RoLo

Few are probably aware of this, but the wacky-style rig was originally called the "Jersey Rig", and first appeared...oh I'd say...during the late 1980s. It wasn't until years after its appearance that I finally mustered the strength to give that silly looking thing a try. It has now gotten to the point where my wife and I use the wacky-style rig more than the T-rig. By the way, if you're lure keeps coming back with weeds and sticks, feel free to T-rig the stick worm, right in the center of the worm and fish it weedless wacky-style. Both ends will wiggle and you'll hear no complaints from the bass. While the senkos tend to fall apart with this method, the tiki stick does itself proud. Because wacky-style worming provides a slow finesse delivery, it's a big bass lure. Roger

On the contrary, most fishermen are on the fence about the credibility of the moon's affect on bass. Yet, many of those who are on the fence about lunar phases, firmly believe that spawning activity and their fishing success in spring is directly linked to the new and full moons. Consequently, the only sensible time-of-year to test the validity of lunar effects would be during the spawning season. Many fishing guides believe that the bedding season is the ONLY time-of-year that lunar phase matters Roger

If I had to guess, I'd say it was because his lure past the nose of more bass in a positive mood. Is that luck or is that lure placement? Great question, by the way. Roger

Rather than opine on the lunar theories we've all heard, let me explain what actually does take place. Tidal Waters In the ocean and in saltwater estuaries, the moon's gravitational pull (centripetal force) exerts an indirect but real effect on fishing. When the moon is overhead (in the zenith) it literally pulls upward on the surface of the ocean, creating a water bulge known as high water or "flood tide". Simultaneous to this event, ocean waters lying 90 degrees from the zenith are literally stretched thin by gravitational pull. It's analagous to someone filling his lungs with air: while the chest expands the waist will narrow. Oceanic waters affected by perimeter thinning undergo what's called low water or "ebb tide". This vertical fluctuation or "tidal range", has an enormous effect on water flow (current), which in turn has an enormous influence on saltwater fishing. There are times each month when the "sun" joins forces with the moon. The centripetal force of the sun is inconceivably greater than the gravitational pull from our tiny moon, but the sun is inconceivably farther from the earth (93 million miles away). In any case, when the moon and sun are both in the zenith (overhead) the result is a super high tide accompanied by a super low tide in the band lying 90 degrees from the zenith. Non-Tidal Waters To a lesser extent, there are also tidal events on the Great Lakes and in brackish tidal waters. On the other hand, non-tidal freshwater lakes and streams do not undergo any appreciable tidal fluctuation. As a result, freshwater lakes and streams (save the Great Lakes) are essentially unaffected by lunar periods. The record books show that many freshwater records have been broken during periods directly between the best lunar periods. Apparently after the fact, the solunar tables also embrace the half-moon periods midway between the New and Full moons (sheesh...cut us a little slack). At any rate, don't take anyone's word for it, there's already too much, Monkey See, Monkey Do. There's only ONE WAY to prove to yourself that lunar phases actually "do" or "don't" mean a thing During the spawning season, fish two bass lakes "strictly" during the Worst lunar periods, and fish two other bass lakes "strictly" during the Best lunar periods. You might be very surprised to learn that the overall results are remarkably "random". By The Way, I did notice one amazing phenomenon that is clearly linked to the "Full Moon". When the moon is full, I have to shave about three times more often!!! Roger

My goal is to catch a limit of large bass, and if that doesn't happen, then I won't go. All kidding aside, my thirst for knowledge is just as keen as my desire to catch fish. Call me crazy, but no matter how many fish I might catch, if I didn't learn something new, I will not feel fulfilled, because I won't know how to repeat that performance the next time. Sad but true, while I'm pumping a bass to the boat, I'm already thinking about the next bass. Roger

Since no one likes my Jive Hippo, he'll be put to pasture But you've got to admit it, he's got a great sense of timing.

I feel that any bass over 6 lbs is Big. You feel that any bass over 12 lbs is Big. I'll bet I'm catching more Big Bass than you Roger

Thanks a million, your response is much appreciated. Roger

There is an old axiom in the Real Estate profession that also applies to fishing; it goes like this: "The 3 most vital factors that determine the price of land are Location, Location and Location, but not necessarily in that order." Fishermen routinely give credit to size and color, that really belongs to location. A bass is as dumb as a "Box-Of-Rocks". Bass know nothing at all about caloric efficiency, in fact, I doubt that a bass even knows how big he is! Naturally, the fatter and older the bass, the "lazier" the bass, but laziness has no effect on food size. Laziness translates to the distance that a bass is willing to chase, and the speed that he's willing to use. For laziness to have any bearing on food size, would require intelligence and that clearly excludes bass. To protect all low forms of life, Mother Nature supplies them with a complex set of "instincts". Every bass instinctively knows the size of his mouth (what will fit, what will not fit). The life mission of a fish is not finding food that comes the closest to filling up its mouth. On the contrary, everything that will fit is 'acceptable', and everything that won't fit is 'unacceptable'. An oversized bait can become lodged in the fish's throat, which all fish instinctively understand. Although a small bass may be forced to reject a large bait, a large bass has a choice. A belly-sagging lunker that swallows a small tidbit has nothing to lose and everything to gain. There are 3 factors that might cause a trophy bass to eat a small morsel (it's done all the time): 1. It was served at his doorstep 2. It appeared defenseless and vulnerable. 3. It was not "Too Big" for his mouth. Roger

