FloridaFishinFool

Looking forward to the photos. I am checking out micro guides now including those you mentioned above that you are using. So far all I am finding are single foot micro guides. Scratch that... I just found what I was looking for... micro guides with double feet. Fuji makes some and I found a few others... http://anglersresource.net/MicroGuides.aspx http://www.acidrod.com/MicroGuides.html I am thinking I will go with the stronger double foot micro guides. Fuji BLCAG "Low Rider" Double Foot Guides

And now for the blame game: (I can not confirm or deny the accuracy of the following image as to who they claim is the source of the chemical problem...)

The Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge was one of 19 refuges where intersex bass were found (USFWS) "Intersex" male bass found throughout protected Northeast US waters Smallmouth and largemouth black bass in wildlife refuges across the US Northeast have female parts, bolstering evidence that estrogenic compounds in our water are messing with fish December 17, 2015 By Brian Bienkowski Environmental Health News Eighty-five percent of male smallmouth bass tested in or nearby 19 National Wildlife Refuges in the U.S. Northeast had signs of female reproductive parts, according to a newfederal study. The study, led by the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, also reported that 27 percent of male largemouth bass in the testing sites were intersex. The study is the first of its kind in National Wildlife Refuges and adds to growing evidence that endocrine disrupting chemicals are getting into U.S. lakes, rivers, streams and reservoirs—no matter how protected the waters seem. And such contamination seems to affect the reproductive development of some fish species, which can lead to threatened populations. USFWS For the bass in this study, those considered “intersex” either had a protein that is used to make egg yolk typically found in females, or immature egg cells in their testes, said co author Fred Pinkney, a biologist with the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife. “The eggs were in the very, very early stages,” he added. But any change to fish reproductive systems could possibly threaten overall fish populations and ability to properly reproduce. During the fall seasons of 2008 to 2010, the researchers tested a total of 118 male smallmouth bass from 12 locations and 85 percent were intersex. They tested an additional 173 male largemouth bass from 27 sampling sites and 27 percent were intersex. It’s not entirely clear why the bass were intersex as the researchers did not test the waters for specific chemicals, said lead author Luke Iwanowicz, a research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. However, the suspected culprits of the sex changes are endocrine disrupting compounds. This includes hormones, industrial chemicals and pesticides that are or mimic estrogen hormones. These compounds enter rivers and streams via permitted effluents, stormwater and agricultural runoff, and wastewater treatment plants, where excreted birth control and natural estrogens pass through relatively un-altered. The study is just the latest to find intersex fish in U.S. waterways and builds on a U.S. Geological Survey study in 2009 that showed intersex male fish in nine U.S. river basins, though that study didn't include Northeast basins. The bass tested in the Northeast waterways had a higher prevalence of intersex than the fish in the 2009 study. It seems that certain fish species may be more sensitive to estrogenic compounds than others, as evidenced by the disparity between largemouth and smallmouth bass in this study. Previous studies also have reported that smallmouth bass seem more susceptible to intersex changes. However it’s not clear if this is actual physical sensitivity to the chemicals or if it’s due to some species spending more time in more contaminated habitats. National Wildlife Refuges are areas protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There are more than 560 such refuges nationally. The national refuges tested spanned from eastern Ohio up to Maine and included: the Patuxent Research, Susquehanna, Montezuma, Great Swamp, Wallkill River, Great Meadows, Assabet River, Rappahannock River Valley, Mason Neck, Back Bay, John Heinz, Erie, Cherry Valley, Great Bay, Lake Umbagog, Sunkhaze Meadows, Missisquoi, Moosehorn and Ohio River Islands refuges. Pinkney said the bass indicate that many aquatic species in Northeast U.S. refuges may be exposed to estrogenic chemicals. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourages management actions that reduce runoff into streams, ponds and lakes—both on and off of refuge lands,” he said. EHN welcomes republication of our stories, but we require that publications include the author's name and Environmental Health News at the top of the piece, along with a link back to EHN's version. For questions or feedback about this piece, contact Brian Bienkowski at bbienkowski@ehn.org. Creative Commons Attribution: You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. Reposted in full by FloridaFishinFool, link to source provided in title embedded, no changes were made to text or article, all credit given to the source writer Brian Bienkowski of Environmental Health News http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/

