WRB-2.0

It looks like the Southern or Alabama Spotted bass where unknown originally and showed after studying with electro shocking. What was missing report is prey fish species are in this lake? For example Southern Coppernose Bluegill and Green Sunfish are known to decimate Spotted Bass spawn. The report notes the Spots are doing better than NLMB. Adding another species complicates the issues. Tom

Living rubber shouldn’t stick together. Never store jigs in folders the flatten out the skirt because they can take a set flattened. I am not an expert on living rubber, hair have lots of experience with. The expert I know is Mark Inman of Left’s Lures. Mark is retired and had a mild stroke, send a email to Bigbasshunter66@gmail.com for specific recommendation to resolve your issue. OK to mention my name. Tom

I would wash the jigs in warm water and blow dry them with no heat. I hang my jigs by the hook bend using a gun cleaning rod* through screw eyes under my work bench cabenate. The shouldn’t stick together unless something oily got on it. Tom * wire tends to sag with the jig weight.

Never seen a Hammerhead jump? Mako that big would amazing. Tom

What do mean by “rubber”? Living rubber doesn’t stick together, flat vinyl doesn’t. Tom

Your DNR can do a population electro shock study to determine what maybe going on. My guess it’s a seasonal change location and your honey holes are now nursery area during the summer period. Try night fishing! Tom

Back around 2010 Blackwater Fishing was a local supplier for Toray Solaroam FC and started using it in lieu of Shooter FC the 1st available on 100+ meter spools that I knew of in the late 90’s. Not aware of JDM suppliers back then finally gave up on Solaroam FC when the price hit $35 for 85 meters. Seaguar came with Tatsu about that time $40 200 yard spool. BSF bait casting reel 6# Tatsu will fill a few times, best choice. Tom

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I used lighter line for bass because of Jason Lucas my advocate as a young teen. 10 lb Dacron braid was my line until Sbu came out with Ambassador reels, the all my bass fishing friends used 17 lb Royal Bonyl mono. The mono changed over the early years from 17 to 10 or 8 lb when the Florida LMB where introduced, they wouldn’t strike anything with heavier line the 10 lb. So reverted back. To Jay’s 10 lb buy now mono. Having caught hundreds of big LMB using 10 /12 lb mono the big bass fought hard. My 2 biggest both jumped when hook more then a heart stopping length out of the water and ran hard and fast, great memories. Nothing lazy about these giant bass. The lighter tackle could handle them if you slowed down and enjoyed the fight. Tom

Like the song Don’t let your babies grow up to be Cowboys for me should have been gymnast's. My bone joints especially shoulders are a mess from arthritis and DISH* disease. Cannabis CBD cream helps the chronic pain without being a blood thinner. Voltaren is now over the counter and helps . If CBD cream isn’t legal where you live it can be purchased from Canada or Amazon. Physical therapy works after the inflammation is resolved. Steroid shot is the fastest method followed by PT. All creams can do is help chronic pain after the cause is treated. Tom * diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.

I will go out on a limb and say over 90% of bass anglers use tackle with line that exceeds the weight of the bass by 3X and rods that can lift the bass out of the water. Few bass anglers actually use the reels drag, they lock it down. We have a thread discussing Medium - 3 power bass being too weak for bass fishing, confirming everything just stated above. How do you expect a bass to fight against tackle capable of controlling fish 5X the bass being caught? Some bass don’t fight well do to poor health, big hook injury or wrapped up in weeds. Even trying to fight against tackle 3X stronger then needed to control them they still put up a good fight pound for pound. The spinning finesse bass angler tackle is more appropriate for bass a high % of the bass caught . But… I flip and pitch in heavy cover and need heavy tackle…60 lb braid…. Not really 30 lb will work. Tom

The pound for pound debate that bluegill are stronger then bass doesn’t hold water unless fight means pulling power. Flight to me means running speed, jumping and pulling factors. Bluegill and Red Ear sunfish don’t run or jump they pull in circles using their fat sides to resist, not much of a fighter. Fresh water fish vs salt water, salt water wins hands down. Smallmouth bass vs Spotted bass smallies win, better jumpers. Tom

Our local lakes are only open to night fishing during the 4 Summer Period months one night each month. Zero night fishing experience during winter. Tom

