WRB-2.0

I own 3 Tatula R-100XS reels and haven't had to do anything with these reels other than tune the spool weights to my liking. They look great out of the box, black with red accents, light weight oversize handle with rubber cushioned pads. Drag is exceptionally smooth at all settings, gears and cranking very smooth. Fish it before you fool with it, casts extremely well, strong frame and handles big bass easily. So far I have been T-rigs and jigs because that's how I fish most of the time, making long casts. The XS 8.1-1 high speed for jigs and T-rigs flies in the face of logic and I have pooh-poohed this in the past. Because my presentations are often cast over 90' to 120'+, the high speed recovers about 26" to 28" per handle turn at those distances which is a big advantage when hook setting using the reel and rod sweep technique I use. It also helps in controlling the bass at a distance because of keep line pressure easier. Haven't caught any DD bass yet this year, a lot 6 to 7 lb bass without any issues. Tom

Missed the Friday night statement, night fishing is especially hazardous because you can't see without a light and a powerful spot light is need to run over 10 mph and the spot light can blind another approaching boat, damed if you and damed if you don't scenario, but lights are absolutely critical, both navigational red/ green bow and white stern lights, plus the spot light. Where I night fish we have a 10 mph no wake rule, if you plane the boat you are DQ'd. The young teenager is a hero, can't teach courage. Tom

All a follower is telling you it is interested in whatever lure you are using. When a bass is active enough to follow your lure it is catchable if you haven't alarmed that bass. If you were using a fast moving lure, make another cast, but give it enough time for that bass to return to where it came from. If the second cast doesn't create any interest, then try a different lure, slower if using a fast lure, faster of using a slow lure. Still no interest, put the location to memory and return in an or so. Tom

Paranoid personality disorder may fit. Altitude sickness usually isn't a factor until you are in thin air about 7000 feet and a simple aspirin will solve that problem for the majority of the population. You do realize that animals die, urinate and escrement in prestige crystal clear running trout waters. The FDA keeps honest people health as well as any large agency can, would you be happier without any over sight, move to Mexico. Live life in fear or use reasonable caution and enjoy your time on earth, it's limited. Bye the way how high are the NorCal rivers running as we speak, the Sacramento was near capacity during what the politicians are calling a severe drought, the water wars are getting started again. I agree the snow pack is light and it is going to be a El Niño year according to most weather forecasts. California's population has more than doubled in the past 30 years, where do you think more water is coming from? Good luck. Tom

Don't Liston to statements that 8 lb FC doesn't need line conditioner....it still springs off a baitcaster when fishing hot and dry weather conditions. FC doesn't wet from water and you need a wet line conditions or a film that holds the moisture to tame FC line. I use a liquid line conditioner called Tangle Free, it comes in a little 2 oz squeeze bottle I keep in my pocket. What FC line are you using? I am fishing with 10# green Sunline Super Sniper FC (0.0102D) on my Tatula R-100XS reels (3) without any problems and use Tangle Free as needed. KVD needs to be applied several hours before using and hasn't worked as good for me. Stay away from Real Magic! Tom

Catch big bass using your new reel it will become your best friend. Tom

Tragic accident and questions come to mind, were they all wearing PFD's? Tournament rules usually require PFD's when the big engine is running. 3 people in 1 boat could indicate a recreational non tournament boater collision with a tournament boater? 2 boats closing from opposite direction the relative speed is the total speed of both boats; one going 30 mph + the other boat going 20 mph, the impact speed is 50 mph for example. Watch where you are going, wear your PFD's and eye protection when running your boats under engine power. Be safe, not sorry! Tom

With Yo-Zuri 10# you are actually fishing 14# high memory mono hybrid line. Too heavy of line for small diameter spinning reels, you need at least a 3000 series spool size. FORGET what the Yo-Zuri label says and go with 6 lb Yo-Zuri or any premium mono like Trilene XL 8 lb or Sunline Machinrgun if you want premium line. Tom

1. Largemouth bass have different behavioral habits than Smallmouth or Spotted, which bass are you asking about?2. Bass are not true bass, they are the top end of the sunfish family and have similar behavior to bluegill for example, just a lot bigger and faster. 3. Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spotted bass spend about 80% of the lives suspended year around, 20% percent swimming and hunting. 4. You mentioned spawn, all bass species aggressively guard their nest sites. Yes these bass have a territory or small area they spend most of their time and may be aggressive when active or chasing smaller bass away from feeding areas and may eat smaller bass depending on the size of the bass. Bass are not considered school fish and will group together for hunting/ feeding purposes, otherwise tend to be loners as adult size fish. Tom

I would go with Sunline Machinegun Cast mono in 8#, if you like Yo-Zuri than go with 6#. Tom

#86 best bass lake in the world. Looks like this lake has both a LMB and SMB population that the locals over look. I would go with gold double willow spinner bait in chartreuse and white with chartreuse trailer, spring crawdad colored DD 14 crankbait and a 3/8 oz jig PBJ with Alabama craw trailer for the smallmouth and LMB. Tom

