WRB-2.0

When you are ready and have the budget to buy when you find what you want! Tom

Had look this up, thought Hellbender was a whopper Stopper lure. It looks like a big salamander like a tiger salamander without the gills to me. Tom

Dr Fish makes a padded lure wrap. My old wraps were called Pig Blankets, no longer around. Tom

Western pro Dick Trask was the pioneer of mid strolling using dart jigs and 4 1/2 Flutter Craft worms in the 80’s. Trask had the mid lake all to himself winning multiple tournaments and at least 7 bass boats. Know one knew how Trask was catching his bass for years! Tom

Welcome to BR! Lauphin casino’s and the Parker Stripe are 2 different places on the Colorado River. The Casino’s are below Davis dam / lake Mojave, the Parker Strip below Parker dam / lake Havasu. The casino’s Laughin is a better smallmouth bass fishing location. Don’t know why you want to feed smallmouth dice baits? Whatever Gitzit 3 3/4” tubes in desert craw with 3/16 oz tube jig works. Tom

Golden Shiners are a high protein prey fish. Tom

Search 750 size spinning reels, both Daiwa and Shimano plus others offer them. Tom

Genetics big bass produce big bass. Texas Share A Lunker program is proof of this. California Giant LMB were Florida strain introduced into lakes that didn’t produce many LMB over 8 lbs often same ecosystem that produce hundreds of DD size LMB. This indicates to me it’s all genetics'. My PB Northern strain caught at lake Casitas in 1971 is 27.5” long weighing 12.25 lbs. My PB Florida strain from lake Casitas in 1981 is 28.5” long weighing 18.6 lbs. Both bass caught at the same location on jigs. PB Florida strain from lake Castiac caught 1993 is 28.5” long weighing 19.3 lbs, also caught on a jig. World Record FLMB caught in Japan in Japan is 29” long weighing 22.31 lbs. Tom

Probably an old long male. Tom

Need to remember bass come in males and females. Males will have thinner bodies and with age their head out grows the body indicates an old male. Female bass grow fatter do to the need to produce eggs and surround those egg sacks with fat to insulate them during the cold water periods. Eating an abundance of high protein prey without the need to hunt and chase down prey or swim against current they they grow faster the the skeleton length. Football shaped bass are very healthy. Tom

Been using the fly rod snake guide suggested by Mick since the 70’s located about 4” up the blank reel handle side. Today most rods have a hook keeper near the reel seat. I also use lure wraps to help keep the hook barb from damaging the line on the rod. Tom

When Berkley Power Bait worm 1st came out around the early 80’s everyone was sanding the worms to release more scent. The sanding faded out in a few years and don’t know anyone still doing that. Tom

Yo- Zuri hybrid is not a copolymer line it’s a co-extruded line meaning a copolymer line within fC jacket outer co extrusion, result is a larger diameter line. I personally select mono, copolymer and FC line by its diameter in lieu of pound test. The Palomar knot is strong tied correctly like most knots. What kills a Palomar knot is twisting the loop when putting the lure or hook through. The twist created the line to cross over on top of its self and cuts the line when tightening the knot. Easy mistake to make. Tom

You are good with those lures, may need different swimbait rod and line for lures over 2 oz. Tom

When I had boats I filled the boat gas tank at the same time as my tow vehicle at a gas’s station with high fuel turn over so it is fresh gasoline. Added Stabil when I wasn’t using the boat as much and recycled the generator gasoline into the tow vehicle and filling the 3 gallon generator gasoline can at the same time, adding Staybil. Did this routine for decades without any issues. Tom

Big Game 8 lb is .011d, marginal! 15 lb is .015d, Tom

Shouldn’t go over .010 diameter on spinning reels 1000 to 3000 bass sizes. Tom

The key to keeping fish alive is controlling the water temps and DO levels plus filtering out loose scales. This like having a home aquarium in your boat. The issue using surface water in the live is the water is hotter or colder then the bass are acclimated to, 10 degrees difference and the bass will rollover. Keeping bait alive is similar on a smaller volume of fresh water. Tom

Sounds like your hands tendons should heal OK and get back to fishing in a few months. Age catches up will all of use. Tom

We are talking about a 10,000 yard spool 12” diameter. You should use a line guide tool to evenly spool line onto reels. Nice spool holder! Tom

Sunlight, below freezing temps and above 105 degrees temps affects the shelf life of monofilament line like Gig Game. Stored indoors away from sunlight, temperature extremes the mono line will last a very long time. You need a professional line winder to hold a 10,000 yard big spool. Tom

You describing the standard underhand roll cast! Tom

2014 I still had my boat and fishing with my late son Tommy and occasionally with a few friends if going to another lake besides Casitas. The Quagga mussel changed where we could bass fish due to quarantines. Lake Castias my boat was locked onto and required 30 day quarantine if fishing another lake. Fishing from a buddies boat solved that problem but you are a backseater. The Quagga mussel and no Rainbow trout plants devastated the giant bass population and the effects were obvious by 2015, they were gone! Now recovered from the spine surgery bass fishing locally was suffering and would go down hill for another decade. I enjoyed this time fishing with my son when he had time as he was building his Webb business. We fished night tournament mostly that we both enjoyed. 2019 would turn our lives upside down when our discovered he had fatal stage 4 renal cancer and passed away 2020. Sold everything fishing including my boat and tackle. 2023 I am back to bass fishing occasionally as a backseater with few friends*. Tom * Jeff aka Big Hands has taken this thankful old man fishing👍

I get solid hook sets using both straight mono or FC line using a 6’10” 5 power jig rod after casting 120’ to 150’ using the reel set with firm rod sweep. Without this hook set technique it’s impossible to move enough line to get a hook set. Tom

2012 I was snorkeling off the coast of Maui when my legs stopped working. A friend was with me and help to get me to shore. I was watching my spine for degradation and this was the signal it’s time for surgery! We flew home and schedules my L5 vertebrae to removed and fused to S1 to L4 hoping I could walk again, it worked! I was off of everything physical for about 12 month and survived my fishing urge reading Bass Resource every day. I can still fish but clumsy getting into or out of a boat. Reduced to back seating occasionally but still love to bass fish! I hope your surgeries work out good for you and recovery may seem long but in reality it’s a sort pause. Tom