jimf

"Smarter" is a convenient word to use that conveys an idea reasonably well. As @wdp alluded to, it's a way of saying something simply. Why a bass doesn't bite and grows big and lives long is complicated. Maybe some conditioning to negative stimuli in it's life - having been caught once or five times. Maybe it's some genetic pre-disposition to want to hide more or be a little more selective than his brothers and sisters in finding it's next meal or luck or a million other things. He's smart. I do get the premise that it's probably wrong in the sense of how we generally go about using the word, but to me it conveys the intended message.

I have Lew's Speed Spool and a couple of BPQ. I don't know the Laser, but I think the BPQ matches up well with the Lews Speed Spool. Therefore I would guess BPQ > Lew's. I also own a Tatula and if you can find that for a few bucks more then that's the way to go.

The only time I've been checked in many years was in Wisconsin trout fishing. I can't remember the last time I was checked in Illinois. I actually got checked during the early trout season in Wisco which requires barbless hooks - they put the hook in their shirt and pull it out and if it gets caught at all you are in violation. Fortunately I de-barbed correctly. I've always actually admired the Wisco DNR compared to Illinois. I think it's a much better run, more forward thinking department than we have here. Even printing the license off is goofy in Illinois, if you fold them by the lines they have printed off it doesn't come close to matching up. I carry three licenses. One in my wallet that I always have on me, one with my boat registration that is on the boat, and one in my truck.

I have seen various tests done that have shown that cheap lenses that claim to offer 100% UV protection do just that - they block the harmful UV rays just as well as the expensive brands. I'm not saying expensive glasses aren't worth it, they just aren't worth it to me. They certainly provide better fit and comfort, they are durable, and they are more stylish. Any or all of those might make the extra money worth it to you. But I feel pretty strongly that the optical quality/health aspects of expensive glasses are more about good marketing than anything else.

Clark Rheem was on Bass Edge radio a couple of weeks ago discussing this topic and his advice pretty emphatic: don't overthink it. He said he carries two colors - a translucent and an opaque. He uses double willow leafs - gold/silver - almost exclusively. I kind of follow that advice more or less.

If it's legal, it's fine by me.

Speaking of Shimano, this might be blashpemy - I've never owned a Shimano baitcaster. Spinning gear yes, but not baitcasting.

This is exactly what I would base the advice I would give which would be to simplify - pick a lure and fish it the way it was intended in the cover intended, and do it all day. Concentrate on nothing but that lure in the water and what it's doing.

Favorite color = amber. I own two pair of Maui Jim's (one is $170 and the other $300 retail), and while I can attest to the comfort and durability of the frames and the top notch customer service you will receive, I can't honestly tell the difference in the lenses between your garden variety $20 pair at a drug store - or at least I can't tell enough to justify the cost. I've tried on Costa's as well, same comments. Comfort is better, but I can't really tell you that the optical quality is noticeably better. I'm just not going to spend 10x the money any longer for theoretical differences. Besides, my glasses tend to get smudged up so quickly anyway that any slight difference in top quality lenses are gone within minutes of putting them on. My eyes have now drifted enough from my LASIK procedure years back that I am again wearing glasses, and have gone with the Cocoons fit overs. $50, and they work fine.

I don't use them but I keep telling myself I should because I bet they would do great. I like the inline spinner comments above as well - and yet again another lure that I haven't used for bass in ages. I'm going to make it a point to pick up a couple of spoons and in-line spinners and give them another look.

I do believe better equipment gives you an edge at catching more and bigger fish. However, I would say for me that it's really a secondary consideration. The most important thing for me is that fishing with nice equipment is more enjoyable.

I don't see pork trailers used nearly as much as say 30 years ago. I agree with you by the way. I actually have an old tackle bag where some of the juice must have leaked out and it literally glued shut the zipper. I still have the bag, that zipper has been shut for 20 years, and there is still a bottle of Uncle Josh' Pork trailers sitting in there if I ever decide to cut it out.

I hate cold weather, but I admire how people from cold climates embrace it. Frozen lakes means ice fishing, sledding, and even golfing. My son goes up with friends every year to go golfing on a lake in January. Every hole has a bar nearby on shore.

