hawgenvy

A big part is knowing when to move. So, maybe I've caught quite a few fish here but the bite has slowed. Should I stay, hoping the bite will turn back on, or run to the other side of the lake? The really good guys seem to have an instinct for knowing when to hang or gun it. For me, it's often a hard decision.

The amount of oxygen that can dissolve in freshwater varies with water temperature. Water that is 900 F can hold only about half the oxygen that 400 water can. To make matters worse, the warm water increases metabolism with the result that oxygen requirements in the bass's tissues and organs (oxygen demand) goes up. So bass in 900 or hotter water are stressed and weakened and lethargic and they will seek cooler water that is deeper or at least under shade of heavy cover, or both. I also suspect that larger bass may be less heat tolerant than the small ones, as the smaller ones are relatively more abundant in shallow waters in the summer.

I have snagged many oysters over the years, a few of which I ate on the spot, and one of which had a small pearl. However, I believe what you are holding is a clam shell.

Thank you for taking the time to make the report. It's always great to find out how people are doing around my area. And I give you a lot of credit for spending even half a day out there in August.

Rather unusual to use #30 mono for bass. I'm supposing it's for punching extreme cover with big weights? In that case you may find #65 braid is thinner and may work much better for you. Or at least go down to #25 mono or FC. (And the right rod: punching typically requires an X-heavy rod that's 7.5 -- 8 ft long. If it's not for punching mats, go lighter -- mono or braid. Another thing you can try is re-spooling very tightly so there's no room to dig. Line conditioners are purported to help as well.

It's because it's so pleasurable and ends so quickly. You can try and close your eyes and imagine yourself feeling the full weight of that fish and leading it into the net, like a skilled toreador. But it's not quite the same. I propose it's like an orgasm -- short, intense, and pleasurable, even emotional, and ya can't quite enjoy it in remembrance. That's why in fishing, like sex, you just have to do the real thing, again and again. To get that feeling. No wonder I'm a sex bass addict!

Opsanus tau. Oyster toadfish. Perhaps due to its alien appearance, NASA sent one to space in 1998. Some people (hungry astronauts?) will eat them.

Yes, but if I'm fishing for just an hour, I usually let the caddy off after he loads the golf cart with all my crap, because I like to be totally self sufficient. Of course, there are still those three stupid secret service guys, but at least they follow me in a separate golf cart. One of them sometimes gets too close to the water and scatters the bass, but whenever I fire one of them they replace him or her with someone even worse!

Don't give up. Try weightless senkos or flukes on 10 pound fluorocarbon using your lightest rod, and fish slowly. August and September are the toughest months for largemouth bass in S FL, because the hot water holds insufficient oxygen, and deeper, cooler water is scarce. Things will get much better after October when the water starts to cool. Then your frog might get bit more often. Alternatively, target peacocks, snakeheads, mayan cichlids, carp, or saltwater species.

12 rods, all my lures, tools, extra line, pain meds, an ice chest with food and drinks, a portable fan, a radio, a golf cart, and a caddy. And a hat.

Everyone makes medium heavy sticks and there are lots of decent ones in almost every price range. You wrote that $260 "seems steep," implying to me that that amount could be affordable for you if the rod is worth it, and that you were impressed with GLoomis St Croix and Dobyns. When I want to toss a soft frog, I usually grab my Dobyns Champ 734c, which to me seems the perfect rod for that application. It's listed as heavy but I'd say it's medium heavy, and can toss a toad a mile. And, yes, it is $260. Not everyone is a big Dobyns fan, but that's true for any brand. I like my 734 a lot. You'd probably be very happy with it. People often regret having bought something of poor quality, but rarely regret having spent a few extra dollars on something good.

Maybe I'm wrong about this, but aren't big hooks on little frogs less weedless because the points are now so far from the body?

That's how I became comfortable with a jig: using it exclusively for a while. I learned during the pre-spawn when they were hungry. There are those that'll tell you that you must set the hook hard right away, but in my case I only started having success when I delayed the hookset a second or two. I do set hard, but not till I reel down until I feel the weight of the fish. Before learning this, I was just jerking the jigs out of their mouths.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/VM/VM05900.pdf

If it works well let us know! Who knows, could be the next hot bait!

