CyBasser

Almost absolutely true... Just make it dark, white, or chartrause... Or, even better, in two words, "dark" or "bright"!

Well, all of the above are true... You can throw any variation in the retrieve that you can think of, and there are no hard and fast rules. Sometimes "burning" them works well in very cold water while they might want a slow "yo-yo" action in much warmer water. Speed and direction variation also seems to add to their appeal instead of a simple retrieve. Yet sometimes the simple steady retrieve just works fine. I would suggest you experiment with two or three different brands of lipless crankbaits in a few basic colors and sizes. Each brand has a different underwater sound signature, and, like with retrieve, they often want very noisy or less noisy lures...

The Kickin' minnow is definitely a killer lure. They don't work only where shad are present, they just work period. Both the 4" and 6", the latter getting quality fish. Most other storm swimbaits have not been too succesful for me, but then maybe I didn't try them as much as I should... Too many lures, too litle time

That's quite true. With frogs repetetive attacks are quite common, so if a bass strikes and misses the frog (quite common) or it gets it but does not get hooked, give it a couple more twiches. Chances are it will attack again...

Practice, practice, and more practice! When I switched to b/c gear 9 months ago I had problems casting anything less than 1/2oz. Now I feel comfortable even with 1/8oz and still get that overwhelming satisfaction and sensitivity that b/c gear offers. Of course not all b/c reels are equally suitable for finesse fishing, and now there are many reels on the market designed for this role. But with practice, you will be able to use practically any b/c reel for finesse.

Also try pegging the sinker. My most succesful rig was with 1/4oz pegged sinker..... Maybe... Then... may be not!

Absolutely what RW has said! The frogs are the ideal lure for very bad (in terms of snagging) situations. Like everybody, my hooking ratio is perhaps less than 30% - but seeing those explosive strikes just make it up! And once hooked, I don't think I ever lost a bass from coming unhooked. It's just a matter of a succesful hookset or none at all!

What John. J. uses is by far the best - cheap, very handy and quick to use, and you can also pull it out very easily from the bottom of the sinker when you need to unpeg without damaging the line (or lure if you use sensitive lures like GYCB). Before using them I tried almost everything but was never satisfied....

Hey Daniel, Through your amazing lure collection I have noticed quite a few interesting topwaters - and as far as I am concerned nothing beats topwater action in bass fishing. Are swiss bass responsive to topwaters?

You can certainly add either a treble or single hook as LBH descibes, but you have to take into consideration that the bluegill will lose its great weedless characteristics. It really depends on where you will use it. If your bottom structure allows you to attach a stinger, then I would suggest you do. It can certainly make a big change in your end results....

When I first tried braid in early 2006 I used 20lb smoke fireline and I had the exact same experience (the line snapping in mid-cast). By talking with other local anglers who used braid I discovered that a whole batch of 20lb smoke fireline imported at that time had the same problem. I did use fireline again and again though and since then I did not have any problems in either smoke, pink, or crystal. I have to admit that I now use almost solely powerpro because I prefer its handling characteristics, but I went through several spools of firelines since that initial attempt and never had any breakage problems. To hear though that such incidents still occur 16 months later, it means that Berkley should check their production standards...

All of the above are true... It really depends on several factors. If you know (perhaps by using different sub-surface lures before) that bass are in an active state, throw them a fast, noisy lure - buzzbait, jitterbug etc. If you know they are inactive, throw a slower, less noisy, scaled-down in size lure which will accomodate the water conditions (still or rippled surface, water clarity). Early in the morning I let water conditions dictate how I start. If it is smooth and calm, I will use a popper and vary the twitching speed until I find what they prefer. If it is a bit windy and the surface is rippled, I will walk the dog - any of of my "dogs" (sammy, zara, superspook, skitterwalk). If I see a lot of activity I may switch to a buzzbait as well... But keep in mind there are exceptions - sometimes poppers work with windy conditions and "dogs" work in calm - so you really have to experiment a bit...

Absolutely! This particular color is my favorite for cloudy but bright conditions in clear or clear to stained water. It is very succesful! Throw it and enjoy the explosions!

