Team9nine

Busted the lip of a $25 MegaBass today - not lost, but pretty much worthless now -T9

If you go inside the park, I'd check out what they call the bird sanctuary, the old gravel pit up near the 71st St. entrance. Can walk and fish around 2/3rds pretty easily. If you stay outside the park, then the 56th St. causeway is usually your best bet. -T9

I'm pretty convinced that no fish shuts down worse after a cold front than crappie seem to do. With bass, it seems you can always catch at least a few little active ones. -T9

Thanks, Catt - Paul Johnson of Berkley did all the original research that you refer to. It was detailed extensively in Bassmaster magazine back in 1979. There might have been others. He also included some detailed explanations in his book. Like you said, things like rod length, physical stature, etc, made no difference. It was pretty much all technique. -T9

Don't know about more amps or any of that stuff as I'm not an electrician, but I did the exact same thing with my last boat (used waterproof connections similar to what are used for wiring well pumps, etc.) and ran for half a dozen years like that without any issues. -T9

Would love to see it - that's a heck of a fish - perhaps even a lake record. Largest I've actually seen previous to that was a 7.2 lb. fish. We can test your scale at the same time out of curiosity. Would be good to know. I have certified weights I use to make sure my own scales stay accurate and calibrated. I'll likely be out there on Saturday. I'll keep my eyes open for you. -T9

Out of curiosity, were those tests done on dry land, or did you have a diver with the force gage and much of the line underneath the water? If under water, 2lb. would be to the high side of force generated by most anglers for the distances you mentioned, a very good hook setting technique -T9

You're obviously not fishing the same lake that I am BTW, can I borrow your scale on my next trip? -T9

That experiment has been done. Since you are barely generating over a pound of hook-setting force at that distance, and taking into consideration the bend of the rod, the mass of the fish, your stated depth of water and the drag effect on your line in water (and the non straight-line nature of the line in these circumstances), I believe the answer to actual line stretch is very likely less than 2' at that distance. -T9

Nice job, FryDog62 - and now you see why all the "dry tests" people do are fun to look at but somewhat meaningless. Nobody fishes with "dry" lines except during the first several minutes of a given trip. Taking your "wet" elasticity readings and looking at the data another way, you have the two fluorocarbons only averaging a 2.0% increase in stretch when wet, versus a 31.8% average increase for copolymers and a 41.7% average increase in monos. If you had also devised tests that compared these "wet" lines for knot strength and abrasion resistance, you'd see a big decrease in performance that the copolys and monos would exhibit when "wet," very similar to the decrease in performance for elasticity. P.S. - and yes, there is a direct correlation between line diameter and % elasticity, which is why you can't compare equally "rated" lines, but instead have to compare equal "diameter" lines (regardless of rating). -T9

LOL, I snagged a rope last weekend, but now can't remember if it was that dock or not. Edit: now I know which dock you mean, and it wasn't that one Seriously, I bet I've caught in excess of 7,500 bass in the last 5 years out there, and none have been bigger than that 5.8, and maybe 7 or 8 (or 9?) have been legitimate 5's. If I get two 5's in a year out there, that is a good year...but I've always been a numbers guy and not a "big fish" person. -T9

Great job! You just caught more big bass in one day on that lake than I'll catch out there all year -T9

X2 It's a mixed bag when both are tested dry based on multiple test results I've seen (really depends upon brands tested and methodology), but not much of a contest when tested wet (minimal amount of time to absorb water to simulate actual fishing conditions), where FC is nearly always superior in abrasion resistance since it isn't (almost 0, not quite) hygroscopic. -T9

I agree, Tom. I think the OP's question falls more under a discussion of theoretical versus practical. -T9

While there are several different ways to measure refractive index depending upon material, most national labs would follow strict guidelines and protocols such as those issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Machines have to be calibrated using similar protocols and fall within specific tolerances, and companies (Cargille Labs, etc.) supply a variety of refractive index liquids which serve as certified materials for such calibrations and analysis. So while there could be some variation I suppose based upon who does the measurement and how, it is considered a physical property that shouldn't have variation when tested properly under/at specific conditions.

So the simple answer to your question is 100% fluorocarbon leaders will be the "most invisible" compared to mono/nylon, copolys, hybrids, etc. Throw out the floroclear because it's not pure fluorocarbon, so it couldn't be the most "invisible.". Beyond that, all 100% fluorocarbons will be the same. So while the resins used and the extrusion process by brand may make certain lines seem to have a tint, the refractive index of 100% fluorocarbon is a constant and cannot be altered. As such, one can't be "more invisible" than another. -T9

Since strength is your #1 consideration, that leaves out a lot of knots including the uni-uni. There are really just 3 practical/common freshwater knots to consider; FG/Sebile, Alberto and 'J' Knot Strength - FG/Sebile is best, with a tie between Alberto and J knot for 2nd strongest (edge Alberto) Ease of tying - J Knot has the least amount of turns/twists, but Alberto isn't far behind in ease. FG/Sebile seems to be the toughest of the three for most. Profile - FG/Sebile wins here again, with Alberto in 2nd and J knot in 3rd -T9

Now I know who to look for Guessing that was you in the front of the boat? Was much colder and windier today. Really restricted where you could easily or comfortably fish. Looked like you guys had minnows, too? Some place local that had them? Marina opens next weekend, so bait should be available soon. -T9

As was stated earlier, if it doesn't seem to work for you, then don't use it and instead use something you're more comfortable with. The freedom of choice is part of what is great about fishing. That said, I'll still take the seemingly unpopular position that the line (fluorocarbon) isn't the issue in most cases. It's the angler or the setup. -T9

Water temps are holding in the low 50s still where I'm at, so not having to pause very long, about 2-4 seconds on average. There was nobody in the parking lot today except me, and the only boat I saw on the water was a little white V-bottom. Were you one of the guys in that boat? Don't think I saw another fisherman on the lake today. Fished just a hair over 2 hours today and put 25 more in the boat, plus 1 random white bass. Jigs and jerkbaits. -T9

Fishing one of the smaller reservoirs in central IN west of Indy... Jerkbaits and jigs. Jerkbait fish were adjacent to deeper water (10'-20'), and jig fish were up shallower, mostly 6' and less. -T9

They were chewing today. Had to have caught 75 or more in just over 3.5 hours. Cold front doesn't seem to be bothering them at all. May even try and tempt fate and go again tomorrow -T9

Casting issues are almost never the line, especially when dealing with very standard brands and sizes. I use everything from 8# InvisX up to 20# Toray on most all my baitcasters with no issues. Look at the rod, the reel and the baits. Good casting is accomplished with the proper combination of those three things. The line is just along for the ride. -T9

Sorry about that. I haven't been there, but had read many reports over the years from those that have fished there and new it was right in the area. Maybe they were all in tubes or small jon boats. Heard the fishing was pretty decent though. Figured being a state F&W area with a boat ramp there might have been more bank access.

X2 - all year long. Managed about 700+ last year. Was a good year for them. -T9