I don't think that the appeal of recreational angling is entirely rational. Much of the desire is subconscious. I believe the appeal of fishing, like hunting in general, is instinctual. Perhaps I enjoy catching a fish for the same reason a dog likes to run and catch a thrown ball, or a squirrel.

Some of the small Scum Frogs are only $2.99 on TW. Usually hollow body frogs are quite durable. I have a couple of them I've been tossing for a couple of years. They're a way better bargain than going through pack after pack of senkos. Also, if you're going to use a light rod with frogs, you ought to at least put some heavier braid line on to enable a firm hookset.

Bass fishing is regulated everywhere and bass are very plentiful. It is excessive commercial fishing and coastal habitat destruction that threatens fish populations around the globe.

In my area bass fisherman practice catch and release. On the other hand, most of those who fish for food are catching panfish or tilapia. And lots of folks who fish for food are poor people who may, if they are lucky, have the good fortune to bring home to their families some fresh lean protein. There are many impoverished people in the US for whom it is very hard to feed their families, and I am glad they can occasionally bring home some fresh fish. And when those poor folks manage on a lucky day to score a good sized bass, they can put it to best use by consuming it. To people who are chronically hungry, catch and release is at the very least ridiculous, and maybe close to sinful. It's okay to care about those of us who fish for sport, but more important to have compassion for our brothers who are needy.

In low light conditions or stained water, many bass anglers recommend dark colored lures because they will be more visible to the bass, presumably because they will stand out better against the background. But then those same anglers may recommend a darker line or they will darken the line so it will be less visible in the shadows when flipping/pitching/punching. I have to admit I have been guilty of darkening the last foot or two of my line. The reason is because when my braid is in the water I can much more easily see the lighter section than the darkened section. Even though I am not a submerged bass. And then I tend to conform to the hype and use dark lures when pitching the shadows or in stained or muddy water. Go figure! Actually, I like the concept of a camo pattern. In fact, SpiderWire has a "Stealth Camo Braid," and it's cheap. I have not tried it.

In Florida when water temps approach 90o the larger bass migrate to Canada. Or at least to deeper water where they wont suffocate. Most residential ponds, especially in Florida, are artificial and shallow and are connected to each other and to a network of canals by a system of conduits that serve to equalize water levels. They also allow migration of species that live in the water. Bass will seek cooler water in the summer, and that water may not be in your pond. It may be in some deeper canal some distance away. I'd bet there is a big pipe or two you can find somewhere along the shore. Anyway, if you can't find deeper water to fish, you can try throwing a weightless T- or wacky rigged senko, or a weightless zoom fluke, to the deepest part of your pond. If that doesn't work, wait till the weather starts to cool in October or November. That's when the larger bass will return to shallower areas to seek food and begin to prepare to spawn.

Great story. Thanks! And congratulations!

Very delicate, white flesh, not unlike sole. It is very common in Vietnam where it is grilled on a wood fire, opened up dorsally, the bones removed, seasoning applied, and served on a platter showing off the toothy grin of the head. Don't feel obliged to show the head to your dinner guests in New Jersey!

Apparently, bowfin (aka choupique) roe is very valuable. It's sort of imitation caviar. And if you catch a snakehead in clean water, eat it. Very delicious.

I think line sensitivity means two basic things: the ability to detect fish bites, and the ability to resolve bottom contour. In both cases braided line is theoretically better because it's lack of stretch means more information is transmitted up the line. For example, if a fish pulls a hook an inch directly away, a zero stretch line will also move a full inch at the rod tip. Not so for stretchy polymer lines. Thinness would also matter because thin line is deflected less by laterally acting water movement against the line, because thin line has less surface area. A bowed line bows when the hooked fish moves laterally, or if there is a current. A bowed line cannot as directly transmit information to the rod. Here again braid wins because it has less diameter per breaking strength so it bows less. Really, of course, this is all theoretical. You'd have to do scientific testing and data analysis to know if these are valid hypotheses. Or go out yourself and see what works for you -- just don't write articles about it unless you have a statistician on board.