RoLo

Different strokes for different folks I was fishing before sonar units were available, an era when I pinpointed my fishing hotspots using ranges, triangulation and a bearing compass. When the green box was introduced I promptly jumped aboard and never looked back. In saltwater I used Loran C for several years, until GPS was introduced, which was later uncompromised by the US government. Over the decades, I compared Lowrance to Humminbird twice. The first time was about 35 yrs ago, and the second time was just a few years ago. In both cases Lowrance was the victor, so quite naturally Lowrance is the only sonar unit I would recommend. Roger

If your key interests are centered on the tournament trails and pro bass anglers, then Bassmaster Magazine is definitely worth the small annual price. If your interested chiefly in insightful facts, and the Where, When & How of multi-species fishing, then you'd probably be better served by the likes of "In-Fisherman". Roger

Holy Cow, is this THEE "earthworm" of yesteryear? Welcome back, ole boy! Roger

Yup, overthinking it > How would you know if bass are eating bluegills? > Is there anytime when bass won't eat bluegills? Roger

Benefiting from windy conditions is not so much about what you use, but is mostly about 'where' you place your boat. In a stiff wind, it's more pleasant to fish in a sheltered cove, but the war is being fought in the teeth of the wind. It's mandatory to place your boat where plankton and baitfish are piling up, which provide stakeout points for predators. Focus on windblown points, windblown ridges, windblown weed-lines and windblown shorelines where predators can trap forage against a barrier. Roger

Next month Lois & I are heading to Manitoba, and the lodge owner told us that black flies will not be a problem, but mosquitoes will. Actually, that's very good news, because we'll take mosquitoes any day over black flies. As usual, I'll pack 100% DEET lotion, which is as close to bulletproof as any insect repellent I've used. Rather than spray on repellent and douse your clothing, just spray a little lotion in one hand and apply it where it's needed. In the North Country, just as in the Deep South, we always take along "Head Nets", a fail-safe backup plan. When your head is immersed in a dense cloud of mosquitoes, lovebugs, gnats or blackflies, a Head Net can instantly turn hell into heaven, and it fits in your shirt pocket. Roger

A little 'backlash' is normal, in fact a total lack of backlash would be more surprising. 'Endplay' on the other hand hinges on your spool tension. Roger

Frogs work year-round here in Florida, but they're at their BEST during the post-spawn & post-summer seasons. For wide area coverage I prefer a solid toad, namely the 'Stanley Ribbit', but for "frogging" I use a 'Popping Pad Crasher' like you, and a 'Spro Bronzeye Popper' (not necessarily fished as poppers) I have a huge drawer full of other hollow frogs and solid toads but they're just collecting dust Roger

Welcome to Bass Resource. Roger

I've frogged and punched with 30, 50 & 65-lb braid. In the final analysis, I feel that 50-lb braid offers the best fit. Roger

Lures weighing between 3/4 & 1 oz kind of tread the line between Med-Hvy & Hvy power. Still and all, I would opt for MH/F at a length closest to 6'10". Roger

I agree with the boys above, 50-lb braid would be fine, but 30-lb braid would be ideal. Roger

It's good to bear in mind that Quantity and Quality ride on the same seesaw together; when one end goes Up, the other end goes Down, and vice versa. A trophy hunter is a different breed, he or she is not a fish counter and is not disheartened by getting skunked, because blanking is always the odds on favorite. The number of glory days in a trophy hunter's lifetime may be counted on his fingers, it's not a game for everyone. Where? That's a question that could easily fill a book, and certainly wouldn't fit on any one forum page. In abstract, your 'structure' survey should always begin in your home with your bathymetric chart, and your 'cover' survey must be conducted on-site using your eyesight and 3D sonar. Roger

By now, everyone knows that the sight of braided line scares the dung out of bass, So here's what I do: > Tie 80-lb braided line directly to a 3/4 oz bank sinker (NO LURE) > Now make a long cast parallel to the bank, and retrieve the sinker about 1½ ft off the shoreline. > The sight of 80-lb braid will ignite a crazed frenzy, and bass will beach themselves all along the shore. > Now simply stroll the shoreline and toss the stunned bass into a bag. Be careful though, when using this method it's easy to exceed the daily 'BAG' limit Remember, you heard it here first! (I'll be here every night this week) Roger

Central Florida is somewhat south of Louisiana, so our transitions probably take place a little sooner than yours. We generally experience our best topwater bite during the post-spawn, which in central Florida usually spans from the 2nd week in April to the 3rd week in May. In our area, the surface activity has cooled off about 2 weeks ago, so at your latitude it may be your turn in the barrel Looking at that waterlily bed, the Stanley Ribbit is what I'd be throwing. Roger

Not sure what you mean by "30# mono". In any case, frogging with 50-lb braid in heavy cover will give you more casting distance than you'd ever need. Roger

Frogging and punching with spinning tackle is perfectly feasible, I've done it for years. But when frogging or punching I use 50-lb braid whether I'm using spinning gear or casting gear, it doesn't matter. Braid is extremely thin line, so 50-lb braid is certainly not 'thick', but 15-lb braid is much too 'thin'. Roger

Your daughter's first smallie is larger than the PB of many anglers Roger

Shimanos from now on

I definitely agree with 'BIG', but never found anything special about 'lizards'. Roger

Tom, are you sure I never copyrighted that statement?

That'll work

KVD is not particularly color-conscious (adverts aside of course), but Kevin has stated that he believes that bass in Texas seem to prefer red cranks during the pre-spawn. I personally have never identified any color favoritism, but will lean to lighter colors in clear water and darker colors in dark water, regardless of seasonal period. Roger

Wow, this thread is back from the crypt! Sufix Ghost 832 is what I use, but be forewarned that in light pound-tests it's hard to see. When tying knots with Ghost 832, I always look for a black or dark background. Roger

Are those food images supposed to look scrumptious, then I've been eating the wrong food all my life. Here Fido