RoLo

Welcome to Bass Resource, Cyril. I'm very familiar with south Jersey (ocean, bay & in between) Roger

Yes, it generates a nice, reliable throb. I fish weedy natural lakes almost exclusively, so my biggest gripe are the weeds. One thin weed stem in the wrong place can shutdown the vibrating blade. With respect to weedlessness, I prefer an overhead spinner, but our waters are also murky where the louder chatterbait is more audible. In any event, good luck and report back Roger

Nice story, nice scenery & real nice bass! Roger

Reins Bubbling Shaker is a real sleeper!

Oh nevermind...I thought this was a pot commercial

I used to throw a Phenix bladed-jig and now fish a Revenge bladed-jig, and both throb at a low speed. It's possible that the Z-man chatterbait requires more forward speed to activate, I don't know. Popular trailers include the fluke, sickle-tail grub and small swimbait (esp. Keitech) Roger

You said a mouthful, without those gorgeous reptiles it wouldn't be Florida. Do I respect them...Yes Do I fear them...No People seem to forget, it is 'their' living room, and 'we' are the intruders. Roger

If this photograph is authentic (it appears to be superimposed) my only feeling would be sadness. Why destroy such a rare and beautiful specimen, it's no different than throwing a 12-pound bass on a riprap bank. In any case, the story is below: Although this animal is huge I was not that surprised it existed,” Mr Lightsey said. “We have come across lots over the last 20 years that have been only a little smaller. “But what really drew our attention to this animal was the fact that it seems to have been feasting on the cattle on my farm, because mutilated body parts were found in the water. It was a monster which needed to be removed.” Hunting guide Blake Godwin’s nine-year-old son Mason said this wasn’t his first hunting trip, and it was “not scary at all” to hunt such a huge animal. As seen above, he even posed next to the animal as it was hoisted above the ground by a tractor’s loader. Some people have doubted the photograph is real, Godwin said, “There’s a lot of folks saying that, but it’s 100% real. I took that picture, the photo is real.” Mr Lightsey’s company arranges hunts for alligators, wild boar and turkey on the farm he owns for hunting trips. The largest alligator previously killed was just over 13 feet long. Lightsey charges $10,000 to kill an alligator larger than 13 feet and $4,500 to kill an alligator between 10 feet and 12 feet. Mr Lightsey has been commercially hunting alligators since he began “harvesting” them in 1988 and more than 5,000 alligators bigger than 1.5m have been killed since then. There are hundreds of alligators for hunters between 10 feet and 13 feet, he says, while animals longer than 13 feet are only encountered about once a year. The animals are mostly killed with high-powered rifles. “But always we kill them with the minimum of suffering without allowing them to be injured before they die,” he said. American alligators inhabit the southeastern United States, with Florida and Louisiana each reported to have a population of more than one million alligators each. Southern Florida is reputed to be the only place in the world where both alligators and crocodiles live alongside each other in freshwater environments such as rivers, lakes and swamps. Mr Lightsey says he plans to get the alligator stuffed, while the meat will be donated to charity. Roger

Actually, most manufacturers use "silicone" skirts, not rubber or latex. Although silicone skirts are a darn sight better than the vinyl skirts of old, my favorite skirt material is live rubber, which provides the most bellowing action at rest. Sadly, silicone skirts are more popular than live rubber skirts because they absorb color better (whoopee!) Roger

A tad blunt perhaps, but no argument here

All of those deliveries are equally viable with a spinnerbait, and therefore a bladed-jig

I love my tackle box. It took me several decades to do it, but I've condensed my tackle into one small hard tackle-box. That little box houses all the lures & tackle I'm currently using but undergoes wide & ongoing transition. Over the years, guest anglers on my boat have been awe-struck by my tiny tackle box. In stark contrast, the lures & tackle stored in my den at home probably weigh over 200 pounds. The hard box I use is a "Plano 1150 Bill Dance Tackle Box" (17'' L x 12” W x 5'' H) I'd be remiss if I didn't add the fact that my wife carries a BIG tackle bag, and on those rare occasions when I might come up short, she can usually bail me out Roger

Like someone once said Gary, the more things change, the more they stay the same

Very nice bass Paul, for you this has been the 'year of the cows' Roger

In truth, it was based more on common belief. Oh Yeah, I see the eye-roll now

Welcome aboard, and congratulations on retrieving that lunker! Yeah, I've been known to enter the drink to grapple with a hog, but I usually come back empty

Rods, Reels and Lines

I'd hesitate to bend the blade. Of course, bending the blade will change the action, but that shouldn't be necessary. On the other hand, if I was ready to toss the lure in the dumpster, I'd turn it into a Guinea pig and reshape the blade as a learning experience. Roger

Hmmm, wonder if that was 'tongue-in-cheek'

Hmph, I'm surprised you're not getting a good throb (I would check the hardware around the blade assembly). You definitely want a bladed-jigs that produces a perceptible thump at a low forward speed. For what it's worth, I'm currently throwing a Revenge Viberator, which vibrates at low speeds. One stem of grass however can kill the blade action, where an over spinner might excel. Roger

When you're tying to the eyelet of a plug with 3 treble hooks, you may not be too thrilled with a Palomar knot. Roger

You can fish your chatterbait in the same places and the same way you fish your spinnerbait, in fact, a chatterbait is a spinnerbait. Most bladed-jigs are noisier than most overhead spinners, so they're preferred in murky water. On the other hand, an overhead spinner tends to be a bit more weedless than a bladed-jig, but that can vary from brand to brand. Maintain a cranking speed that produces the most pronounced blade throbbing. Roger

When I fished saltwater (Atlantic Ocean), I fished with Big Game Mono, Braided Nylon, Braided Dacron, Monel & Lead-Core line. But in freshwater lakes and streams, I fished exclusively with Berkley Trilene XL from about 1950 to year 2005. In 2005 I switched from nylon monofilament to braided polyethylene, where I remain today. Without a doubt, nylon monofilament is a great line material (and its many copolymers). My major gripe with mono is its "insane stretch" and its tendency to "bird nest" with spinning gear. Braid of course, solved both issues. As for fluorocarbon, it's tendency to self-cleave results in unstable knot-strength, something I can't condone. In addition, fluorocarbon is as wiry as some of the tieable steel leader I use for toothy critters. Furthermore, the last time I tried Tatsu fluoro, I found myself taking a step backward during the hook-set, to compensate for line-stretch (braid spoiled me). There's a long list of advantages to using a line with 'thin diameter', and fluorocarbon's FAT diameter is several negatives rolled into one. When fluorocarbon is taken out of the equation, it's no longer necessary to spit on your knots or wipe line-conditioner on your fishing line. All that said, different anglers prefer different lures and different hooks, so it stands to reason why we'd also prefer different line materials. Roger

Sure doesn't sound like a Floridian

Truthfully, neither 1/4 oz nor 1/2 oz. My favorite weight for lipless cranks is 5/8 ounce. A 5/8 plug not only provides a long casting distance (broader coverage) but helps to keep the lure running tighter to the bottom. When bass are suspended near the surface, I start cranking upon splashdown. Roger