hawgenvy

Thanks, bassman. Good luck! (I'm 60 so I guess I can't pass for 18.)

Awesome build! Awesome gift!

Z-Hog, or a Rage Craw with the head (front segment) bit off. Occasionally, just to be different, I'll thread on a Horny Toad.

Can't help. Never fished Osborne, though I am only 30 minutes away. But I didn't know there were bank tournaments there! Sounds like fun. Is it open to the public? If so, can you provide a link with the info? Thanks bassman.

Aluminum alloy is 1.5 times more rigid than Mg. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/modulus-rigidity-d_946.html

There seems to be very little science in bass fishing, considering how technological it is. There is clearly a lot of engineering that goes into fishing equipment, but little of that seems to filter down to reviews. Reviewers of bass fishing equipment seldom provide accurate comparisons across brands. Contrast that with automobile or bicycle reviews. Reviewers of bicycle wheels, for instance, may measure weight, rolling resistance, aerodynamics, rigidity, and sensitivity across brands. Rod reviewers, manufacturers, and retailers rarely mention even the weight of the rods, just that they are "extremely light weight" and "super sensitive." A new reel in the line up may be described as "more sensitive." We should just take the manufacturers at their word? Or believe some random guy that just spent a fortune on a piece of equipment and tried it out a couple of times? Give us more science. More data. Better reviews. Please. We deserve that because we spend a ton of money on this stuff.

Sensitivity can be measured as vibration intensity. Vibration can be measured using several types of devices, either by an tiny accelerometer attached to the the device or a laser that measures displacement of the surface in response to a stimulus (the stimulus could be a mechanical tweaking of a fishing line attached to the reel at a fixed length and tension). Any volunteers want to set this experiment up in their basement? There's plenty of time left till bass season in the frigid north.

Aluminum is about 1.5 times as heavy as magnesium. It is also about 1.5 times as rigid. Based on what you are saying, it's a wash.

I have an 8 foot Powell 3D heavy punching rod (rated 3/4 to 2 oz) that I'll use for punching through hyacinth mats with a 1 1/2 oz weight, but I'll also use it with lighter weight or a 1/4 to 1/2 oz jig/trailer in the specific application of fishing in heavy lily pads where the lure will fall through easily because the spaces between the pads are accessible yet it takes a ton of muscle to control the fish and pull it out, especially when the rascal dives for the roots. There is also the advantage of wielding a heavy punching rod if you're lucky enough to get bitten by a 7+ pounder anywhere near heavy cover, or for using an A-rig. And I have no trouble pitching a small jig with the big rod. But generally it's a lot nicer and probably more productive, and certainly less exhausting, to work a jig with a 7 or so foot MH or H even in cover as long as you're not punching mats. Hope this makes sense.

It's very easy to get badly spoiled when you have access to golf ponds full of hungry bass that no one else fishes. And they're banked all around by gently sloping expertly manicured grass without trees or bushes to block your casts. If you're lucky, you can borrow a cart that you can load up like a bass boat, with a bunch of rods, tackle, and refreshments. It'll have a canvas top against sun and rain, and a little fan if you get too warm. Just watch out for flying balls and angry golfers. (Hey, why not a caddy, too, a retired or part time bass pro or guide? He'll drive the cart, put you in the best spots, suggest baits and rods, tie your lures, unhook your many fish, and weigh and photograph your trophies. Then off to the clubhouse for a massage, steam bath, shower, and cocktails. That's what I'll have on the golf course I'm planning to buy after I win this week's $1.3 billion lottery. I might let a few other anglers in for a day of guided bank fishing -- for, say, $230 apiece. We don't want it too popular; fishing pressure, you know.)

I've generally done better from shore, fishing small local waters, usually in the evening after work. I think the key is having access to ponds you can't drop a boat into, and locating nearby places few people fish. I caught twenty bass in an hour three days ago from shore on a little blue Horny Toad, and all day in a boat on Lake Okeechobee yesterday with only a handful of bites. Then this evening I fished for ten minutes on a residential pond right behind my friends' house, caught a feisty 3 1/2 pound bass on a swimbait, then strolled back inside the house and feasted with my wife and friends on New Orleans-style barbecued shrimp, French bread, and beer. How can you beat that?

Yes, I mean conditioning, which is learning in it's simplest form, also called "associative learning."

Though they surely can't "reason," bass are, without question, able to learn. Even microscopic animals, way more primitive than fish, can learn to avoid certain noxious stimuli. The ability to learn is itself instinctual.

