RoLo

From what we understand about bass vision, they percieve colors much as we do. Be that as it may, the day it was printed that largemouth bass are not color-blind, was the worst day in the history of bass fishing!! Today, anglers have a strong tendency to credit their good luck and blame their bad luck on "lure colors", while neglecting far more important details. Roger

Matt, you might want to copy the existing list, interpolate any recent entries, and repost the updated list. Thanx Roger

Yah, I'm guilty too, there was a time when I did the senko to death. Okay it wasn't a senko per se, but it was a stick worm (same thing). Sadly, to this day all my favorite bass lures fall under the blanket category "Plastic Worm". Though I may be a recovering senkoholic, I cannot deny my ongoing addiction to the plastic worm. I'm still on the hook, I just moved myself from the barb to higher up on the shank. Look at me, I'm beginning to tremble just talking about "long cylindrical plastics": Senko - Zoom finesse worm - Zoom trick worm - Yum ribbontail - Gambler paddletail - Wacky worm PHEEW, I Am One Sick Puppy Roger

Needless to say, a lure bounced on a hard bottom will produce a sharp, crisp response, whereas a lure thumped on a soft bottom will return a dull, cushy response. Brush will have a springy feel (and usually hang you up). Roger

Your depth sounder (sonar) is more appropriate for assessing the bottom composition: Wide Band: Rock Sand Clay Moderate Band: Mud Silt Branches Fish Narrow Band: Weeds Surface Clutter Thermocline Bedrock (ledgerock) usually gives you a double-bounce reading or even a triple or quadruplet-bounce in shallow water. Roger

25 Heaviest Largemouth Bass Georgia 1 Florida 3 California 21 22 lb, 4 oz Montgomery Lake, GA June 2, 1932 George Perry (32.5) 22 lb, 0.5 oz Castaic Lake, CA March 12, 1991 Bob Crupi 21 lb, 12 oz Castaic Lake, CA March 5, 1991 Mike Arujo 21 lb, 11 oz Lake Dixon CA June 7, 2003 Jed Dickerson 21 lb, 3.5 oz Lake Casitas, CA March 4, 1980 Ray Easley 21 lb, 0.5 oz Castaic Lake, CA March 9, 1990 Bob Crupi 20 lb, 15 oz Lake Miramar, CA June 23, 1973 David Zimmerlee 20 lb, 14 oz Castaic Lake, CA February 4, 1990 Leo Torres 20 lb, 4 oz Lake Miramar, CA (tie) March 25, 1990 Johnny Garduno 20 lb, 4 oz Lake Hodges, CA (tie) May 30, 1985 Gene Dupras 20 lb, 2 oz Lake Dixon CA April 27, 2001 Mike Long 20 lb, 2 oz Big Fish Lake, FL May 1923 Fritz Friebel 19 lb, 8 oz Lake Miramar, CA March 7, 1988 Keith Gunsauls 19 lb, 4 oz Lake Mira Mesa, CA March 22, 1998 Chris Brandt 19 lb, 3 oz Lake Morena, CA (tie) Feb 17, 1987 Ardon Hanline 19 lb, 3 oz Lake Wohlford, CA (tie) Feb 3, 1986 Steve Beasley 19 lb, 1 oz Lake Miramar, CA March 14, 1988 Sandy DeFresco 19 lb, 0.64 oz Castaic Lake, CA Jan 8, 1989 Dan Kadota 19 lb, 0.48 oz Success Lake, CA Jan 27, 2001 Larry Kerns 19 lb, 0 oz Lake Tarpon, FL Jun 21, 1961 Riley Witt 18 lb, 15 oz Lake Isabella, CA April 1984 Keith Harper 18 lb, 14 oz Castaic Lake, CA February 12, 1988 Dan Kadota 18 lb, 13 oz St Johns River, FL (tie) April 12, 1987 Buddy Wright 18 lb, 13 oz Lake Isabella, CA (tie) February 1984 Joe Weaver 18 lb, 12 oz Castaic Lake, CA (tie) Jan 25, 1991 Manny Arujo Roger

Thanks for giving me a breather Raul It gets tired after a while, going over the same stuff, over & over & over. Understanding the purpose and function of the swim bladder (not all fish have them) handily rules out the theory that largemouth bass shuttle back-and-forth between deep & shallow water. Not surprisingly, telemetry studies have resounded the expected result. The bigmouth bass is a homebody that stubbornly resists rapid depth change. Otherwise the largemouth would not possess a swim bladder, which are reserved for fish that maintain a relatively constant depth. A swim bladder makes rapid depth change more difficult, for instance, try swimming downward in the water while holding a beach ball in your arms, or try swimming upward while holding a bowling ball. Just as they say, fact is stranger than fiction Roger

