RoLo

I think there's waaay too much emphasis placed on scent. I use a lot of YUM soft plastics, but as far as I'm concerned they can save the LPT (live prey technology). As for Gulp, I have trouble differentiating between a Gulp product and a backed up septic system ;D (Gulp, indeed). Roger

Late Pre-Spawn It takes place during the vernal uptrend in water temperatures, loosely coinciding with water temperatures that sandwich the 60-degree area. During the "late" pre-spawn both cow and buck bass are much less moody and mobile, and far more residential and aggressive...it's Party Time! Roger

Saturday - April 5 - Lake Walk-In-Water 80 deg water - South winds 20 to 25mph - Thunderstorm! What can I say, I've been on dry dock a long time and I was chomping at the bit. I pointed the bow into the whitecaps and moved at quarter throttle into the head-sea (14-ft aluminum). AccuWeather predicted 17mph winds but they were blowing steadily in the 20s (so what else is new?). A wayward lightning bolt followed by a clap of thunder sent me packing into north Lagoon (Indian Lake Estates). I asked Lois to take the spinning outfits out of the vertical holders and lay them down (Six lightning rods). We couldn't see 50 yards during the heart of the downpour but our frogg toggs kept us dry. In the protection of the lagoon I did manage to get five bass to the boat. Although I worked a half-dozen different lures, the Strike King finesse worm caught all 5 bass (search me). Every bass looked like it came from the same mold marked "small" > On the upside, we didn't see ONE other boat on the entire 7,500-acre lake (gee, I wonder why). I guess all the Vikings are dead! Roger

Team Daiwa Light and Tough - $120 Very sensitive - Very attractive - Great backbone - Incredible latitude (True casting range: 1/8 to 1 oz - Finesse fishing to Stump-rocking) If you know of any blank with greater latitude (regardless of price) I'd be happy to hear about it. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchResults?searchOption=products&hvarSearchString=light+and+tough&storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&CMID=TOP_SEARCH_GO Roger

I just got my boat back after a 3-week hiatus, so tomorrow looks fantastic to me : Seriously, I just peeked at the WX report and it doesn't look bad at all. The worst factor is the 30% chance of thunderstorms, but you can see them coming. The best factor is winds out of the South, and a south wind is good no matter what direction it comes from. Roger

Just hit the market this year. I'm always the last to know

The best gain setting will vary depending on "water depth", "bottom hardness" and"power setting" (1x, 2x 3x). Over a mud bottom you can open her up, but over a rocky bottom, if the gain is set too high you'll get a double or even triple-echo, particularly in shallow water. In truth, adjusting the sensitivity on a depth sounder is more of art than a science, because there are too many variables, and the variables vary. Once you've spent 50 to 100 hours tweaking the gain, you will be an expert on that machine 8-) Roger

I didn't even know that Daiwa made a Light & Tough Swimbait Stick, thank you for enlightening me. Currently, the Daiwa Light and Tough is my favorite fishing rod in its price range. I own rods costing much more money that lack the lure-weight latitude and even the backbone of the Light and Tough. This would be an easy decision for me Roger

Tom raises an interesting question, and I think the answer stems from a common misconception among anglers. Years back, my wife & I vacationed at Dale Hollow Reservoir to wrestle with smallmouth bass. Billy Westmoreland, who was still alive then, was the local expert who started a cult-like following for the use of 4-lb line. Ask anyone why you need to use 4-lb line and nearly every reply will be the same. They will explain to you that bass can see 8-lb and even 6-lb line in that gin clear water. Well, mom & I used fine diameter line too, but that wasn't the reason why. In my view anyway, bass don't even care about our line, they've got more important things on their mind like lure action, lure size and lure speed. Crystal clear water makes it very easy for bass to detect unnatural action. The difference may be subtle to us landlubbers, but to a bass it may be the difference between a living creature and debris. Line Drag Try to imagine the cumulative area of all your fishing line in the water, by visualizing a perfect square with the exact same area. As an arbitrary example, let's suppose you end-up with a 1-inch square (close enough). Although fishing line is measured in thousandths of an inch, that 1" square acts like a planing board, and encumbers the action of the lure. When we reduce the line diameter from 0.013" to 0.008", we reduce the 1.000" planing board to a 0.615" square. Any fly-fisherman will tell you about the critical importance of line-drag. Downsizing to lighter line reduces line drag and enhances lure action, but "line invisibility" will usually get the credit. Roger