That one should work for bass too. I just ordered myself a couple of them with a willow blade because I am a huge swimbait fan and I have a ton of various swimbaits that would work on a lure like that one. I like that it is built so I can change the jig/hook quickly. Here in Florida I often use salt water tackle in freshwater and freshwater tackle in salt water. I never let the label stop me! If it works, it works. I have not used the spinner you show above though. I like how the spinner blade is moved forward out of the way so a fish can grab the hooked lure better. An interesting design. I just picked up an in-line spinner advertised also for redfish and bass and walleye called the titanium terminator. I bought it because it said it was weedless and I wanted a spinner I could throw into some heavy vegetation for a different presentation and see how it well it works. I tried it out when I bought it and put it on a 7:1 reel- big mistake! I now use this spinner on a 3.8:1. This lure works best slow. So i am looking forward to next spring and summer and try out both of them out in freshwater and saltwater. Thanks for posting this lure.

I am not opposed to this idea of removing all electronics from the boats in some cases or tournaments, or even part of a tournament event. It would really put the responsibility of catching fish back upon the fisherman himself and what he knows and what he can do using his brain which is how it all started in the first place. It seems like what Greg is saying is that because of technology we are getting too far away from just fishing and he is just raising the alarm on how it is becoming a problem as he sees it. But I hear ya about getting fishing information anyways from locals or whatever. But if it is only stored within the mind of fisherman when he arrives to fish, would that really be a bad thing or within reason? Something like that would probably have to be allowed as long as it remains within a human element and not stored on electronics. I really would not mind seeing some tournaments or days within tournaments where it is fished without electronics. It would be interesting indeed to see how much it changes things... But is Greg Hackney right in saying this sort of thing should be written into the rules to prevent the growing problem? I like how Greg closes up his piece: "What if we had a rule that before you launch to prefish on Monday morning a B.A.S.S. representative had to clear the waypoints from your electronics and make sure your chip is blank? Smart phones and tablets with waypoints in them would be illegal, too. And yes, that rule would include waypoints you developed yourself. If you found a spot once, you should be able to find it again. That’s especially true if you have a general idea where it’s at. Besides, there’s no other practical way of enforcing a rule like I’m talking about. We’re supposed to be “elite” anglers. Why shouldn’t we be made to find our own spots and our own fish? Tournament results and Bassmaster Classic berths shouldn’t be determined by who knows the best anglers. They should be determined by who is the best angler." I really have to agree with him on this subject.

I wish that for people like those who harrassed Ed Loughman that it is a criminal offense that will get them hauled off to jail. In Florida the problem he faced is getting much worse here. What really gets me is that according to Florida law all rivers are public property. Whatever river bottom the water covers, it is NOT private property! And this also applies to fixed bodies of water over a certain size. These lakes BELONG to we the people! But quite often these great lakes are completely surrounded by private property and those land owners shut us out and prevent us from accessing public waters! We see this all the time and it is getting worse as more and more lakes are being closed to the public, yet we own them and have a right to access them! What can we do to reverse this trend? In another local case, the city of Casselberry "controls" some lakes in their city limits. They have a nice formerly public boat ramp on Lake Triplet. It is now closed to the public and gated shut and locked. Public land and property! Locked to us now because of one person: I was told some lady who lived on the lake got sick and tired of noisy motor boats and jet ski's so she got herself elected to the town council and passed new laws closing down the lake to any and all motor boats, the ramp is closed, etc. so she can have a public body of water all to herself. If any of us want to fish Lake Triplet now, bring a canoe or kayak and paddles only. It would seem if Florida claims all the "land" under certain bodies of water, then I wonder if Riparian rights can apply? We fishermen may one day have to organize some how and begin filing some class action lawsuits or organize to change the laws to try and reverse this trend in cutting us off from public waters. It needs to stop and people who harass us should go to jail if that is what it takes for them to get the message.