Thanks, SFL BassHunter. It was a beautiful silent morning, windless, the just-risen sun finally dissipating the fog. Pulled out my iPhone for the photo before the first cast.

Fished out of J&S today, in the northeast part of O. It was a beautiful day and we were expecting great things, but the bite was very slow. A couple of boats including ours, only boated two bass, and I tell you we worked hard for those two, all day long. But tomorrow may be great. Who knows. Photo from 7:05 AM.

Thanks for bringing that up. Hadn't thought of it from that perspective.

I've been hassled a lot. Many people seem to dislike anglers. Fisherman spend most of their time quietly casting, peacefully minding their own business, are generally respectful of the environment and leave no trace. It seems inexplicable.

I think there are connections to the water canal grid. But the weather just changed. Anyway, this was the first good soft frog day for me since early spring. I've been doing okay on Keitech swim baits the past two months, but they completely ignored the swimbait today, and really hammered my frog. Those bassies just do the darndest things!

Just last week I spooled up 50lb Seaguar Smackdown Green Braid, currently on sale at TW for 45% off. It's thin, smooth, quiet, knots are strong, made in Japan. I really do like it a lot so far. It is considerably thinner and smoother than 832 or PP, both of which I have used a lot. Seems to cast really well. Caught 20+ frog fish on it this evening, so fish don't mind it -- till they're hooked! Then they don't like it at all. If you're thinking about it, buy it while the sale is on. Otherwise it's pretty costly.

According to this linked "fish science" article, some bass can remember an inedible lure for at least three months. I imagine that when a bass experiences a dramatic hookset and is then dragged through the water to the point of exhaustion by a hook buried in that lure, such memory might become indelibly reinforced -- at least in the sharper minded members of the species. In another article, on the other hand, it was reported that a (probably) less well mentally endowed (and ID tagged) individual was caught 27 times in a particular lake in a single season. That's what you call a dumbbass. http://www.***/apps/forums/topics/show/3246698-bass-biology-memory-spans-of-largemouth-

Nice article. Should be in the BR archives, if it's not there already.

There are so many variables, it's hard to know. I bank fish a lot of small local ponds, and on a few of them I might be the first angler they ever see. Sometimes a brand new spot can be crazy hot. But after a couple of trips to a small active spot it may not be the same again for months or perhaps years, even with baits I haven't before thrown into that particular area. And I release all the fish. I am fairly sure I single handedly pressure some ponds, and I try to stay away from small productive areas as long as I can stand it, and try to rotate all small waters that I fish. Also, I think the mark of a truly talented angler is the ability to pull good fish out of a pressured lake.

Zoom Horny Toad (June Bug) was yummy for the LMB this evening on ponds in Boca Raton. Caught about 20 between 4:30 and 6 pm.

Interesting! Thanks! But how do you cut them when ready? Do you use a metal or plastic pattern as a guide? Different sizes, different patterns?

The line rating is a rough guide and has more to do with the strength and intended use of the rod than some sort of breaking point of the blank. In fact, unless it states "braid," the line rating refers to the rating of mono-filament line that one would typically use on that rod. For example, bass anglers probably take for granted that a heavy/fast action rod that one might use for tossing frogs, although it lists a specified line rating of, say 12 - 25 lb, is more likely than not going to be fished with 50 - 65 lb braided line on a bait caster reel. A rod is expected to hold up with normal use regardless of line used and the warranties are not conditioned on line strength (not that I'd mention 80 lb braid when sending it back). In this sense it is a ridiculous system, and confusing as heck for novices, yet somehow it is still a handy guide. Some rods now will mention braided line strength, or both braid and mono, which is better. The lure weight rating is also a rough guide, but perhaps handy if you're looking for a punching setup that'll handle a 2 oz flipping weight or an A rig. Some say the line rating has more to do with line diameter (braid is much thinner than mono given any specified line rating), but I don't really buy that either. Maybe it ought to have something to do with a reel's drag strength. If you use 80 pound braid on a big reel whose drag can clamp down to 50 pounds, and your rod says 30 lbs, you had better be gentle with that 100 pound catfish or your rod will be broken or you and the catfish may both be in the river. The whole rod line rating system was much more revered in the ancient world of mono only. Now we realize it's a rough guide at best and a pile of bull droppings at worst. Anyway, this post is off the top of my head, and my head was earlier filled with a beer, so i can't be sure I've told you right, and I am open to rebuttals. It does look like a pretty good sermon to me though. Burp.