I think what you are probably seeing is the natural state of a healthy ecosystem. Most bodies of water that produce crazy size fish for an area have some whacky imbalance - too many baitfish, artificially warm water temps on power plant lakes, nutrient runoffs etc.. Usually if you find a honey hole there is some unnatural variable, including the actual body of water itself (i.e. impoundments)

I miss spring. I moved to Northern Ill. 22 years ago from just a couple of hundred miles south of here, and haven't seen a spring time yet. Unless you count that one weekend we sometimes get in June.

Everything a bass does outside of spawning is feeding related. Based on studies I have seen, when the water temps are favorable bass are usually hungry. What takes a week to digest in 45 degree water is done in less than a day in 75 degree water, and in a healthy environment there is a balance where there is enough prey to eat, but not so much that it's easy pickins. So if a food like thing finds it's way near a bass, there is a pretty good chance they are going to think about eating it. They have to, free cheese is free cheese, and they can't afford to let a free meal go by. However, I do believe that a bass can "learn" that certain things aren't worth the effort. Bass will eat little baby 2" crawfish, but those big grown suckers they avoid. They avoid turtles regardless of size, presumably because of the claws that can do a number on you and the shell. Toads and frogs, I know we like to use them as bait but bass just don't seem to want to eat them in the wild. The skin is toxic and tastes bad. I used to work in an aquarium store in HS, and I can tell from direct experimentation that a Puffer fish will attack a Newt no more than a couple of times, and that's it forever. You can try again months later and at most they will go peck it once, but they won't eat it. I know it's not a natural habitat and all, but it showed me that fish learn. Having said all of this, I think the number one reason fish refuse our lures is not because they aren't hungry, and not because they have "learned" something about it, but because we didn't present it correctly. Not the right angle, too noisy, ... a million different ways we can screw that up. So I think I'm saying is - yes, fish will "learn" about lures and be more susceptible to them. If you present a lure properly to a bass that isn't digesting food, you have a better chance of getting bit if that fish hasn't had a negative experience with that lure. I'm not saying it's impossible to catch the fish again, just that it's more likely to get bit if they haven't seen it. And finally, if I am not getting bit, the first thing I think about is what am *I* doing wrong, not "fish aren't hungry" or "they have seen this" etc... Just my opinion.

Believe it or not I can only remember having to cut one out once in the past ... 25 years? And that was last year, and that was when my wife wanted to try casting a baitcaster, and that was when I had to take lots of deep breaths and smile and reassure her everything was fine, and that she didn't "break it", and that I still loved her. But wow. It was amazing. She launched that sucker straight down in front of her at 100mph. Now she says when I take my kids out fishing (adults but they don't fish that much) not to give them one of those "complicated" reels to use.

@MTBassin - Wow to the scenery. I spent a week fishing the Yellowstone and Madison 15 years ago (trout), seeing those pics make me want to go back and hit some of the lakes for bass. Incredible.

@N Florida Mike: I'm the exact opposite. I can skip a little with casting, but can't do it with spinning gear. In fact I can't think of anything I can do better with spinning gear than casting gear.

I got a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass rod for this season - the 6'8" MH/F which I have been using as my primary worm rod, but it would be a great jig rod as well. I can not say enough good things about this rod. I thought the Avid's were nice rods, the bump up to this rod is more than worth it imo. So if it were me, I would pair this rod ($270) with a Lew's Tournament Pro ($200).

While I can sympathize with the short season folks, what is generally true is that when those places wake up they are heaven. It's like all of the action is packed into a 3 month time frame. @3dees what kind of boat? I got a new boat last year but got it at the boat show, so it was ready to roll when the weather broke. I'd be going nuts if I was waiting for a delivery.

I only use barbless when fishing for trout, mainly because in Wisconsin it's illegal to use a barbed hook in the early catch and release season (Mar-May). I also tie all of my own flies and it's just become habit that step 0 in the fly tying process is de-barbing the hook. I have been checked before, and the conservation officer actually put the hook in his shirt and then pulled it out. It came out clean, so no ticket for me. The average size hook I use for trout is a size 16, and I'll go down to a 22. So very small hooks, and barbless, and you would think one would lose alot of fish but you don't. Now trout and bass are different, different anatomy and different fight I realize, but I'd be willing to bet that you wouldn't lose as many fish as you think you would.

Ouch. At least you have a helluva' story to tell!

Amber (Brown/Copper) for me as well, all of the time.

I almost fish exclusively with live bait for walleye. Difference between bass and walleye for me is 1) I fish for bass much more often and 2) I will keep walleye for the grill.