RoLo

This is the easiest question I seen today. In my world at least, "DEPS" is my hands-down favorite JDM soft-plastic brand. Most fishermen seem oblivious of Deps products and due to laggard sales (consumer ignorance), Deps was forced to discontinue some of my favorite soft-plastic baits. The first one that comes to mind was the Deps 7" Deathadder Shad. If anyone wonders where all the Deathadder Grubs had gone, I bought-out all the remaining inventory from Ichiban and Lees Global. No, it wasn't a Ned Rig trailer, but a soft-plastic bait for the trophy hunter. I caught more bass over 7-lb on a Deps 7" Deathadder than any hard swimbait I fished. For sheer numbers of bass, Deps is currently marketing the Deps 5" Nikcoo Worm (also 6" & 13"). I don't personally fish that worm, but it's one of many lures my wife uses to outfish me Roger

I'm not a marine biologist, but a bass that rolls belly-up in my livewell, is a bass headed for the grill. It's important to be optimistic, but it's just as important to be realistic. Realistically, every bass that swims away from your boat is not a survivor. The rate of 'delayed mortality' has been downplayed for years by tournament directors. Roger

Interesting...I was fully expecting you to say 'Jann's Netcraft', they stock deer hair, elk hair, bear hair, squirrel hair, fox hair, everything except Westmoreland polar bear hair Sure Tom, PM me pics of your hair jigs, I'd like to see them. Roger

Tom, where do you get your bucktail hair? (I prefer hair jigs too)

I believe what you guys are witnessing is roughly par for the course in northern climes. When I lived in Jersey, we rarely weighed a bass over 4 pounds, sadly, most of the them ran between 10 and 16" in length. If you watched the MLF in Lake Istokpoga, Florida, you would've seen a disturbing percentage of bass weighing under one pound, and those were all Florida-strain bass Roger

I've boated largemouth bass in rivers from Canada to Florida, not the least of which were the St Lawrence, Delaware, Chattahoochee and St Johns River. The key factor is "current", which virtually dictates stream fishing (river, creek or brook). Even in a riverine impoundment, the generation schedule at the dam is as important as the tide tables in saltwater. Roger

I don't know of anyway to grow confidence without catching fish. Roger

I still use the Sluggo too, but mostly for northern pike. I still use Johnson spoons a lot, but the first thing I do with every J-spoon is sharpen the single hook (done). A Dropshot rig is an 'external-sinker rig', whereas a Splitshot rig is an 'internal-sinker rig', they're very different systems. With an external-sinker rig (dropshot rig), a taut line abruptly transmits every movement of the rod. With an internal-sinker rig (split-shot rig), a taut line reaches the sinker, but the bait is on a slack-line behind the weight. In essence, a split-shot rig is an ultralight Carolina Rig, but without the annoying features of a C-rig. I still use the splitshot rig, but use a 1/16 oz bullet sinker and tiny swivel instead of shot. Roger

The sale of 'pork rind' was strangled by plastic trailers, forcing Uncle Josh to change their entire business model The Zoom Fluke stole the show from the 'Sluggo', which is very rarely mentioned for bass (pike, yes). Above all, I believe the most underutilized lure is the "Johnson weedless spoon" (w/ grub trailer). That sucker will navigate cover that other lures fear to tread. With regard to rigging systems, whatever happened to the 'Splitshot rig'? It seems that ever since the dropshot rig was introduced, anglers abandoned the split-shot rig, but they are totally different rigging systems. Roger

I missed that footage unfortunately, but I know just what you guys are talking about. I did catch a video with KVD who was speed cranking a swim jig in skinny water, and triggered one impulse strike after another. Roger

As we anglers all know, 'confidence' plays a leading role in fishing. If a particular lure enhances an angler's confidence, it becomes a question of how much he’s willing to pay for 'confidence'. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy though, because if the lure doesn't live up to expectations, then price tolerance will quickly dry up. Roger

My favorite battery for years was the Optima Blue Top, but their quality has since gone down the tubes. I’ve also had good luck with the Odyssey Diehard Platinum, but that battery has been discontinued, and today Sears is in a life and death struggle. The battery industry has undergone as many mergers and hostile takeovers as the banking industry, and I can’t keep up with it anymore. Today there are just a few parent companies left like Johnson Controls, East Penn and Northstar. In today’s volatile battery market it’s probably a good idea to stick with a household name with a robust warranty. Walmart's 'EverStart Maxx' offers a 2-year warranty, and when it’s time to replace my batteries I’ll probably go that route. Roger

The best price I'm aware of is called the 'Gambler Ace'

Sure...I remember 'Sqhertz' Along Florida's Atlantic coast, April is a great month for Spanish Mackerel, Cobia, Red Drum and spotted seatrout. I would strongly recommend redfish and seatrout over the others. Spanish Mackerel can be super right now, but they're run is typically feast or famine. Back in the 90s, I used to launch in Tomoko State Park above Ormond Beach, but have no idea what the situation is today. If you have any further questions, just fire away. Roger

Enjoy! Here in central Florida (lat 28), our spawning season is slowly wrapping up, and we welcome the post-spawn (Apr & May) our best Topwater Bite! Roger

At 22½", that's no 'stud' Roger

Due to the smaller water volume in a pond, they're more susceptible to changes in water clarity. For instance, one heavy rainfall can result in a brown muddy pool, but since your pond was previously clear, that rules out trophic state. Some ponds are perennially murky, but since your pond was formerly clear, after the process of sedimentation it will be clear again. Roger

Nothing there I couldn't suck up, except maybe getting the wrong stuff from Tackle Warehouse

A bass is a cold-blooded creature that lacks the capacity to reason. This brings us to the inescapable conclusion that the angler 'outsmarts himself'. Or to put it indelicately, the fish may not be the 'only' dumb one Roger

Before purchasing a Dowsing Rod, you'd want to know if it actually works. Whenever and wherever we fish, there are 'countless' variables simultaneously at work. As a result, it's not possible to prove that fish attractants 'do' work or 'don't' work. That being the case, the phrase: "Bass Hold On Longer" will be reiterated for the foreseeable future Roger

A solution that would actually work is to switch from Berkley Fused Fireline to Berkley Trilene Braid (an excellent braided line) Roger

This thread has the longevity of a Sequoia Tree, where 'nine lives' might be an understatement Roger

Between those two, the 'Structure Bug'

ARTIFICIALS > Johnson 1/4oz Silver Minnow TRAILER: Kalin 3" Lunker Grub - chartreuse pearl > Owner Sled Head Jig TRAILER: Kalin 5" Lunker Grub - chartreuse pearl > Gulfstream 1/4 oz Skimmer Bucktail Jig – chartreuse TRAILER: Kalin 3" Lunker Grub - chartreuse pearl BULL REDS (Whole natural bait) 1) Whole 4-8" Finger Mullet 2) Whole 4-8" Menhaden 3) Whole 4-8" Pinfish, herring, croaker, sardine ~ ~ (PUPS: chunk baits or small whole baits) Roger

The most reputable bass water in the panhandle is Lake Talquin (used to be Jackson), but it's a 100-mile trip. Much closer to Destin are the golf ponds in Sandestin Resort, though I've never fished them myself. Red drum are everywhere, you need go no farther than Choctawhatchee Bay just east of Destin. Roger