I don’t glue soft plastics to jigs that don’t have keepers! What I do is hold the jig hook at the bend in a vice. Tie on 20 lb mono line wrap about 5 to 6 spiral turns tightly onto the hook straight shank then tie off with a double hitch knot. Super glue the wrapped line and knots. Let dry then cut off the line leaving about 1/8 ends. This will hold soft plastic firmly on the hook shank without tearing. It. Tom

The original Scrounger jig has been copied and redesigned by a dozen companies trying solve the bill material and hook sizes. Scrounger are excellent mid water column slower retrieve lure if you find a mfr with the proper bill size and material plus premium sharp hook & size for the trailer. Looked at Scottsboro finesse soft bill and they appear to be a good design but haven’t fished them. The trailer I prefer is a Sluggo because it works. Tom

Before the term strolling was hijacked strolling was slowly dragging a split shot rig or swimming a dart head jig worm rig using the trolling motor, popular in the west during the 80’s. today’s strolling is very similar to a 1/8 ox dart head jig/4 1/2” finesse worm. I have been using dart heads / finesse worms since Dick Trask* introduced the presentation in late 70’s-early 80’s. Strolling is now swimming a finesse soft plastic precisely at a specific depth the suspended bass are hold at using FFS to find them. 45 years ago our FFS was metering bait schools under Grebes with a flasher. The birds found the bait the flasher determined what depth to swim the dart head/ Flutter Craft worm to catch suspended bass. Rods back then were 6’8” Phoenix MF “split shot” fast tip spinning rods w/ Daiwa TD SS 1300 and 4 or 5 lb Max UG mono. Today I suggest using SC Victory 7’3” MXF rod and 7 lb Sniper FC or 5 lb Max UG. Tom * the late Dick Trask was a magician at catching suspended LMB, worth looking him up.

I have 6 rods & reels saved for bass fishing. 5 are Medium power; 1 bait casting Iovino MC 6’8” Splash-It rod w/Shimano SLX MGL 70 reel, 11 lb Armilo mono. This is my utility rod for everything except 7/16-3/4 oz jigs that uses 12 lb Tatsu FC on Custom MHF, 6’10” rod, Tatula reel. 3 are Medium spinning rods; SC Victory 71MF, 7’1”, SC Victory MXF 7’3” with Vanford 2500 w/ 7 lb Sniper FC. Iovino Phoenix MF Split Shot w/Stradic I000, 5 lb MaxUG copoly line. Tom

Technically a medium Power rod is between Medium light/2 power and Medium heavy 4 power ie; medium 3 power. Since no standard exist it’s all subjective to the user and rod builder. Don’t confuse power and action Tom.

Black Dog lure company tried to go off shore to mfr their wooden swim/wake baits and ran into trouble recreating the quality they needed. The G2 was BG effort to offer a molded higher production at entry level pricing. The originals were painted by BD domestically. Being a molded hard plastic lure the flotation is similar to a bobber with a diving bill, more wake then subsurvicr swimmer. The rod should be moderate action to load and cast similar to a big crank crank and leave about 3’ of line out from the rod tip. Good lure but nothing like wooden BD lures imo. Tom

Good tip Uribe has been kicking butt in the kayak series. Tom

When you said “caught it early” my hope went way up. Early detection is critical with faster moving cancer types. Stay strong and take care of yourself so you can be her caretaker and advocate. We are here for you and your family🙏🏻 Tom

Canada it ‘s called a cottage, States it’s a summer home. Tom

Warranty should cover it, return it to where you purchased it. What is known as tangle free guides that slant forward help prevent what happen. Tom

If could go back 20 years to 2004 I would be 61 still working, my wife would be planning her retirement, my son starting his career. My daughter planning announcing her engagement and our parents still living. Catching a 20lb+ still a possibility. 10 years later 2015 all the parents are gone, we are both retired traveling the world, daughter didn’t get married, son working no longer believe a 20+ is possible. 2020 we lose our all our siblings and our only son to cancer no longer looking to fishing just trying to make it day to day. 2024 thankful for my BR friends👍 Tom

If the guide frame foot slipped out from under the thread wrap you can slide back under and apply a drop of your wife’s hard as nails clear to hold it in place. Super glue is difficult to remove to repair the giude correctly. Tom