RoLo

With an identical hook set, a longer rod will cover more distance than a shorter rod, but it will require more effort (force) from the hook setter. You actually get more leverage out of a shorter rod. See this thread: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1250045298/7#7 Exactly. Rod length is a seesaw exchange between power and speed. The shorter the rod, the greater the power, but the longer the rod, the greater the speed. Believe it or not, "speed" is more important than power when setting the hook, hence a longer rod. However, if you're using non-stretch line (braid), extra-speed is not needed and tends to be counterproductive. Roger

Love the SK 3X products. They catch fish, and they last. How long they last I do not know. One of my main weapons is the ShakE2 jig head with a four inch coppertreuse trick worm. Never had one tear, or pulled off the hook. I've lost them due to the rig getting hung up in the rocks. I've caught over thirty bass and a couple of pickerel on one worm before losing it. The surface of the worm gets scuffed a bit, but that's it. Even when a pickerel grabs it by the tail, it stretches so much that eventually, it pulls from the pic's mouth. It will stretch so much that it's diameter will become less than a sixteenth of an inch. I have long since stopped counting fish, but one time I decided to count the number of bass that can be caught on one 7" Strike King Finesse Worm. After a couple of days, I completely lost count and now just refer to the amount as "countless". I'm the last one to worry about the cost of lures, but it's the convenience that I truly enjoy. At the end of the day, I just rip the SK finesse worm off the hook and throw it into the tackle box. The next time on the water, you can't find the hole in the used worm, but it really doesn't matter if a 3x worm is new or used. I also fish the Strike King "Zulu" on the surface like an original floating rapala, but unlike the rapala, the zulu is weedless. If the zulus get mixed in the tackle box with the flukes, just tug on the end of the lure to differentiate between the two. The Zulu is easily stretched to twice its length while the fluke just hangs tough. Roger

I don't believe in mixing pleasures. I get soozled before fishing and after fishing, but never on the water Roger

Don't ask me, I've never been a very lucky person. Although one time I came VERY CLOSE to winning $2 million in the Ed McMahon Sweepstakes :( Roger

I'm a little surprised George......NETTING bass in Mexico!! Roger

I'm looking into this as we speak. Needless to say, it is always careless people who get bears and alligators into trouble just for being bears and alligators. In our National Parks, officers are forced to transport or destroy precocious animals that have learned of man's physical inferiority and sloppy food handling. These individuals are labeled "nuisance bears" or "nuisance gators". Sadly, Florida has superseded this mode of operation, and the killing of alligators has now become a commercial process. I'm not sure who's aligned for monetary gain, but I do know that the FWC has lost control and insight as to the damage caused by the commercial destruction of alligators. Roger

Champlain, Thousand Islands and Black Lake all lie within the northern Bass Box. Though I've lived in Florida since 1998, I miss the quality bass fishing that exists as far north as Parry Sound in 30,000 Islands, Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, Canada. Remarkably, 3-lb bass are actually common in Lake Huron, but 12 pounders are unheardof. Roger

Except for stickworms like the senko, I normally prefer soft-plastics with high buoyancy. Nearly all my strike king plastics are made of 3x plastic (cyberflexxx), except for the "Ocho" stickworm, which is made of perfect plastic (sinking plastic). Roger

A small lake I fish in central Florida was teeming with gators last year. My wife & I love alligators, but this year we haven't seen a single one. On my way in, I met two fellows at the ramp. One appeared to be salivating with joy, and volunteered the fact that they were on their way out to hunt alligators. I said, "That's a D**M shame...no wonder why we haven't seen any gators lately". He fired back, "Oh, we're only allowed to kill two gators". I said "TWO...I haven't seen ONE all year". By this time, I couldn't stand looking into his face any longer, so just turned around and walked away. I have a letter going out to the FWC, as I'd like ONE reason why these men were given permission to murder alligators. Roger

