RoLo

Over the past 65 years of fishing, I managed to hook myself twice. The first time was saltwater fishing in the 80s, a day pursuing ling & whiting (red hake & silver hake). At the washdown station, I was yanking rods out of the rod-holders like a madman and ended up with a hook impaled in my ring finger. The rods were rigged with Christmas tree rigs, which are like dropshot rigs but with 4 hooks on short dropper lines. My buddy said "Let's get you a tetanus shot", but I elected instead to tear it out and forget about it (that worked). The second time was just a few years ago, when I ended up with a treble hook in the top of my index finger. Remembering my experience from about 30 years earlier, I pulled with all my mite but that dang hook would not tear out. So I pushed the hook until the point broke thru the other side, cut off the barb with a cutting pliers, then backed out the shank. In hindsight, neither were big deals. Roger

By now, everyone has heard the ole saw: "If there's no picture, then it never happened"? In my opinion at least, A-Jay's testimonial is strong, because he has consistently documented his achievements with photos & videos Roger

Tournament-grade Ande Pink line was made of 'nylon', a line whose popularity was bolstered by the fact that it broke at the specified line-test and abided by IGFA standards. Back then, we already had 'nylon braid' and 'dacron braid' but neither line held a candle to 'polyethylene braid' which came much later. Today in fact, the word 'BRAID' auto-magically presumes polyethylene, a tad presumptuous wouldn't you say? In any case, today I use polyethylene braid for everything, and even though I never use a leader, I pay very little attention to line color (so many more important factors). The most popular braid color seems to be 'moss green' and that's fine with me Roger

Popular advice is to aim at the head with 7-1/2 shot, but all you need here is a big butterfly net Roger

In saltwater, I used Ande 'PINK' line for many years. Lo & I were putting lots of lunkers in the box, then it finally hit me! Female fish have absolutely no defense against "PINK" Roger

Wouldn't be so bad if I collected one or two of every lure. But Oh No, I've got to have a dozen of every spoon, plug and spinner that I use, and several pounds of each soft-plastic I use (as if they're going to become extinct). I have enough retired fishing rods to erect a picket-fence around my property My wife is my saving grace. Believe it or not, her bait monkey addiction is even worse than mine, which keeps my guilt complex at bay Roger

They're known as Wild Turkeys, but they're not too wild in Lake Wales, FL. That's my trailer tongue in the foreground That's my Honda wheel in the background Roger

Twist-Ties have a few advantages: > An O-ring has to be rolled over half the worm, a twist-tie is Spot On > O-rings have a fixed diameter but twist-ties snug to any size worm > No flame or tool of any kind needed > Cost a fraction of cent each Roger

A lure doesn't have to simulate any living creature, and in my opinion most of them don't. A lure has only to look like something to eat. There are 'thousands' of aquatic animals, and no opportunistic predator has ever seen half of them. A far bigger concern to the angler is whether a bass is feeding or not, unfortunately bass spend most of their time 'off' the feed. Roger

How do you weigh a bass without catching her first? For now we'll just call her "Nessie" Roger

Lure manufacturers don't sell any lures to fish, so it's pretty clear who they're targeting. Ironically, many of the best topwater anglers ignore the upperside pattern, and choose between 2 colors: baits with a 'white' belly and baits with a 'black' belly, that's all she wrote. Roger

Careless Raccoon Lois & I were fishing at Sturm Island, Lake Kissimmee when I heard a commotion in the marsh. I waited with my camera in hand, just in case the mystery visitor appeared. Sure enough, this silly raccoon came splashing out of the marsh, he was so preoccupied forging that he never seen me until he was just a few feet from the boat. I snapped his picture the same instant he finally noticed me; his expression was a mix of surprise & shame Roger

Lake Wales, Florida The Florida Panther is actually an isolated population of cougar. Oddly, one of their favorite foods in Florida is the armadillo.

Black - Pearl - Oh wait a minute...I don't fish Yum Dingers Roger

It's not a matter of Front or Back, it's a matter of Owner or Guest

A co-angler who has a problem with guest protocol, can rectify his woes by purchasing his own boat. Only then will he realize the long list of boat-owner expenses & captain liabilities Roger

Welcome Joshua, you elected the top-rung website on bass fishing! We ain't just paint, and we ain't just bass Roger

In Jersey, I've heard many rumors about sightings of water moccasins and diamondback rattlesnakes. I took them all as seriously as I took sightings of skunk apes and UFOs I wasn't aware of the 'Massasauga', I see it's a species of rattlesnake (humph). Roger

When I lived in New Jersey we had two venomous snakes, but NO water moccasins (i.e. Cottonmouths). The most common poisonous snake was the copperhead, followed distantly by the timber rattlesnake. Timber rattlers were found mostly in the northwest corner, especially near the Delaware Water Gap. Roger

I've never caught a smallmouth bass in Lake Lanier, but found it par excellence for spotted bass. Until California transplants got into the act, the spotted bass shootout for many years was between Lewis Smith, Al and Lake Lanier, GA (Smith was the former world-record holder). Over time though, Lewis Smith passed its peak, while Lake Lanier continued its uptrend. If you were in the market for quantity (I know you're not), Logan Martin, AL is a top contender. PS If you want smallmouths in the deep south, Pickwick Lake is your man (Wilson for numbers) Roger

Met this beautiful gal on the south shore of Tiger Lake in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes

I'm sure I've put a few hundred miles on umbrella rigs, but that was in the ocean, it was all trolling (no casting) and the baits were simply surgical tubing threaded on long-shank hooks If you're looking for a soft swimbait with nonstop tail-action to a near standstill, I would reiterate the same baits I mentioned above; 3 in particular: > Jackall Rhythm Wave (the vertically compressed body, foregoes flank-rigging) > Gambler Big EZ > Keitech Swing Impact Fat Roger

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you asking about soft swimbait brands for an umbrella rig? Roger

For spotted bass, you'd be real hard pressed to beat Lake Lanier, Georgia. I fished Lanier extensively when I lived in Rico, GA (superb striper fishing to boot) Roger

In my opinion, it is not a good one. I want to see robust tail-waddle to a near standstill, and that's where a lot of paddle-tail minnows lose the ball, when it counts the most. Roger