RoLo

That's better than what I had in mind (when soft-plastics don't work, I've been skunked). Roger

I'm with you Scott, I'm also working hard at trimming the herd. I won't be satisfied until I get it down to about 10 lures for covering the surface, subsurface, mid-depth and bottom. I've got more lures than one man could lift, but they stay at home. All I bring on the boat is a little two-tier Bill Dance Plano. Slowly I'm getting there : Roger

I'm glad to hear the part about one of my waypoints, but not the part about the Big Stick ("did not produce much this year"). Three words: "Let It Sit". The Big Stick has a hollow rear section and it never stops moving (jiggle in place - let it sit) Lee, speaking of 5 pounders, I know you love pitching the frog and the topwater bite is on right now. Lois & I have both boated several between 4 and 6 on the Gambler Pop'n Toad (Bubble plow & pause). What zoom trailer? Roger

Have you tried fishing different bodies of water? I ask that question because I know of central Florida lakes that aren't participating right now, while other lakes are hopping. Roger

I'm in central Florida as well, and Right You Are! The autumn here is best described as an extension of summer, but the action knob has definitely been turned up to "High". The pickup in activity is clearly unrelated to barometric pressure, water temperatures or air temperatures. Although we're in Florida, I believe this has significance throughout the country and dovetails into a very unusual summer. We didn't have much of a topwater bite during the post-spawn, but we've got a good one going on right now. Despite the sweltering weather (97 deg last weekend), I haven't missed a Saturday or Sunday in weeks (fishing is too good). You mention that maybe the bass are feeding up for the winter, but I moved here in 1998, and have yet to see a winter in Florida. Do you suppose the bass are expecting a blizzard this winter? ;D Roger

Welcome to the forum Pokrant_Kid (Canada is our second home) Roger

NO, not giggy sticks, they're too wimpy. The 7" Big Stick would be perfect for those Colorado toads.

Humph...now if you had some Gambler Big Sticks in that mix, you could get rid of most of that other stuff (not the scissors though) ;D Roger

In reality, it's physics rather than theory. Speed and power move in opposite directions like a seesaw (hi-gear vs. lo-gear). If the rod-tip is traveling farther with the same effort at the angler's hand, that's proof-positive that the angler is dealing with reduced power (a NON-stroker rod). As previously noted, speed will give the angler greater distance, but only at the expense of power (it's a choice). Roger

New Jersey is the most populated state in the union, but it's not the most polluted state in the union. There are several ways to quantify pollution, for instance: ozone, lung cancer, industrial pollutants, and last and least the EPA superfund. To be fair to Mike Iaconelli, California was deemed the most polluted state. The cities below were rated the 10 most polluted metro areas in America (Jersey didn't make the list): 1. Los Angeles, California 2. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 3. Bakersfield, California 4. Visalia, California 5. Fresno, California 6. Birmingham, Alabama 7. Houston, Texas 8. Sacramento, California 9. Detroit, Michigan 10 Washington DC, Maryland Roger

South of Monmouth Reservoir, which only supports 'stocked' smallies, I'm not aware of any smallmouth fishery other than the Delaware River. Roger

Lake Hart is a quiet paradise, southeast of Orlando Int'l Airport. Roger

Good question, and best answered by one of the Virginia boys. I will say this, in years gone by the Back Bay country was not only hospitable by raft, but was a popular wade fishing destination for largemouth bass. Roger

SirSnook, you need to say 'lemon sharks', because most in here don't live near a coast, and to them 'lemons' grow on trees ;D Blank-length aside, I believe that butt-length is grossly understated. When I'm in the market for a new spinning rod, one of the first things I want to know is the distance between the butt-cap and reel-stem. I personally insist on an absolute minimum of 11", but would prefer 14" if it were available. When standup fishing in saltwater (w/o a fighting chair), we use a gimbal belt and shoulder harness. These aren't necessary in freshwater, but all I ask is a butt-section where I can rest my forearm. This comes in handy when pulling the boat over to a snagged lure, when fighting one of those all too infrequent toads or just to use as an armrest. Roger

I wouldn't expect that question from a purist ;D Naturally, when we forfeit our power to the fish, the fish's strength will be exaggerated by the long rod. That's the very reason why it's so much fun to fight bluegill sunfish and brook trout on a 9-foot flyrod. The next 150 lb bluefin tuna we hookup on a 9-foot rod, I'm going to hand off the rod to the guy who wants the leverage of a long rod (he'll be drenched in sweat about an hour later) ;D Roger

Any bass that's interested in feeding will nearly always engulf the entire offering, and then some. However, when bass are not actively feeding, notably during the spawning season, they might smack the lure with a closed mouth, a time when hook-sets can be mighty elusive. Even when the frog is engulfed by the bass, as it usually is, the angler must set the hook with enough authority to compress the plastic body in order to expose the hooks, and have enough leftover energy to drive the hook-point beyond the barb. With today's braided lines this is a calkwalk, but is still very frustrating with any monofilament line, which all stretch. Roger

