RoLo

Hookhead, That makes me very happy Begin by obtaining the very best contour map available, one with the smallest increments between depth lines and preferably one that illustrates cover (weedbeds, stumpfields, rockpiles) and let the price be invisible.

Thanx K-Mac Actually, that incident was "by-no-means" an isolated case, but I hate to belabor a point. If you're not madly in love with the busywork that surrounds our grand sport, by all means hire a guide. I used to spend All Year between each vacation gathering data to determine the optimal food shelf depth, retreat depth, best weed species, time of year, presentation, chart analysis, et al. For me to hire a guide would be like shooting myself in the foot. I could just see myself out there with a guide, I'd be picking that poor man's brains all day long. He'd probably have to remind to do some fishing, and he'd never want me on his boat again ;D

Cabela10, Ch:168 but I'm in central Florida

GULP! Then it isn't worth much Who won?

It's pretty clear to me that a 5-lb smallmouth is more acrobatic than a 5-lb largemouth, both in the number of jumps and the height of the jump. I love smallmouth bass, they're so single-minded, as soon as you set the hook, that line heads straight for the surface. I believe that smallmouth bass are stronger and more muscular than largemouth bass, and that's the reason why they're more acrobatic. There may be times when a smallmouth may not seem any stronger than a largemouth. But then it hits me, I'm comparing a smallmouth bass that just jumped "completely" out of the water "three or four times", to a largemouth bass that "once or twice" pushed his head out of the water in slow motion, then rattled his gills. That's like comparing the runner who just got the baton, to the guy who passed it to him?

I personally would start with the publication published in your home state. This will provide you with the most pointed and useful information. For example, when I lived in Georgia I subscribed to "Georgia Sportsman", now I'm getting "Florida Game & Fish". After that there are many national magazines to fatten the skinny. Among the best are In-Fisherman (elite), Fishing Facts, Bassmaster & Field & Stream.

George Welcome, Maybe it's my computer screen, but I can't see any of the contour lines. All I'm getting is the outline of the lake.

Roadwarrior Thanks RW. Lake Huron is certainly vast, but even in July the weedline stops around 18 feet deep. This means that most of the chart is a just a place to rest your elbows. There's no doubt about it, today's fishing guides are excellent (that was a looong time ago). But again, the decision to hire or not to hire depends on what you like most about angling, in other words, it's your baby.

With all due respect, a glance at a hydrographic or topographic chart can also eliminate megatons of water. No angler should ever be intimidated by SIZE, it only means more options. The alternative to one large lake is 15 charts of smaller lakes separated by landfall, that's a dubious advantage. Only because it's on-topic, I'd like to cite a pike fishing vacation my wife and I experienced. It was our first trip north of the St Lawrence River, Ontario. Normally I spend the first day sounding-out the trial sites that I selected at home (NJ). Trial sites are eliminated that are not accompanied by cabbage beds (can't do that at home) and all good drop-offs are pinpointed. By the forth or fifth day, we had a solid route of waypoints that marked "holding" sites, as though we'd lived on that lake all our lives. This morning we went to breakfast and the dining room was jam-packed with bustling fishermen. The owner informed me that a large corporation hired every guide boat in Parry Sound for a one-day pike outing. Curious, I followed the flotilla of about a dozen guide boats about a half-mile behind. I watched as they gradually split-up, poking into one shallow bay after another (burbot heaven I was thinking). Finally, after wasting 2 hours of vital fishing time, I decided we weren't going to learn anything from them and throttled off. To make a very long story, short, my wife and boated 11 pike to 12 lbs that day. No big deal for sure, but every guide boat had gotten skunked that same day! They blamed it on July, the mooneye migration and pike with lockjaw. As we pulled up to the dock that evening, we were greeted by several disgruntled customers. We gave them our pike and they were absolutely ecstatic if not completely honest. The next day at breakfast the lodge owner said to me, "You won't believe this, but every guide boat got skunked yesterday", I said "yes I know, the fellows told me". The owner continued, "And guess where they caught some huge pike?, RIGHT HERE OFF MY DOCK!". Looking into his broad proud grin, my wife and I had no choice but to muster up some false surprise. How BIG was that lake? It was Lake Huron

GUIDE OR NO GUIDE? I believe the answer hinges on what the angler wishes to extract from his fishing experience. To be more specific, it boils down to what he or she enjoys most about angling: FISHING or CATCHING? I love "fishing", my wife loves "catching", so most of my life I've been my wife's personal fishing guide. That's because my favorite facets of angling are Chart Reading, Site Selection, GPS & Depth Sounder Operation, Locating Cover, Lure Selection and Boat Positioning. So it's a foregone conclusion that if I ever hired a guide that would dramatically downgrade my fishing experience and pleasure. But of course, that's me BTW: I have fished saltwater and freshwater from Florida to Canada and never hired a guide.