Opens pro Ed Loughran goes to court to defend his right to fish By Robert Montgomery Update: On Dec. 14, the judge issued a continuance on this case until Jan. 11. We'll keep you posted once it resumes. HOPEWELL, Va. — If harassed or threatened, most anglers will just move to another location, even though they know they’re fishing in legal waters. A few might call local authorities to report the incident. But Virginia’s Ed Loughran is a different kind of fisherman. He’s also an attorney. And when he steps into the Hopewell General District Court on Monday, he will be standing up for the right of all anglers to fish public waters. “This is a matter of principle,” he said. “That’s why I’ve chased it so doggedly.” The trial follows close on the heels of Mark Menendez pursuing and winning a case against a property owner on the St. Lawrence River who harassed him with his boat during the Evan Williams Bourbon Bassmaster Elite event in late July. “My fellow pleaded and paid his fine,” Menendez said. “I have received hundreds of compliments by fans for pushing it through.” The man who confronted Loughran on July 6 at the Anchor Point Marina on the Appomattox River is charged with assault, battery and impeding lawful fishing on tidal river. The Commonwealth of Virginia will present the case. “I’m the witness,” the pro angler said. “And also a victim.” Loughran was flipping pilings on an official practice day before the Bass Pro Shops Northern Open on the James River. He had caught a 3-pounder and had another bite when he saw a man and woman walk off a dock and along the shore toward him. The man said Loughran was on private property and not allowed to fish there. When Loughran told him he was wrong, the man got “very agitated,” said Loughran, who added that the two men were only about 10 feet apart, with the river at low tide. Loughran said the man then grabbed a hose and began to spray the water where he was fishing, as well as his boat. “He sprayed for a good 10 to 15 seconds before his girlfriend grabbed his arm and said that the cops were coming.” The angler made his own call to the police as the two left, and he took a photo of their license plate, which enabled him to pursue prosecution. “Then the marina owner comes down and says the same stuff,” Loughran said. “He said I would get a ticket for trespassing, and I said he was wrong.” Loughran said he received little assistance from the local police. “Bottom line is that nothing happened forever,” he said. “No one would investigate. I had to go to the magistrate. I had to press charges and swear out a warrant. The attorney explained that any marina that puts in pilings, like those at Anchor Point, must get a permit to trespass on public waters. “I wasn’t trespassing. I was lawfully fishing,” said Loughran, adding that the only way to create private waters in a tidal river is “to dig a hole in the bank and create a harbor.” Because he didn’t want to provoke a controversy, Loughran didn’t return to fish the marina during the tournament. “I barely missed the cut,” he said. “I was a 3-pounder away, and I had caught two decent fish in there. It was a little frustrating.” Stay tuned to Bassmaster.com for updates following the Dec. 14 court date.

I agree with Greg Hackney! Level the playing field and put it in the rules! Go fishing! Let's not turn pro bass fishing into a spy network!

Should we fish, or collect information? OK guys, here’s another one of my questions about professional tournament bass fishing. But before I pose that question I want to make a couple of things clear. First, I’m not accusing anyone of cheating. The rules are what they are. Second, I’m looking for opinions. This is not an opportunity for anyone to cite specific instances or tournaments. And under no circumstances do I want anyone to talk about a specific angler. This column is about an issue. We need to take the high road. It seems to me that the rules are allowing us (Bassmaster Elite Series anglers) to collect information that in some cases detracts from our talents as anglers. They’re putting a premium on information. That bothers me. Let me tell you what I’m talking about… We have a tournament next year at a place I’ve never heard of, much less fished. I contacted a fellow Elite Series angler to find out what the deal was. I learned there was a guy at this place who is supposed to be really good. He wins a lot of tournaments on the place. My friend told me that the local had already been contacted by a half-dozen or so anglers. He’d made a commitment to help one of them. And, the angler he’s going to help is going to help him with a charity event. Now, I have nothing against charity — the more the better — and I don’t think that situation violates the letter of the rules. Technically there’s no payment. The thing that bothers me is that it doesn’t violate the rules. I know anglers who have friends, acquaintances and contacts at every place we fish. They get very specific information (waypoints) that put them on the best places to start fishing. They’re getting this information outside the 30 day rule and they aren’t paying for it so everything is legal. But is it right? Are we anglers, or are we information gatherers? To be fair, the majority of the guys who are doing this aren’t winning. Most of the waypoints they’re getting are known to other anglers. They’re more or less public. The winners are developing their own patterns and spots. That gives them the edge. Their fish are just a little bit bigger. But still, you can catch a pretty good sack if you have 30 or 40 of the best spots in your GPS unit. Let’s face it — if you know how to correct for magnetic and satellite errors, you can find a basketball in most of the lakes we fish. Waypoints are powerful pieces of information. What if we had a rule that before you launch to prefish on Monday morning a B.A.S.S. representative had to clear the waypoints from your electronics and make sure your chip is blank? Smart phones and tablets with waypoints in them would be illegal, too. And yes, that rule would include waypoints you developed yourself. If you found a spot once, you should be able to find it again. That’s especially true if you have a general idea where it’s at. Besides, there’s no other practical way of enforcing a rule like I’m talking about. We’re supposed to be “elite” anglers. Why shouldn’t we be made to find our own spots and our own fish? Tournament results and Bassmaster Classic berths shouldn’t be determined by who knows the best anglers. They should be determined by who is the best angler. What do you think?