RW, I was TOTALLY confused last week! The wind was blowing out of the west, but the cows were laying down :-/ :-? ;D Wind direction is definitely important in saltwater, even 50 miles offshore. A stiff, long-standing wind out of the east can sharply deflect the Gulfstream (warm water), and blow sargasso beds inshore, along with baitfish and gamefish in the mix. By the way, when I lived in Edgewater, Florida (northeast coast), the predominant wind was not the Prevailing Westerlies but was the "Northeast Tradewinds" (not unlike the maritime climate of California). In freshwater, regardless of wind direction, windward and leeward water can always be found. Roger

For the record, I read "Spoonplugging" by Elwood Buck Perry (hot off the press), around the same time I read Bill Binkleman's Nightcrawler Secrets. To my mind however, that's all broken bubbles and ancient history today. Not to become trapped in complacency, I feel that we've come a loooong way since that time. This thread has visited left and right-field, but in the interest of the original topic, I feel compelled to revisit my former post. I've done more than my share of downrigging with cannonballs in the ocean, but flatlining is still the most popular trolling method on inland waters (with the obvious exception of the Great Lakes). Unfortunately, flatlining is highly inefficient because it deals with a host of untamed variables. Among the many variables encountered with flatline trolling: > Lure Type (floating, neutrally buoyant, sinking, diving, non-diving), > Line Type (monofilament, braid, monel, lead-core, copper, etc) > Line Diameter (breadth of cumulative water resistance) > Distance Astern (lineage of cumulative water resistance) > Trolling Sinker (may be increased, reduced or omitted) > Boat Speed (RPMs will vary as the boat travels upwind, cross-wind and downwind) > Trolling Direction (with the tide, cross-tide or against the tide - Only applicable in tidal waters). Further exacerbating the depth equation above is the line-belly phenomenon, which I alluded to in my former post. When flatline trolling, there's a point of vanishing returns when paying more line astern will actually send the lure higher in the water column due to cumulative line-drag. In short, there's no shortcut to ascertaining lure depth, which should be predetermined via the litmus test. With regard to flatlining trolling, it's probably best to throw away the calculator, because there's no "dependable" shortcut. Start by locating a hard, flat bottom in known water depth. Attach your lure of choice to your line of choice then vary the trolling speed, trolling sinker and length of line astern. When the rod-tip begins to bounce due to bottom contact, record all the variables in your log (good for a lifetime). This same process is repeated for each trolling depth and although it's very time-consuming it's valuable data that will not change until one of the many variables is changed. Nobody said it was easy Roger

We all read the bearing-count, because it's something that can easily be compared. In reality though, most reels can get by with only three quality bearings, where additional bearings only lend to smoother cranking. In truth, bearing "quality" is equally or more important than bearing quantity. For example, a low-end producer may count a bushing or sleeve as a bearing, or simply install low-grade ball-bearings to beef-up the count. Since bearing-count is so easily compared, manufacturers are inclined to step up the count for competitive purposes. But the angler must understood that a reel with a higher bearing count, will also have a higher sticker price and a heavier reel weight. Roger

Live 7" Gizzard Shad Roger

Actually, the longer the rod the more leverage you give to the fish. This is the reason why "stroker rods" used for shark, tuna and billfish normally range between 5 and 6 ft in length. Rod length can be likened to a transmission, where the short rod represents low gear (more strokes & more power) while the long rod represents high gear (fewer strokes, less power but more speed). Roger

All things equal, the short rod gives the angler greater power and accuracy, while the long rod offers greater speed and casting distance. Roger

I only use spinnerbaits in murky water and/or during significant wave action. For this reason, I ordered a bunch of custom-built spinners with a large, dark, single Colorado blade with a black & red skirt (red turns black in low light). Unfortunately, "Heavy Cover Spinnerbaits" had to close its doors due to health reasons. IF and when my spinnerbait stash runs low, I'm sure that Russ *** can fill the bill. Roger

Goldenrod and ragweed are both in bloom during the hayfever season. While goldenrod displays showy golden blooms, ragweed has inconspicuous flowers that are easily overlooked. As a result, goldenrod is commonly blamed for hayfever, while ragweed, the true culprit is often unnoticed. In my opinion highly visible line is like goldenrod, it causes no problem but is highly conspicuous and takes the blame. A predator that wolfs down an 8 plug and 3 large trebles hooks is not likely to be spooked by the sight of a fine filament. I believe that line diameter is the true culpritthe ragweed that causes line-drag. When finesse fishing, as the line-diameter and line-drag are increased, the action of the lure becomes more impeded and more unnatural. When I started fishing with polyethylene braid, I used a fluorocarbon leader. I soon grew tired of dealing with fluoro, which was nearly as wiry as my titanium pike leaders. I then switched to copolymer leader for a brief spell, but today I tie direct to everything without any leader. There has been no measurable difference in our fishing action, in fact, this has been one of our best years in the recent past. Roger

The state of Virginia rates the tidal stretch of the Potomac River as world-class for largemouth bass, and B.A.S.S. rated the Potomac as the best river in America for largemouth bass! Virginia's upper stretch of the Potomac also offers a smallmouth fishery. Roger