My house sits about 350 yards from a private ramp on Lake Walk-In-Water. All the same, I frequently fish other lakes in central Florida, just to spice it up. For day-trips, I try to limit my one-way trailering time to about 2 hours. If it's going to be a one or two-week vacation, then I wouldn't hesitate to travel for days. Roger

I agree with Roger. There are times I'm sure, when a large bass will pass up a smaller bait, only to strike a larger bait. But other variables weigh into the equation that aren't as visible as "size". Which bait do you think a trophy bass would be more likely to seize: A> 5" shiner traveling slowly and erratically about 30 inches away. B> 10" shiner traveling steadily about 40 inches away. As an aside, my wife's biggest Jersey bass was caught on a 1/32 oz shad dart ;D When I lived in New Jersey I fished a lot for striped bass. During the peak season in June, I'd run across Sandy Hook Bay before daybreak and meet the netmen at the pound nets. They would sell me menhaden (moss bunkers) under the table for a buck a piece, (a lot of money back then). They would winch the net to the surface and shine lights on the catch. I would point out the largest bunkers in their pound net, which I placed in my livewell. They ran 12 to 14 inches long and probably weighed 1 to 1.5 pounds. With those big baits I was usually good for a couple of stripers, but I caught nothing under 22 lbs. Then I decided to scale down my baits, and began pointing to bunkers in the pound net that ran 7 to 9" long. Not only did the activity increase, but I caught stripers as small as 14 lbs and as large as 44 lbs, all on 8-inch menhaden. It was a lesson that I've never forgotten. Roger

Isn't that the sad truth? I had the exact same idea as you, offering to take children on free fishing excursions. I'm afraid you're right, the deeds of a sordid few have spoiled it for the masses (as always). With respect to our year-round fishing season here in Florida, do what I do. I don't only fish for bass, but target whatever species is at peak season. I fully enjoy fishing for redears, bluegills and chain pickerel, as long as I'm specifically targeting them. I also fish in saltwater (seatrout, redfish, snook). In all honesty, I don't miss the northeast, I don't miss scraping ice off my windshield, and I don't miss getting cabin fever ;D Roger

I haven't lost one largemouth bass since 1986. That was the last time I tried horsing a 15 lb bass with 4 lb mono. Roger

To answer your question, I don't know of any such charts. If you know how to interpret structure and how to pinpoint trial sites, your hydrographic charts are as valuable as your rod and reel. When you consider the cost of your boat and motor and all your rods, reels, lures, etcetera, the cost of the best hydrographic charts begins to look dirt cheap. Roger

Well, I must say Avid, you've received a host of superb explanations and suggestions. Rather than add to what was so eloquently covered, I'm just going to mull it all over. I can certainly relate to periodic shifts in passion that you alluded to. I believe that the passion continues to burn strong, but it continually takes on new forms. I have noticed in myself that I've reached the point in my life where my greatest thrills in fishing come from bringing others to fruition. One of my grand children was recently down to Florida. For a whole week, the joys of bass fishing loomed to heights that I haven't experienced in years! Brian caught his personal best, which he proudly released with pictures as his memory. I *** the position of George and Scott Welcome, to me that's about as good as it ever gets. And I cannot sign off without tipping my hat to Russ (LBH). Roger

