RoLo

Lowrance Hook 5 w/ microSD chart cards

I agree, and have often wondered about the same thing. I think corn-on-the-cob provided the reason Roger

The shaky worm is a bottom bait that relies heavily on bottom pauses & tail action. The Ned Rig is a swimming bait, that may or may not make bottom contact (ideally just above bottom). For this same reason, a popular weight for a shaky head is 1/8 oz, but the most common weight for a Ned Rig is 1/16 oz (half the weight) The Ned Rig traditionally uses a stubby worm with a hook shank running thru its core, so it's not important if the plastic floats or sinks (however, floating plastic slows the sink rate). On the other hand, the shaky worm benefits a great deal from 'floating' plastic, which makes the free-swinging tail easy to jiggle on the pause. Roger

Well, most anything is fixable but it begs the question...is it worth the cost? Take it to your local marine shop for an estimate, it may be something entirely different. If you're faced with a replacement cost, I'd consider switching to Minn Kota. Roger

It's time to get out on the water and find out which lures don't work. By that time you'll have a whole new list of lures

By all means! By all means!

That sounds like a Shimano to me

I've had "3" one-year hiatuses during my 11-yr stint on the BR forum, so I know exactly what you mean by: "Busy with your life". Did I hear "Core"? That's my overall favorite casting reel! Roger

That wouldn't be a tough call for me, I agree with the consensus. Roger

I used to wear a 'Simms SunGaiter'. When it wasn't needed, I just pulled it down below my chin so it was only on my neck. When you combine a sun gaiter with sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, you've got excellent ultraviolet protection. Roger

WOW! If any angler picked the perfect name, it was "everythingthatswims" Roger

You're stepping on the toes of Jay (bubblegum) Yelas

What you've described is a common event on ponds. That is, excellent fishing quickly declining to average or below average fishing. Rest assured, you didn't fish out that pond, but every time you walk the bank and work your lure you give the bass in that pond an education. For now, you might want to give the spinners and chatterbaits a rest, and try something different like a plastic worm or jig & craw. Roger

First of all, how's it going Flechero, I haven't seen you on the boards in a looong time Frankly, I'd go with something like a Shimano Curado 70, which he'll grow right into in 1 or 2 fleeting years. Roger

Above all, I never fish on Saturdays when the big waters like Toho & Kissimmee are a ZOO Further, there's almost always one or more tournaments underway every Saturday throughout the year. I eventually learned that my 'Start time' & 'Finish time' are just as important as the days I choose to fish. Though many would disagree, we've never found Florida-strain bass to be early risers like northern-strain bass. After a fashion I've found that nothing depresses the launch crowd like a "late start" and a "late finish". For many years now our fishing begins around noon to 1 pm, and we fish down the afternoon to sunset. I realize that a noon start sounds like a travesty, but that’s exactly why it can be lonely at the ramp. When we participate in our community tournaments, we have no choice but to Start early & Quit early, but our success has been noticeably better when we freelance with a clockwise tilt (Late-start / Late-finish) By launching late and retrieving late we’re usually able to include Sundays too. I refer to Sunday afternoon as "Bath Night", when the boat traffic dries up quickly as the afternoon wears on. I can't tell you how many times I've made the trip across '21/2 Mile Bay' back to Camp Mack when we were the only boat on the water, as though I held title to the lake. Roger

I'm sure Rick Clunn's topographic trilogy is best viewed as a rough guide for seasonal patterning. In the first place, when the word "creek" is bandied about, the discussion typically pertains to manmade reservoirs. In the second place, bass living in natural lakes do not migrate in the true sense of the word, but undergo 'seasonal shifts' (i.e. depth change). Even in an impoundment, water depth, water temperature, and bottom gradient are going to influence 'location' more than shoreline configuration by itself. Roger

In order for any Ma & Pa shop to survive in today's world, they have no choice but to have online presence. As for BPS and Cabelas, their inventory has been backsliding for the past several years, and they've lost enormous market share to Amazon and TW. Roger

"Here's Your Sign"

When the bill is placed on the table, excuse yourself and go to the restroom Have a good time boys, and Good Luck!

According to scientific studies, bass appear to lose their color perception at night, because their color-sensitive cone cells recede while their light-sensitive rod cells predominate. Although this undercuts the importance of color, it amplifies the importance of “contrast”. 'Black' is the preferred lure color at night because black absorbs the most light, and therefore contrasts best against a slightly lighter background. Inversely, some anglers prefer ‘white’ lures at night because white reflects the most light and it contrasts best against a slightly darker background. On a low note though, 'contrast' can be a moving target. During the course of an outing, the night angler may be fishing in pitch darkness, under bright-lighted docks, under a moonless sky and a moonlit sky. Roger

There She Is!

Haven't been to the Big-I once this year. Kissimmee, Toho & the Winter Haven Chain have kept us pretty busy. Boat presently in the shop, broke my aluminum skeg in the shallow canal between Shipp & Eloise

Wow...that's a moonshot Roger

The standard mushroom jig for a Ned Rig weighs 1/16 oz. If you're using a Med-Hvy casting rod, you'll have to settle for 25-ft casts. Roger

Flesh-colored gloves.