That was a wise decision, Square1. I used to run a 14-ft open boat (rowboat) in the ocean but nearly swamped a 17-ft bass boat in Lake Erie. A bass boat is little more than a stable platform at rest, but when you're underway in a chop, especially in a headsea, you can't beat a modified-V utility boat (pike boat). I love em :-*

Hmmm...now you've got me rethinking

Don't ask me why, but sometimes the size of the natural forage you find in the gizzard of a fish is not the same size that produces the best action (pike are a good example). For run-of-the-mill smallies, I try to keep the overall length around 3.5", where I'd move to 3" before 4". In trophy waters like the TVA impoundments, Tennessee River, Columbia River and Lake Erie, that range can be bumped up an inch. At least, that's my experience.

It's probably a combination of both. He was fiercely competitive, but in a recent article he complained about his feet hurting and couple of other things and said generally that his fishing has gone to pot.

OOPS! I meant to say, I have "not" noticed any difference in their fighting ability. Thanx Low_Budget_Hookers

I lived in three states in my life, NJ, GA and FL. I probably caught a fairly equal number of northern and Florida-strain bass. When I lived in GA, I suppose I unknowingly caught some intergrade bass too If there's any difference in the fight between the northern and Florida-strain bass, I can't honestly say that I've noticed it.

He was pathetic...the replies from the fellows were funny

Glenn, it sounds like you put your finger right on it. He's just a kid and is probably accustomed to "Chatroom" mentality (IRC).

What a beautiful photo! Thank you for your informative responses

George Welcome, Although I live within an hour-ride of the Stick Marsh, you know that water much better than I do. I spend my time on Walk-In-Water and Lake Arbuckle. I have a neighbor though who fishes the Stick Marsh. He fishes near Structure S-96D that you mentioned and he also fishes the other Water Control Structure, I believe it's "S-258". He claims that these areas benefit from the inflow current after a rain? The word on the street is that Ditch-7 (east and west ends) and the southwest corner of Farm-13 are highly productive areas, do you agree with that?

For what it's worth fellows, next Friday @ 2:30 pm on "Match Fishing": Denny Brauer vs. Rick Clunn

George Welcome, You're absolutely right and I stand corrected. The stick marsh was inundated in 1986 http://floridafisheries.com/updates/istok-5year.html and open to public fishing in 1991 http://hughcrumpler.com/content/view/2/28/ Sometime between 1991 and the mid-90s it was highly reported that it hit a low ebb, but this is not unusual for any new reservoir, after an initial spike. Anyway, your beautiful photos make it clear that the Stick Marsh is better than ever! Thanks for the heads up ;-)

jb_from_texas, The Stick Marsh/Farm-13 is strictly catch-and-release, as I'm sure you know. The lake exploded, reaching peak production in 1992, then fell over. Happily, the Stick Marsh today is enjoying a strong resurgence. It is tannin-rich water and loaded with hydrilla (at least it was). The water south of the east/west levee is Farm-13 (a fallow inundated radish farm). Many anglers regard Farm-13 as the best of the Stick Marsh. DNR reports I've read claimed that bigmouth there reach 10 lbs in as little as 4 years!

jb_from_texas, Take the Bee Line (528) east to I-95 south. Get off at Exit 156 (I believe) heading toward "Fellsmere". In Fellsmore, make a right turn onto N. Broadway St (north) The road will squiggle left and then right so you'll be heading north again (CR 507). Watch for a Left turn onto Stick Marsh Rd (if you reach Canal 54 you went too far). (Unless it's changed since I've been there) Proceed about 6 miles on the gravel road to the Stick Marsh on the left side.

Basswest1, I certainly agree with the mindset of never adopting a defeatist attitude, because 'confidence' plays such an important role in our game. If I may however, I'd like to pose a question: All fish do not have a swim bladder, but as you indicate, members of the sunfish family do indeed. Also as you indicate, barometric pressure is a real phenomenon, in fact it produces an equal and measurable affect in shallow water, deep water, lakes and streams. Here is my question: Given that barometric pressure and not water temperature is the motive for depth change, why is the affect of barometric pressure muted or non-existent in bass found in "rivers" and bass in "deep" water?