RoLo

HOLY COW! 135 proof

Tom, that's brings me back to Hurricane Charley, when the exact same scene took place outside our house. Help came from several neighboring states; they can't imagine what a welcome sight they were. I'm happy that you guys now see the light at the end of the tunnel Roger

‘Floating’ worms are popular on shaky heads, such as the Strike King 3x Worm, Z-Man 10x Wormz and Berkley Bottom Hopper Worm. However, a true floating worm exerts a constant upward pressure on the bait, whereas a ‘neutrally buoyant’ worm has no directional influence. Coupled with a spherical jighead, a neutrally buoyant worm enjoys freedom of movement in all directions. Neutrally buoyant worms include the Roboworm Fat Straight-tail Worm, Netbait T-Mac Worm, Strike King Fat Baby Finesse Worm and Brewers Slider Worm. Among the most popular neutrally buoyant shaky worms is the robot-poured ‘Roboworm Fat Straight-tail Worm’, and its staunch rival the “Netbait T-Mac Worm”. As it happens, a Roboworm Fat Straight-tail Worm costs about 2½ times more than a Netbait T-Mac Worm, but is nowhere close to 2½ times more effective. Consequently, my personal favorite shaky worm is the “Netbait T-Mac Worm”. Roger

Great Pike! Reminds of a 36-incher I caught, that weighed 8 pounds (Should've weighed ~11 pounds) Roger

You might look at the Kistler Helium 7'3" (~$350) Though I've owned Kistlers, I don't own this one, and can't speak from experience Roger

Precisely what we've witnessed here in Florida. You would see a 20-yr old Fleetwood trailer that sustained zero damage, not even missing shingles or one broken window. Two doors down, a Palm Harbor was turned inside out like it struck a mine field, with furniture & insulation blocking the road. The only thing that comes to mind are local spinoff twisters (mini-tornadoes); either that or a religious connotation Roger

Yeah, I hear that Tom. When Hurricane Charley lambasted Florida in 2004, we were living in Orlando, Florida. Since we were in the state's interior, we were immune to storm surge, however, the wind speed at Orlando Airport was officially clocked at 105 mph. We were exactly 3 mi north of the airport, which I could see from my roof. Though we escaped newsworthy damage, many homes in our community were brutally gutted (total loss). After relocating in Lake Wales, FL, we're now 70 mi away from both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts (Not by accident). In 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall as a Cat-4 Hurricane in the Florida Keys. some 200 miles south of Lake Wales, FL. I was confident that we were out of harms way, yet Irma churned thru 200 miles of inland Florida, ultimately causing serous damage in our neighborhood. Some 'blue roofs' are still in evidence today. As it turned out, Irma was the most powerful hurricane to impact Florida, so climate extremes among all calamities is a reality indeed, not a myth. Roger

Pursuant to contrarian reasoning, ANY color but 'bone' My favorite is Black Shiner. Roger

That's a good log. I would however, give more recognition to presentation with respect to 'speed', and precisely how the lure was delivered. That is to say, the relative cranking speed, was the retrieve nonstop or stop & go, did the cadence involve intermittent pauses, and if so, what was the mean pause duration in seconds. Roger

That bass is not stuck in weeds, and will never get stuck in weeds. That bass is eternally grateful to be free! On the other hand, when a bass gets lodged in a weedbed during the fight, the odds are inordinately high that said bass will never see the inside of your boat. Roger

Speak for one's self

As it happens, the 'Zoom Z Craw' is high on my list of favorite crayfish imitators. Moreover, the color 'Black Light' is the only color I throw. I'm not in the business of selling anything' so you can take it from where it comes Roger

Stranded on an island? I'd just take 1 Pitch Fork, so I'll always have live worms Roger

