RoLo

It has been confirmed that bass have color vision, and possess rod-&-cone vision similar to humans. What we don’t know, is whether the color perception of bass is the same as humans (We may never know). Based on physics though, we do know that 'red' is the longest, sloppiest light wave in the visible light spectrum. As a result, ‘red’ is the first color to disappear underwater (appears blackish rather quickly). It should be noted however that ‘hue’ and 'brightness' are independent color properties. “Purple”, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is the shortest, most penetrable light wave, and the last color to lose its hue underwater (Who can forget the purple worm). In short, the blue end of the light spectrum tends to scatter, while the longer, lazier color waves tend to be absorbed. The persistence of blue light waves might explain why the sky and the oceans are blue. Roger

Sure..know the area well. I was brought up in Hillside, a one-horse town in Union County (it's totally gone, as I knew it). I'll bet you're no stranger to Greenwood and Monksville Roger

Curado is arguably the best bang for the buck. If you can swing it, pick up a Bantam and you'll probably forget about Diawa Roger

It's interesting that you mention "bream". I've lived in the tri-state area for 50 years, and can't say I've ever heard the word "brim". Seems that you & I swapped latitudes; you moved north, and I moved south Roger

Excellent point: It's not surprising that large bass display less fear than small bass, but it seems to be particularly true for topwater fishing (atmospheric fear). Many years back (10-15 yrs), there was a Bass Resource poll requesting the lure used to snag your Personal Best. As it happened, the buzzbait received the most votes, which plays into the theory of atmospheric fear (ospreys, eagles, even man). Roger

I might add, if monsoon rains are similar to the last few years, they may overshoot the month of June, and persist thru July & August Roger

Sadness offers little in the way of prevention, but failing to don a PFD provides the larger message. Roger

End of story Roger

Sounds to me Geo, that you're on top of your game In my limited exposure to southern Florida, L-67A Canal has a good catch rate, particularly in April. This year of course, no one had the luxury of picking a time. Great job, Geo! Roger

Big difference between straight braid and braid with a leader. Braid with a leader involves an extra knot Roger

What He Said Roger

Could be the work of ospreys, kingfishers or trunk sneaks Roger

'Boat selection' involves a long list of personal likes and dislikes based on personal experience. Very recently, my wife & I traveled from Florida to mid-Kansas to pickup a leftover Alumacraft. Why would anyone of sane mind make such a journey? (Sane?) Among other reasons, it allowed me to sidestep Mercury and strap on a Yamaha engine. Roger

Tips for Heavily pressured ponds during spawn? The wiseguy in me says: Choose another pond ? On a more intuitive note, bass in any pond are tough to catch during the bedding season. The protective buck is a relatively easy target, but during the 'actual' spawn, the female is fasting. Roger

ELVIS GOES ASTAIRE Via BOSSA NOVA I can do that, I just don't want to

I agree with what you wrote, no rambling at all. Trouble is, the better we penetrate the cover, the more fish we may miss, can't have it both ways. Like you, I also live in Florida, where penetrating heavy cover is the order of the day. Though I much prefer a medium-heavy blank, a 'heavy' power rod can make a difference.

Rod length is a difficult property to assess, because rods of different length almost always have different blank diameters and/or different wall thicknesses. For instance, most ultralight rods are built on a short blank, but that doesn’t mean that short rods have less power than long rods. On the contrary, when all else is equal, a short rod equates to low gear (power), whereas a long rod equates to high gear (speed). A good all-purpose rod length is 6’ 9”, where a shorter or longer blank might be more appropriate for certain applications. As mentioned above, the overall trend in rod length has been moving up for the last 25 years (I know not why). LONG ROD > Cast Distance All else equal, a longer rod offers greater casting distance > Haul Stroke A long rod has a greater stroke for hauling fish out of heavy cover (Handy in Florida) > Hat Retrieval The longer the rod, the easier it is to retrieve a hat from the lake ? SHORT ROD > Power All else equal, a shorter rod provides greater power on the angler’s end > Accuracy All else equal, a shorter rod provides greater casting accuracy (Error is less amplified) > Storage The shorter the rod, the easier it is to store (at home, in the car, in the boat) Roger

BRAID TO FLUORO? NEVER GAVE THAT A THOUGHT!

The many available versions of the "spook" is a wise business tactic called 'Shaking The Money Tree'. I've tried all the spook versions (all work), but prefer the 'Super Spook Junior". Fish live in the hydrosphere and have a natural fear of predators in the atmosphere (osprey, eagles, man) That may explain why topwater lures often have a less than impressive hook-up ratio. Surface fishing vies for the most exhilarating angling method, but I resort to it sparingly. Roger

Curly-tail grub Roger

"How do Bass react to sudden warm temps?" The way I like them to react. Given adequate dissolved oxygen, a water temperature uptrend should always be welcome. Roger

I have no objection to 20-lb braid (use it / love it). However, 30-lb braid is only 2/1000 inch fatter, but is 50 percent stronger (pretty much rules the roost). As for 'line-burrowing', I can count on one hand how often that's been a problem, a hand with 2 fingers. Line-burrowing is a possibility with 'any' line material, hinging a lot on modus operandi. For example, the angler is preoccupied with a Lift-&-Drop retrieve, a guarantee of loosely spooled line. Then he snags an underwater log, lurches back angrily and puts an arch in the rod that defies blank failure. Making matters worse, he notices 'buried line'! (Is anyone surprised?). Roger

Getting the undivided attention of men is easy, she's trying much to hard. Roger

I"m located in central Florida, so I'm probably unsuited for this thread. Lois & I fished until mid-March, and after a 6-week hiatus, our boat ramps have been reopened. As it happens, mid-May is the peak of our soft-plastic season, and the hottest topwater bite of the year Roger

I generally agree with your lure choices (Roboworms, Paca craws, Trick worms ~ ~~), but would probably include Jackall Rhythm Wave & Keitech Fat Impact on that list. With regard to colors, I also place 'black' on top of the heap. I might add, when my results fall short, I normally fault my location or delivery, before my lure or color. Roger