tennsopher

I wasnt going to respond to this,but the answer is so simple.It is simply knowledge.Know where the big fish in your home lake live and what and where they feed on.Do you need to throw a three ounce bait to catch them?No,you need to know what they normally eat in the body of water you are fishing.Location ,presentation,and feeding cycles are the key elements in your quest.Would the big bass chasers in California outfish the local pros in Wisconsin where a big fish is 6lbs?I doubt it, though they might do okay.Have any of you guys living here in Florida caught a lunker on a trout swimbait?I started taking pictures on my camera phone in April to show my coherts at work.They looked at me funny when I told them what I caught.I only fish one day a week as that is my only day off.Im an old guy,and if any of you techno guys can help me I will post a dozen pictures for you to see from 7 to 10 lbs.All were caught on what you probably already own.

Dan,I may have to look into the Kores in the near future.Ive noticed from your previuos posts you are a great sounding board for new products and I thank you.When I first joined this forum,you recommended the Kistler Helium to me and I bought one.Paired with my tdz it has become one of my favorites and I bought another one.On the other hand,Im of limited budget for my equipment,so I want the best I can afford.For those such as myself,Natives and my GLoomis rods justify their cost by performance and warranty factor. Tennsopher

Most of my old magazines are long gone due to my moving to Florida from Tennessee twenty three years ago.I still have some in my shed somewhere from 80s early 90s.I just picked a book off my shelf when I saw your post out of curiosity.It is titled BASS A HANDBOOK OF STRATEGIES.It is copyrighted 1981 and autographed by the authors Bobby Murray,Al Lindner,Chet Meyers,Ron Lindner,and Billy Murray.Bass fishing may have changed somewhat,bit the fish and enjoyment of fishing have remained the same.

Skwerl,I saw your post and thought Id pass on a littke trick.Take a soldering gun and close in the area where the wire wraps around itself and the open gap at top where the blade hooks to.This should fix your tangling problem.Different blade styles are for different retrieve speeds and depths ie wilow leaf for fast and shallow and Indiana or colorado for slower and deeper.Try and match your skirt color to available forage white and blues for shad,gold for shiners and greens and clowns for bluegill.I hope this helps. Tennsopher

Roger, My first issues of Bass master were given to me by a guy named John Therell whom fished the early tournament trail .I dated his daughter.This was about 68 or 69 I believe.Bill Dance was king and Bobby Murray was atwo time classic champ.I believe Spence Petros might have been a contributor to the mag at that time.Too bad many northern fishermen never read night crawler secrets a classic,and I believe one of his works.Im a southerner and Al and Ron Linder I give all the respect in the world as bass fishermen whether up North or down South.Ive been priveledged to share the boat with the great Billy Wetmoreland when I wasyoung(he was my best friends cousin)and hes kin to my mom.Still,I dont think he had much on Al and Ron though he was the best light tackle fisherman Ive ever seen.

I went looking for apair of sunglasses recently and was interested in Costas.I went to West Marine here in Orlando, and the sales clerk showed me the Native line.Iwent outside carrying both pairs for a comparison.Not only were the Natives as effective blocking glare,they were just as light and come with four sets of lenses.I live in central Florida and the sun is bright here.I also drive an 18 wheeler for a living and its important I see well to keep the directionally impaired tourists safe.These come with a lifetime warranty(20 dollar replacement fee),and are some of the best sight fishing glasses Ive ever used .Also,the rose colored lenses brighten light well during overcast days like flipping a light switch on.Just my two cents. Tennsopher

RoLo is the only one mentioning Fishing Facts,a magazine that tywenty years ago gave me more kniowledge of crankbait fishing than anything Ive ever seen in print.Excellent choice. Tennsopher

I have agood day anytime I get to go fishing.After 40 years of chasing bass,my goals are to understand the fishes environment, and to put the pieces of the puzzle together.I get just as big a thrill putting friends of mine on big fish anymore as I do catching them myself.Enjoy Gods creations and treat them as if you knew He put them there for us.

