KyakR

I love fishing slow. Sometimes if I'm especially silent and s-l-o-w in my yak I get in the zone where I almost "see" every fish in the pads or wood I'm parked around. Usually at this time the water's like glass and the light is poor. I know I've done well if the only fish I spook are the ones I get right on top of. I may stay in one spot over an hour then and try every lure I can, varying presentation, even line. I'm kind of like Bill in the fact that I try to make every cast stealthy and ***. When I'm out in deeper water I use my electronics. Slow, finesse....that's me.

Drop-shot deep

Wooohoooo!! Time to rock n' roll!!

Come to Maine

I miss the Bass Professor.......he kept bass too. "He remained a student of the largemouth bass all of his life; he kept a swimming-pool-sized tank in his backyard where he observed giant fish, hand fed them--and tried to raise one to world record size, exceeding the accepted 22 pound, 4 ounce record. He never did succeed in that venture, but he did in many others."

Disagree. It depends what kind of research method you're using. Research studies come in different forms. Goodall was using a different method than say, a geneticist trying to get at the reason some people's eyes are blue and some brown. One is observational, where controlling variables (zoo) distorts the results, the other involves asking one specific question (forming a hypothesis) and testing it. In this form the fewer variables the better. Science always involves human interference (Heisenberg Principle). The simple act of observation changes things. But you're so right when you point out the inadequacy of science in some matters! I think true wisdom in fishing and other things comes from living many experiences and having them in your gut beyond words and test tubes. Not to be too touchy- feely (he!) but I call that love, whether for fishing, people or science itself. I like this And pbizzle, good question! But anybody know from their personal observation about different bass strains? I only deal with the Northern so I actually really know zip

Was hoping to hear this! Thanks all

Thank you for posting this, R520dvx! I sat and thought about her for quite a while.......her life and the love in it. This is true character. Deb, if you're reading this, thank you and LOVE THAT FISH!!!

"Think of waters you want to fish and contact a guide on these bodies of water for a weekend adventure. Really worth the investment." X2 on Sam's suggestion here! I hire a guide at least once every year in different areas of fishing, not just for bass (although mostly bass over the years). I can't tell you what a difference it makes for me. I save for it and plan for it all winter. I try to go to a part of Maine I've never seen for fish I've never caught. If I could afford Florida I'd leave now "I'll go against the grain here. Give it up for a little while." Flyfisher is spot on really. Trust your heart and your love of fishing.....it's not a "fad" for most of us here like you and it'll be back like the neighbor's dog that won't go home

Or does it attract others? Does it not even matter, or vary under conditions? Thanks!

Congratulations! Nice fish!

Any depth maps for this lake you could get your hands on?

Good point....made me think The research I quoted began with an artificial truncation selection, which only means human beings did it, not nature in the wild. They picked the fish in each group and bred them. And yes! You're describing exactly what happens in highly pressured waters......the question the research asked was "why?" And they hoped to establish that the bass are affected at the genetic level, which was news to me! Didn't mean to go nuts about it tho But I've gotten wide of coryn h. fishowl's original question. Different strains of bass. Tom's comments about FLMB vs NLMB got to the heart of the matter I think......

Thank you Aceman Actually, I lost the battery. It was a beauty, too.......an optima blue-top deep cycle. Gel mat. Since it's sealed I tried the next day to dredge it up, but no way. Maybe it's down far enough (12 ft) so it won't freeze and I can call the coastguard in the spring.....

I too have worked mostly in male dominated professions all my life. It really is about simple respect......respect for oneself, respect for others. In a committed relationship I think it's a big mistake to try to control one another period. I can understand the caution a spouse might feel when his/her partner spends a great deal of time in a much-loved activity with members of the opposite sex, though. Best thing for this is to talk together affectionately about it and keep a sense of humor. It can be an opportunity to become even closer and more trusting (I'm an optimist)! To be "Just "one of the guy's now"........(what Fishing Cowgirl said) is my aspiration. She eloquently expressed the heart of fishing. And I totally loved everything Rochelle Cavenaugh wrote! What they said!! Encouraging other women, and especially children, in fishing has always been important to me. I think encouragement and bonding with an adult who goes fishing with them makes ALL the difference. Gender has nothing to do with it. Women receive less encouragement and are less exposed to the joy of all kinds of angling. When women understand better what fishing really is I think it lessens any pre-occupation with their man's foolin' around. The girls they want are in the water. Fishing Cowgirl said, "I've encouraged other ladies to get out an fish and told them to take their little girls fishing." Yes,yes!