This has not been my experience with them. I don't think I have ever had a problem with hook sets that I would blame on the rod. I have 6' pistol grips, 6' spinning rods, 6' modern style baitcast rods. They all work. If I don't get a hook set I can't honestly say it was just the rod's fault only. I gotta consider other factors too.

Some nice rods showing up here! Many I've never seen before so keep 'em coming! I'm making a list and keeping an eye out for some of them when they come up for sale... Below Tommy Martin wins in 1974 using a pistol grip rod on Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas and can you believe it, Rick Clunn was there too- he is that old! I'd bet most pro's back then were using these rods... Tommy Martin shows the Rebel Super-R that he used to take his first BASS Master win on Beaver Lake. Photo 1974 BASS Master Magazine July-August Issue. Beaver Lake – A Different Martin After two full 200-contestant events, the Arkansas Invitational would only draw 170 anglers. That may have had to do with the weather, though, as April brought snow, sleet, hail and 30 mph winds to the event. Despite the adverse conditions, a new Martin debuted in his first-ever B.A.S.S. event and won by a three pound margin. Tommy Martin, one of the Hemphill Gang as they’d eventually become known, won the third event of the season with 48-05. Martin had paid attention to Don Butler’s winning tactics the year before and developed a pattern on rocky points and shallow coves using a Rebel Super-R crankbait – the same bait Butler had won with in ’73. Not only did Martin use the Super-R, he painted a fluorescent red stripe on the bottom of it just like his predecessor. To add insult to injury, Martin lost his last crank on the second day of the event and had to borrow another one from – you guessed it – Don Butler. Ricky Green (AR) placed second with a cumulative weight of 44-15, while Loyd McEntire (IN) placed third with 43-08. McEntire had the heaviest string of the event at 21-07 but that’s not all he tried to weigh. He also caught a 15-pound striper that Harold Sharp wouldn’t allow to be weighed in. From the sounds of it, there were a bunch of laughs to be had by that escapade. Lanny Verner (TX) took fourth place with 42-06 and Bo Dowden finished in the fifth spot with 41-13. Danny Dick (OK) won big fish for the event with an 8-04 largemouth, which netted him a Ranger TR-3 boat and accessories. By the end of the Beaver Lake event, anglers had weighed in 1,460 bass of which only 33 weren’t released. This yielded the highest release rate ever recorded in a B.A.S.S. tournament at the time. The top 35 anglers are shown in the table below. Bass Master Trail 1974 Beaver Lake Results Place Angler, State Weight, lbs-ozs 1 Tommy Martin, TX 48-05 2 Ricky Green, AR 44-15 3 Loyd McEntire, IN 43-08 4 Lanny Verner, TX 42-06 5 Bo Dowden, LA 41-13 6 Stan Sloan, TN 40-12 7 Hugh Massey, KY 38-10 8 John Powell, AL 36-07 9 Russell Cook, MO 36-06 10 Danny McCain, LA 35-14 11 Roger Mhoon, AR 35-08 12 Bobby Meador, LA 34-10 13 Elmer Pickens, TN 34-03 14 Bobby Murray, AR 33-04 15 Jimmy James, LA 32-04 16 Butch Stroud, AR 29-05 17 Joe Kennedy, TX 28-08 18 Bill Dance, TN 28-02 19 Heb Adams, OK 28-00 20 Jim Fudoli, MO 27-14 21 Jerry Owens, OK 27-08 22 Herman Gettlefinger, TN 26-10 23 Dwight Keefer, MO 26-05 24 Bob Schultz, MO 26-03 25 J. B. Warren, AR 25-08 26 Rick Clunn, TX 25-03 27 Bob Tyndall, MO 24-12 28 Steve Mitchell, IN 24-02 29 Elroy Krueger, TX 24-00 30 Forrest Wood, AR 23-15 31 Jerry Williams, AR 23-11 32 Jerry McKinnis, AR 23-06 33 J. D. Skinner, AL 23-01 34 Roland Martin, OK 22-12 35 Paul Trefz, GA 22-12 Martin won the Bassmaster Classic in 1974, the stone age of bass fishing. Ray Scott and Tommy Martin Tommy Martin today...