I believe Rolo is dead on location is a huge part of the equation.Weekend before last I caught a 7-4,an8-15 and a9-5 all on lucky craft lv10.The lake is one I just started fishing again this year after several years of not fishing there.Developement has taken away the once plentiful hyacinths and much shoreline cover.This also killed out the golden shiners once plentiful near the vegetation.Solution?I noticed schools of shad roaming open water and several dead ones floating where they had been struck and crippled.The locator showed underwater mounds and grass beds offshore in 10-15ft of water.I found the most realistic looking shad bait I could .I fish these near the structure when the bait is close by as shown by my depthfinder.Your bait should match the predominent bait in the lake in size and appearance. hope you get a whale Tennsopher

I voted offensive,naked guys dont make me want to buy bait.Besides,you dont kniow where their hands have been.Even if you were a female,these guys look like they bypassed Ballys on the way to McDonalds.Put the fishing togs back on and appeal to fishermen like you know something about fishing.

Orlando,been here since 1983.Originally lived in Apopka when I moved here.

Bill Dance is probably one of the greatest bass fishermen of all time.The hat he wears is from his support of the Tennessee Vols.Sorry he doesnt wear designer sportswear plastered with patches,or talk in hip hop phrases.He does do one thing well,and that being catching and understanding bass behavior. I bet he cuts less film to show big bass than your personal favorite.Give props to all these guys,they are doing what we all wish we could for a living.By the way ,what time and channel are you on?

Bill Dance has always been my favorite.A fellow Tennessee fan,(hence the hat) and the most feared competitor in the early days of BASS.Ive met him several times,and he is as down to earth as he appears on tv.Second would be Linder,not only a great fisherman, but a good Christian .Sorry if Im not politically correct,but I believe in Christ.Last ,but not least,Larry Dahlberg,probably the greatest multi-species angler in the world today.

A lot of guides here in Florida bait holes for shiners and later take their clients there to fish .Oatmeal works great.

The biggest problem I have with the "catch" ,is the whole bed fishing deal.Matt, you said the fish had not returned to the nest.My thoughts are GO FISH GO AND DONT LOOK BACK! Seriously,if the lake is as small as stated,with renowned trophy hunters after her,she will be caught.Hopefully in a more sportsmanlike manner.I dont think any of us were around to witness Perrys catch either,but I dont believe it was a bed fish.Heck,if we could find Osamas bed I bet we could catch him too!

Im all for the Chinese guy with a bobber.At least he wouldnt be birdogged onto a fish he could pester untill it was foul hooked protecting its nest.Why even bother to fish outside the spawn if you want that elusive trophy?Sorry,thats just my opinion on his catch.

California has been producing some giants lately on super nutrition.Barry Bonds comes to mind for instance.

What yall need is aglass bottomed pontoon boat with a gaggle of observers and a couple of scuba divers to place the baits precisely in her nest.I hope personally the old girl eludes capture until someone catches her legitamitely on sporting tackle and in the act of feeding.It kinda reminds me of killing African big game in Texas trapped in a pen.Although it would be a standing world record, the greatest bass caught by sporting means would still belong to George Perry.

With the conditions you describe,its going to be a tough bite.The water is cold,high ,and muddy.Find a bait that you can confidently fish tight to cover and slowly!The fish will probably be scattered,but near the clearest water out of current .If you are a good jig fishernan,so much the better.If the water is high and running,as in lake tributaries I would look there first.Keep in mind the current breaks,cold running water is taboo.Think calm ,clear and slow.Ihope you slay them. Tennsopher

Break out your spoonbill tackle, its snagging season!

I live here in Orlando,been a bass addict my whole life.Im from Tennessee(great fishing there),but when I had the opportunity to move to central Florida in 1983 ,I jumped on it.I have never looked back.

When I was in the army ,I used to fish with a great jig fisherman.This was done with a 14ft. saltwater blank and 40lb. test.It was kind of a forerunner to flipping.He once told me the best he ever met at the technique was an old man.The guy told him to imagine he was rabbit hunting,and to look for those kind of areas.This was pre-spawn in Kentucky,and that information served me well as I tried to master the art of "jig fishin".

I use a9ft Scott rod in 8wt and a single action Ross reel with wf8f line.The Dahlberg diver that was mentioned is a great bait,along with the deerhair mice and hard bodied poppers.Also look into any of Dave Whitlocks creations if you can find them.Any bass over 5lbs on a fly is a heart pounding,pee your pants experience!Good luck,I hope you catch a bunch with it. Tennsopher

Hey GobbleDog, I also live in Orlando and know who you are talking about.I generally deal with John and he seems to be a good guy.I ordered my Ikas from tackle warehouse online.I havent used them much yet to know how well they work here but the swim away action intrigues me.The flying lure has the same principle and I have killed them with it skipping them under docks.They will reach where most baits cant be presented. Tennsopher