RoLo

Kahle is all I use for live bait, but unfortunately Eagle Claw is the only manufacturer that makes the hooks I like. George, are you using Eagle Claws too? Roger

When you spout gibberish like that, your list of opponents is in the millions, not two people. In the first place, how does a 22 caliber rifle end-up in such careless hands? Roger

The X-Rap is a jerkbait (though Rapala calls it a slashbait). For the angler who feels that the LC Pointer is too pricey, the X-Rap is an excellent substitute. You fish the X-Rap as you would any jerkbait: > Crank it briskly to the desired depth, then stop. > Jerk it crisply with a single or double-jerk, followed by a pause. > Experiment with different jerk lengths and pause durations until you find a productive cadence. Water temperatures usually offer a good starting point. On balance, the colder the water the shorter the jerk and the longer the pause. You need to experiment to find the most productive cadence. Jerk plugs are very productive in spring and fall (colder water) and also in clear water. Good luck, jerkbaits are a lot of fun. Roger

George, do you insert the hook "ahead" or "behind" the dorsal fin? In front of the dorsal fin would put the hook about midway in the length of a golden shiner. Roger

I've read at least two posts from Fish-Chris touting braided line. He leaves me no choice but to stoke the fire. Probably more recently than him, I too have undergone a major switch from monofilament (nylon and copolymer) to braided line. In my case it's PowerPro, but the results of one line test found TUF-Line to be the strongest of all. What's not to like about Braided Line? Least Memory: Braid (by a country mile) Stretch-Resistance: Braid (by a long shot) Smallest Diameter: Braid Life Span: Braid (all but fluorocarbon, which is approximately the same) Abrasion-Resistance: Copolymer (but not significantly) Knot Strength: Copolymer In the real world, the knot strength of braid is a non-issue, because braided lines typically break well beyond their specified breaking strength, more than offsetting any loss in knot strength. The visibility of braid can easily be solved with a fluorocarbon leader, but I don't even bother (small potatoes). Roger

You are correct Marty. I don't know the history of their usage either, but I will say this, I've never once in my life heard any fisherman (or biologist) refer to the fish-version as a 'porpoise', they always say 'dolphin'. I'm sure you know that if enough people misuse a word, lexicographers will add the new sense to the list of meanings, and are constantly reshuffling the order of preferential usage. My favorite example is Vehicle. Confused by the pronunciation of Vehicular Homicide the pronunciation of Vehicle is currently transforming from Veeackle to Vee Hickle. Does this mean that Ventricular Fibrillation will change Ventricle to Venn Trickle and Testicular Cancer will change Testicles to Tess Tickles? Roger

Hmm...that's odd! There is a fish called a "Blue Pickerel" but it's a "walleye" and is now extinct (click the link below) http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/cgi-bin/ocforum1/oc_config.pl?noframes;read=2266 Roger

Based on all the difficulty you're having, it might be possible that you're not dealing with bass, but maybe panfish. Roger

When you say "pickerel", are you referring to a true pickerel (eastern chain) or a walleye? Roger

That's a good question, because jigs are frequently referred to without any mention of the trailer, which is only half a story. My jig-trailers change like the wind, but my favorites right now: > Yum Crawbug > Zoom Pro Chunk > Sizmic Bitsy Craw Roger

Why Bass? First and foremost, bass are found everywhere in the United States and are common in most bodies of water. Bass are the ideal gamefish because they eagerly strike artificial lures. That alone rules out many other candidates. Bass grow to large sizes and bass are very handsome fish (largemouth, smallmouth & spotted bass). Roger

Acid Rock, Spastic Punk & Gangsta Rap Seriously, I really like all forms of music. "IF" it's good stuff, I like all music from classical to hip-hop, through R & B, Classic Rock, Reggae & Country Eastern. When music lacks talent or is done distastefully, then I won't like it regardless of the genre. I find that people are darn good judges of good music. Not very many clinkers become Big Hits, and good music usually climbs the charts. Roger

Most saltwater fishermen who venture offshore have tangled with a dolphin. Along the Atlantic seaboard, dolphins are one of our most abundant gamefish, a beautiful neon fish, great fighters and excellent table fare. Low and behold, a film was produced back in the 50s called, "Boy On A Dolphin", that did it! The boy was not on a dolphin, which is a fish, the boy was actually on a "porpoise", which is a mammal. Since that time, the term "dolphin" and "porpoise" were frequently used interchangeably. Thanks to the popular use of this misnomer, New Jersey saltwater columist, Al Ristori bowed to political pressure and began to refer to dolphins as "dolphinfish". It was a noble gesture, but the new term never gained a foothold Restaurants went a different route, they dropped the native term "dolphin" and replaced it with the Hawaiian translation, "Mahi Mahi". Meanwhile, many fisherman on the Pacific coast use the Mexican translation, "dorado" instead of dolphin. It all seems very silly to me, why we can't call a fish by its name, why we can't call a "dolphin" a "dolphin"? Well, actually we can and maybe we should, then perhaps more people will begin to call a "porpoise" a "porpoise". Roger

Another warning flag is "TRUST ME", as if to say, this time you might get lucky Roger

