RoLo

I'd just like to add something here, for those who may not know. Switching from "Auto" mode to "Manual" mode may be accompanied by other default changes. For instance, the default focus for the Nikon D70s is "Closest Subject". However, if you switch from "Auto" mode to "Manual" mode, the default focus automatically switches to "Area Focus" mode. Here's the deal: When the focus is set to "Closest Subject", the camera focuses on the fish (closest subject) and not the fisherman. However, when the camera is switched to "Manual" mode, the default focus automatically switches to "Area Focus" mode. Therefore, if the fisherman's face happens to be in the focus box, the lens will focus on the fisherman rather than the fish. Roger

Gambler Cane Toad (Bass do not insist on a metal buzzbait) The soft-plastic is "Mouthable" A T-rigged toad is extremely "Weedless", The cane toad is highly "Effective" even in gin-clear water. (In crystal-clear water my cavitron buzzers seem to spook bass). Roger

Randall, you are Off-The-Chart, man! ! ! ! You've proved beyond all doubt that catching lunker bass is all about Know-How. I *** the remarkable trend that you've got going Roger

It's a shame that people need to be reminded how to behave. We've all seen the sign, but you wonder how many people really get it: "Take nothing but Pictures, leave nothing but Footprints". Roger

Boy...I can surely relate to that. My wife and I often revisit the pros and cons between fresh and saltwater fishing. In the quiet tameness of freshwater, we're more at one with nature and feel like part of the environment. In the ocean we're somewhat diminished by the enormity, and may feel less in tune with our enviroment, On many occasions we were little more than victims of circumstances (when love turns to respect). In defense of saltwater, it too has the sights and sounds but they are different. In place of Towhees and Phoebes, we're listening to Least Terns and Franklin Gulls, especially during a blitz. In place of a babbling brook, we're watching towering 12-foot rollers and hoping the tops won't cascade down the front face. As goes the old saw: "It's the same sea, but for every man a different horizon". Roger

"Ditto" Bladebaits are normally worked with a vertical delivery. In very cold water when bass are marking on the sounder, the cicada can be yo-yoed right in the fish depth-zone. Lift the lure about a foot or two, just fast enough to feel the throb of the blade. Then follow the lure's descent with the rod-tip to prevent excess slack line but without putting any back-pressure on the blade. Roger

I don't think there is one best rainsuit, it really depends on your geographic location and how you intend to use it. For all-day, heavy-duty use such as waterfowling and running a Boston Whaler all over the ocean, Helly Hansen was the name for decades. When I lived in New Jersey, all the lobstermen wore nothing but Helly Hansen. I owned them too, but don't recommend them. By today's standards, they're very heavy, hot and moist, because latex (rubber) does not breathe. Happily Gore-tex was introduced, which is lighter than latex and is able to breathe. Actually, Gore-tex is nothing more than a "teflon" membrane. The diameter of the pores are slightly less than the smallest droplet of water that can form. As a result, water can only penetrate the teflon film in the form of vapor (moisture), which is to say Gore-tex breathes. Gore-tex is short of perfect though, because it's only marginally breathable. Furthermore, once the pore has been bridged by a large water droplet, some liquid can leach osmotically through (not a big deal though). Unfortunately, when I moved from New Jersey to Florida, all my Gore-tex clothing was either down-filled or polyester lined. Just as well, I found that Frogg Toggs fill the bill quite nicely. In Florida, a rainsuit that weighs less than one-pound, is much appreciated! I often hear that Frogg Toggs fall apart, and I'm sure that's true, but knock-wood, mine are still hanging in there. I think when my Frogg Toggs finally explode, I'll look at it as an opportunity to try another color Roger