Evinrude/Johnson E-TEC That's a No-Brainer Roger

My take is a bit different than Jim's. The biomass of "every" year-class of bass shrinks with every passing year. Quite obviously, the older the year-class the smaller the school. Members of the oldest year-class in a given lake do not choose to be loners, they simply represent the few and only survivors that are still remaining. Juveniles would not make it to adulthood, that dared to feed in a school of large bass. I constucted a backyard pond in Georgia, and I know from personal experience, that the largest bass in an area are at the top of the pecking order. They also get first pick of personal lair. You can catch a trophy bass from an isolated group of lily pads in 2 ft on a ledge to 5 feet. Come back the following year and take another trophy bass from the exact same spot! This is known as the "replenishing factor", where the largest bass get to choose and control the "sweetest spots" in the area. Well, a bass that grows increasingly lazy, would be very unwise to abandon the prolific bounty of food that paves the fertile shallows. Schools of offshore shad are prey that are best suited to highly competitive, fleet-footed youngsters. Fall "jump-fishing" is a phenomenon where young year-class bass (schoolies) behave like bluefish in the ocean, and ball up pelagic shad. A fat old bass wouldn't stand a chance in that youth-dominated blitz. And unlike giant bluefish that lie well beneath marauding schools of school blues, bass swallow their prey whole, so there are no bits and pieces fluttering to the bottom. Furthermore, why would a beer-barrel bass elect to give chase to a 3" shad in open water when he's got those dumb 12" bass in the shallows that dare to eat with him? Jim, as you and I have discussed, deep water fishing is my forte'. I've spent an enormous amount of time fishing deep water for pike, walleyes, smallmouth bass, a host of saltwater species and yes, largemouth bass too. Though it may contradict popular belief, I find deep-water fishing to be significantly easier than shallow water fishing. I also believe that fish concentrated in deepwater are easier to fish-down than fish scattered throughout the shallows. The deepwater itself grossly narrows down the search. Turn an angler loose on a 3-mile-wide flat in Lake Okeechobee and you've got a totally bewildered and overwhelmed fisherman. For this reason, Pro bass anglers use search lures like cranks and spinners to help narrow down the vast shallow acreage. I can only wish that big bass would gravitate to the deepest water in our lakes. How easy it would be to anchor-down on the deepest hole in every lake, take out my favorite sandwich, then proceed to mop-up those poor soles with live minnows. Wake-up! Wake-up! It's time to go to work! Roger

"Three pounds" is the first weight-plateau for ole Mossback, and although we're all shooting for 9 and 12, the 3 pounder isn't any easier to catch, just far more abundant. I've noticed that you described your "lures" but you haven't described your "lake", that puts the emphasis on "presentation" rather than "location". I don't even know if your lake is Natural or Artificial, so the word "deep" has no meaning. In natural lakes, "weeds" are the key, and depth is just the Bellhop for "weeds". In manmade impoundments, bass are faced with a host of manmade obstacles. In manmade lakes, the key is "river and creek channels" and here as well depth is just the Bellhop. Do you really "know" that, or is that just what "everyone" is saying? That's very close to the truth, but no cigar: Big bass spend most if not all of their lives in water that is not deep. However, whatever depth a big bass chooses, he strongly insists on having deep water nearby, the deeper the better. On that, you can hang your hat. Roger

Realistically, I can't answer that question. The strikes we receive are not all delivered by bass. Most of the time I can tell the difference, but sometimes I can't. Just the other evening, I missed at least 2 fish and landed only 2 bass. However, during that same evening I lifted two sunfish out of the water that fell off the hook of a 6.5" kut-tail worm (1 bluegill, 1 warmouth). I'm sure we're plagued by untargeted fish more often than we realize. If I didn't actually see the culprits, I might've blamed myself for a poor hook-set. While bass fishing this year, my wife and I have landed bluegills, warmouth, crappie, pickerel, bowfin and one alligator. I have a hunch that my hook-up percentage on bass alone is probably 70 to 80% but I honestly don't know. As for bowfin, yeah, that's got to be 100% ;D > ;D Roger

Randall, you said a mouthful and therein lies the key. I can't speak for California, but in eastern United States (Florida to Canada) large cow bass do not go deep, not even during the post-spawn. Instead they move parallel over deeper water, while maintaining a similar depth. Suspended largemouth bass are hard to find and even harder to catch. Roger

My sentiments are similar to Sodaksker. Angling is enjoyed by males and females alike, but it is clearly a male-oriented sport. If Berkley were smart, they would have produced that same commercial using Bass Pros from the "female circuit". I'll bet that fewer males would be offended by that same commercial. After all, it is not images of the human body that corrupt youth, that's more the work of gansta rap mentality, the drug cult and violence. I also share the same sentiments as K-Mac. We need to give the opinion of others maximal latitude, something I've struggled with for most of my life. If you have ever changed your mind about "anything", then you can appreciate the wisdom of tolerating the opinion of others. Roger

Nicely put

STRUCTURE "Structure" is the primary concern, followed closely by Cover. The best structure is the steepest drop-off into deepest water COVER The deepest Pondweed beds (Potamogeton) on the drop, pondweed is also known as Cabbage (north) and Peppergrass (south). WHY "Weeds" are the first love of largemouth bass. Potamogeton is the largest family of aquatic plants, a deep-growing, broadleaf weed that provides unexcelled habitat for preyfish and predator alike. Roger

You'll catch no flack from here either, that would be the Pot calling the Kettle black. Bear in mind, that many anglers simply don't enjoy eating fish, and there Catch-&-Release program should not be confused with nobility. My wife & I happen to enjoy fish very much and understand that omega-3 fish oils are far better for the heart than prime rib. As has been said, your Fish and Wildlife Commission keeps very close tabs on the health of every fishery. The saltwater regulations in Florida have gotten so complex that anglers jokingly say that you shouldn't fish in the ocean without a lawyer onboard. Stay within the law and enjoy a guilt-free meal of bass, and you'll never eat another mud-flavored catfish again Roger

Bass over 15 pounds, have real tough flesh Roger