In mid to late March when the bass spawn here, the big ones can be caught relatively easily on the St. Johns river. Chris Lane won the elite series doing it! And if you choose to go to Toho, go to west lake Toho, not East lake Toho. West lake has been producing some huge bass lately and in my opinion is in the top 5 here in Florida. Stick Marsh and Farm 13 are in there too, but that place is presently being expanded and is not fully developed yet, but still good. Okeechobee is another one... Another issue on the Toho lakes is too much commercial activity. East Lake toho has daily airboat rides and they routinely tear up the vegetation on the sides of the lake and it is floating all over the place fouling up fishing big time. And not sure about winter time, but east lake also has had parasailing going on too. I avoid East Lake Toho like the plague. But west Lake Toho is another story...

Sufix

http://www.bassmaster.com/node/104260 BASSography: Billy Westmoreland Just as Michael Jordan was a natural at basketball and Babe Ruth was seemingly created to hit a baseball, Billy Westmoreland was born to catch smallmouth bass. By Ken Duke MAR 30, 2010 Just as Michael Jordan was a natural at basketball and Babe Ruth was seemingly created to hit a baseball, Billy Westmoreland was born to catch smallmouth bass. In the eyes of many, he was the greatest smallmouth angler who ever lived. He is also almost certainly the only man to catch both largemouth and smallmouth bass that exceeded 10 pounds. Westmoreland was born in Tennessee on June 30, 1937, just a few years before construction began on the dam that would create Dale Hollow Lake. As a boy, he fished and boated all over the 27,700 acres that formed the legendary trophy smallmouth fishery. His knowledge of the lake's underwater terrain was unequalled. So, too, was his fishing success there. He began his professional guiding career on Dale Hollow at the age of 13, often skipping school to take clients out on the water. Initially, Westmoreland took the leftover clients, those who showed up too late to get a more experienced guide. Soon enough, though, those same anglers were requesting the youngster with a penchant for catching lots of smallmouth. As a youth, Westmoreland's love of fishing split time with his passion for football. He was a star on his high school team, and the game was his ticket to college at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. While there, he injured his knee and began to focus even more of his time on bass fishing. Westmoreland was known not only for catching smallmouth bass but especially for catching big smallmouth bass. The largest he ever hooked was also the biggest he said he ever saw. On Christmas Day in 1970, Westmoreland tied into a brown bass he estimated at between 12 and 14 pounds — larger than the world record. "I know how big it was because I had a couple of 7- or 8-pounders in the livewell at the time," he later said. He was fishing a Pedigo Spinrite on a cold, windy day when the giant struck. After a long initial run, Westmoreland was starting to gain line on the bass when it surfaced and wallowed on top. "I can't describe how I felt except I got very nervous, which I seldom ever do. It was because I really knew what I had. I couldn't believe how big it was." He got the bass to within just a few feet of his boat before she sounded and got 15 or 20 feet down. Then disaster struck. The lure popped out of her mouth. "Losing that one disturbed me because something I've dreamed of all my life was catching the biggest smallmouth anyone had ever caught," Westmoreland said. "But it bothered me so much and to the point that, over the next 16 to 18 months, lots of times I'd be home watching television at night and I'd start thinking about that fish. Then I'd think that maybe this was the night. The fish might be back on that point. I'd convince myself while I was in the chair watchin' TV that the fish was on that point waitin'. Out the door I'd go, and I'd hook on to the boat, slap that boat in the water and go fish for a couple of hours." Westmoreland was so haunted by the big bass that he'd often chase after