RoLo

The primary chore of the "big bass" (female bass) is to deposit her eggs. Although she can be coerced into remedial housecleaning, it's the buck's job to defend the nest, which doesn't get into high gear until after the cow is gone. Roger

I've always preferred St Croix blanks over Loomis blanks. I haven't done much backpedaling, but my appreciation has grown for Powell & Kistler. Roger

My father introduced me to fishing in the 1940s, but his target fish were everything but bass. In saltwater, we targeted porgies, sea bass & flounder, accompanied by blowfish, sea robins and eels. In freshwater, my dad mostly targeted trout, carp, catfish & yellow perch, using very different methods for each By saving my weekly allowances I was able to buy my own fishing outfit in the early 1950s. It was a blue Conolon spinning rod with a black Mitchell-300 cap reel filled with brand-X nylon monofilament. I quickly gravitated to largemouth bass, and though I'm not sure that I remember my very first bass, the first bass I do remember catching was like yesterday. I was alone in a quiet backwater slough casting a Creek Chub Injured Minnow, which is a topwater plug with fore & aft spinners. Though it was the last thing I expected, suddenly a defined "V" wake headed straight for my lure then shattered the water surface! That did it for me!! Roger

In the past, I've been disappointed several times by snap failures, mostly in saltwater. A good rule of thumb is to minimize the hardware on any rig. If you decide to include a snap, for instance, to switch among lures paired with the same outfit, I'd suggest the Owner 26-lb Hyper Welded Snap (c/o Dwight Hottle). Roger

Though I've made jokes about that in the past, No, I've never tried coloring braided line: 1) Even if I did believe it mattered, there's a good chance that streaking the line can make it more visible. For instance, I used Berkley Tracer Braid for years (no leader), which switches back-and-forth every 30" between bright green & dark green to make the braid MORE visible to the angler. 2) More importantly, I've never been convinced that the sight of fishing line is a deal-breaker. To use the A-rig analogy, bass accept my fiber weedguards, rattleboxes, gaudy treble hooks, and buzzbaits, so why not my line (Bill Dance: "A buzzbait imitates a toy airboat"). On the other hand, I do believe that 'line diameter' rather than line visibility can make a difference in crystal-clear water and with pressured or negative fish. Moving to lower pound-test line reduces the line diameter which reduces water pressure, where the end product is a more natural delivery. Braid offers a smaller line diameter, but ironically, fluorocarbon is a line with greater diameter and greater water resistance. Roger

That's the million dollar question. Every angler would love to know the answer, but no angler does. Biologically speaking, feeding periods are founded on circadian rhythms, which are unyielding, but are complicated by light levels and water temperatures which are variable. Roger

It's possible you feel that way, only because you hear it all the time. Straight braid is all I use, so I'm not aware of what I might be missing Roger

The Rage Shad is fished like a solid toad, and therefore offers wide area coverage. Although it creates a great deal of commotion, its activation speed is faster than I prefer, so I substitute with soft swimbaits, weedless spoons & solid toads. Roger

Have you tried braided line with no leader? Roger

I like your style We all run into a creep now and again. The healthiest mindset is to feel sorry for them, and thank your lucky stars you're not in their boat. Roger

During the last few years I've been filling my spools all the way with braid so I never have to see that dreaded connection knot! I might be dead before I have to refill my braid spools Roger

I totally agree; light level is a key variable. To that end, bass tend to stray farther from cover on windy days and during overcast skies. Roger

Gary sure knows how to shake the Money Tree Roger

I believe you omitted a third scenario: The schoolies may not necessarily be roaming, but may only be catchable during feeding periods. Roger

It's fairly obvious that Britsabrat only joined Bass Resource to vent his/her opinion on this thread

In the grand scheme, a chatterbait (bladed jig) is little more than a type of "spinner". To my mind, a chatterbait is a hybrid between an in-line spinner and an overhead spinner. On average, a bladed jig produces more vibration than an overhead spinner, but on average, an overhead spinner is more weedless than a bladed jig. Roger

I've owned Frogg Toggs are they're a good bang for the buck, but Cabelas Guidewear is the way to go for the long-haul. Roger

I plead the 5th Roger

I'd go with Hi-Vis Yellow braid, especially in stained lakes. That way the bass can follow your line right to your lure Roger

Your Pop-R weighs 1/4 oz. You can keep your Pop-R and double the weight by moving up to a Magnum Pop-R (1/2 oz) Roger

For the lures you mentioned I use 30-lb braided line. I have not experienced line-burrowing 'once' in the past two years of fishing Roger

In my opinion, Medium power and 50-lb braid is a mismatch. I'd replace that rod with a 6'10" (+-4") Med Hvy power - Fast action Roger

Seems we all agree that there is no constant. In truth, all of our most productive targets are stored in our subconscious minds, so we can usually tell when somebody lives there. On average, one pitch will do me, but if it's a classic lair that gives me that gut-feel, I'll keep hitting it from different angles until I'm convinced that no one is home. Roger

If you place great importance on color, then your favorite color will work far better than mine Roger

After dumping Power Pro Braid (many years back), I switched to Berkley Trilene Braid. At that time though, Trilene Braid was called "Fireline Braid" (that name was since dropped). However, so many anglers confused Fireline 'Braided' line with Fireline 'Fused' line that Berkley finally renamed it "Trilene Braid" (wise move). Long story short, I found Berkley Trilene Braid to be a top-rung braided line, just as good or better than any braid I've used, including Sufix 832 which I now use. Roger