RoLo

I don't know of any color Tiki Stick that doesn't work well. Color means far more to fishermen than it does to fish, for this reason it's vital that the angler choose his own colors. Roger

The first skirts were made of vinyl strands and they were a Horror Show! They had poor action, they readily melted into other polymeric products and the strands ultimately became stiff. Then latex skirts (rubber skirts) came to the rescue, which didn't melt, and had better action and suppleness. Finally, silicone skirts were introduced which are highly durable and take-up "colors" considerably better than rubber. In any case, there are some old timers who insist that rubber skirts provide somewhat more action than silicone. In order to corner the market, some manufacturers are making skirts that consist of a mixture of both silicone and latex strands. Although I prefer a silicone skirt, I wouldn't reject a lure that used latex instead. Roger

I hate to admit this, but I used to hunt woodchucks on that beautiful rolling pastureland long before it was a reservoir. I well remember when the state literally "pumped" water into Round Valley, which took many, many months to fill up. I also recall when Round Valley snatched the smallmouth record away from the Delaware River. I don't know how accurate the information was, but according to Ray's Sport Shop the big bronzeback was taken from the long point in the southwest corner of the lake, near the flume (across from the west launch). Approximate coordinates: N40 36.850 W74 50.720 Roger

Rapala produces many GREAT plugs, but each one is pretty much situation-intensive. Though it's not possible to choose one best rapala, I do have a favorite rapala. Over the years, the rapala that caught the most bass for me is the "Rapala Original Floater". After splashdown, I try to wait until the ripples have almost disappeared, then give it one faint twitch. If I do it right, the lure sort of twitches in place without moving off spot. After the first twitch, I'll wait another 20 seconds then maybe impart a double-twitch, but again a soft, gentle twitch that barely advances the lure. After the second twitch my interest in that cast rapidly wanes, and after about the third twitch, I've already picked out the next target, so I'm thinking about burning the lure back to the boat for the next cast. On average, the rapala original floater is at its best in low-light when the surface is mirror-flat. Roger

If you're just fishing the "surface", any weedless topwater lure will do the job. If you're looking to "punch through" the floating mat, than you'll want the most streamlined lure without arms & appendages. To that end, you'd be hard put to beat a plastic worm. Roger

Then there's the outside chance that your fishing might even suffer if you quit I'll tell you why I say that. When I was a kid we had a beagle that used to love the smell of cigars, especially Hava-Tampa (remember them). He would actually grind his shoulder into every cigar he found. I suppose the bouquet of stale tobacco is highly reputed in beagledom and who knows, it may extend into bassdom ;D Roger

Excellent Point! Oddly enough, that rationale may be thought of as 'outside the box'. Roger

I'll drink to that (I too like watermelon chartreuse swirl) I use both stick worms and can't honestly say that one worm is always better than the other. HOWEVER, three things about the wave worm tiki stick are "always" better than the senko. Tiki sticks are more reasonably priced, they hold-up longer and they offer colors that I much prefer. Roger

To satisfy my own curiosity, I've number-crunched literally thousands of bass weights garnered from tournaments, state and national citation programs, lodge records and my own life log. I've been shown to my own satisfaction that "6 pounds" is a very significant sticking point for largemouth bass, a bass that can safely be called a "lunker". I believe the reason for this stubborn weight-plateau is due to the buck (male of the species). As it happens, buck bass reach a stubborn weight-ceiling at 6 lbs, when they stop gaining weight. This 6-lb plateau shows no apparent respect for age or geographic location, in fact most male bass weight 3 pounds or less. Roger

Four different hook styles are commonly used for W-rigging: "Dropshot Hook" - "Octopus Hook" - "Kahle Hook" - "Circle Hook". Like most decisions, first you need to decide how you want to fish the wacky worm. For instance, the circle hook is the most forgiving of a totally slack line (fishing like a long-liner). On the other hand, if you prefer to use jaw-breaking hooksets, then the circle hook should be eliminated. To appreciate the difference between a dropshot hook and an octopus hook, look at the point section in relation to the hook-shank. You'll notice that the point section of the Gamakatsu dropshot hook is aimed pretty much toward the eyelet, whereas the point section of most Octopus hooks is more parallel to the hook-shank. I normally use the Gamakatsu shot hook. Roger

