RoLo

Bass function essentially thru congenital instinct, and the older the bass, the more conditioned its behavioral response. Problem is, conditioned behavior is easily mistaken for intelligence. Like the old adage: "Even a fish wouldn't get into trouble, if it never opened its mouth" Roger

I think that's a great question! Roger

Were it me, I'd go with a Shimano 1000 Stradic FK reel and Dobyns Fury rod. If I had to skimp somewhere, it would be on the reel, but not the rod. Roger

I've hauled anchor rode most of my life, and enjoy the respite I get from an electric anchor. I'm currently using a Minn Kota 12-ft Talon, and luv'n it! If you often deal with water depths greater than 12 feet, then naturally you'd want an anchor & winch system. Roger

Spiderwire Stealth was one of the first Superlines to hit the marketplace. During the 90s they aired a comical commercial showing an angler hooking a large tree, who then proceeded to pull the tree into the lake (I'm sure many remember that commercial). Spiderwire braid is made of Dyneema, the world's strongest fiber. I don't happen to use the Spiderwire brand, but it's faaar from garbage. However, I wouldn't use 65-lb braid for anything but slop-fishing (frogging, pitching & punching) Roger

I feel that buying in bulk is risky business (my den is living proof). In the first place, clearance sales & overstock sales wave a red flag of unpopularity (law of supply & demand). In the second place, you may grow to dislike that lure or a superior version may hit the market. In the long run, buying in bulk can cost you money. Roger

There are all types of thresholds Tom, but I wasn't referring to survival thresholds, I was referring to the optimal thermal range for systemic efficiency. Black bass are highly adaptable creatures, and Mother Nature doesn't spit-out a new subspecies unless it's necessary to adapt to a very different environmental niche. In my opinion, a 10-deg differential may be a conservative estimate, whereas a 5-deg differential seems pretty lean to warrant a separate strain of bass. It was long-believed that largemouth bass in general were at their functional peak at 72 deg F. This was applicable to Florida-strain as well, probably because Florida has many underwater springs that run 72 deg year-round. More recently however the efficiency peak for Florida-strain bass was bumped up to 76 deg, then to 80 deg, and most recently it appears that Florida-strain bass are at their functional peak at 83 deg Fahrenheit. I wouldn't argue with 83 deg F, because I've routinely recorded water temperatures in the 80s when bass could be seen locked on beds. March represents our peak bedding month, but I've seen bass on beds as late as June in Lake Walk-In-Water, Florida. Roger

To be sure.......a whole lot more! It's the multitude of variables that make it easy to abort any scientific comparison. When referring to any ONE variable, it's important that all other things remain equal and fixed. For starters, the difference in temperature ranges between bass subspecies is a blatant yet highly neglected variable. Water temperature benchmarks that are applicable to northern-strain bass are roughly 10 degrees lower than the temperature benchmarks for Florida-strain bass. This is yet another monkey wrench that further obliterates the notion of water temperature thresholds, in addition to the powerful effect of water temperature trends. Roger

Unhappily, there are no magic water temperature thresholds (of course, we all wish there were). More important than the absolute temperature is the temperature trend (direction of change). If water temperatures move from 60 to '65' degs, that indicates a temperature uptrend which typically generates a positive disposition in cold-blooded creatures. If water temperatures move from 70 to '65' degs, that indicates a temperature downtrend which typically generates a negative disposition in fish. In both above examples the water temperature was 65 degs. F., but absolute water temperature in isolation (e.g. 65-deg) only told us half the story. Roger

Not even close! One day I lost a 17-lb 15-oz bass right next to the boat It's good I didn't boat her though, because then I'd know what she REALLY weighed Roger

Not if you have a parrot on your shoulder Roger

Catching small bass isn't a bad thing, it's a compliment to the general locality. Bass travel no farther than necessary, so mature fish are generally closer than you might expect. The most important difference in the location of juvenile and mature fish is 'water depth', where larger fish typically inhabit deeper water within the same general vicinity (galaxy). There are times and situations notwithstanding, when the tables may turn, and mature bass will lie shallower than immature fish. Roger,

If I had a pet flamingo and a coral snake, I'd have to cover their eyes so they don't see that word "unnatural" Joking aside, newborn rodents and many worms are "bubblegum", as well as featherless hatchlings that fall from the nest.

I really can't think of a color I'd call strange, which is just a point of view. Mother Nature exhibits every color in the rainbow and then some. In fact, that's the reason why I hold color in low esteem. On the other hand, I've seen some pretty strange names for colors, for instance 'Brown' is now called 'Pumpkin' Roger

Speaking purely from a personal point-of-view, Downscan isn't the main thing, it's the only thing. Roger

About 5 years back I tried 'skip-gap hooks' with Zoom Flukes (I don't nose-hook, I body-hook). That extra jog in the shank is supposed to serve as a wire kink that makes it harder for the bait to ride-up on the shank. It works to some extent, but the bait may still ride-up the shank. What's more, that extra kink in the shank robs space from the hook gap. For securing a bait on the shank, I've yet to find a better hook than the Mustad Grip-pin Flipping hook. Not saying it's my favorite hook, but my favorite for locking a soft-plastic to the hook-eye (e.g. flipping). Roger

I only wear button-down, long-sleeve shirts (no polos). Most of them are Columbia and Guy Harvey, I like them both. Roger

OUCH! I was afraid of that

Good going fellows, as usual "Nothingthatswims" is safe. Roger

I'm with you, Ice....where do I sign? Roger

"Should I switch to something like Suffix?" Yes, Sufix braid

YUP Then there are those days with perfect conditions, when you can't buy a bite On days like that I'll always remind my partner that today we have NO excuses Roger

"Which of these popular $80 reels" Two of the three reel brands you specified are 'not' popular. I have no dogs in this hunt, but if the reels you specified were open to negotiation, you might've mentioned that Roger

"How to stop this from happening" Straight braid (sayanara fluoro)

I often wish I lived in northern Michigan instead of Florida. Does that count for anything? Roger