There are 3 scenarios when I’ll incorporate a nylon leader with the braided main-line: ● PANFISH (Bluegills, redears, yellow perch, rock bass ~ ~) ● SMALLMOUTH BASS (Drop-shotting, particularly around shell-beds) ● LARGEMOUTH BASS (Finesse fishing: e.g. unweighted stickworms, Ned rig ~ ~) For ‘everything else’, it’s straight braid with no leader It’s reasonable to assume that fish see lures and line far better than humans. Even to me, there’ve been times when a hovering strand of double-wide fluorocarbon resembled a submersed icicle. Imagine what it might look like to a fish. Regardless, what’s more important than the fish’s vision, is whether the fish gives a flip about the sight of line (Line? What is line?). It’s my opinion, fish simply don’t have the luxury to be paranoid, they need to eat to survive. When we enter the fish’s underwater world we see plant stems vaulting upward from the bottom, foliar tendrils draping downward from the surface. There are strings of algae and larvae, there are tadpoles, mosquito larvae and crayfish that sport 2 antennae resembling two strands of braided line; and the list goes on. Along comes an angler with his proud version of simulated life. He offers an animated object with a gaudy rattlebox and an obtrusive weedguard (Nah, an aggressive fish wouldn't mind) . Or he might offer a crankbait with 3 awe-inspiring treble hooks dangling from the bait (Nah, an aggressive fish wouldn't mind). But Wait. our aggressive bass just noticed a thin braid filament streaming from the nose of the bait! That does it: All Bets Are Off Roger

I didn't use the "Lil" Critter Craw, but threw the Big Critter Craw for about 3 years. In 2006, Preston Clark won on Santee Cooper, which he accredited to a Zoom Big Critter Craw. Living on Walk-in-Water at the time, I threw the big critter claw almost exclusively for about 3 seasons. It’s very slender & streamlined craw that didn't require much weight to get thru the salad. I also liked its modest craws, rather than oversize craws made to attract the angler. It was killer for bigmouth & pickerel I drifted away from the critter craw, but thru no fault of the bait. Too many lures, too little time. Roger

Since 2005, I've been using braided line extensively, including Power Pro, Berkley, Sufix & Seaguar. In the main, the difference between brands of braided lines is underwhelming. I'm on record as an advocate of Sufix 832 braid, but feel obligated to elaborate. In breaking strengths below 20-lb, Sufix 832 sports larger diameters than Power Pro Spectra. Not sure why, but it's probably due to its central strand of Goretex, which allegedly neutralizes the buoyancy of polyethylene braid. Roger

Regarding largemouth bass, all I use and own are ‘suspending’ jerkbaits. Rather than investing in jerkbaits that Float or Sink, my attention shifts to the enormous selection of available floating and sinking cranks/plugs. Regarding smallmouth bass, it might be a good idea to shift your gaze to the north; and copy & paste the above, thoughtful post submitted by @Dwight Hottle. Roger

Sorry, not familiar with the vega frog

If you're fishing mostly weeded surfaces, a good choice is a Booyah Poppin Pad Crasher. If you're covering lots of open water, you might try a Stanley Ribbit (solid toad). Roger

I have to dress differently for each season, but find them all enjoyable. In Jersey, October was our bow-hunting season, when bucks were in the rut! During midwinter we had a blast ice-fishing, complete with tip-ups, ice skates and a lean-to. Now living in Florida, I welcome the midsummer vacancies during midday on Lake Kissimmee Roger

Are Black/Chartruese skirts out of style?? Not in my tackle box. Roger

You're on the right track. The benefits of a shorter frogging rod, outnumber the benefits of a longer rod. Roger

Well, if I'm not goofy like you, it's because I'm goofy like me Roger

From the moment the boat is launched, my wife & I never forget that Mother Nature is the producer and director. As driven as we might be on catching fish, we're always looking and listening to our surroundings. You can never grow tired of learning to identify every species of bird, baitfish, plants, even mineral deposits. My Canon 35mm is always at ready, whether the fish are biting or not biting. We believe that the wide-angle view, offers the widest reward Roger