The metric used for evaluating graphite blanks is "Tensile Modulus", which is calibrated in millions. "LM" stands for "Low Modulus", "IM" stands for "Intermediate Modulus" and "HM" stands for "High-Modulus". Though it varies somewhat among manufacturers, these are ballpark equivalencies: IM-6 = 40-million modulus IM-7 = 41-million modulus IM-8 = 42 to 45-million modulus. Any blank rated over 45-million modulus is "High Modulus" or "HM". Most anglers tout the advantages of "high modulus" graphite but there is much to be said for "intermediate modulus". As a matter of fact, many experts hold that ultra-high modulus is overkill, that "intermediate modulus" is the sweet-spot (I agree). Roger

When bass follow behind our offering without engulfing the lure, I think it's only natural to give them more of a show, but that's usually a move in the wrong direction. In my experience anyway, "reducing" the action usually works better than increasing the action. Bass aren't always in the mood to surface, you might try switching from a Zulu (floating minnow) to a Fluke (slow sinking minnow). Roger

Words of wisdom. Actually, based on the friends and relatives I've lost to lung cancer, I think it's more like 15 years! Have you noticed that Life Insurance companies do not have a special policy for heavy drinkers, but do indeed have a "Tobacco" premium and "Non-Tobacco" premium (early-demise vs. natural longevity). Roger

PreachBass, I was believing your story right down the wire, because there are no liars in Bass Resource. But then you claimed that you walked away from $100,000, and now I beginning to wonder if you didn't Fluff-Up some other parts of that story :-/ :-? :-/ Roger

Soft-Plastic: Zoom (Gambler next) Spinnerbait: Lazer-Eye (thanks to Aint Texan, got some "Heavycover" spinnerbaits on order) Buzzbait: Gambler Cane Toad (cavitron among hard buzzbaits) Jig: Outkast Jigs (Swim jig or Staff jig, depending on application) Topwater Frog: Weed Demon & Swamp Donkey (I prefer toads to frogs, e.g. cane toad or sizmic toad) Roger

"Sauza" tequila Muddy. 3 or 4 banderitas ( a glass of tequila, a glass of sangrita and a glass of lemon juice ) are enough to initiate the vertical fall. Using the above method, you may not get a "perfectly" vertical fall, but you'll still be very happy with the results. ;D Roger

When it comes to fluorocarbon, I'd really like to see a showdown based on the main weakness of fluorocarbon. I use spinning tackle, and the wiry behavior of fluorocarbon alone prevents me from using that line material. Oddly, I've never seen a fluorocarbon shootout that compares the "manageability" (suppleness) of each brand. BTW: That's one kool avatar (red fox?). Roger

Among the components you mentioned, I would say that your line is by far the most important. In my opinion, the 8lb PowerPro that you're using is an excellent choice for W-rigging. Your line is only 5/1000th" in diameter (0.005"), which gives your worm maximal action, and to boot, the non-stretch property of PowerPro makes hook-setting a breeze. Roger

What's a Cenkoe? Roger

Reaction Innovations Swamp Donkey Roger

Are you insinuating the Pros would mislead us just to sell a product? Well...let's just call it a clever diversionary tactic Roger

A while back I switched from a sweet beaver to the Gambler Ugly Otter, but it's the same deal. I stopped slitting the arms and tail of the ugly otter because the full-size lobes seem to generate better vibration on the fall. Roger

I try to give every lure an equal opportunity, but I must admit that "Zoom" dominates the clear majority of my lure arsenal. It's amazing to me how one company can produce so many top-flight lures: > Zoom Horny Toad > Zoom Brush Hog > Zoom Fat Albert > Zoom Super Fluke > Zoom Critter Craw > Zoom Trick Worm > What Next? Roger

The exact same trailer that you use on any jig may also be T-rigged on a Z-bend hook and bullet sinker. The only difference between the "Jig" and the "T-rig hook & sinker" is the "fiber weedguard" and "silicone skirt". For punching through floating mats, the "Z-bend hook & sinker" is more streamlined than the skirted jig, because it doesn't have the added drag of a weedguard and skirt. That may not seem like a big deal, but in marginal situations it can make the difference between hanging and sliding. When Preston Clark set the all-time BASS 4-day record (since broken), he used no jig, instead he used just a 1/4 oz bullet sinker, a 5/0 offset hook and a Zoom Big Critter Craw. Roger

You are correct, but I was afraid to even mention that. Maybe Al Gore is actually onto something Roger