I also caught two this year on back to back casts on a 1/2oz. spinnerbait but it is rare! I got 3 on the spinnerbait in the last 3 outings They even took a huge spinnebait Vyron, they must be spawnig! They a very agressive when they are protecting their nest. I must have caught over 60 zander this year on jerkbaits while fishing for bass! Hmmm! This is quite unlikely as the water temperature is at least 10 degrees centigrade above the maximum for zander spawning even at deeper waters (they also need a small amount of light penetration which governs how deep they will spawn). Zander require temperatures between 11 and 15 degrees Celsius for spawning, which in most Cyprus dams occur in January or February (and in some lowland reservoirs may not occur at all in mild winters). Something for us European anglers to consider is that yes, walleye and zander do look very similar in outward appearance (the zander grows bigger, the walleye is a bit darker), they have similar habitat ranges, but they are genetically evolved to hunt for different species of prey. Could this mean that they are liable to be taken on different lures? Checking a bit on the internet, someone can see very few reports of american Walleyes being taken on spinnerbaits (in spite of the heavy usage), yet our experience here on Cyprus is that the european Zander hits spinnerbaits (and other large to very-large!) lures rather readily (and from the shore!)....

Hmmm, I think it's about time that we start exchange visits T-rig.... Swiis bass look definitely interesting. And I bet you would love Cyprus bass as well

Exactly. And this also affects the way the coils sit on each other on the spool. It would be nice if each "peak" entered a "valley" but it just doesn't happen. However tight the coils are, whenever you spool braided line expect that the spool will take less braided line of a given diameter than it would take fluoro or mono. Regarding the diameter, although I don't have a micrometer, it is obvious that 20lb power pro is definitely much thinner than 12lb Trilene XL, while 50lb power pro looks about the same with 17lb XL. Yet my reels (both casting and spinning) will definitely take less power pro than mono. The same also holds true with other braided lines I've used as well, with some being notably worse in this respect than others (powerpro is among the "good" braids in this respect)...

Niiiiiice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Accepting you are wrong even indirectly is good enough for me.!!! There is no point really. You just have to realise that you could be wrong and learn from it. Being stubborn is not a good thing!!! It has nothing to do with privatization but I thought we decided not to discuss this matter on this particular section of the forum. We can argue on this at work. And by the way, Google Earth is very very accurate. Check it with the runway width at LCA airport. Not the length but the width. It is accurate to the last 0.5 meter!!! The area of Kourris is not 997 acres but just one third of what you say ie 320 acres. See you.... Hmmm, initially I had decided that I wouldn't bother anymore with this pointless discussion. But, first, the numbers as I told you were given to me by the WDD, back in 2004. I did not come to them on my own. Then, earlier today I had a chance to take the photo below. It is from the actual sign that is located on the dam wall of the reservoir. They (the W.D.D.) mention there the area as "3.6 sq.km". Certainly the value is different than what they gave me (4.04 sq.km). The 3.6sq.km multiplied by 247 (the conversion factor for sq.km to acres) gives 889.2 acres. Whichever is correct I don't know and to be honest, it doesn't really affect me. If the WDD have it wrong is their problem, not mine. Maybe you can forward them our discussion so they can correct it. But until they do, for any issues regarding the area of Kourris reservoir, I will be quoting "approximately 900 acres". This is my LAST POST regarding this issue. P.S. I want to apologize to all readers of this discussion for dragging this issue so far.

The water at Kourris warmed very rapidly - from 17C it jumped to 22 C in about four days following the recent heat wave (34-38C air temperatures during the day). I am afraid that the bass that have not yet laid eggs might not do so, or if the eggs are laid, they might not hatch properly..

GOOD JOB YIANNIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, and I still appreciate releasing that girl!

Hi there! Of course you will still NOT get my apology. First, today's approximate area is bigger than the rectangle you have shown via google earth (which I don't count as "'superaccurate"'). But in any case, although I appreciate your effort to "'prove"' me wrong, I will only stick to the official figure until it is changed. In any case, I don't see the whole point of trying to prove me wrong regarding the size of this particular reservoir. What if it is not actually 997 and it is 1097 or 897 acres? Does it change anything regarding the issue of privatization and how it does affect our fishing? Does it change anything if we lose this reservoir due to privatization? This is where we should all get focused. Nough' said.

