RoLo

The Redfin was commonly referred to as a 'twitchbait', not unlike the Original Rapala Floater. Back in the 70s and 80s I used Redfins a lot for northern pike. The plastic body held up to pike's teeth far better than a balsa wood Rapala Floater. Roger

Rick Clunn is still looking for them Roger

There is no right or wrong 'action', which is a matter of task and preference. Moderate action favors casting distance and is useful for slack-line prevention and to reduce tear-offs Fast Action offers higher sensitivity (a biggie), quicker spine access and quicker hook-set response. Roger

I want at least 12" between the reel center and butt cap...preferably 14". This is invaluable when bulling a large lure thru heavy veggies and when hauling a lunker fish. Resting the rod butt underneath the forearm, removes all strain. This is quickly learned in saltwater, where you're sometimes hauling one slob after another. Roger

> Shimano or Dobyns blank (Casting / Spinning) > Shimano reel > 30-lb Braid main-line > 30-lb Braid leader (Knotless..LOL) > Gambler 5.0" Big EZ (Pictured in my avatar) Roger

GREAT EGRET Lake Eloise, FL (2009) (When their plumes were used in ladies hats, egrets were slaughtered to near extinction)

In slimy vegetation, weeds can adhere to the tiniest corner, even the corners of an external line-eye. In heavy vegetation, a weedguard with a wide angle is enough to get catchy & choky. The 'Revenge Swim Jig' has an embedded line-eye with NO corners, and has a low-slung weedguard. In Florida, weedlessness isn't an asset, it's a necessity. Roger

REVENGE SWIM JIG I agree, McCall’s Rayburn jig is an excellent swim jig. Both jigs have a nose-eye and a sweptback weedguard, but I prefer the embedded line-eye on the Revenge swim jig (Throw 3/4 oz Revenge for pike). Roger

The 'Swim Jig Shootout' has nothing to do with swimming a jig, nothing to do with brand loyalty, but has everything to do with weedlessness and complimentary features: SWIM JIG SHOOTOUT FEATURES REVENGE SWIM JIG DIRTY JIGS SWIM JIG OUTKAST HC SWIM JIG OUTCAST RTX All-TERRAIN Grassmaster Nose Eyelet Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Round-Bend Hook Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Guard Angle 40o 40o 30o 30o 5o Keeper Retention 5-star 4-star 3-star 3-star 4-star Head Shape Laterally Flat Conical Conical Laterally Flat Conical Hook Wire Medium Heavy Medium Heavy Heavy Available Weights 1/4,3/8.1/2,3/4 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 1/4, 3/8 3/8.1/2,3/4 3/8.1/2,3/4,1 My personal favorite is the 'Revenge Swim Jig' Secondary factors such as 'colors' & 'trailers' warrant a separate thread. Roger

In the fins themselves there's no blood. Bleeding from nest-sweeping comes from cuts & abrasions in the 'tail-stalk', and is typically accompanied by a tattered and well-worn tail fin. Blood caused by nest maintenance is usually thin & smeared, rather than full-bodied drops. Roger

WOOD STORK Not a common, nor particularly attractive bird. This one was in the same area we've seen storks ~40 yrs prior (NE Lake Toho) Roger

'Zero' is fine, as long as it's the 2nd number and not the first ? Roger

Pinot Noir (white) & Tanqueray Gin make a slam-dunk martini (I think the animated gif is waving a Manhattan) Roger

There's nothing wrong with a 6' 7" long rod, but you won't be happy with Med Lgt power. You'll have far more versatility with Med Hvy power Roger

Which jerkbaits are you throwing? Hard (exposed hooks) or soft (weedless)? Are you fishing open water or heavy cover? Targeting lunker bass or schoolies? I love the part about Poison Adrena, but have my druthers about Medium Light. Roger

New Born Mockingbirds In a blue spruce in Sayreville, NJ They thought I was mama. Roger

It goes without saying, trophy bass have been taken on every lure manufactured. Most of my best bass were probably taken while pitching 'soft swimbaits' in 2 to 6 ft of water amidst vegetation. I should note, in eutrophic natural lakes, the maximum depth in many lake sections will be less than 8 feet. Roger

You Took it Off the Market?????? Make that 9

I begin every day with the same attitude, "Go big, or Go home". Before day's end however, that attitude is subject to change Roger

Roboworms aren’t cheap, but you’d be hard put to find a better plastic worm. The one I prefer is the "Fat Straight-tail 6.0” Roboworm". Any dark color will do, but I mostly use Aaron’s Green Pumpkin. Roger

Sonar technology is fast-moving, and I've been out of that market the past couple years. All I can offer is my overall opinion throughout the years. Lowrance is my favorite brand overall, based on hardware, software, chart availability & endurance. Garmin has always offered the most solid, user-friendly software, probably due to their military contracts. (I might add, I prefer the old MapSource over BaseCamp). My only beef with Garmin is chart availability (e.g. An upgrade that disables competitor charts). My least favorite Sonar/GPS is Humminbird, which I've owned from their battery-operated portable up to their side-imaging Onix. I wish it weren't so, but all of them disappointed in one way or another. Sorry I couldn't address your specific issue; good luck with your decision Roger

Man still lacks the ability to see colors thru the eyes of bass. But we do know which colors enhance or degrade contrast, and we're able to imitate the colors of predominate prey (all we need to know). When bass look upward, they only see the underside of the animal. For the most part, the undersides of animals appear in various shades of White, Gray & Yellow. Not surprisingly, white & cartreuse (yellow) are the most popular colors for spinnerbaits and frog bellies. Roger

That's good advice. I can see home assembly though, when your heart is set on an unorthodox combo. Roger

Red-Shouldered Hawk Although a wild raptor, I feed him uncooked chicken 'everyday' This bird is so spoiled, he rejects cooked chicken wings (True Story) Roger

The "Zoom Hollow Body" offers a color they call “Leopard” that appears to have chartreuse on the belly. I've never owned one, so can’t say for sure. Roger