing Roger

The capitol of Texas is "Timbuktu", but I don't believe California has a capitol. ;D Roger I thought their capitol was sold while in foreclosure. Not sold: just moved. Area 51, a clandestine facility located 100 miles outside of Las Vegas in Nevada's high desert, was where the Arnold put Ca's new capitol. LOL George, maybe you and I should stay right here in Florida :-/

And while we're at it, what's this sexist comment about "seeing a man" thing? Whose wife told you that one? ;D my mistake...I failed to mention that some women elicit that same response in animals. Roger

The capitol of Texas is "Timbuktu", but I don't believe California has a capitol. ;D Roger The last person leaving Ca. was heard to say: "I'll be back", or was that the first. I think he also said something about needing some capital for the capitol. Touche ;D