Many years back the In-Fisherman published their findings regarding cold-front bass (i.e. findings not theory). I no longer have access to that article, so I'll relate what they stated in my own words: Cold-fronts are unquestionably a tough time to fish, not much different from the fall-turnover. Of course, bass can be caught during cold-fronts and during fall-turnovers, but barnburners are few and far between. The In-Fisherman staff was surprised to find that during a cold-front, bass do not move laterally, but move down within the same water column, and sink to the bottom of the heaviest cover. They are "litterally nose-down, tail-up and in a torpor". Bass do not have to move laterally to be in the heaviest cover, because that's where they are normally found. Two or three days later, depending on the severity of the front, bass will begin to loft above the bottom. Though many anglers cling to the notion that bass feed best during a falling barometer, In-Fisherman states otherwise (Hannon too). With successive days of stable weather and a steady barometer, bass will move progressively higher in the weed bed, and after several days of stable weather they'll be situated "above" the weed bed in an aggressive mood. I personally have never encountered a situation that refutes any of the above findings. Roger

It takes water more time to change temperature than it takes land to change temperature. Consequently there's a thermal differential between the temperature of air over land and the temperature of air over water. This temperature difference is what causes the incessant land/sea breezes along the oceanfront where the two collide, and to a lesser extent over our waterways. This is also the cause of the so-called "maritime effect" of real estate near water. For instance, palm trees stop growing in Florida, but if you cling to the Atlantic coast you will find palm trees as far north as the Carolinas. Move inland a few miles and they completely vanish. Roger

Barring a local front, wind currents at night are usually tamer than wind currents during the day. This is the result of the earth being heated by solar radiation, which in turn produces air turbulence. Deer hunters are usually far more attuned to air currents than anglers, due to the deer's keen sense of smell. If you're hunting in hilly country, you will notice a fairly consistent phenomenon. On your morning stand after sunrise, the thermal drift will be rising UP the mountain slope as the earth warms. On your evening stand as dark approaches, there's a thermal reversal and the air will roll DOWN the slope as the earth cools. Barring a local front, wind speeds typically increase as the day wears on, due to the earth's cumulative solar gain, normally building to a peak in the afternoon. Roger

As RW stated, it really takes two people and a good scale to do the job right. For both fresh and saltwater tackle I always "try" to set the brake around 28% of breaking strength, while the rod is held perpendicular to the line. It will soon become obvious which reel manufacturers produce the smoothest drag systems. Cheap braking systems tend to release in jerky fits-&-starts. Following the 28% rule, the drag tension for a 20-lb outfit would be set at 5 1/2 lbs. While that may not sound like very much, it will flatten the parabola of the rod blank and generate a surprising amount of pressure at the angler's end before slipping. Roger

"RoLo" is the composite of Roger & Lois. I've fished with a number of really fine gentlemen over the years, but mama & I have been fishing together for 43 years, she's numero uno. We started out together on a shoestring and our first boat was a 12-ft aluminum rowboat. A couple years later I was able to spring for a 10-hp Eska outboard (cost $100). We used our little soaky toy in both fresh and saltwater. I learned the dubious art of launching a rowboat in the Jersey surf, to become part of the so-called "mosquito fleet". That expression was not used derisively though, because the activities of the mosquito fleet were closely monitored by expensive sportfisherman and charter boats. The tin cans routinely put them on feeding bluefish, stripers and weakfish, we were seagulls without wings Roger

I think pfisher_d covered it well and very realistically. Another school-of-thought is to base lure-size on water temperature trend (appetite). Larger lures during a rising temperature trend and smaller lures during a temperature downtrend. As an example, smaller lures are generally preferred during a major cold-front (falling water temperatures). Roger

I should tell you that it's not very glitzy, but it could never be accused of being stuffy either ;D If you're just interested in a good steak, you might just like "Norby's Steaks & Seafood. Heading north on US-27, turn right onto FL-60 east for a couple miles. Norby's would be on your left just past the Super Wal*Mart. Roger

Your description of that misguided crook reminds me of the thief who entered my house in Sayreville, NJ. Obviously a youngster, he broke into my den through the sliding glass door and passed by a treasure trove of unlocked rifles, shotguns and bows. Instead, he grabbed two 6-packs of beer from my garage, but left one 6-pack on my ping-pong table so he could ****** a handful of arrows from my quiver. I can picture him running across my backyard in the darkness of night with a handful of razor-sharp broadheads!!! Roger

Tilapia is out! Tilapia eat photoplankton and diminuitive plantlife, they do not hit lures. Many thousands of fishermen wish that tilapia did hit lures, myself included Roger

Shredding Issue? I can't imagine what shredding issue you may have experienced or why you favor Cabela Ripcord ahead of PowerPro braid. Actually PowerPro is an inordinately strong line and I've never heard say that it suffers from fatigue or crystallization. PowerPro is widely recognized as outlasting both copolymer and cofilament line, and lasts just as long as polyvinylidene fluoride, better known as fluorocarbon. Longevity and strength are among its outstanding properties. Oddly, a more common complaint among anglers is that PowerPro spectra is too difficult to break-off when they're hopelessly snagged. Any fishing line can be degraded through abrasion, but I've never had any problem with PowerPro that I did not cause myself. Roger

Cichlid is the name of a large family of exotic fish. The peacock bass is a cichlid and their scientific name is Cichla ocellaris. The fish in your picture lacks the coloraton of a peacock bass, but as Gman suggested, I too believe it's a member of the cichlid family. The fish you've been catching look a lot like the Jack Dempsey, another genus of the "cichlid" family. Unfortunately, there are some physical variations between the Jack Dempsey and the fish pictured in your other post. The Oscar is yet another "cichlid" and their latin name is Astronotus ocellatus. There are a throng of species in the Oscar genus, and though your fish resembles an oscar, there are dissimilarities. The best I can offer is that the fish you're catching probably belong to the "cichlid" family. Sorry I couldn't be more specific :-/ Roger