her at 3 or 4 in the morning in all sorts of weather. Though he never hooked or saw her again, he caught plenty of other big smallmouth, including one that weighed 10-1. In the decades after losing that fish of a lifetime, Westmoreland told numerous friends and acquaintances just where he hooked the giant. Unfortunately for them, he told each a different location. It was an example not only of his sense of humor, but also his competitiveness. In the end, he took the location of the giant bass to the grave with him. Westmoreland came to national attention in the 1970s while competing professionally on the Bassmaster Tournament Trail. In his seven-year career, Westmoreland qualified for six Bassmaster Classics, finished in the top 10 in the 35 professional tournaments he fished and won three national events — the 1974 and 1975 Florida Invitationals (both on the St. Johns River) and the 1977 Arkansas Invitational (on Greers Ferry Reservoir). In 1973 at the BASS Arkansas Invitational on Beaver Lake, a tornado went through the area, and the boat containing Johnny Morris (founder and owner of Bass Pro Shops) and Robert Craddock filled with water and sank. The cold was numbing and the two anglers realized they could survive but a short time in the water before hypothermia would set in. Their situation was so desperate that they were scratching a message to their loved ones on an old gas can when their prayers were answered. Westmoreland had seen the gas can from the launch area and decided to go pick it up. He was concerned that another boat might not see it and that it might cause an explosion. As Morris described it, Westmoreland's big hand came out of the sky to save them. In 1976, Westmoreland and South Carolina outdoor writer Larry Mayer published what stands as the seminal work on smallmouth bass fishing, Billy Westmorland on Smallmouths: Them Ol' Brown Fish. Three years later they followed it up with Largemouths and Tournaments … Good or Bad? Westmoreland's homespun ways and charm shine through in Them Ol' Brown Fish. In Larry Mayer's introduction, he noted that the book was "written in the fishing language instead of the English language." In addition to the trophies, books and tournament success, Westmoreland owned an interest in Horse Creek Resort on Dale Hollow Lake and designed several successful bass lures. One of the most notable baits he helped to design was the Silver Buddy, a blade bait manufactured by his friend Buddy Banks. Westmoreland called it the greatest lure ever devised for catching smallmouth. Throughout his tournament career and with both of his books, Westmoreland spelled his surname without the second "e" — Westmorland. It was an affectation that perplexed even those who knew him well. He explained it by saying that the second "e" was difficult to write when signing autographs. For the rest of his life, he was "Westmorland" publicly and "Westmoreland" in all other cases. In the 1980s, after having retired from professional tournament fishing, Westmoreland went into television with Billy Westmoreland's Fishing Diary. The theme song for the program, "I Like Catching Smallmouth Best of All," co-written by Westmoreland, says a lot about his love of the outdoors and smallmouth bass fishing. Everyone I know loves fishin', and leavin' cares behind, The feelin' of a big one on the line. I like freshness of the springtime and colors of the fall, But I like catchin' smallmouth best of all. Sure do like the easy feel of a lazy summer's day The sun on my back, wind across my face. But I start feelin' warmer come the first snowfall, Cause I like catchin' smallmouth best of all. In his final years, Westmoreland was affectionately known around Dale Hollow as "the Legend of the Lake." No one did more for the area's reputation or more to put its smallmouth fishing on the map. He died on Sept. 29, 2002, following a seizure in his home overlooking his beloved lake. He was 65 years old. His headstone bears his likeness fishing from a bass boat and fighting a big smallmouth. In 2004, he became the first person to be posthumously inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame.

