RoLo

A 10-acre with a glut of yellow perch indicates a serious imbalance, and an accident waiting to happen. Most likely, the pond is now in a transition phase, but it's a safe bet that yellow perch still reside in the pond. If and when the original imbalance approaches equilibrium, I'm sure the perch fishery will return, but not to the same overblown and unhealthy level. Hopefully, there'll be fewer but larger perch Roger

Beavertail baits can be fished in any manner you wish, but due to their broad profile and slender thickness I use them mainly for Flipping & Punching. I rig them on a Mustad Grip-pin Flipping hook (straight-shank rebarb) with a tungsten punch-weight. Although Reaction Innovations started the ball rolling, today my favorite beavertails include the Missile Bait 4.0" D-Bomb and Zoom 4.25" Z-Craw Roger

Yes, if the ledge has superior wind-protection and annexes a successful bedding flat, otherwise, No. From all appearances, the birthplace of bass is imprinted in their brain at birth, so the best bedding sites and population density are dictated by attrition (i.e. They don't look for sites, they go to them). Roger

*Hootie, you never said why there'll be a break in your carving, but let my guess. The last shipment of African Bubinga is being detained by the Border Patrol? Roger

As usual, nice job *Hootie, and I ain't lion either Roger

I'm being totally frank when I say, the best search tool i know is an accurate contour chart. I consider all my lures 'search baits', but some search slower than others Roger

Music doesn't bother fish one iota, but in the great outdoors it sure bothers me. I go out there to hear alligators roar, the cry of bald eagles, barred owls, sandhill cranes ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Darren, I wanna fish for your bass, because my bass hate me. I keep hearing, "Let the bass tell you want they want", but my bass don't even talk to me anymore

Straight braid with "no" leader? That's INSANE! Kiddin of course, just an inside joke. We don't call it 'straight braid' though, we cell it a 'knotless delivery', because every basser knows that bass are scared to death of knots. Roger

> Lucky Craft Pointer 78 > Rapala Husky Jerk Roger

I doubt that anyone can positively answer that question. Though few seem to recall, the original definition of a "swimbait" referred to any 'hard' or 'soft' bait with two separate actions. In the case of most swimbaits, it combined body undulation with the throb of a paddle-tail. We all know how well that advent climbed the ladder of success. Roger

I tip my hat to your assertive spirit, you remind me of myself. On the downside, I've arrived at this same crossroads before it ever crossed your mind. Trust me when I say, there'll be many more crossroads my friend Roger

The topic of 'bed-fishing' always seems to launch a lively and opinionated discussion. When I read some of the replies though, I can't help but wonder how many anglers actually fished for cows on the bed. In the first place, the time she spends on the nest is better quantified in hours rather than days. More importantly, a bedding cow is a fasting cow, and if she's not in a housekeeping mood, you've really got your work cut out for you. Though it's not often mentioned, there's generally a sizable overlap in seasons, where you may encounter pre-spawn, spawning & post-spawn bass during the same day. For the most part, trophy bass taken while fishing 'blind' during the spawning season are usually bass in pre-spawn mode still on the feed. All that said, I no longer bed fish, and focus only on the pre-spawn period. Roger

WOW, that's a keeper right there...Keep up the good work!! I thought I had the blasphemy market cornered, but I'm afraid you've got me beat Roger

If I'm not mistaken, we had a young fellow on the board who posted several head-cam videos taken in the Villages (his name escapes me) Though I don't remember any wall-hangers, he did 'remarkably well'. I'm right down the road, but that's all I can offer about the Villages. Roger

JIGS?? Where does it say jigs? The bait monkey loves you

Not me! I've got plenty of spots to fish, but not plenty of $10 lures to lose on 3/8" twigs. If any one spot meant that much to me, I'd come back an hour later. Roger

Ah hah, now I understand. Unfortunately, a breakaway rig is almost a necessity for bank fishing, especially along brushy shorelines with poor access. The main line and leader should have sufficiently different breaking tests, because a frayed main line can quickly close the gap (if you get my drift). I agree that a 10-lb leader would be just fine With respect to leader material, most fellows on the forum would recommend a fluorocarbon leader. As for me, I much prefer copolymer or nylon over flourocarbon, but that's personal opinion. Roger

Are you fishing from a boat? It sounds to me like you're bank fishing. Roger

Ah hah, another popper lover. I was heartbroke when they discontinued the Sizmic Poppin Toad

I've used every hook mentioned above, and find merit in all of them. The choice between a 'screw-coil keeper' and 'Z-bend keeper' is a tough one. In my experience at least, a screw-coil offers a more secure hold initially, but a Z-shank offers better trailer longevity. By that I mean, in order to pull a trailer off a screw-coil keeper, you have to physically remove a slug of plastic the diameter of the coil. But once the trailer has been pulled off the retainer, you'll have to replace the trailer or bite off 1/2-inch of trailer. It takes less force to cause the trailer to ride over a Z-bend shank, but it doesn't destroy the trailer and can be repeatedly re-positioned. So it really boils down to a decision between 'trailer retention' and 'trailer life'. FYI: Oversize screw-coils are available that provide an even greater hold on the trailer. Roger

Half the time I remove the skirt entirely

I agree with S.Sass. Flipping timber is a whole lot different than punching vegetation, which often starts at 3/4 oz. In timber, you can usually use the same weight you'd use in open water, and depending on the situation, even less weight. Bushes is a whole other ballgame, which would depend on the density and height of the plants (or brush-pile). Roger

I think the starter tackle should hinge on age. Spincasting gear would be appropriate for toddlers, but for children over 5, I'd go straight to spinning tackle. Thanks Bluebasser & buzzed bait, this is the future of our great sport Roger

I agree with John, 'both' is the right answer. I know anglers who love a 7-1/2 ft rod, and use them for just about everything. In the opposite camp, my favorite all-purpose rod length for freshwater use is 6' 10". I won't go into detail as to why, and save myself of an hour of typing Roger