RoLo

In searching for the unabridged article, I did find something in a 1978 In-Fisherman that addresses vertical positioning. As my scanner isn't currently hooked up, I photograghed the page in macro mode. Text> http://64.226.208.65/scans/vertpos-text.jpg Diagram> http://64.226.208.65/scans/verticalpositioning.jpg Roger

FYI: Stainless steel in any form (piano wire, braided, knotable) is subject to kinking, and once kinked the test strength is sharply reduced. Titanium (actually titanium monofilament) is far more kink-resistant and even if it does take on a subtle kink, the test strength will be relatively unchanged. BTW: Titanium is highly shock-resistant as it stretches like nylon mono Roger

The study team at In-Fisherman correlated "vertical positioning" with "stable weather" conditions. It might be presumptuous to single out water temperatures as being solely responsible. In any event, we do know a couple things for sure. We do know that bass are cold blooded creatures, so water temperature tends to dictate their disposition (bass lack free-will). We also know that warm fronts are accompanied by a "temperature uptrend". You're not the first person to request that specific article, and now you've got me looking for it too. Actually In-Fisherman published TWO reports: the first in an early Study Report regarding the vertical positioning of bass, and another article several years later in their ad-laden magazine discussing lateral migration (both pre-Primedia). The staff did telemetry tracking on several largemouth bass in a natural lake. Their findings in this test-case (ex-reservoirs) effectively exploded Buck Perry's theory regarding daily or twice-daily horizontal shuttles between deep and shallow water. That's when I began to realize that bass are comfortable wherever they may be, but react differently under different sets of conditions (meteorological and limnological). In this same In-Fisherman article was a diagram showing the color-coded migration tracks of each largemouth bass. For the most part, all lateral movement clung to the same depth line (contour line) essentially paralleling the shoreline. Differently put, the bass were looking for a change in scenery without a change in depth. There were also one or two renegade bass that swam across the lake from one shore to the opposite shore, but again not in the interest of depth change. The study team offered no explanation for the random migration of those wayward bass. I wish I could tell you As you know Tom, warm-fronts are comprised of a bundle of similar circumstances, while cold-fronts demonstrate an opposing set of conditions. Although we understand the "thermal" implications of weather fronts, I'm sure we have a whole lot more to learn regarding the impact of all other elements of weather (air & water). Roger

I started pike fishing in the 1960s and my methods have undergone a lot of transition since then. Today I strictly use PowerPro braid with a 30-lb titanium wire leader (that'll hold the next world-record). Roger

Actually, the only lakes where it may not hold true are manmade impoundments. Particularly reservoirs with infertile soil or fluctuating water levels that prevent adequate plant growth. On these lakes, "wood" plays the major role followed by "rock" (but only by default). I'll drink to that. Again, that's especially true on impoundments where it's usually a bladebait game until at least 48 deg. Roger

There is yet another thermal phenomenon that tends to apply year-round to largemouth bass. I should point out though that's it's most pronounced on shallow natural lakes where vegetation is the predominant cover. During a typical warm-front there are moist winds out of the southerly hemisphere that tend to haze the skies and elevate water temperatures. With each passing day of fair and stable weather, bass tend to suspend higher-and-higher within the weed bed. There is no lateral movement, only an upward lofting within the same water column. By the 3rd or 4th day of the warm-front, bass will generally be aggregated near the water surface, above submergent weed beds rather than alongside the weed line. Eventually a cold-front always moves in to end the gravy train. The winds shift into the northern hemisphere, the air is cold and dry, hazy skies give way to crisp blue skies and water temperatures decline. During a cold-front, most fisherman believe that bass migrate laterally into deeper water. Remarkably, underwater studies conducted by In-Fisherman made an astonishing revelation (when Ron & Al were at the helm). During a full-blown cold-front, largemouth bass simply sank to the bottom of the water column with no lateral migration at all. Using underwater optics they saw bass with their noses on the bottom of the lake, at the base of the densest available vegetation with their tails angling upward. These bass were in a torpor and virtually uncatchable. Always bear in mind though that bass in a negative disposition feel no discomfort at all, it's no more uncomfortable than sleep. Meanwhile, bass in deeper water with the benefit of a layer of water insulation, may be unaware that the cold front exists (unless it's major and prolonged). A typical scenario on the heels of a cold-front: Two anglers spend half the day working hard in 4 feet of water but blank out. They move to a spot in 8 feet of water and both fisherman make bass contact. Now I dare you to tell those gentlemen that bass are aggregated in 4 feet of water. One of them is sure to reply with a smug grin on his face:, "Whatever you say pal" : Roger

