WRB-2.0

Please consider weighing only the bass that exceed your previous longest or a fish you believe weighs more. Over handling bass leads to post mortality and I don’t believe you want to kill the bass just to satisfy a static’s. Tom

Each to his own idea of what type of jig head is ideal for their use. There are hundreds of jig head designs each thought to optimized for a specific use. New designs emerge each year a never ending evolution of jig heads. I designed my Viper head jig back in ‘71 and it’s still unique never copied, perfect for my use! Tom

PM sent, do your own research. Fire fighting equipment allowed to be used in Shasta-Trinity National Forest… Tom

A Fire Chief is good friend and fights fires. The last big fire in that area they had to take their food a what non powered equipment with mules and had to helicopter evacuate loosing the of mules. This is serious problem in some areas California, no joke! Tom

Lake Shasta wilderness areas the fire crews are not allowed to use any equipment that burns fossil fuels an including chainsaw, Bull dozers etc. The ground crews must have a local Indian guide to prevent disturbing tribal pathways etc. It’s going to be a long fire season🤬 Tom

Charter Life Member with B.A.S.S. since 1968 and lived through many changing in the organization. Ray Scott was inspirational with his vision of getting cheating out of derbies with his blind draw team concept. As far as Catch & Release Scott believed tournament bass harvesting didn’t impact the fisheries and was forced to accept C&R he didn’t indorse it. Tom

No, I prefer using casting tackle and it isn’t any different then standard casting tackle other then your casting mechanics need to let the rod/reel load up and cast the lure. If you hurry the cast and try to force more distance the results isn’t good. Tom

You have a thumb….use it! Pull the bass using the rod that is what made for! Tom

It’s a sport to enjoy the outdoors, if you don’t want be outdoors fishing…..don’t go you will not be missed. Tom

Aluminum comes in several different alloys and coatings to lump gears into 1 material, 7075-T6/hard anodized most common for gears. Brass comes in several different alloys, leaded self lubricating is the most common for gears. Higher gear ratio’s put more stress on the gear set. Operator over stressing the gear set by locking down the drag clutch is a common error with bass anglers, adjust the drag and use it! Tom

I bought the Falcon Cara 7’2 BSF casting rod about a month ago. Paired the rod with ARK BSF limited edition reel with 5 lb UG copoly mono line. The rod feels more like a ML to me excellent build construction, extremely light weight combo that easily cast lures between 3/32 to 3/16 oz very accurately. Haven’t tried 1/16 oz lures don’t have any! My goal was to use this combo in lieu of my spinning outfits and it works perfectly. I can roll cast more accurately then spinning and better control of bass when hooked. This rod has more than enough power to handle bass up to 5 lbs, let you know if I catch anything bigger! Tom PS, the ARK BSF limited addition has a red spool and crank handle knob highlites that match the Cara logo red perfectly, nice touch. This reel has very good fine adjustment for peak performance, impressed👍

Haven’t looked at BPS catalog since they bought Cabela’s! Try looking at Barlow catalog if you want to see jig heads! Tom

Yamamoto 2 1/2” Twintail Hula grub on Ned/Mushroon jig. Tom PS, Don’t post photos, may have been Roboworms KicknCraw.

Bubba Lite accurate and Water resistant for use on the water, weighs to 60 lbs. For measuring Bass length in a kayak a Bump board is fast and accurate. Tom

That isn’t trolling it’s called surveying bass fishing. Tomc

Trolling for lake trout a good lure choice is 4 1/2” Doctor spoons, nickel. Determining depth is trial and error without sonar to show how deep the fish are. Generally shallower in the spring then they go deep! Tom

Green sunfish not a bluegill

Halibut bouncing sinker! Tom

Berryessa is your best bet. Tom

Suggest your buddy rig and cast out your rod/reel combo and hand it over to you. Have your friend explain what the bite feels like and what to look for. This is the technique I use for new anglers until they start catching bass. Tom

Deep cycle marine LiFeP04 the top rated and most popular with bass boaters are Iconic and Dakota, higher priced but you get good customer service! Lot bass boaters use 2 50AH batteries in lieu of a 100AH battery. Tom

Virginia 16 lb 4 oz Alabama 16 lbs 8 oz* Arkansas 16 lbs 8 oz* S. Carolina 16 lbs 2 oz* N. Carolina 15 lbs 9 oz. Mass 15 lbs 8 oz. * records older than 1985 more than likely not FLMB strain.

Northern strain LMB can achieve 15 lbs , it’s possible but very rare. My PB 37 lb Musky was caught using average bass tackle, 6’10” custom Lamiglas 4 power rod, 2500C reel with 8 lb UG copoly line and 1/4 oz hair jig fishing for Smallmouth bass. All my Musky fishing was using Heavy tackle with big lures, yet caught this big musky with my wife in the boat. Musky are fast strong fish but can’t make sharpe turns like a bass does. Keep the line tight and in front of you the fish wares itself out fighting. Tom

Pulling rubber strands through soft plastics isn’t new but the dice bait are! Good prediction on the “Fuzzy” baits Glenn👍

Having caught several 15+ lb LMB landing them successfully depends where you hook them. If the big bass is in or around trees or brush your odds are low keeping the big bass out of the cover. Big bass unlike other game fish can turn on a dime and very strong when turning sideways to the line pulling force. You must control the big bass keeping the fish coming towards you, easier said than done. If the big bass come up after hooking it your odds improve greatly but keeping hooked when on the surface is also problematic. Tom PS, hope you all get the chance👍