I used to bank-fish a set of quarry pits in Parsippany, New Jersey (there was no boat ramp at that time). The water was very clear, very deep, practically weedless and the fishing was notoriously tough. A boat wasn't really needed though, because the pits were essentially a bluff bank that plunged to well over 100 feet deep. We often fished the entire shoreline of all 5 pits, but most of bass congregated on the few "short sandy lips" we found. The bass were on the drop-off of those short flats which I'm guessing ranged between 3 and 8 ft deep (at the ledge). We fished the pits from early spring to late fall (they froze in winter), and all the bass came from the same shoreline lips. My favorite lure in the sand pits back then, was the Johnson Weedless Spoon (I'd bend the weedless barb down). I waited for the spoon to reach the bottom, then reeled just fast enough for a slow wobble. Meanwhile, my friend Victor, who probably caught more bass than I, always did his best with a Sonic, using a slow, steady retrieve. By the way, the Heddon Sonic was the forerunner of the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap (yes, it was a while back). Roger

I'm with you buddy. Years back, a farmer gave my wife and I permission to hunt deer with bow and arrow. One day after work I took my buddy along to get in a couple of hours of hunting before dark. While suiting up to go on stand, I noticed that my friend tossed the wrapper of a candy bar onto the ground. Not to embarrass him, I picked it up when he wasn't looking and tossed it into the trunk of my car. On the next trip with me, my friend spotted and apparently identified the candy wrapper in my trunk. With a very red face he asked, "Was that mine Rog?". I replied, "Yah Jim, it was yours". Not another word was spoken, and I have a feeling that Jimmy learned a little something that day. Roger

One thing's for sure, I will not be counting casts under any circumstances (mental energy wasted on busywork). As Senile1 pointed out, it has a lot to do about mental attitude. I've noticed in myself, that my confidence level begins to taper after about 10 to 15 minutes of inactivity. Not to beat a dead-horse, after about 10 minutes of drought, I'm going to move the boat at least the distance of two casts. If several locational changes fail to make a difference, then I'm almost obligated to change my lure to refresh my outlook. Lacking a good bite, I'll probably come full circle in about an hour or two, until I'm told by bass to hold a given pattern. Roger

1. It begins with the fact that bass are gamefish found in every state in continental United States and Hawaii (save Alaska). With continued stocking efforts throughout the world, bass appear destined be become cosmopolitan 2. Black bass eagerly strike artificial lures, an asset that's second only to their widespread distribution. 3. Bass are strong-fighters, and they're disposed to jumping (I've never found a reliable way to stop a bass bent on jumping). 4. All members of the sunfish family have no teeth, which facilitates hand-landing. 5. Bass hold up well in a livewell, a decided asset in tournament fishing. 6. To boot, bass are very handsome fish and grow to large sizes 7. Finally, Catfish Resource.Com just doesn't trip off the tongue ;D Roger

Good stuff Senko77, Goood Stuff!

I agree with you, we've all caught bass that were visible, quite close and appeared to be suicidal. If you've done any scuba-diving though, you know how difficult it can be to see in certain directions because of blind spots caused by light refraction. Whenever I catch a bass that's visible and close, I just assume that the poor fellow was dealt a bad hand, and wasn't able to see me. In my case though, that doesn't happen enough times for me to get excited about Roger

If you're looking for a lure that "walks", then you might be happier with a Boze ZZ Walker or a Snag Proof Weed Demon. Both are tail-weighted topwaters that walk like a champ! But if you're looking for a twitchbait, than I think you're going to be real happy. The snag proof frog I like the best is the pro-series frog that uses a double Owner hook. Instead of elaborating on the retrieve, it would be easier to put it this way: Work the snag-proof frog like a twitchbait, the same as you'd work the Rapala Original Floater. There are two big differences of course. You can pitch the snag proof frog where you can't pitch the floating rapala. Also, it's important to delay the hook-set a second or two, otherwise you might find yourself ducking the flying frog ;D Roger

Nice coverage Avid Actually, Circle hooks are nothing new, they're just new to the recreational community. During the 1800s, longliners in the Atlantic Ocean used circle hooks exclusively (Swordfish was the main quarry). It was clear that the round configuration of the circle hook was far superior to the J-hook when dealing with unmanned baited hooks, where the fish hooks itself. Circle hooks may be incorporated with artificial lures as long as the fisherman remembers to surrender the hook-up to the fish and simply maintain a taut line. If you have the irresistible need to use a jaw-breaking hook-set, then forget about circle hooks Roger

