RoLo

Polk County, Florida

Normally, the length of the leader should equal the distance between the tiptop guide and your reel plus the average lure overhang (distance between tiptop guide and lure). For most rods, this will provide a leader about 6 feet long, which offers long leader life and keeps the knot from entering the reel spool. Roger

I use the 'Uni-Knot' for all spinning lures and casting lures in both fresh and saltwater. For everything else I use a doubled-line Bimini Twist Roger

I really don't have one favorite flipping bait, but two that I use a lot are the Zoom Z-Craw (black light) and Zoom 7.5” Magnum Ultra Vibe Worm (junebug) Roger

A case can be made for any jig weight, but I use 3/8oz jigs more than any other, followed closely by 1/2oz. Roger

Waddaya Lookin At?

It's the horse who dies of thirst, not the dragger

When I was heavy into saltwater angling, I owned reels made by Abu Garcia, Newell (now defunct), Daiwa, Shimano and Penn. With respect to 'dollar value', my favorite reel makers were Daiwa & Shimano. Over time however, and especially in freshwater, I've become a devout advocate of Shimano reels and I'm not expecting that to change in the forseeable future. Roger

Wood Stork (Lake Toho)

Too Kool Beware bass! Roger

I've always fished from a boat, but several of my salt buddies were jetty jockeys, and did remarkably well with stripers (former world-record was taken from the Jersey surf) Frankly, whether fishing from shore or a boat, the most successful striper anglers are using live bait. The most popular are live herring, live eels, and live menhaden, locally called mossbunkers. Whether using naturals or artificials, it's best to fish the ebbing tide with a west wind especially around dawn & dusk. Get as close to the outer tip of the groin as safely possible Roger

Congratulations on your achievement, ain't no better feeling Roger

There you go. Melanin is the same compound found in humans. The production of melanin is stimulated by exposure to sunlight, it's the compound that gives us a tan, and the reason why humans living in the hottest climes generally have darker skin pigmentation. Roger

Back in the 60s, the 'in-line spinner' was probably the most commonly seen lure in New Jersey. One of the first spinner/fly combinations (if not the first) was the now extinct "cockatoush", but there was a horde of in-line spinners to follow. To name a few: > Hawaiian Wiggler > ABU Reflex > Mepps Anglia > CP Swing > Shyster > Panther Martin > Blue Fox Vibrax > Road Runner > Rooster Tail > ~ ~ ~ ~ Roger

Fished by itself, the 'Strike King Rage Lobster' (that was easy). Roger

Nesting Osprey (Nest made largely of Spanish Moss) Roger

Rapala Original Floater (balsa wood plug) Back in the 50s, nearly everyone called this lure a "ra-PAL-uh", but Lauri would be pleased, because today nearly everyone calls it a "RAP-al-uh". Rather than work it like a 'crankbait', (a word that didn't exist back then) we fished it as a 'twitch plug' to exploit the buoyancy of balsa wood. After the lure was cast, you simply wait until the ripples flatten away, then deliver one crisp twitch. This routine is repeated for 2 or 3 twitches, then the plug is burned back for the next cast. Needless to say, the floating Rapala still works as well today as it did 60 years ago. A pre-rigged Creme Scoundrel was the lure responsible for my love affair with plastic worms, which we called "rubber worms" back then. A grotesque creature with a propeller, two red beads and tandem hooks, yet it caught more bass than any lure in my tackle box. Shortly thereafter, my go-to worm was the Original Culprit Worm (ribbon-tail worm). My first go-to spinner was a Shannon Twin Spin, first go-to spoon was a Johnson Silver Minnow, and first go-to lipless crank was a Heddon Sonic. Roger

Yup, and I noticed that Randall is gone in kind (for those who recall). Roger

Welcome to the forums, Ben: Though most of us aren't managing any ponds, most of us are hopelessly addicted to the Bait Monkey Roger

I've always felt that a translucent lure is the best way to avoid insulting a bass's intelligence. Roger

Over the years, I've read a myriad of posts on other forums authored by a fellow angler named "Oldschool". Anyone who pays attention to detail and consistency would easily know that 'Oldschool' and "WRB" were one and the same Roger

'RoLo' is the duonym for 'Roger & Lois'. My wife has been my faithful & steadfast fishing companion since 1964. When we first got married, Lois unleashed a steady stream of questions about fishing. Today however, she commonly outfishes me; so I might have to rebrand to “LoRo” Roger

One day I caught a great big giant bass from a golf course pond. Just as the scale hit 11 pounds, the scale busted and about 10 golf balls came tumbling out of her mouth. Okay...I lied about the golf balls

We lived a few years on the shore of Lake Walk-In-Water, FL where the wild turkeys grew accustomed to seeing humans. This gave me a chance to get a few closeup shots I'd never get in the wild: Roger