My wife is my fishing partner and my best shield against feelings of guilt. I can buy anything my heart desires, as long as she gets one too When I went deer hunting with the bow-and-arrow, my wife would be the only woman in the diner at 4AM, wearing a camouflage outfit. I know, I know...I'm no fun at all Roger

Think About That For A Moment: Whenever the viewer is above the fish (predator or prey), he sees only the upperside of the fish. To camouflage her creatures, Mother Nature colors the back of "all" creatures darker than their belly. In this manner the back of the fish tends to blend into the darker bottom background. Whenever the viewer is below the fish, he sees only the underside of the fish. Accordingly, the bellies of "all" creatures are lighter than their backs so they disappear into the brighter sky above. Now Think About This: Pretend that you are Mother Nature looking down on **** sapiens, your most intellectual being. You notice that Man has chosen the same color pattern for his fishing lures that you have chosen to downgrade visibility (dark on top / light on bottom). Now Here Is The Question: Between Man and the Porpoise, is Man still on top? :-/ Roger

With small bullheads and catfish, instead of trying to avoid the spines, I intentionally grab them right on top of spines so that the dorsal spine and one pectoral spine are trapped between my fingers. With big cats...well, I just cut the line. Roger

Below are a few surviving bass books from my Angling Library. They're listed in chronological order and not in order of preference: The American Angler by A.J. McClane (1951) Lucas On Bass Fishing by Jason Lucas (1962) Bass Angling Guide by Max Hunn (1982) Smallmouth Bass In-Fisherman Handbook by In-Fisherman staff (1984) Big Bass Magic by Doug Hannon (1986) 101 Bass-Catching Secrets by Roland Martin (1988) Largemouth Bass in the 1990s by In-Fisherman staff (1990) Trophy Bass by Larry Larsen (1990) Central Florida Bass Waters by Larry Larsen (1991) Winning Tournament Tactics by Denny Brauer (1991) Roger

Welcome aboard AmBASSador Chipley? That's right by Merritt Mill Pond, which yielded the World-Record Redear Sunfish (4-lb, 13-oz). Roger

Yes, I have read that theory as well, many times. That's a tough one. I've had 'bad' fishing days in all sorts of weather, and I've had 'great' fishing days in all sorts of weather. I can't say unequivocally that I remember a great day that I can attribute 'solely' to a falling barometer. I will say this, frontal conditions without a temperature change are normally accompanied by Wind and Overcast Skies". Both of these factors cause a change in "Underwater Visibility", a whole other ballgame. Predatory fish have rod-and-cone vision while forage fish do not. The eyesight of gamefish adjusts far more rapidly to changes in lighting conditions than that of baitfish. Exploiting their advantage, gamefish instinctively become active during transitional periods of lighting caused by overcast skies, windblown water surface and time-of-day. This is the underlying magic of Dusk, the so-called "Magic Hour". There is no biologist who can provide us with a definitive answer to the questions of barometric pressure, solar effects, lunar affects, et al, I'm afraid we're left to our own devices. Roger

In actuality, the "depth of bass" will not budge, regardless of a change in pool level. For example, if bass are 6 ft deep and on the bottom, and the pool level is elevated 4 feet, the bass will still be 6 feet deep and on the bottom. The terrain will be different, but their depth will be the same. Roger

I'm glad to hear that Roger

Every part of the fish's anatomy (for that matter the human anatomy) is affected by barometric pressure. However, our bodies are designed to easily tolerate these natural changes in atmospheric pressure and for the most part we're unaware of their existence. Fish on the other hand are cold-blooded animals. Consequently, anything that affects water temperature will affect the disposition, movement and metabolism of bass. It's an involuntary process in which the fish has no say (their behavior is dictated by water temperature). Bottom Line: Air temperature affects water temperature, but barometric pressure does not. A rise in barometric pressure is typically accompanied by a drop in air temperature. A drop in barometric pressure is typically accompanied by a rise in air temperature. It has always been my belief that a rise in barometric pressure that is not accompanied by a drop in air temperature is a 'non-event'. That is to say, barometric pressure is a symptom rather than a cause. Bass in shallow water are the first fish affected by air temperature changes, but a persistent change in air temperature eventually affects bass in deep water as well. Roger