Vexilar Depth thermometer......about $12.00

The last paragraph! The hardest one. For you I'm getting the idea that your joy in fishing and being outdoors ( so well represented by the stories here!) has evolved into a love of the craft and a passion for the hunt. For me, it reminds me who I really am. Hard to explain. Many times a quote is good in the dreaded last paragraph. For this comment mine is: "Everyone should believe in something. I believe I'll go fishing." Henry David Thoreau

My dad had a saying when I was a kid and got hot-headed: "You never know who you're dealing with when you approach a stranger." He may have a history of privation and desperation......he may be eating them, he may just be doing what he always did from his boyhood when putting dead fish on a stringer was just what you did. Or he may have a Glock in his pocket. Not to be alarmist, but a hefty respect for the complexity and possibilities of other people is a good thing. Avoid him if he vexes you. If he's breaking the law I agree with the others here who say report him. But good for you for caring what happens ecologically speaking

Tom made a comment on another thread about the transition of LMB from eating phytoplankton when fry to eating other fish (he called it piscivory)......how fish that make that transition earlier than the others are more successful survivors. It blows me away how many factors interact to produce a certain behavior in any animal! It's a beautiful thing! The article I quoted perked my ears up because it made a connection between actual genes and one behavior without elaborating on what genes and how they work to influence behavior. The idea that LMB's genes actually change in response to us was new to me. But SENKOSAM clarified this when he pointed out that because bass don't exactly have much between the ears (?), reflexive and instinctual behavior are in the driver's seat, and these are powerfully mediated by genes. I'm wonky by nature, and love to read.....but though I have years on the water I never had a teacher to point out the big picture and help me connect the dots. That makes all the difference, no matter that I can read the science. So here's another one, he he "Physiological and Biochemical Zoology © 2007 The University of Chicago Press Abstract: Few studies have examined the physiological and behavioral consequences of fisheries‐induced selection. We evaluated how four generations of artificial truncation selection for vulnerability to recreational angling (i.e., stocks selected for high and low vulnerability [HVF and LVF, respectively]) affected cardiovascular physiology and parental care behavior in the teleost fish largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. Where possible, we compared artificially selected fish to control fish (CF) collected from the wild. Although, compared to control fish, resting cardiac activity was ∼18% lower for LVF and ∼20% higher for HVF, maximal values did not vary among treatments. As a result, the HVF had less cardiac scope than either LVF or CF. Recovery rates after exercise were similar for HVF and CF but slower for LVF. When engaged in parental care activities, nesting male HVF were captured more easily than male LVF. During parental care, HVF also had higher turning rates and pectoral and caudal fin beat rates, increased vigilance against predators, and higher in situ swimming speeds. Energetics simulations indicated that to achieve the same level of growth, the disparity in metabolic rates would require HVF to consume approximately 40% more food than LVF. Selection for angling vulnerability resulted in clear differences in physiological and energetic attributes. Not only is vulnerability to angling a heritable trait, but high vulnerability covaries with factors including higher metabolic rates, reduced metabolic scope, and increased parental care activity. Despite these energetically costly differences, HVF and LVF of the same age were of similar size, suggesting that heightened food consumption in HVF compensated for added costs in experimental ponds. Ultimately, angling vulnerability appears to be a complex interaction of numerous factors leading to selection for very different phenotypes. If HVF are selectively harvested from a population, the remaining fish in that population may be less effective in providing parental care, potentially reducing reproductive output. The strong angling pressure in many freshwater systems, and therefore the potential for this to occur in the wild, necessitate management approaches that recognize the potential evolutionary consequences of angling."

Thanks! You will totally get brownie points!

I beyond LOVED this video! Thanks MacP!

Actually, there is a bit of academic snippiness about this issue.......here's the link to the abstract ( American Fisheries Transaction Soc.)

Interesting! I have fond memories of catching these with my dad for a fish fry......but SS post was enough to pull me out of happy nostalgia! Gonna ask the fisheries guy in my area (Southwestern Maine) what he's seen.....