Custom hand pour soft plastics are available and a way of tournament fishing " secrets" out west for decades and I am sure in other regions. Having a secret custom hand pour that is kicking butt is every tournament bass anglers dream, asking them to disclose those color combinations will get you ......nowhere. Both Don Iovino products and Josh Uptom, Uptom's Customs, pour excellent custom soft plastics, go online and take a look of their colors available, then triple those for the secret colors. Every lake tends to have a color combo that is hot for a few months, few remain hot for years. Tom

Yo-Zuri 10# = Sunline FC 14#, Yo-Zuri 20# = Sunline 30#. Here my question would you fish 14# on your spinning reel and 30# on your bait casting reel? The answer is you are! This is why everyone should consider line diameter when selecting line. Tom

One these days I will post a list comparing line diameter by popular mfr's vs advertised line strength. Your reel capacity is based on line diameter, who's line the reel mfr's reference is unknown, so we don't know what the actual line capacity is for various line mfr's, nor do we know the actual line strength. Important, depends if want to know what you are using. If I changed Sunline 10lb FC line and labeled it 14 lb, you would believe it was super strong, having a break strength of 14 lb. This is exactly what some line mfr's are doing. Tom

Interesting link, thank you.Tom Diameter in mm to inches would be helpful; mm x .03937 = diameter in inches.

Used the CHO 7" model and still an excellent jerk bait. Tom

Do you fish a T-rig worm? Make a cast, let the jig fall on controlled slack line while watching and feeling the line for any indications of movement. The jig hits the bottom, shake the rod tip a few times, reel up the slack line, lift the rod upwards than stop and let the jig fall back to the bottom while watching and feeling the like for any strikes. If you see the line jumps, move or a tick, quickly reel the slack line in a set the hook.Tom

Think about the strength increments in % of increase, if you go from 5 to 10 that's is 100% increase in strength! Most manufactures offer a variety of different line types, some suited for spinning reels with less memory and others suited for baitcasting reel with higher abrasion resistance etc. most manufactures offer their line in 2# increments up to 12#, then go to 5# increments to 30#, then 10# increment to 60#. Some line manufactures target a wide variety go fish species and offer line in 1# increments 1# to 8A#. Line diameter per # test isn't standardized and varies between manufacturers. Line breaking strength also varies widely often under rated so the angler believes the line is Tom

Pork trailers were the first bass jig trailers. Salt cured pork skin about 1/8" thick, stored in salt brine water. A good pork rind trailer floats, is soft and very flexible so it swims like a natural critter. Soft plastic jig trailers rely on curly shaped tails or appendages to move as they go through the water to imitate the action of a pork trailer. Colors are limited, shapes are limited and suppliers are limited to Uncle Josh today, unless you make your own. Popular shapes are frogs, crawdads and eels. Today's anglers like the colors of soft plastic and don't like pork trailers because the require to be kept wet while fishing or it dries and become stiff. Tom

Hater, not at all. Going into the lure making business or any business based on offering a product without any knowledge of what your competition has is naive. If you choose a lure name already taken without researching trade names and competitor product names may get you lawsuits.Designing a unique jig design and proving it's bass catching qualities may give you a small piece of the jig business. The young man lives in AZ near Havasu and can offer jigs to local tackle shops if they are good, they may sell by simply using his first or last name as a product name. Tom

Green Bay is ranked 31, why not fish the best bass bay in Lake Michigan or list Lake Michigan as #1, they listed Lake Erie as #3, another Great Lake.Lake Casitas was listed #60 this time because of it's reputation of being a giant bass lake and that claim doesn't apply anymore and will not for another 5 years or so. Today Casitas is a good number lake and 20 lb 5 bass limits are common but this lake is too small to accommodate a lot of boats and requires 21 day quarantine period for every boat that passes quagga mussel inspection to be allowed to fish. This makes Casitas prohibitive to fish for anyone that doesn't live locally. Clear lake would be the best Largemouth bass fishery in the world according to this list. Tom

Do you consider Owner hooks have a big enough barb to satisfy your need? Siebert, Yamamoto and *** and others mfr’s offer jigs with Owner hooks (#5304). I would suggest the problem may be the person holding the rod may be the problem! Consider this fact; over 300 DD bass caught on a jig with Gamakatsu #114 size 5/0 jig hook, 5 top bass are 17.4, 17.4, 17.6 18.6 and 19.3 pounds,by me. I have not farmed a bass in decades due to hook barb failure. Tom

When did B.A.S.S. elites fish Sturgeon bay? Tom

To me a bottom feeder is either a lawyer or a sucker fish. The fact that I have caught 99% of my bass with 1” to 12" from the bottom is irrelevant. Tom

Hire a good guide for a day well worth the investment. Clear is ON in May. Bassmaster just named Clear lake #2 bass lake in the world, that would make the # 1 LMB lake as #1.is a Smallie fishery. Hitch color 68 ROF 12 is excellent at Clear lake, red craw deep divers, purple-green-brown jigs and Neko rigged 7" Senko's should put in good fish. Good luck. Tom