Your concern is not misplaced, because cattails grow rampantly and tend to dominate shoreline vegetation. Indeed, the presence of cattails is a powerful indicator of bass bedding grounds. But this is only true because cattails grow best in water between 1-inch and 3-feet deep with a sandy bottom, so they're only a symptom of bedding bass rather than a cause. In all fairness, cattails do provide nesting sites for birds (e.g. redwing blackbirds) and they do add to the humus layer in a black-bottom bay. Nevertheless, once cattails grow out of bounds they take more from the ecosystem than they can possibly contribute. Three methods are used to control cattails: CUTTING: Wasted motion, unless it's accompanied by burning. BURNING: Defers but does not prevent the reappearance of cattails HERBICIDES: Glyphosate (Roundup - Rodeo) is the most effective control. Sadly, glyphosate also kills other post-emergent plants with exposed foliage. In the early spring, before most of the other aquatics plants have emerged, get in your boat with a backpack sprayer of 0.75% glyphosate. Needless to say, it behooves you to research the legalities. Roger

Structure is a relative feature. In lakes that lack prominent structure, minor changes in bottom contour become extremely valuable. On the contrary, deep lakes (oligotrophic) may have so many bluffs plummeting from 5 to 20-ft deep that they're virtually worthless. In deep lakes, the "shallow flats" become the most valuable feature, but in shallow lakes, the "deepest holes" become the most valuable feature. I call this phenomenon, "The Priority Of Poverty". The same holds true in lakes that might be referred to as "structureless". In saucer-shaped lakes with very slow bottom tapers, bass will seek and embrace a 6" step in the bottom, which is enough to conceal the outline of a 9-pound bass. Roger

Funny Stuff, fellows When I first came onboard late last year, the members were constantly referring to the "Bait Monkey". Based on context I had a good idea what it meant, but wasn't 100% sure. Ashamed to admit my ignorance, I finally bit the bullet and asked what is the bait monkey. Avid filled me in, to which I responded, "Guilty as charged". Well at first I thought the bait monkey was just a ficticious character we use for comic relief, but now I'm beginning to believe that this invincible primate truly exists in the spiritual world. Then again, I believe in Santa Claus too Roger

QUESTION: What is the first thing that happens to a crippled or dying baitfish? ANSWER: It loses it ability to remain upright! This is no accident, but is Nature's way of perpetuating "Survival Of The Fittest". When a sick baitfish, frog, snake, etc, rolls upside-down the darker upper-side contrasts strongly against the sky. If the predator is "above" the inverted prey, the pale underbelly will contrast against the darker bottom. A creature with RCS stands out like a heckler in a crowd and no creature lasts very long that wears this calling card of "vulnerability". BTW: This is not something that I read, but something that I firmly believe. Every time an angler matches the color pattern of healthy prey, he's playing into Nature's hands and making his lure less visible. Unfortunately, due to the herd instinct of anglers, lure patterns with "reverse counter shading" are almost impossible to find (monkey see, monkey do). Roger

Great Example!! Dottie is my kind of girl Roger

Oh yeah, they sure do change pattern. Bass from constantly muddy water are patternless, with barely perceptible lateral lines. Bass from crystal clear springfed rivers have gorgeous patterns I've never on any other bass. I think it has everything to do with 'camouflage'. Mother Nature is constantly striving to make her creatures less visible. Camouflage in muddy water is unnecessary because the available light is inadequate to make a difference In clear water where it matters, she has ample light to do her best work. Big Mama's job is to produce a dark upperside that blends into the darker bottom; and a light underside that blends into the lighted sky overhead. If fishermen were wise they would not strive to match the hatch, but use RCS instead. That's an acronym I coined about 35 years ago which stands for "Reverse Counter Shading". In my opinion, every lure is painted wrongly and upside-down. If instead, you kept the dark hues on the bottom and the light hues on top (where they belong), you'd achieve two big advantages: 1. Your lure would be significantly more visible to predators 2. Your lure would simulate a sick disorientated creature that is moving upside down through the water. So if you ever hear mention of 'reverse counter shading', you now know from whence it came Roger

No doubt about it. When I lived in Georgia I fished for spotted bass in Lake Lanier and West Point Lake. Similar to smallies, the spot also frequents deeper water than the bigmouth bass, and usually prefer harder bottoms with a steeper drop-off. In one way though, spotted bass are similar to largemouth bass, they both love docks, which act like magnets for spotted bass. Because they have smaller mouths the lures have to be scaled down for spotted bass. In my experience, spots aren't the bull-of-the-woods that the bigmouth is, and normally require a less active delivery, for example, I've done better gliding or shaking rather than pumping or jerking. Roger

Pickerel are a Blast! I'm probably one of the few anglers who actually targets chain pickerel as a break from bass, when I lived in Jersey and now in Florida. Roger

In my experience the darker the water the paler the bass. In perennially muddy waters like Carnegie Lake, NJ and Mercer Lake, NJ, the bass are a washed-out silver color with barely perceptible lateral lines. In Florida's clearest spring-fed waters, bass exhibit the most striking colors and patterns. They have greenish hues and black, blocky median lines that I've never seen on bass from murky water. Bass from crystal clear water are absolutely gorgeous! :o Roger