I'm sorry I can't help with the bass fishing situation there. I just wanted you to know that about 10 years ago Weiss Lake was deemed the best crappie lake in the nation, running abreast of Enid and Santee Cooper. Roger

To me they're all just "STICK WORMS": > Wave Worm Tiki Stick > *** *** > Yamamoto Senko > Yum Dinger > Gambler Ace > Strike King Zero > Manns Freefall Worm > Bass Pro Stik-O During a day when bass are really whacking stick worms, any one of the above sticks will almost certainly provide good action. During a day when bass aren't all that excited about stick worms, even your favorite stick isn't going to set the world on fire Changing from a T-rig to a W-rig will usually cause a more noticeable difference than changing worm brands Roger

I was wondering the same thing myself, so I could attach a percentage to the line rather than an arbitrary number. I'm afraid I don't have the link, but it may have been TackleTour, not sure. Anyway, below is a dump of the stats, but you'll have to hunt & peck to match weight-classes : LINE STRETCH LINE TEST STRETCH Berkley Fireline #10 .5cm Spiderwire Fusion #10 .5cm Berkley Fireline #14 .5cm Berkley Fireline #20 .5cm Berkley Fireline XDS #65 .5cm Spiderwire Stealth #65 .5cm Sufix Performance Braid #10 1cm TUFline XP #15 1cm Spiderwire Stealth #20 1.5cm Stren Super Braid #20 1.5cm Spiderwire Braid #30 1.5cm Berkley Whiplash #65 1.5cm Stren Super Braid #14 2cm Stren Super Braid #14 2cm Remington Power-Lokt #40 2cm Rapala Titanium #30 2.5cm Berkley Fireline #4 3cm Power Pro #10 3cm TUFline Plus #18 3cm Cabela's Ripcord #20 3.5cm Berkley Whiplash #30 3.5cm TUFline Plus #30 3.5cm Spiderwire Braid #10 5cm Berkley Gorilla Tough #20 5cm Spiderwire Braid #20 5cm Berkley Trilene Big Game #30 8cm Berkley Trilene Sensation #17 9.5cm Berkley Ironsilk #14 11.5cm P-Line CXX X-Strong #20 11.5cm Super Silver Thread #17 12cm Stren Extra-Strength #20 12cm Stren Fluorocarbon #12 12.5cm Stren Sensor #14 12.5cm Berkley Trilene Sensation #14 12.5cm Red Wolf #8 13cm Stren Extra Strength #8 13cm Shakespeare Cajun Red Cast #8 13cm Berkley Trilene Sensation #12 13cm Rapala Finesse #12 13cm Super Silver Thread #14 13cm Stren Original #17 13cm Berkley Trilene XT #14 13.5cm Berkley Ironsilk #14 13.5cm P-Line CX Premium* #15 13.5cm Seaguar Carbon Pro #20 13.5cm Berkley Trimax #14 14cm Maxima Chameleon #15 14.5cm Shakespeare Cajun Red Cast #14 14.5cm Berkley Trilene Big Game #15 14.5cm Stren Original #12 15cm Berkley Vanish #14 15cm Berkley Vanish #8 15cm Bass Pro Shops Tourney #14 15.5cm Berkley Trilene XT #8 16cm Berkley Iron Silk #8 16cm Stren Original #8 16cm Seaguar Carbon Pro #15 16cm P-Line Fluoroclear #8 17cm Berkley Trilene Sensation #4 17cm P-Line CX Premium* #8 17.5 Stren Magnaflex #8 18cm Super Silver Thread #8 18.5cm Rapala Long Cast #6 19.5cm Berkley Trilene XL #6 20cm Berkley Vanish #12 20cm Bass Pro Shops Tourney #10 20.5cm Stren Original #6 21cm Berkley Trilene XL #6 21cm Shakespeare Sigma #8 21cm Berkley Trilene XL #8 21cm Berkley Ironsilk #4 22.5cm Berkley Vanish Transition #6 24cm Trilene XL #4 26cm Roger

So much for the Fab Five :

Normally I fish with my wife and pre-rig six spinning outfits the evening before (I installed six rod holders for that purpose). This means that I have a minimum of 5 lures choices at all times, without any re-rigging at all. Most of the time, I'll fish every outfit at every holding site (surface to bottom). How long I fish the same lure depends on many things, not the least of which is success. Normally I won't fish any one lure for more than 10 or 15 minutes per waypoint (without fish contact). After which I'll drop that outfit into a rod cup and grab-up another outfit (another lure). Isn't that what everyone does? :-? Roger

