RoLo

I agree fellows, those super soft, highly buoyant zipper worms are Killer! As LCpointer indicated, those who like black worms (junebug) with a bright blue tail will LOVE the color called "Midnight" Unhappily, the 5" shakin' worm is not available in Midnight :'( Roger

Bass coloration will differ somewhat from water to water, and even within the same body of water, bass color may vary under different lighting conditions and indeed in low-light, a bass may even appear colorless. If I were looking to simulate a baby bass (never once have) I'd be looking for something with a dark lateral line, which is their most characteristic field mark irrespective of color. Roger

A real nice mat puncher is the 1/2 oz Owner Sled Head Jig. This jighead employs a premium 4/0 hook, a bullet-shaped nose for good penetration and a secure trailer-retainer. The Sled Head uses a very annoying but very secure "screw-lock retainer" that really hangs onto the trailer. To my knowledge, only two distributors carry the Sled Head: USAngler and J&M. You'll want a trailer made of TOUGH plastic (nothing yamamoto), and one with very short or no appendages to hang-up. I personally like the Gambler 5" Flapp'n Tail Worm (junebug or black/blue). Fishing a Mat Puncher couldn't be easier. Begin by punching a hole in the mat, using either a lob cast or rocket cast, whichever works better for you. Promptly pay slack-line as needed, until the fall ends. If more weight is needed (often the case), thread on a 1/4 or 1/2 oz bullet sinker and peg it against the jighead. Yo-yo the lure in place, about one-foot up and down. Then either pay line or retrieve line to change the depth and repeat the pumping action. The floating mat of course, serves as the fulcrum. Try different stroke lengths and different speeds (e.g. ripping in mid-summer is often best). A "feeding" bass will generally latch on post-haste, so it's usually best to spend more time moving from hole-to-hole, than in any one drop. To be sure, some of the largest sows in the lake spend their lives under those canopies Roger

Needless to say, a vertical descent is vital when you're trying to parallel a stickup, bridge stanchion, dock piling or the like. Aside from that however, I don't "always" insist on a slack-line fall. Jig fishing is among the most difficult methods of fishing, and the main reason for this is because many pickups go undetected, or certainly unconverted, especially for the novice jig fisherman. On my boat, whenever someone is having a tough time sensing the pickup, I always suggest that they glide the jig on a tight line. In this manner, they never lose contact with the lure and feel every pickup. This is an advantage that will sometimes outweigh the advantage of an unfettered vertical descent. I know this is true, because after suggesting a tight-line glide, I've already been outfished by so-called novice jig fisherman :-[ Roger

That's the red wine talking ;D

Yes and No Water hyacinth is not rooted in the bottom, but is a free floating plant. Hyacinth rafts in big open water tend to shuttle back-and-forth like a pinball, changing with the wind. These nomadic rafts only hold transient bass. On the other hand, floating rafts that are lodged in coves or pinned by prevailaing winds against main lake points provide great holding sites! The dangling root system of water hyacinth is a maze of vegetation that supports many forms of life. The biggest problem with fishing hyacinths is penetration. An approach I favor is using a 1/2 oz Owner Sled Head jig dressed with a soft-plastic with few or no appendages (forget yamamoto plastics, they fall apart in heavy cover). When fishing with live minnows, it takes a little know-how (for instance an anal hook-up) to encourage the shiner to swim underneath the mat. Roger

Okay, you asked for a rug beater, so I'll give you a rug beater! Shimano Compre IM-8 Graphite - CPC-M66H Length: 6' 6" Power: Heavy Action: Fast Line Weight: 17 to 40 lb Lure Weight: 1 to 3 oz Shimano Cardiff 401 CDF401A (30 lb Round Casting) Available in Left-Hand Spool Clicker (handy for live bait) 11.9 oz 5.2 Ratio 40-lb PowerPro Braid With this outfit you can horse a 12-lb bass plus 15 lbs of salad, through bulrushes and over lily pads 8-) http://64.226.208.65/scans/compre-cardiff.jpg Roger

