RoLo

I love the weedlessness of a swimbait coupled with a bullet sinker (used it exclusively for several seasons) Unfortunately though, the active tail of a Big EZ or Keitech Fat Swing tended to roll the swimbait. To prevent rollover, I now use a 1/4 oz swimbait hook (Offset weight acts as a keel). Roger

So your answer to: "What Makes a Good Chatterbait Rod" is a bass on the end of the chatterbait. During the video in your vehicle, I couldn't help but notice the sign: "Lake Menderchuck: 9 miles" As always, great video Andy. Roger

I have a house full of guns that I purchased with game animals and hunting in mind. Carrying a loaded weapon with humans in mind, can escalate an otherwise benign situation into a life-destroying event (The carrier's life). It could end up in killing an unarmed person, a person with a toy gun or the death of an innocent bystander. In all cases, kiss your life goodbye. Now put yourself in the shoes of the armed person truly bent on someone's destruction. As soon as a carrier goes for his weapon, it's going to end like a spaghetti western. Roger

In addition to fishing your daytime spots, you might also use your daytime lures (yup, they'll find them). Of course, you'll probably have to take a few casts with your black jitterbug ? Roger

‘Beaching’ fish isn’t popular in sweetwater because there’s no reliable current. In the surf though, ‘giant’ fish are routinely beached without a net. The rod is held perpendicular to the fishing line, while applying firm & steady pressure. With every breaking wave, the fish gets nudged progressively onshore (as you backpedal slowly). Most of us have boats and nets, but there are lots of good-sticks out there with neither. Roger

When I was into night fishing, I mainly fished in July & August, but occasionally in spring. But no matter which season it is, I fish the same spots at night, you see me fishing in daylight. Lights on docks, pilings and bulkheads are great baitfish attractors but it seems they're not as popular down here. Roger

Sounds like an emotionally-charged experience…Congratulations on your hook-up. Not witnessing the event, I’m not qualified to offer a solution, but this much I can tell you: > If you gave the fish ‘any’ slack at any time, that’s reason enough for a lost fish. > If the fish was a true giant, then horsing it out of the water was out of the question. > Hand-walking down the line to the fish has drawbacks: For one thing: It eliminates the benefit of the drag, when a true giant could easily break the line. Also, catfish have spines that should be respected (Not nearly as bad as bullheads) ‘Beaching’ the fish may have been your best option. That’s accomplished by applying firm, steady pressure to keep the fish’s head pointed onshore. In that manner, the fish’s effort to escape pushes the fish progressively onshore (Beaching requires patience and cannot be rushed). BTW: There’s nothing wrong with backing off the drag when fighting a lunker in open water (I often do). The only downside to reducing drag tension, is remembering to retighten the tension. Roger

A soft swimbait is my favorite bait for fishing the upper water column, I throw them a bunch. Central Florida is riddled with shallow, weedy lakes, so I fish swimbaits ‘smack’ in the salad, on or close to the surface. You could liken it to slow-rolling a spinnerbait, but a swimbait is more weedless and more realistic than spinners (They've virtually displaced my over-spins). I’ve thrown swimbaits ranging from unweighted to over 1/2 oz, but today I pretty much stick to 1/4 oz. A quarter ounce gives me ample weight for long casts, yet it has enough levity to ride high, and bounce around in the stalks and pads. Roger

Welcome aboard Tim. I'm just down the road (60-E) in Lake Wales. Roger

This reminds me of a former BR member named "Gobbledog" (He may be reading this). He won more than his fair share of central Florida tournaments (both day & night tourneys). I was never there, but to my best knowledge he threw 'one' lure all day long, a Zoom Trick Worm. Roger

My experience is very similar to yours, with one small tweak on my numeric range: 0-5 TO +100 Roger

"Lucas On Bass Fishing" was the first bass book I ever read, it was published in 1949 (I was 7) Jason Lucas predated the All-American Invitational, Bucky Perry, Fishing Facts and In-Fisherman. Jason had nothing to go on, he was a true bass fishing pioneer, and his insight is still applicable to this day. Little wonder he's not mentioned today, Jason's favorite lure was a white wooden plug with a red head In his photo below, that's probably Lake Minnetonka, MN (Get a load of that outboard motor). Roger

Sometimes I Can Tell When A Fish Isn't Happy

Generally speaking, 'lockjaw' describes female bass during the actual spawn (not pre or post). During the pre-spawn season, both sexes are feeding in prep for the stresses of spawning. But, the pre-spawn period is highly affected by weather conditions, so it's often a mixed bag. Roger

I'd love to see the long list of aquatic creatures that resemble a 'plastic worm'. Water Snake: Nah, water snakes are less common than plastic worms, and rarely leave the surface Shoestring Eel: Eels are anadromous, and require a tributary stream to saltwater. Earthworm: As their name suggests, they're land animals that drown when washed into a lake Plastic Worm: A-Hah, now we've got a winner. Roger

Hank Sherry? I believe he's some guy named Henry, who loves wine ? Roger

In years gone by, someone asked Bill Dance: "What's a spinnerbait supposed to imitate" Bill answered: "I dunno, maybe a toy airboat" Roger

Well darn, the missing musketeer. How are you doing amigo? Roger

That about destroyed me! Those were the days of innocence, when marijuana was the force to reckon with. During the Dragnet days (Friday), meth and crack were not even in the pipeline. Roger

Congratulations Social, There's something about bluegill sunfish that light my fire! My best day with bluegills was in Greenwood Lake, NY on "Beetle Spins". Nevertheless, I had a multitude of fouled casts that day due to the Beetle Spin's looped-wire eye. Today, I'd sooner recommend an R-bend spinner like the 1/24 oz Rooster Tail. Roger

"Anybody throw shad/baitfish colored worms?" In a word: 'Never' Roger

I don't doubt the validity of your dissatisfaction for a second. Maybe I'm making excuses for Zoom, but when you look at the bigger picture, Zoom produces a broader array of soft-plastic favorites than any company that comes to my mind. In the grand scheme, a company so heavily invested in quantity is likely to experience some glitches in quality control. Overall, I think very highly of Zoom, and their price points enhance my tolerance. Roger

Yes you do

It took you many years (decades?) to embark on this project. I happen to share your disinterest. If nothing else, the numbers game shines a spotlight on the lure or lures we've been throwing the most. It naturally follows, the lures we throw the most are the same lures with 'our' best batting average Yeah...I hate reality too Roger

"Black" is my favorite color, even if it starts out red