You and I see eye-to-eye on the lion's share of this topic, with one small divergence. I know this flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but I do not visualize bass in pursuit of optimal conditions. The direction in which to swim in order to raise or lower water temperatures hinges on a host of interactive variables. Moreover, since bass are cold-blooded creatures we can assume that they're comfortable in all water temperatures (given adequate oxygen). Instead, I believe that bass react in a predictable way when given water temperatures come to them. If optimal conditions occur in 3 feet of water, fishing success will create the illusion that bass have migrated to the 3 ft contour line. As it happens, over the course of an annual cycle, all water temperatures come to all depths in all parts of the lake. In short, I believe that bass react, rather than pursue. I'd be interested in your view on this Roger

Plastic Worm (paddletail, ribbontail, skirt tail, tassle tail, straight worm, zipper worm, stick worm) Roger

I guess it depends on what you're looking for in a line. I only use spinning tackle and have stuck with Trilene XL for about 40 years (tried a slew of brands). I now use PowerPro braid for everything, but if I ever move back to nylon, Trilene XL it will be. Roger

Exactly. The worst of the stick marsh is Pinball Alley along the southern shore. If you've ever fished the stumpfields of Rodman, you know the drill. Roger

That's a good one too, especially on calm days. I usually use the bigger models, but the little 1/8 ouncer can get you into buzzbait action when they show no interest in the bigger, louder ones. For that reason, I usually won't use a buzzbait over a flat slick surface, but opt for a quiet topwater instead. To me it seems that bass are intimidated by lure commotion that's much greater than the natural surface ripple. But the noise and turbulence from that same lure would work fine in choppy water. If you're more patient than me though, working a loud, splashy buzzer over a flat surface is a good way to nail a big slob that's not easily intimidated. I've followed nearly the exact same path as you 8-) Roger

I no longer use double-bladed buzzers, because in my experience they tend to pick-up more weeds than single bladed buzzers. Roger

The knot used normally hinges on the line-material and connection type (line-to-lure, line-to-line, etc). That said, I use the "Uni-Knot" for all line materials and all connection types Needless to say, I can tie it with 'your' eyes closed Roger

And even at that you're a month late The best thing to match is the pattern that caught the last two bass Roger

Wow...gorgeous pike! Hmmm, let's see...you're not that far from Lake Irr, Austria Roger

My how times have changed When I fished for winter flounder in NJ there was no closed season, no bag limit and no minimum size (postage stamps were legal) Weather-permitting, we usually started in March, but April was our favorite month, bloodworms our favorite bait (Shrewsbury/Navesink) Roger

I apologize for the sticker-shock http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchResults?searchOption=products&hvarSearchString=terminator+titanium&storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&CMID=TOP_SEARCH_GO The bass in my avatar gobbled-up wire leader (Thousand Islands, NY)

Use a 5" trace of 20-lb Terminator Titanium Leader (0.012 Dia - smoke black) Titanium is extremely kink resistant and may be joined using a knot without any crimps, but that's up to you. Popular opinion holds that wire will reduce the number of bass bites. I strongly suggest that you give it a try, and decide that for yourself. We've caught innumerable bass by accident, while fishing for northern pike with 30-lb x 10" wire leaders. Roger

There's no doubt about it. As I've posted here many times, I believe that the "trend" of water temperature is exponentially more significant than the static "numeric" value. If someone tells you the water temperature is 65 degrees, they haven't told you very much. Provided you have your own water temperature gauge, you'd be far better informed if you were told what the water temperature was two-days ago. If it was 60-deg two-days ago, that's a positive condition (uptrend), but if it was 70-deg two-days, that's a negative condition (downtrend). Dean Rojas set the all-time BASS one-day record on Lake Toho. He did so during a powerful warming trend that followed a bitter cold-front...no surprise there. My boat's been in the shop almost two-weeks now, but I posted the modest results of our last trip (Southeast section). There was a stiff wind out of the north, and we were working the northern shore (protected side). It was beginning to look like a blank, so I ran to the south side in search of "rising" water temperatures. I figured the warmer upper layer (epilimnion) was blowing southward, so it might improve our situation. Sure enough, we made fish contact in the choppy water and whitecaps along the south side. Here's the irony, windblown plankton usually gets the credit, but the real reason was rapidly rising water temperatures. During a stiff wind, the whole lake rotates like a giant waterwheel. As the top layer blows south, the water on the north side is replaced by cold water siphoned from the deep. The differential was 6 degrees, which indicates the magnitude of the uptrend on the south shore, and the magnitude of the downtrend on the north shore (3 deg x 2). Roger

Leave it Rolo..... Elaborate

My boat has been in the shop for almost two weeks now, and the prognosis is now next Tuesday. So between now and then I sense little or no bites Roger

Several years ago, Doug Stange defined a "swimbait" as any soft-plastic crank with two separate actions. At the time Doug was throwing a soft-plastic fish with sliced sides and a thumping shad-tail like the Bass Assassin. Roger

Either Zales or Tiffany. Oh never mind, I thought you said earrings :

The best compression is in the southern end, but I'm not happy with the foodshelf area. With respect to largemouth bass, I like the northernmost point along the eastern shore. Note the convergence between the 2 and 6-foot depth lines and the shelf area to the north and south. Roger