Bassectomy, I can appreciate what you have written and it makes total sense. Unlike most fellows, I began my fishing career with baitcasting gear (~1950) and never seen spinning tackle until one day on Lake Owassa, NJ. Some hotshot in another boat was firing his lure into weed-pocket after weed-pocket, with just a flick of his wrist. I concede, it was love at first sight! Today, I cast much farther and with much greater accuracy with spinning tackle, than I ever hoped to achieve with casting gear. All that said, I'm sure we all agree that it boils down to "personal preference", whatever that may be. My only point here is that the angler must be sure that personal preference is not influenced by peer pressure, differently put, to thine own self be true Roger

Very well put Ryan Roger

Well, in my neck of the woods, 1/8 oz is a little on the heavy side. Sometimes I wonder if it 'really' boils down to personal preference or is it more about "peer pressure". Several posts make it sound as though casting gear is something we must force ourselves to get used to, ya know like castor oil. Then I suppose I need to learn how to cast with my dominant arm, then pass the rod to the other hand after every cast. How kool is that, now I must fight the fish with my weaker, less sensitive hand, while my good arm is wasted cranking up slack line. As preposterous as that sounds, it is exactly what millions of anglers have forced themselves to do. I'd be a little careful with that follow-the-leader mentality, and understand that the profit motive is driven by tournament fishing, which frequently conflicts with the needs and enjoyment of the recreational angler. Like Fish Chris and LBH, I too prefer spinning tackle, but have every intention of switching, just as soon as hell freezes over Roger

Of all the models of Shimano reels, I've always felt that Sustain was among those offering the "least" bang for the buck. Apparently many anglers feel the same, because Sustain has never generated the following that Stradic and Stella have enjoyed. Like Roadwarrior, I would also go with the Stradic FI Roger

I fish hard jerkbaits mainly in water with fair to excellent visibility. Jerkbaits are paused a lot, so in murky water an interested bass may fall off point. In murky water I would sooner reach for a rat-l-trap or other noisy plug. Roger

Tackle Warehouse

I only use Spinning Gear for 'finesse' fishing and for 'power' fishing For casting live bait though I use baitcasting gear, which I also use for float fishing at anchor and for trolling (no joke). Roger

I have a penchant for 6-foot rods, and transportation is only one of the reasons.

YouTube??? To compare their buoyancy, just fill your bathroom sink with water, then drop a Zoom Finesse Worm and a Strike King 3x Finesse Worm into the basin. The Strike King finesse worm will ride high on the surface, while the zoom finesse worm will lie flat on the bottom (ditto the zoom trick worm)! It takes more weight to sink the strike king 3x finesse worm than any worm I ever tested. Though I mentioned the Berkley Powerbait Shaky Worm on another thread (Luke Clausen), its buoyancy is far behind the Strike King Finesse worm (4" & 7") and the 5" Zipper Shakin worm. Plus, they smell like an open sardine can : :-/ Roger

In-line Bucktail Spinner (black & orange) Roger

Sensitivity is not the sole province of the rod blank. A high-modulus blank using streeetchy monofilament line, will have less sensitivity than an intermediate modulus blank using braided polyethylene. Fishermen seem to forget that. Roger

Nah I don't believe that clunker baits necessarily attract more big bass, but they certainly attract fewer small bass (End Result = Higher Mean Weight) As one example among thousands, Kevin VanDam recently caught an 11lb 13oz bass on a 4-inch Strike King 3x Finesse Worm http://bitemejigs.com/ Roger

Zoom Super Fluke (soft jerkbait) Roger

You're right, they're made of highly reactive plastic that reacts with most other plastic products. In my den chest I always leave them in their original bags, and in my a worm-proof tackle box I never mix them with other plastic products. That pretty much solves the reaction issue Roger

That's right, you don't post enough. You'll notice that there's a lot of new names on the boards, and they can learn a lot from someone like you. Great job on Butler, and nice hearing from you again Roger

Is this THEE Gobbledog? Wear ya bin fella?? Roger

The most bouyant worm I have ever seen is the 4" Strike King 3x Finesse Worm Hot on its heels is the Roboworm 5" Zipper Shakin Worm Thread either of these worms on ANY jighead and you won't be able to stop them from shaking and waving. PS: Zoom worms are great worms, but not for shaky worming. Although zoom calls them floating worms they SINK even without a hook. Roger

The spot remover is technically a standup jig, not a shaky head. In truth, "any" ballhead jig can be used for shaky worming, they're really nothing special. Far more important than the jighead is the worm you select, which must be a highly buoyant finesse worm (e.g. zipper shakin worm). Roger