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Very well presented interview LBH

Thanks I didn't weigh it and I hate guessing. But it wasn't one of the double digit fish I look for Maybe tomorrow when I go to my other lakes? (no tournaments for me but maybe someday when I grow up)

A friend wanted some pointers on where to start a tourney tomorrow on a lake that I do fish sometimes. After I got lost looking for the mens room on his new big azz Ranger............................. In the first dozen casts this minnow attacked me (I seem do this to people I take with me a lot .... and not intentionally and this time it wasn't you Tim - lol ). (I do have a head even though you may find a better one in the produce isle at the store)

Hi all, The two other people I fish with a lot (tennsopher & Timistall) would probably had made sure he got out somewhere if I hadn't and both called to make sure that Dan had a good time. There are a lot of down to Earth Great people on this site that are willing to share with no alterior motives. To me and them this is just how we were raised. The "pay-it-forward" principal is just being human and part of showing respect to others that all of us deserve. Daniel My Brother (Dan) is a Great guy to fish with with and if you do get around his area look him up, you will have an enjoyable day. I wish everyone all the best, Dave

Hi - Bitters has a good frog hook that works well with them T-rig style. I push the hook all of the way through then bring it down flush with the top to make it as weedless as possible. I have also used 5/0 weedless hooks with a wire guard with success on these also. Hi avid 20 - 25 mph is about the tops I can stand also. I fish mostly offshore structure like grass beds, trees, eel grass, etc.. anyway, so I like a little wind to drift fish this kind of structure. I'll pull the boat to one side then drift accross casting into the structure then when I get to the other side I will motor back around and move over 50' or so then drift accross again. If I'm fishing near the banks I will concentrate on the windy side during the cool months and the calm side during the summer. When the wind blows accross a lake it moves the top part of the water to one side and draws up water from the bottom on the calm side to replace the water it blew to the windy side. So in the summer the calm side will have a constant flow of cooler water coming up from the bottom and in the winter months the windy side will be warmer from the wind blowing the water the sun has warmed to that side. Drifting also lets you use the trolling motor very little if at all so there is an added sneak factor to it. Also with me being a clutz the wind helps cover up any noise I make make in the boat and it also distorts what the fish see above the water which will allow you to get a little closer to the fish without spooking them. I hope this helps explain my disfunctional logic a little. I just e-mail Larry with what I want and he has the rods made for me at my specs for no extra charge. I just ordered another a few days ago. Dave

Thanks for the kind words Dan and I also had a Great time. Maybe on your next trip we can get you some bigger than 3 or 4 lbs. I'm glad to see you made it home safe, Dave The reason I like the 5/0 Mister Twister hooks (actually Timistall's idea to add the hitch hiker) is that they have the best angle out of all of the hooks I have tried or seen for a perfect senko hook set. If you try them your hook ratio will go way up.

Most all tackle can not be recovered if stolen because there are no serial numbers to prove it is yours even to the law (receipts are worthless). Electronics and other gear with the serial numbers removed make these items un-identifiable also. You can deface these items with engraving which hurts or kills the resale value so that you can identify your items in court. Here is what I have been using around the home and other places to mark my belongings in a safe way. http://www.blacklightshop.com/markingpen.html The UV Pen is a permanent invisible marker and a 100% way to get your items back if you happen to find them in a thief's possession, pawn shop, or ?. Many pawn shops scan items for marks and will call if you use a phone # as a mark. I am not sure if some of you already do this type of marking but for those who don't it offers a good option. Hook the Crooks!

Wally World has the new ones also in some stores. They actually float saving all of that line to get them to the top + you can twitch them in the pockets of heavy cover (I may have posted this in another frog thread here somewhere)

Good work and good luck tonight!

Nice fish for a Yankee......j/k...... (isn't that what they call people that live north of Gainesville.... lol) ;D Really, Good work with a new bait!

When the shuttle goes up there are more fighter jets flying around than in Iraq. With Patrick AFB and the Trident sub base right next door security for launches is tight.

Here's how it looked from my back yard in Orlando. Not as visible as the night launches and about 1/10th as big as what the old Atlas rockets looked like, but live none the less.

