BassinLou

I try to match diameter to diameter. Has not steered me wrong yet.

Yes. It will either say No Trespassing, Private Property, or No Fishing. See fence, go somewhere else. See a home, either ask for permission, or find land that has no homes around it.

Flyfisher beat me to it. The only time I would use straight braid for topwater is for fishing a hollowbody frog, mouse, bird, or buzzing frog like a horny toad for example. Great top water lines that shine for flukes, spooks, chug bugs, etc. would be mono, then copoly.

Makes sense. Best of luck to you.

Here in Fl, you can frog almost 3 out of the four seasons quite well. Keep thinking frogging is just a summer bait, you are missing out on some quality fish otherwise. Just my .02

Who knows. You will come across other colors that the fish will like as well. Make a mental note of the conditions you are fishing that make the morning dawn excel.

Great question. I would have to give myself a B+/A-. I don't keep stats, but I know I caught a lot bass last year. I caught numerous fish in the 5-6lb range. My adjustment for this year is to move up the weight bracket a little bit more consistently. For example, I would like to see pics of 7-8lb fish in my 2015 gallery.

I have been throwing braid for years, and I have had 0 problems on my rods and/or guides.

I use mono backing with an alberto knot. When I start seeing or feeling the union knot its time to re-spool. This will take a loooong time though. LOL.

I can understand how summer's can be enjoyable in other parts of the country. Especially when many states are snowed in for several months. But for me summer is a brutal time of year. The sweltering heat and South Florida humidity can wear anybody out if they can't physically and mentally handle it. Spring is definitely my favorite season for bass fishing.

For me it has been being a H.S. Asst Coach for 3 seasons. Being in involved in all aspects of the sport was extremely fun. Especially when the stakes were high, the game was close, and loser had to go home. A combination of emotions all at once. Awesome!!

Nice little butterball.

My thinking of using mono for flukes is completely different than what you are presenting. However to answer your question directly, mono and fluro do stretch but if you adjust your drag accordingly you can minimize pulling the bait while using braid. Having a M rod in this situation also helps. I personally would not fish a fluke on braid, but if I had to, that's how I would adjust my reel.

^^ This ^^ There are several soft plastics that can be thrown weightless on the b/c setup you have, Joe. Senko's Flukes, Horny Toad style frogs, just to name a few. Your challenge may be those light jerkbaits. Which ones were you speaking of? For example if you were planning to throw a Rapala F7-F9. then yes, you will definitely have a challenge on your hands. It will get to a point that using a spinner will serve you better in some situations. There is no cardinal rule that you have to use b/c's all the time. Anybody who does clearly has not seen a professional bass angler's arsenal of equipment.

I agree.

Nice work Pitboss!!

Not really. If I set foot in BPS I have a specific item in mind or I am researching something that I want to see and handle.

Just like you hear about blind taste tests, I think a blind rod test will have interesting results. I thought of this just for the sake of discussion. Could a test like this be done? I don't think so, to many varying factors. But.... if it was able to be done, I think that many anglers perceptions of rod brand will change, mine included. Test 3 price point categories let's say $100, $250, $350, of the top 10 most popular brands. Present the rods with no logo's and removed tell tale color schemes and let the test begin. Will anglers be able to identify there favorite brand? To make it more interesting, allow the anglers to fish with the rods for 1/2 hr in a private, small, bass filled lake (in ideal conditions) and have it. You have all day to fish and try out as many rods as you want, from the 3 price point categories. What say you? (Note: I know there are many technical members on this forum, and I know millions of holes can be punched through my hypothetical test, it's ok.....this discussion is just for fun. If you have nothing constructive to provide then please don't play. )

Good luck this Spring. The fishing in the next couple months is definitely going to improve here in FL.

Hooksets are determined by technique and equipment that are being used. JDodge will I exagerrate my hookset with the set up you presented in your post? Absolutely not. With 15lb braid, you run a high risk having snapping your braid. The set up you have there is not meant to be used for hard hooksets. Some techniques do require pretty hard hooksets. For example when using jigs or frog fishing just to name a few. Yes, you have to employ strong hooksets to ensure sticking the fish. However, some anglers take hooksets to an extreme. To each their own.

Thanks guys. I was fortunate to have stumbled across the pattern. It was really fun.

Your last freshwater area to fish before the keys is the aerojet canal.

Welcome to BR. Along the trail, there are several areas you can stop at. Basically any area that can give you bank access is fair game. The challenge lies if you can access the right cover from the bank. As far as baits go, you can use an assortment of t-rig soft plastics. Since we have been hit with two consecutive cold fronts. The water is cold and they be sluggish in the morning. I would wait when the sun comes up bit, and warms them up before I would head out. Focus your attention around the cover, for example: rock, pads, grass, fallen timber and you might be able to pull a few out. Be patient, and give them a slow presentation. See what works and adjust accordingly. Goodluck. Keep you eyes out for gators and/or snakes sunning themselves.

The LT mouse is ok. I was really excited to get my hands on these when they were first released. They have caught me very nice bass, unfortunately they cannot sustain the same abuse as that of the LT frog. The mice take on water very quickly after you have caught a few bass. Yes, you can squeeze the water out on every cast, but that becomes PITA when you have a small window of time to cast the next spot.

My offshore Coasta's are blue mirror. They are awesome. My eyes are totally encapsulated and protected. My bass fishing Costa's are green mirror. They come with the clips that block out light from the sides. Yes they can be $$, but well worth it, especially with a Lifetime Warranty. I have taken advantage of that program and my glasses have always returned good as new.