RoLo

It's generally best to begin with ground-covering lures to skim any active bass. The jerkbait is a great pre-spawn lure, and the rat-l-trap is a great post-spawn lure. During the actual bedding period though, females are super tough, and though bucks are highly protective they are rarely aggressively feeding. All the same, the pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn stages are always generously overlapping, so power fishing is bound to snag a few bucks. But if the power-approach brings poor results (as I would expect), I wouldn't hesitate to turn the other cheek and slow-crawl a plastic crayfish or any creature bait with those annoying tentacles ;D Roger

Okay, let me run it by you again. Case-1 The water is murky and it's sunset. so you select a Pop-R because it's loud and advertises its presence in low-light conditions. Reduced available light sharply downgrades the image of the lure, so long pauses will not hurt your success. Case-2 The water is clear and the sky is clear, so you realize that bass will be able to count the scales on baitfish. You select a super spook jr. because you intend to keep the lure scooting from side-to-side without ever coming to rest. In good light, a lure that remains in constant motion is difficult for bass to identify as an imposter. Roger

As Long Mike stated, "value" may be assessed by several methods. To my mind, the rod is the nucleas of the fishing experience, and I would sooner scrimp on the cost of the reel. I believe that the Daiwa Light-and-Tough is the best bang-for-the-buck! Instead of paying for modulus overkill, the Team Daiwa uses an IM6 blank that offers remarkable latitude that lives up to its name (light & tough). It uses ceramic guides and the blank has a 'true' lure-weight range of 1/8 to 1 oz. It wings a 1¼ oz Johnson Spoon without feeling mushy, while casting a 1/16 oz Rooster Tail with ease! Roger

That's an easy one: Shimano Symetre If you're looking for the "Best Value" in the Shimano house, my vote goes to Shimano Symetre, hands-down! I own several of both models, and there's no perceptible difference between the Stradic and the Symetre. Below is a rundown from a former post I made: SHIMANO SYMETRE 2500 FI SY2500FI - $80 Max Drag Wgt Line Cap Bearings Inches/Turn Price 15 lbs 9.5 oz 120yds/10 lb 4-BB/1-RB 31 $80 > The Symetre 2500 provides 25% greater drag tension than the Stradic 2500: (15-lb vs. 12-lb) > The Symetre 2500 weighs 2/10 ounce less than the Stradic 2500: (9.5oz vs. 9.7oz) > The Symetre has the same number of bearings as the Stradic: (4-BB/1-RB) > The Symetre costs 33% less than the Stradic ($80 vs. $120) For comparison, you can buy 6 Symetres to 1 Stella and still have money leftover for a steak dinner 8-) Roger

My favorite culprit pattern, like Ronnie, is also Black Shad. Because it incorporates both a dark and light color I'm confident with black shad in any water clarity. I also use red shad. My wife likes "Fire & Ice" and often outfishes me Roger

Welcome OSdave, you've picked a winning forum Technically speaking, no line is "non-stretch" per se, however braided spectra (polyurethane) comes the closest. Second on the ladder is "fluorocarbon" (polyvinylidene fluoride), which is significantly more stretch-resistant than nylon. To capture the beneficial properties of both polymers (fluorocarbon and nylon) manufacturers use many forms of copolymerization. To touch on semantics, when both polymers are blended into a single strand the result is a "Monofilament" copolymer. When a nylon core is jacketed with fluorocarbon for example, the result is a "Cofilament" copolymer. Manufacturer's claims will take us to the moon and back, but no combination of nylon and fluorocarbon can escape five realities that are baked into the cake. All Copolymer Line Is: > More "Stretch-Resistant" than pure nylon > More "Abrasion-Resistant" than pure nylon > "Longer Lasting" than pure nylon (but not as long as braided spectra) > "Less Visible" than pure nylon (of unknown significance) > "Substantially Less Manageable" than pure nylon (A Big No-No). Like yourself, I use spinning tackle almost exclusively (save trolling, shiner fishing and saltwater angling). In spite of the advantages of fluorocarbon (polyvinylidene fluoride), its wiry behavior is the kiss-of-death. My spinning line for decades was Berkley Trilene XL but today I use Power Pro braided spectra. Braided polyurethane is virtually non-stretch and is virtually memory-free, it's a godsend to spinning tackle. Roger

As usual Russ, you did a Bang-Up job! I enjoy all your videos Roger

PowerPro braid Roger

I haven't fly-fished in so long that my fly rod was a 9-foot split-bamboo using a catgut leader :-[ I used "bass bugs" almost exclusively and discovered a very wild phenomenon. I used to catch bull frogs on the bass bugs as well, and the hackles on every bass bug that caught a bull frog fell apart about a year later. Frogs apparently have very strong acid in their saliva > Roger

The problem is DEFINITELY the reel, if it were a Spinning Reel there'd be no problem Roger

kbkindle, For many decades I've been a Canon buff, but lately I think that Canon is loosing their grip. We all look for different features and capabilities so it's tough to recommend a camera. Anyway, I recently performed a digicam shootout as I needed a camera for real estate photography as well as fish photography. I selected and purchased the NIKON D70s and very glad that I did. It's a 6-Megapixel, CCD SLR, Compact Digicam. On the downside, the Nikon lens is prohibitively expensive (18 - 200mm Zoom: $750). Of course you can substitute with an aftermarket lens for much less money (sigma, vivatar, ~), but then it would no longer be a Nikon, because the picture is only as good as the lens resolution. Roger