Thanks all That was caught on a Bitter's "Buzz'N Gator" Green Pumpkin Red Glitter color. http://www.bittersbaitandtackle.com/items.php?Cat_ID=17

The Pros are normally targeting fish that are way less experienced than you or I am. Don't take that wrong because they love big fish but it's the medium size fish that feed them. Fish that have been hooked before do remember baits, noises, and their surroundings of past events. Big bass don't get big from being stupid or doing the same things all of the other fish do on normal public lakes. I don't think it's a secret that I catch a lot of big fish very consistantly and it's not by banging, clanking, or being foolish on the water. Boat color may or may not be a big factor but the other mentioned actions are. I guess the only proof of this is to look at how many big fish the people that believe it matters and the ones who don't believe it matters post pics of.

I believe we all have different goals we want to reach in bass fishing. So the term "Lunker" could apply differently to each one of us as it fits into our varied goals. I like all bass and I'm happy to be blessed everytime I catch one of any size.

Thanks, Mostly 3' - 6' in the grass away from the banks where deep water access is real close. They have been active in the middle of the day mostly which has been strange for as hot as it's been.

Hurricane winds ran everyone in again and I stayed out the same as last time. Some people just don't know the wind is their friend if they use it right, This one is only a little over 9 lbs and they are still full of roe the same as the 10.3 lb'er I got last Tuesday (when every one ran from the wind). I guess they just leave more for me. (and G-Blanks rods rock!) ;D

It's hard to compare PB weights from every part of the nation at once. I have just as much admiration for the skill for those (example) in NY that catch largemouth that weigh 6-7 lbs as someone here in FL that catches 9-10 lb largemouth on a consistant basis. I quit counting largemouth 10+ lbs in about 1986 @ a little over 130. But it was my job to put people on trophy fish on the best big bass lake in the World (West Lake Lake Toho). I am looking for a 14+ lb post-spawn bass from Florida waters only, no transplant "super" bred Florida strain bass elsewhere (they count as 0 to me because they are not a native species in those places). My PB was a 14 lb 4 oz pre-spawn bass that I personally only counted as a 13 lb ? oz because of her being full of roe. My boat was being remodeled the 1st 3 months of this year but I have still caught 4 over 10 lbs & 18 over 8 lbs since early April.

I'm not going to say I'm right on this 100% but I do believe colors make a difference here on the shallow waters of Florida. I have seen bass spooked just by the shadow that your body casts with the sun behind you when I was sight fishing. I wear jeans and not very bright shirts when I go. Also my bass boat is camo and if it wasn't fiberglass that weighed over 1,200 lbs I wouldn't use a trolling motor either (I'd scull around). I'm looking for a used 21' Ranger now and it will also get painted or wrapped camo. Maybe I'm just superstitious but it seems to work pretty well for me.

They have a new version of the Ribbit that I found last week. The same frog except "High Floater" and it does float great and saves that few feet of line it took to get them to the top before + you can it use like any other type of topwater bait (pop, jerk, etc..). My go to frog has to be the same as a lot of other people here have stated "Snag Proof" Original. I have been catching fish on them 20 yrs +.

I fit in to that category well except the smart part.............. I know I'm not the sharpest hook in the pack.

It's funny that most of the Kistler haters have never even fished one.....this thread gets better with each reply! I hope you all ain't throwing me in the Kistler haters that don't know what they are talking about, I'm not a fan really. I have a couple LTA rods here (and about everything else from the 1st Ugly Sticks- some Loomis GLX rods). It's like buying a Lexus ...... you can pay the extra $$ if you choose to, but your still driving a Toyota. (edited out) In my opinion the LTA rods here fish about the same as the All Star Classic rods, the over blown price is the only bad thing about them to me. The G-Blanks are a step up in performance/quality and cost half the price. just my .02

I do wear mine when the boat is moving early in the mornings and hook the kill cable to a belt loop when I'm by myself. With the water being low everywhere here sandbars are all over and it's Gator mating season (they are like hitting a semi) someone would be a nut not to wear one. I broke down and got a Mustang Classic auto-inflatable and the post above is right about forgetting it's even on after a few minutes.

That's what I was saying in the beginning....... "Give me an old bag of worms and a baitcaster then I will put fish in the boat" (Some people do well with spinning outfits but I've only casted a spinning rod a couple of times in my life...anything that the line goes on sideways looks like trouble to me. With a baitcaster I could rip your shirt pocket off with a lure without ever touching you @ 50'...... lol)

Tulsa, OK http://www.imaginationbassin.com/gblanksproducts.htm ls1jay - G. Loomis's brother bought out Shikari Blanks recently and that's the blanks G-Blanks uses also.