Great fish! And the anticipation of hearing the "explosion" on the buzzbait without being able to see it makes it even better. Unfortunately, over here we are only allowed to fish for only one hour after sunset so I don't get to feel that excitement too often > (though my last jitterbug bass, a 5lber, was caught in near complete darkness 50 minutes after sunset)...

Evretou: Bass of more than 2Kg are regularly being caught, along with zander in the 5Kg+ category. Not by me, because I do agree that it is far away (more than 2hrs drive) - so I don't often bother to go there and haven't been there since March 2006. But people I trust (such as RBL people) do go and I trust their results. If necessary though it is an option. For Kalavasos, yes, it does have some tough fishing but decent bass are still getting caught and I believe that after a possible population crash a couple of years ago things are going to balance again. At Lefkara, bass made a show up only about three years ago in small numbers (and sizes), possibly after an introduction from nearby Dhipotamos. Taking into account the huge forage base of that reservoir, along with the fact that the three other predators (zander, rapfen, and large rainbows) are really pelagic feeders, it is only a matter of maybe 2-4 years before the shorelines are fully populated by bass. A population is not build overnight (remember I used the word "developing"). It seems that you need a maths lesson. Kourris dam is around 320 acres when full. Now it is only around 80 acres. 997 acres is more than 4 square kilometers. The whole length of Kourris is around 2.8 km and the width around 0.4 km. That makes 1.1 square km. Does this sound like 997 acres? No way. You should have known by now that before I say something I do ALL the relevant checks!! Maybe you should start doing the same my friend. I repeat: Kouris dam today covers an area of around 80 acres. Your official sources are wrong and so are you, Cybasser. You still insist! Kourris is not a rectangle! The dam wall is 750metres long and the reservoir is far wider at places (when full). Plus, you forgot to add the area created by the two river arms (Kryos to the northwest and Limnatis to the northeast), both of which arms when at full pool have a width of about 500 meters, and both have an additional 1km in length. Ok, the 500 meters are at the widest points, but they average about 150-200 meters width for most of their length. The official full pool area given by the WDD is 4.04sq.km. The conversion factor from sq.km to acres is division by 247. Do the math yourself! You are welcome, but I think it's you who has to apologize!!!!! Case closed!!!

You are absolutely right CyBassman! Perhaps it might be more constructive if you wrote us about your recent fishing trips like everybody else does!!! In any case, your opinion and my opinion on this matter are not as different as you think, rather it is like looking at a half-filled glass - I say it's half full and you say its half empty. I will answer about your comments, but if you wish to discuss this issue further, please start a relevant thread at an appropriate section of the forum. Hmmm! For someone who is against this particular association you are well informed on its constitution! I have to make something clear: I personally don't support the privatization. But, rather than sitting like a duck and waiting for the worse to come, I have to make sure that the rights of myself and other anglers are not totally violated. Neither me or you as individuals, nor the CFAA has the power to stop this process if there are huge financial motives for it to happen. So we have to be ready to at least get the best possible out of a potentially bad situation. As for CFAA, the Association is working hard at the time in regards of this issue (infringement of the right of anglers for fishing due to privatization) but its actions and results will become public through the association's website and press releases and since you do follow them you will be aware about them soon. Being the Vice-president does not give me the authority to disclose the actions that CFAA has made, nor does it prevent me though to have my personal opinions on any matter. I do not write on this forum as the Vice-president of an association, but as an avid bass angler who only cares about the improvement of bass fishing on the island. And, just to make it completely clear, my personal opinions on this or any other matter do not reflect the opinions of CFAA. Hey, we are allowed to have a private life you know! Four??? Kourris, Asprokremmos, Evretou, Kalavasos, Dhipotamos, Lefkara, Yermasogeia, and some others that both you and me know about (albeit smaller). I agree that some are better than others and some are closer to us than others, while others are still developing. But I don't consider that if three reservoirs are taken for privatization all is lost. But, for sure, I don't want it to happen. The area was obtained from the WDD and from other official sources. The maximum capacity area is 997 acres, and present area is about 600 acres. Please next time check all relevant facts (or even look at a map!). I hope we now close this off-topic discussion CyBassman. If you wish to discuss further please start a relevant thread. And we are looking forward to hearing some stories from your fishing trips and seeing some photos...