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When I fished the Atlantic Ocean I used a Chatillon spring scale with a 100-lb capacity. In freshwater though I use a Brecknell ElectroSamson Scale (22-lb Capacity with 1/4oz Precision) I believe it's the only digital scale approved by IGFA, in fact the pending world-record spotted bass was weighed on a Brecknell scale that was certified by the IGFA. Roger

Kudos to your honesty Dwight, my next 5-fish, 20-lb bag of smallies will be my first Roger

Barring some physical handicap, there's no sound reason for having an eclectic mix of retrieve ratios. When an angler settles on ONE Gear Ratio for all his cranking chores, he will always be in touch with his lure's actual speed. Handling fishing gear with various retrieve ratios only muddies the angler's perception of his lure's actual speed, which of course is highly promoted by marketers. Roger

Five bronzebacks with a mean weight of 'only' 5.12 pounds. Yah, some days it doesn't even pay to crank up the mill. AKA (all kidding aside) INCREDIBLE! Your Pointer 128 has definitely been a destroyer in the big pond Roger

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There are no industry standards for hook size, and the same hook size may vary between manufacturers, and may furthermore vary between different hook styles produced by the same manufacturer. To accurately determine the correct hook size, you must have the bait and the hook in your hands, then toss hook size out of the equation until you've decided on the appropriate size. A common rule of thumb is to select a hook gap that's twice as wide as the thickness of the bait. Although this is better than nothing, this approach allows the thickness of the bait determine the open hook bite (not too cool!). In contrast, let's say that you want 1/2" open gap beyond the thickness of the bait. In this manner, the open hook bite would always be 1/2-inch whether you're fishing a Trick Worm or a Big EZ Swimbait. Roger

There are several ways to increase casting distance, but 2 ways stand head & shoulders above the rest: > Greater rod length > Smaller diameter line (ignore breaking-strength) Roger

That's nice to see (Okay dad, keep the protein powder coming). Wrestling is a sport that involves mental prowess as much as physical prowess. Remember when we were kids growing-up, we respected an unwritten hierarchy of our peers. Well, the sport of wrestling has a way of upsetting that hierarchy. My little friend Victor (clearly a subordinate) was a contender for the Jersey state wrestling championship and he challenged me to a few rounds on the mat. To my surprise, Victor was able to feel my every move, and was able to turn my balance and power against me, tying me in knots, fall-after-fall. Roger

How bout "Fly-BUY-Nite" Roger

A billed plug of course, is cranked briskly to attain the prescribed running depth But a floating plug 'without' a diving bill is not used for working deep. There are also floating plugs with a diving bill that rise upward when paused (that's for another day). On the other hand, sinking lipless swimbaits are graded as to specific gravity, and calibrated as 'slow-sinking', 'medium-sinking' or 'fast-sinking' After a sinking lipless swimbait is cast, the angler typically waits for the plug to make bottom contact, or he counts-down to the depth of a suspended school. A slow, steady retrieve is the most popular, but some anglers like to burn the swimmer periodically, then pause occasionally to reestablish bottom. Roger

The 'post-spawn' is a mixed bag, a time when you can throw pretty much anything. But the word "anywhere" does not apply, because the same as any seasonal period, the key is 'location', and 'location' is a moving target. Roughly speaking, bass during the 'pre-spawn' period tend to hold along the shallow "inside" weededge. During the 'post-spawn' though, they begin aggregating along the deep, "outside" weededges. The upshot is knowing that both sexes are back on the feed, and topwater fishing is in high gear Roger

Yes, you pump the fish to the boat with every up-stroke of your rod, and take up slack line with every down-stroke of the rod. The drag is just a shock absorber to protect the rod, line and hook from excessive shock. You can increase the drag at any time by adding thumb pressure, but I wouldn't recommend locking down your drag. Some reels have a max drag of 20 pounds, where locking down your drag would offer no cushion at all. Roger

Exactly. Setting the drag tension by feel gives the angler the freedom to back-off on the drag in the field, then reset the drag tension by feel. I rarely touch my drag tension in the field, but when you're fighting a lightly-hooked hog, backing off on the drag can perform miracles Roger

I've been fooled on too many occasions, doing Good in poor weather and Poor in good weather Roger

Weather conditions only give us a rough estimate, you never know until you kick some tires.

I'll drink to that Tom. When I used to preset my drag tension for saltwater fishing, I always set the reel drag between 25 and 30% of the line's breaking strength (be it bluefish or bluefin) If that seems 'light' to you, lock down your reel drag then tie an end-loop in your fishing line. Now have your partner hook the end-loop to your fish scale. Keep applying pressure to your rod until your partner tells you that the scale reads "5" pounds. You might be amazed how much pressure that is. Roger

After a heavy rainfall, lure selection becomes far less critical, where placing the boat in moving water can pay dividends (channels, bottlenecks, feeder streams ~) Roger

Welcome to Bass Resource Roger

If you're comparing lure weight against the weight range specified on your rod, drop the whole lure on a postal scale, because the rod doesn't care where the weight comes from. For instance, a so-called "Weightless" Senko (more accurately known as an 'unweighted' Senko) weighs 3/8 oz 'without' any weight, and 'without' a hook. Who said you need a spinning outfit to cast an unweighted Senko? Roger

When it comes to the bait company with the greatest number of popular lures on the market, Zoom definitely takes the bow Another excellent lure company although it's under-song is 'Gambler'. Gambler baits are made of tough plastic with built-in scent. With the exception of their stickworm, most Gambler baits are made of floating plastic. Their stickworm which is called the 'Ace' is a dead ringer for the Senko, which has the same length, diameter, weight, texture and yes, Action (my go-to stickworm). Roger

Regardless of the water depth, "3D Downscan" is the proper tool for monitoring bottom contour, water temperature, water depth and bottom content 'beneath the boat'. I can easily live without side-scanning, but down-imaging is my right arm. Roger

Watch You Talkin Bout Willis? Roger

I think it's safe to say that most of your waters are in the 'post-spawn' period. During the actual spawn, bass are preoccupied with reproduction, and food takes a back seat. But during the post-spawn, bass are back on the feed and building back up after the rigors of the spawn. I always look forward to the post-spawn, which can offer some of the best bass fishing of the year, and definitely some of the best topwater action of the year. Roger

"What's Working In Your Pond?" Dynamite!

I've done a lot of hiking in the past, and still participate in hiking when the opportunity arises. Apparently though I'm not doing nearly enough, because people keep telling me to "Take A Hike!" Roger