RoLo

In water below 60 deg F, largemouth bass become increasingly sluggish. In water below 50 deg, bass prefer to be spoon-fed, and are less likely to give horizontal chase. For this same reason, they're less likely to chase a plastic worm. In wintertime, nothing tops a natural bait dangled in their face. The best winter artificials are vertically delivered like a bladebait, which spend more time in the strike window. During summer however, the bass’s metabolism is at an annual peak, a season when the plastic worm will normally outfish natural bait. Due to the worm's lack of negative cues, studies have shown that bass have more difficulty becoming 'conditioned' to the worm than any other lure; it's the crack cocaine of bassdom. Roger

Without a doubt, confidence is hugely important, but I have to struggle sometimes to stay objective. That's one of many reasons why I prefer the electric anchor to the electric motor. Anchored down on a waypoint, I generally cycle thru all the setups on the bow, before leaving a spot. But I do cheat a lot. My confidence lures get lots of casts, but low confidence lures get a few token casts Roger

Very nice bass, I'd go 5, Tops Roger

I think you have a great opportunity. In streams that support a good trout populations, coldwater fish are usually the main target. In many instances, the smallie population may be neglected, which is a good thing. Roger

LAKE WALK-In-WATER (Lake Weohyakapka) Four Bird Species Purple Grackle: (7 o'clock) Great White Heron (11 o'clock) Little Blue Heron (3 o'clock) Ibis (middle) Roger

First the bass was hooked, now your boy is hooked Roger

I regard 30-lb braid as the pivot point, which can handle a litany of tasks by itself. From there, you can go higher or lower depending on how you purpose your fishing outfit. Roger

For shore fishing, accuracy is usually (but not always) more important than distance (i.e. shorter rod). When navigating brushy shorelines, the shorter rod will really be appreciated. Roger

I've never fished a frog that was easier to walk than a tail-weighted "Boze ZZ Walker" (probably discontinued) Truthfully, any frog can easily be walked if you provide some slack-line 'before' & 'after' each jerk. Roger

Bandit 100 A mighty mite Roger

WHITE HERON Cypress Lake in Kissimmee Chain (Black legs & larger size, distinguish it from a Great Egret) Roger

I agree, you're moving in the right direction. In addition to longer casting distance, lighter line lets you get by with lighter weight, it offers deeper trolling depths and gives you greater sensitivity overall. I use straight braid, so in my case, a lighter braid is also less visible (least of my concerns). I believe that wind-knots & line-burrowing have as much to do with modus operandi, as with line diameter. Regardless of line-test, I have very, very few issues with wind-knots or line-burrowing. In any case, if I did have an issue with either one, I wouldn't try solving it with heavy braid. The heaviest braid I use is 50-lb test, and only for frogging and punching. Roger

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Shimano Bantam MGL

Might've Known

My dad's drink was beer, but his son's favorite drink is a martini (That would be me). I apologize for not including an image, but I trust most can visualize stemware, a clear drink & an olive ? Many decades ago, my wife hosted a family Christmas party at our house. Among others, the attendees included 3 inexperienced drinkers: my mom and 2 of my aunts. At that time, we had a 2 bathroom, split-level house in Sayreville, NJ. That evening, I concocted a big jug of gimlets for our guests, enough for everyone. Gimlets go down like water, but can be very deceptive. Unfortunately, my mom didn't feel well, and single-handedly shutdown our main bathroom. Not long thereafter, one of my aunt over did it, and laid claim to our 2nd bathroom. Low & behold, my other aunt became ill and my wife wound up phoning our neighbor across the street: "Would it be okay if someone used your bathroom?". Needless to say, that ended my brief career in gimlet concoction. Roger

I've never fished the surf of Florida's Gulf Coast, but this I can tell you. JULY marks the peak or near peak month of several saltwater species in Florida: > Tarpon > Red Drum (Better known as redfish) > Gray Snapper > Blacktip Shark (An edible shark known for aerial acrobatics) > Tripletail (A saltwater delicacy, that hangs around buoys & objects) (I know nothing about guides or charters, but that's easily obtained) Roger

Yeah, with 9 lbs of drag tension, you should be able to tow a kayak around, that is, until the rod blank explodes!

Respooling is easily done without paying any attention to Left & Right, Top & Bottom or labels. You're "only" job is to be certain that the rotary direction of the line coming off the supply spool, is the same rotary direction as the line being laid on your reel-spool. That's all she wrote. Roger

NINE-POUNDS? Sam, 9 pounds of drag tension will easily land a 50-lb striped bass or even a 100-lb bluefin tuna. Simple Reality Check Fetch your most accurate fish scale, then fetch an assistant. Tie an end-loop in your fishing line, then have your assistant slip the end-loop onto your fish scale. Now apply increasing pressure to your rod, until your assistant hollers "9 pounds". Be very patient, as this will likely provide a valuable lesson, and a wake-up call. Roger

All gamefish tend to be more aggressive in water current. Stream fish have a constant supply of moving water This might explain why river bronzebacks are unusually vulnerable to topwater lures...'any' topwater. When the surface stuff isn't working, my second favorite lure for stream smallies is a jig & curly-tail grub. Roger

For under $200, if you find a reel better than a Shimano C14, I'd be real interested in that reel. Roger

Yeah, I took that test a while back (About a dozen bass images, most over 10 lb) I thought I did terrible, but they thought otherwise On average, you were off by plus or minus 1.23 pounds. Less than 1.5lb average error: Wow, you are a bass god! Truly, other anglers should carry your gear for you! Roger

Worden's 1/8 oz Rooster tail (R-bend eye rather than looped wire) Roger

National Emblem (Common sight in mid-Florida) Roger