RoLo

I'd have to go with "In Fisherman" I well remember when Al Lindner left 'Fishing Facts' magazine to startup his own hardcore magazine in 1975 (In Fisherman). I was a charter member and still have their first so-called Study Reports. Each one was a masterpiece! They begun with incredible naivety though, and actually believed they could cut it without any advertisements. I personally corresponded with Al Lindner (letters which I still possess today), until he became overwhelmed by letters. Today of course he's retired, but In Fisherman persists with the same high quality

At 12 o'clock noon the sun is at its highest point in the sky. However, the temperature of soil, masonry and rocks continues to rise for several hours past high noon. The time required for solar gain to reach peak temperatures is why a solar home (trombe wall) does not reach maximal temperatures until late afternoon. This lag in the daily solar peak is also manifested by the daily cycle of relative humidity. The daily low in relative humidity coincides with the daily high in air temperature. Accordingly, the mean daily high temperature (lowest RH) is attained in the neighborhood of 3 PM but varying. Inversely, the average daily low in temperature (highest RH) is reached in the neighborhood of 3 AM, but varying.

Fish are cold-blooded creatures, so theoretically they are comfortable in all temperatures. On the other hand, water temperature changes cause radical changes in the metabolism and disposition of fish. To tip the scales in his favor, the angler would ideally wait for a warming trend in winter. Therein he would opt for a sunny day that provides good solar gain. On the flipside of the coin, is a 'cold front' during the winter which typically sounds the death knell! Time Of Day: The best time of day (given a warm front and fair weather) is late afternoon. Meteorologically speaking (based on relative humidity), the greatest cumulative solar gain occurs around 3 pm.

The amount of time to spend in the same spot would hinge on a couple of things: 1. Your familiarity with the water at hand. 2. Your personal temperament On new and unfamiliar waters, your "chart search" will undoubtedly yield a mile-long list of trial sites. In this situation, it's more important to touch base with all the most promising spots until you're able to distinguish a "trial site" from a "holding site". On familiar waters however, you already know where to find bass. How you cover those honey holes will probably depend on your personal temperament. Speaking just for myself, if there's been no action for 10 or 15 minutes I'm going to change my retrieve rate or maybe my lure. That failing, I'll move to deeper water, since I always begin fishing in the shallowest cover. If there's been no contact after 10 or 15 minutes, I'm off to another holding site. But bear in mind, I'm also the type who hates to sit in traffic ;-)