For each game fish there are several recognized weight-classes: Adult-class - Trophy-class - Record-class - World-class Although Mexico is an excellent choice for "trophy-class" bass, most would agree it's a poor choice for "world-class" bass. In extreme southerly latitudes, bass die prematurely of thermal burnout, no different than a plant that's pushed by grow lights. Though bass in super-heated climes enjoy rapid growth, they do not reach the advanced ages necessary to attain 'world-class' status. Clear Lake, CA and the California Delta are located at the optimum latitude for growth, and furthermore benefit from moderate temperatures provided by the Prevailing Westerlies, known as the Maritime Effect or Oceanicity. Texas is another strong conternder for world-class bass, and among the most promising Texan waterbodies are Falcon Reservoir, Lake Amistad and Lake Fork. With regard to world-class bass, northern Florida is superior to southern Florida. The Big O is chockfull of trophy-class bass, and yields a record-class bass now and then, but it's not even in the running for world-class bass. Northern Florida and southern Georgia are within the world-class region, and it's no mistake that southern Georgia held the world-record. for so long. The north Florida / south Georgia region provides two vital assets: 1) It's located within the range of Florida-strain bass, and first-generation Intergrade bass. 2) It's located at a geographic latitude that supports maximal Life Span. =========================================================================================== On the other hand, if you're just looking for "action" waters, where there is more catching and less fishing, you'd do better to head north, rather than south. The so-called "Bass Box" was introduced to the angling world by the "In-Fisherman" magazine, This region is defined as the highest quality fishing for both largemouth & smallmouth bass. As described by In-Fisherman, the "Bass Box" is delineated by joining the following four corners: Danforth, Maine; south to Hartford, Connecticut; west to Toledo, Ohio; north to Sault Saint Marie, Ontario; then east back to Danforth, Maine, where Lake Ontario lies at the hub. Roger

Flipping and clear water make strange bedfellows Waiting for a windy overcast day would be far more helpful than the tackle choice. Roger

Deer are nocturnal, and during nights with a full or gibbous moon, deer hunting always bites-the-bag. On moonlit nights, deer are already bedded down before I'm posted on my morning stand. In the evening, the deer won't move into the fields until after dark (after legal hunting hours). Bass are primarily diurnal, nonetheless I'm sure that moonlit nights have a significant affect on their dining schedule. I've never believed that the connection is celestial however, but due simply to lighting conditions. That is to say, full and gibbous moons would have no effect on bass fishing during night skies with heavy overcast. Roger

I stay evenly calm during a jump with a broad smile on my face. But if the bass comes unbuttoned, I'll break my rod over my knee, toss my tackle box into the lake and head straight back to the ramp ;D Roger

Johnson Spoon (1/2oz - black) w/ Fat Albert trailer (watermelonseed) Fish tight to cover and in the slop...all day long. Roger

I much prefer the Super Spook Jr. to the Lucky Craft Sammy. When the sammy is paused, the tail-end sinks down, giving the lure the posture of a slim-jim bobber. To get the lure out of the hole, dissipates the crispness of the jerk. In contrast, the high-riding super spook responds instantly and crisply to each jerk. But as always, to each his own. Roger

Strike King KVD Tube (3½ - Pumpkin Green Flake) Roger

:-?I have a pile of em in the garage! They all spin backwards because the antireverse pins break. No more for me. Why would you purchase an inferior product more than once? I also own a pile of shimano symetres, but mine all function today the same as the day they were bought and their durability is running abreast of my more expensive Stradics. I fish my tackle hard, and though I engage and disengage the anti-reverse lever several hundred times a day, I've never even heard of that complaint before. Roger

I deal with Bass Pro (since ***), Cabelas, Gander Mountain, Tackle Warehouse and other unmentionables. In an age of inflated shipping costs, "One-Stop" shopping has never been more important. With respect to bass angling, the inventory at Bass Pro is far more comprehensive than the inventory at Cabelas. Bass Pro gets the nod between those two, but my first tackle search is always Tackle Warehouse. Roger

12:30 AM to 1:30 AM EST My hour of spoofing (mid-post message) Roger

Shimano Symetre Roger

http://www.stansloanzorrobaitco.com/shortarm.php Looks like you'll need to email the company direct Roger

Spro Aruku Shad (lipless crank) Roger

"Spinning" gear provides the full range of freshwater tackle-classes from panfish to muskellunge (2-lb to 20-lb). "Baitcasting" however does not, because a revolving-drum is ill-suited to the light end of the range. Roger

Yeah, and there's no free replacement >

Now That Is Funny I think I just blew my laugh gasket! (touche' buddy) Roger