Since your question deals with Where, When and How, the answer is quite complex, so I'll try to be brief : :-/ All game fish (especially trophy-class fish) are a bit skittish about breaking the water surface, because it means entering a strange and new environment (ospreys, alligators, bears, pelicans, man, etc). Bass are not suicidal, so if anything looks or sounds wrong then all bets are off. Though I constantly stress the importance of lure visibility, I actually believe just the opposite when it comes to surface lures. I believe that compromising the bass's view of the lure gives the angler the edge. There are many conditions that compromise the view of the lure, for instance: > Overcast Skies > Twilight (dawn & dusk) > Fog Bank > Nighttime > Object Shade (buttoned against cover in midday) > Murky Water If one or more of the above conditions are present, the topwater potential is normally improved (due to reduced visibility). The gray area, and the factor that is conspicuously absent is "Surface Turbulence", which also compromises lure visibility. Though most anglers hope for a glass-like surface for topwater work, bass are more inclined to make a mistake in a mild ripple. Of course, a "sharp chop" would be overkill, because the surface commotion produced by the lure would be diluted by wave action. As to lure-type, well that's a matter of personal preference, because all lures work and all lures don't work. Broadly speaking, when the current disposition of bass is aggressive, a swimming topwater like a buzzbait or cane toad will cover the most area. When bass are in a neutral mood and the water is dingy, a noisy twitcher like the "Pop-R" is a great choice. When bass are in a passive disposition and the water is clear, then a quiet twitcher like the Rapala Original Floater might be best. In the final analysis, "lure choice" is a confidence thing and is not etched in stone. One other thing. It might be a good idea to choose topwaters lures having a white &/or translucent underside. A white underbelly gets lost in the background of a lighted sky, which is the same reason why Mother Nature gives all fish, reptiles, amphibians and birds a light-colored underside. In any case, I hope that helps. Roger

In my opinion, a four-pound bass in Virginia is almost certainly a cow (bucks top-out around 6-lbs in Florida). In any case, I would not be concerned about disrupting the egg-laying process. Cows spend a surprisingly brief period on the bed, and she may have already done her thing. More than this, a ripe cow is normally coerced into several nests during the spawning season, not just one. Roger

In Florida, there's an "Orange Lake" just south of Lake Lochloosa, but I'm not aware of any Lake Orange. Roger

Although they're both indispensible, I'm essentially a finesse angler so the "ROD" is my right hand Prior to each cast, I'm looking at a specific spot on the water, maybe 8" across. My rod has the greatest influence on whether I hit or miss that spot. In most cases, my rod activates the lure while the reel merely winds in the slack line that's produced. When we stick a pig, the surge of each run is telegraphed by the rod. The reel? Well...it's just there. Finally, the pig is winched to the boat with each pump of the rod, while the reel winds-up the slack each time the rod is lowered. Roger

Laurasdad, Loosening your drag and pulling line off the spool will never cause any line-twist. In fact, pulling line off the spool without loosening the drag will not cause line twist. But as LBH stated in number 2, cranking the reel when no line is being retrieved will most definitely cause line-twist. The bail is designed to wrap the line around the spool, just as you'd wrap a garden hose around the hose hanger. But if no line is being retrieved, then each rotation of the bail throws another twist in the line. I use braided line on my spinning tackle, and have all but forgotten about line-twist (wutzat) Roger

Thanks RockvilleMD for that informative rundown. Unless I overlooked it though, I didn't see a shootout based on "Memory" alone (manageability). To me at least, memory is most important when comparing fluorocarbon lines (their weakest link). In fact, due to the wiry behavior of fluorocarbon, I even stopped using it as leader. I think my titanium wire is more manageable ;D Roger

Finesse fishing for sure, with soft-plastic lures 8-) Roger

THE MAIN SQUEEZE SOME OTHER STUFF Roger

Thanks a bunch 'Aint Texan', now that's my idea of an innovative company! You can bet that I bookmarked that website. Roger

Senile1, in the recent past I used yard-long leaders of Trilene Big Game in conjunction with PowerPro braid. I joined the mono to the braid with a uni-knot to uni-knot connection, and trimmed the tag-ends about 1/16" from the knot without incident (works fine). Unless you're using a very light lure, the knot passes through the tip-top guide with perfect ease. I'm sure it would work equally well with fluorocarbon, but I just don't like that wiry stuff. In any case, I now tie PowerPro direct to the lure, because I never really noticed any difference "with" or "without" the leader. Roger

That's interesting KU, that you caught her in almost the exact same spot! I guess that's just more evidence that bass are real homebodies. And she only gained 8 oz in a year! I have a feeling she's a real 'old' gal. Roger

When I lived in Georgia, we lived on a 10-acre tract with a private pond. Indeed, I did take legal bass from other lakes but rather than eat them, I released them in my backyard pond. Since our pond was very tiny and very shallow we were able to observe the bass at will. I must say it was a great source of entertainment and a marginal learning experience to boot. Of course, I cast lures without hooks and experimented with various retrieves.etc, etc. On the upside, the bass were healthy and lived there for several years. On the downside, because they only cut a meager living, their growth rate was quite poor. Provided it's legal, I can't see where a small-scale transfer of bass will cause any real harm (would eating them be any better?). On the other hand, there's almost no chance that you or I could do a better job than Mother Nature, on the contrary, the best management is usually no management Roger

Chris, Speaking of depth-of-field, I was wondering if you ever tried using Aperture Priority instead of Full Manual? In other words, cranking down on the aperture to maximize the depth-of-field. (I realize that if it's overdone, then subject motion becomes an issue). Roger

Dodgeguy, Were you using a fluorocarbon leader with the sufix braid, or were you tying direct? Roger