RoLo

Reminds me of an 'Orangefin Shiner' (Great live bait for northern pike) Roger

I got stuck at the starting gate. Blank specs aside, moving from a Powell blank to a CarbonLite blank is trading Down, certainly not Up. Roger

Lake Lanier

You would think that the most popular lures would also be the most profitable lures. However, Pradco discontinued the Xcalibur XCS at the height of its popularity, then they discontinued the Bandit Squarebill which probably vied for runner-up. I do not understand their business model. Anyway, I tend to blame my success or failure on conditions rather than the lure, I really have no favorite square bill but I’m currently throwing the Storm Rattling Square Bill. Roger

A 'drift sock' is normally used to reduce the speed of a wind drift, while a 'drogue chute' is a safety device used in the ocean and Great Lakes. When a vessel looses power in heavy seas, the hull is laid wide-open to broaching. Deploying a drogue chute (aka Sea Anchor) keeps the bow facing into head sea (avoiding beam sea) which reduces the risk of broaching. When drifting for summer flounder (known as 'fluke' in NJ), I deployed my drogue chute when the drift was too swift to be effective. In freshwater though, I only occasionally use a drift sock which tends to be a nuisance to deploy and retrieve. Roger

"Is this site legit?" I certainly hope so, otherwise I've wasted a lot of time Roger

As always, the very first step is to get your hands on the best hydrographic chart available. For the bank-fisherman, the most convenient contour map is on the micro-SD card in your handheld GPS unit. Did you say the waterbody is uncharted? So much the better! Go to Google Earth and scrutinize the lay of the land, the surface vegetation, tributary streams, associated swamps, ad infinitum. No need to wet a line before your homework is done. In the field, study the entire shoreline closely, the grade of the slope entering the lake (declivity). the soil composition of the bank (sand, clay, marl, rock ~), and note the emergent plants growing along the shoreline perimeter. Due diligence always pays dividends Roger

Another vote for braid. Roger

Speaking of nostalgia and old fishing lines, I can remember a vintage line that my father used. After each use, dad removed the 'linen' fishing line from his reel then strung it out to dry. Before synthetic fishing line was introduced, the early fishing lines were made of natural fibers like silk, cotton and linen. They had to be dried out after use, otherwise they'd rot Roger

With a hook installed, the best you can hope for is a neutrally buoyant worm, but 'not' floating. The following are floating worms 'without' a hook: > Strike King 3x Finesses Worm > Z-Man 10x Finesse Wormz > Gambler Floating Worm > Berkley Havoc Bottom Hopper > Owner Shaky Worm Roger

I'm not familiar with High/Mid Chirp, but was referring to either 'High' or 'Mid". Roger

For locating wads of baitfish, you'll get wider cone coverage with your 83kHz transducer setting, which also provides adequate resolution. As you stated: I'd go with 'Mid Chirp' with the 83kHz transducer and 'High Chirp' with 200kHz. It's best to avoid 'Custom Chirp' though which can be problematic with some units. For sure, "Shallow Fishing" mode, but I'd use 'Max' ping-per-second in freshwater. "Auto" sensitivity is a good idea, at least until you begin experimenting under different conditions. "Noise Rejection" set to 'Off' is fine, but in certain situations you might try "Low" noise rejection to eliminate excess noise. Roger

Is it any wonder why bass are so smart, there are myriads of Bass Schools!

Reduced Lighting = Spinnerbait > Dingy, murky or muddy water > Windblown water surface (light refraction) > Overcast skies > Dawn, Dusk & Night Enhanced Lighting = Swim Jig > Clear water > Calm water surface > Sunny skies > High-pressured waters Roger

I fished the Spro BBZ-1 in the 6" size, but never threw their 8" bait. The price is digestible, but lure quality is ho-hum (no surprise there). Bass tend to lambast this bait, but that's not surprising since bass lambast all swimbaits, hard & soft. As it happened, I never boated the hippo I was looking for on a BBZ-1, but shouldn't fault the lure for that Roger

All I was saying is this: if the total price of the rod & reel is more than you wish to spend, I would sooner look for a lower cost reel rather than a lower cost rod (The rod is the workhorse) Roger

It's wise to be concerned about rusty hooks, but I wouldn't worry a bunch about a rusty lure. Them rusty suckers are often the fish catchingest lures in the tackle box Roger

That's exactly what I was thinking too Roger

> Zoom 5” Fluke > Spro Bronzeye Frog > Zoom Ultra-Vibe Worm > Netbait Paca Craw > Gambler Ace (senko knockON, not knockoff) Not my favorites, just major players that come to mind. Roger

If indeed that boat was glitzy, they were Minn Kota Talons Roger

How come I didn't think to say that? Or maybe I did Touche Raul Roger

Congratulations boys on a successful trip Many moons ago I vacationed at Cedar Hill Resort in Celina, TN. So I know full-well that you guys were pitted against crystal-clear water and tough fishing. Roger

7'0" - MH - F 6:1 ratio - 30-lb straight braid Roger

That's over my head.

It's not a choice between long-sleeves and sunscreen, it a choice between reliable protection and unreliable protection. Sunscreen is only effective for a given period of time, and that duration can be sharply reduced by contact with the arms and sweating. Wearing long sleeves is far less inconveniencing than melanoma. Roger