When I first switched over to braid I used a clear leader. Today I never bother with a leader and haven't noticed any difference at all. If I dared to plant the "line visibility" seed, I might be inclined to blame a bad day on my PowerPro braid. Wiser by far is to discard that notion altogether and spend that same mental energy on tactical adjustments like location, speed, depth ~. Hey, if you honestly believe that a fine thread is going to intimidate a feeding bass, than you had better remove those two large treble hooks while you're at it ;D Roger

IMO, it's the best value in the Shimano house 8-) I can't agree with rear drag though Roger

It is slightly more elastic, but I'm not sure that it would be noticeable (I never could). Anyway, the stats below are the results of a line-stretch test: Berkley Trilene Sensation 12.5cm Berkley Trilene XT 13.5cm Berkley Trilene Big Game 14.5cm For some reason, Trilene XL was not tested in the same weight-class, a line with "mucho" BOING factor, but nice line to work with. If abrasion-resistance is what you're looking for, you might try Trilene Sensation (or Ande Premium) 8-) Roger

Not too sexy

I've used them both (including Big Game - Inshore) and they're extremely similar, except XT is only available up to 20-lbs whereas Big Game is a saltwater line available up to 80-lbs. They're both too wiry for spinning tackle, but both have very good abrasion-resistance, but not as good as Ande. There's less than 1cm difference in their stretch factor, so that's a wash. I'm not supposed to know this, but a few years back a Berkley rep was quoted as saying (probably at a free luncheon) that Berkley inhouse testing found Trilene Sensation to be the strongest, most stretch-resistant and abrasion-resistant Trilene line. But of course, touting this publicly would be shooting themselves in the foot. Roger

Unless you're pulling my leg, that's one heck of an offer Lee! Actually I just spoke with Mickie today (Hoppys Marine) and unless he encounters yet another snag, I'll be picking her up tomorrow. I can't believe you're selling your boat :-? Roger

When I first switched over to braid I incorporated a clear leader (force of habit) Now I don't bother with a leader and haven't noticed any penalty. Naturally, there'll be days when bass fishing is slow, but that can usually be fixed with a tactical change, without incorporating a leader. After all is said and done, braid is "too good". It's tough to break when you want to break it (e.g. on a hopeless snag) and it's virtually non-stretch. As a result, there'll be more tear-outs, it can be a hassle to UNhook some bass, and there's a greater chance of rod failure. If you're concerned about any of the above, a mono shock leader will alleviate the problem. Roger

Welcome to the forum Albetico First off, let me applaud you for your compassionate question 8-) Once the fish is in our hands, his welfare should take center-stage. I tote 5 or 6 different tools on my boat for removing hooks, but even at that, there'll be times when I feel I've caused undue harm to the fish. For occasions when simple extraction isn't possible, keep a pair of long, thin cutting pliers close at hand (diagonal cutters). To free the fishing outfit from the equation, snip the near-side of the hook-shank. Sometimes a second pair of needle-nose pliers may be needed to extract the remainder of the hook. Arched Rods, Roger

Today I use braided polyethylene (PowerPro) for "everything". Mono is SO yesterday Roger

Based on electrofishing results, the mean age of largemouth bass was 1.5 to 2.5 years (lower in the south). The maximum expected longevity of a largemouth bass is approximately 8 years, but bass in captivity rarely exceed the age of 6. Under the most ideal conditions, a bass may live to a maximum of 16 yrs but rest assured, bass that old are as rare as Whooping Cranes. As a point of interest, a cow that reached 16 years of age weighed only 12.7 lbs, a very stubborn weight plateau indeed. Also interesting to note is that "buck" bass regardless of advanced age will very rarely exceed 6 pounds. Therefore, any bass over six pounds is almost certainly a cow. Roger

If you believe that bass actually mistake a plastic craw for the real McCoy than select a color that most resembles a "crayfish" (refer to Google -- Images) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you're interested in the color most visible to bass, than the best color is going to depend on water clarity & water depth. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to use the most popular colors among anglers (not necessarily bass), than you're locked into "green pumpkin", "black & blue" and "watermelon". Roger