OLD Pop-r Super Spook Jr. Rapala Original Floater NEWER Strike Pro Gobi Popper Gambler Cane Toad Swamp Donkey (I just like the name ) Roger

SINGLE Vs. TANDEM > The single-blade spinnerbait generates less water-resistance (greater depth) and less weed-resistance than a tandem spinnerbait > The single-blade spinnerbait helicopters when killed, while most tandem spinnerbaits fall like a dead duck > The single-blade spinnerbait produces a distinct "thumping" sensation, while double-blade spinners dilute each other's throb > The tandem spinnerbait produces more flash than the single blade spinner, but not without a hitch: 1. In murky water, 'throb' is far more important than flash, because there can be no flash where there is no light 2. Bass "invariably" strike the skirt and not the spinner. COLORADE Vs. WILLOWLEAF > The Colorado blade rotates at the slowest forward-speed, the willow-leaf requires the fastest forward speed (Indiana is middling) > The Colorado blade produces the most "vibration", the willow-leaf blade produces the least vibration (Indiana is middling) > The Willow-leaf blade runs deeper than a Colorado, in any case, depth can be governed by lure weight rather than blade shape Speaking only for myself, when faced with deep water or clear water I typically turn to soft-plastic lures (jigs, worms, craws). The only time I might reach for a spinnerbait is in shallow murky water (there's plenty of that) Therefore, for my purposes the 'Single-Colorado' is the only spinnerbait I ever need. Roger

I agree with what's been said, it's more about your presence, than your presentation. The community where I live has a 200-yd long pier. About 30% of the time you'll be able to see bass from the pier. If your presence causes even a barely detectable shift in the bass's position. they become literally uncatchable. The only time they "might" be catchable is when you glimpse one in the distance that appears unaware of your presence. Roger

Careful there...if you break-up all the ice flows, there'll be nothing left to support your Tip-ups Roger

Great going Randall! Roger

I should point-out that favorite lures are highly subjective. Anyway, a few that I'm continually replenishing are listed below: > Heddon Super Spook Jr. > Gambler Cane Toad > Zoom Super Fluke > Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap > Big Hammer Swimbait (1/2 oz Outkast Swim Jig) > Zoom Big Critter Craw > Wave Worm Tiki Stick Roger

Over the years I've used a few different Tackle Systems, but during the last couple of years I've been leaning heavily on small "Plano Magnums" that I preload from bigger stashes (labeled to suit). Below is my "soft-plastics" table, a dumping ground for soft-plastics that have already been retired for one reason or another. Roger

Hmph that's wild, because in my experience full pigmentation requires full sunlight. The palest, most colorless bass I've ever seen came from Mercer Lake, New Jersey, at the time it was a perennially murky lake (muddy) with less than one-foot of visibility. In contrast, the most beautiful bass I've ever seen with dark mossy backs, bright white underparts and pronounced black lateral lines were in Rainbow Springs, Florida, a crystal-clear river with water visibility near 20 ft. Roger

Scientists can't see through a bass's eyes, so it may be a while before they're able to "prove" whether bass actually see colors, or just shades of gray. In the meantime, we're left to our own devices and that might be bad, because fishermen are incorrigible "color bigots". I lived through the era when the popular phrase was, "Any color is good, as long as it's Purple". What we really need is an "hour-meter" installed in each of our lures. We might learn that fishermen and not bass, determine the most effective colors and patterns. How many fishermen actually participate in the acid-test? That is, when bass action couldn't be better, how many anglers tie on thier least liked color to see if it actually causes a negative affect? Then of course, switch back to their favorite color, to see if there's any reverse affect. To carry any weight, the acid-test would need to be repeated on numerous occasions. Quite naturally, a color with 10 hours on the meter, cannot compete against a color with 1,000 running hours. Roger

Hi crazychuy, welcome to the bass forum Until I notice barbels protruding from a bass's chin, I can't excited about their sense of smell. My cigarette-smoking buddy outfishes me every time, but I'll be darned if I'm going to take up smoking. Roger