http://www.greenevillesun.com/news/smallmouth-bass-legend-billy-westmoreland-dies/article_858d587f-53c0-5b67-8881-aa6d7a1372f6.html Smallmouth Bass Legend Billy Westmoreland Dies True legends aren't created by one's actions. They're made when you receive the recognition of your peers and those around you. And living legends never draw attention to themselves; it happens because of their successes. Billy Westmoreland was a true legend in the world of smallmouth bass fishing. The only living legend that I ever had the pleasure of knowing has passed on. The 65-year old smallmouth man who grew up in Celina near Dale Hollow helped put the lake on the map. In return, Dale Hollow did the same for Bill Westmoreland. Through the recognition and notoriety that Westmoreland brought to himself, he made smallmouth bass the king. Westmoreland was fishing bass tournaments and winning events long before most of us ever heard of them. His successes in the 1970's and the number of smallmouth bass over 8-pounds that he caught will long go down in fishing history. Today, the number of rods and lures that bear his endorsements are incredible. If it's made to catch smallmouth bass, it needs to have Billy Westmoreland's approval. His books, TV shows, articles and his life revolved around smallmouth bass. His legendary status wasn't limited to Tennessee but was broad in the bass fishing community. From guest appearances at outdoor events, fishing tournaments, speaking engagements and seminars, Westmoreland was smallmouth bass and smallmouths were Billy Westmoreland. In one of his most popular books, he refers to "them ol' brown fish", a line that I've quoted on more than one occasion and what I'll always call smallmouth bass. Known for his angling expertise with hair jigs, Westmoreland can also be credited with helping make the Silver Buddy lure a household smallmouth name. Along with its creator Buddy Banks, Westmoreland was said to have helped tweak it a few years back to give the bait its smallmouth prowess. His name on other lures made them just as popular. Smallmouth anglers from all over the country have been honored to have the opportunity to get in the boat with him when he guided for short stints on Dale Hollow. Others were thrilled just to have him autograph one of his books. The last few years have seen Westmoreland hit with some pretty serious illnesses, but it was still a pleasure to see him out on the water of Dale Hollow Lake. On Wednesday, September 25, he spent a good part of the day fishing on Dale Hollow. That night shortly after 9:00 p.m., he suffered a major heart attack and would never regain consciousness. While on life support, Westmoreland passed away at 1:00 a.m. on Monday. Jack Huddleston, a long time friend of the legend and owner of Horse Creek Dock will miss Westmoreland as much as anyone. For a number of years, Huddleston's dock has played host to one of the top smallmouth tournaments in the country each December named in honor of Westmoreland. Huddleston first met Westmoreland in 1968 before coming to Dale Hollow permanently; the longtime friends have seen a lot of smallmouth bass come into Horse Creek Dock. Bob Coan, a fishing guide on Dale, recalls Westmoreland as never being one to let the fame and notoriety go to his head. Coan knew Westmoreland for over 15 years and said he always had the time to talk to anyone from bass fishing personalities, tournament pros, lure manufactures or dock hands. More than once, I've seen him take the time to shake hands with anglers coming in and out of Horse Creek Dock or have his picture made with them. Perhaps the one story that many anglers won't forget about Westmoreland is the time that he was credited with saving another now noted bass fisherman's life and his tournament partner. In 1974, during one of the early B.A.S.S. tournaments, Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops, capsized and sunk his boat in rough water. The water was cold, and Morris and his partner were experiencing the first stages of hypothermia when Billy Westmoreland spotted them and pulled them aboard, literally saving their lives. Billy Westmoreland himself is gone now. It goes without saying that he will be missed but never forgotten. That's the way it is with true legends, their memory goes on. Thanks Billy for making smallmouth bass number one for all of us "ol' brown fish" anglers.

Clarify, what is old? One year? 10 years? Longer? I've got rods going back to the 1960's almost as old as I am. And I now have inherited my dad's old reels dating back to the 1940's. (Haven't used those yet, but plan to for dad and his memory one day soon) Right now I am "restoring" some old rods and can't wait to use them! Some of them are 25 years old or older. But I hear ya... old is not always bad! I use a mix of rods, some old, some brand spanking new. I like all of them or I would not use them. But please clarify what you mean by old!

I have heard or read somewhere bass have a memory span of about 15 minutes. I think it was in a Glenn Lau video. So wait 20 minutes and all should be well! On a more real note, it might be dropping temps.. along with increase in barometric pressure sends them deep and they get real finicky.

In an earlier comment I mentioned that I now use a particular yamamoto lure because I hate messing around with skirts. So I found a one-piece molded rubber bait that works just as well in most circumstances and saves me a lot of time and trouble while out fishing. With this lure I do not have to buy jigs, skirts, and trailers. I just buy this one lure, rig it weedless with or without weight and go to town with it. I use it a lot for flipping, pitching, and punching through vegetation and I do not have to mess with it no where near as much as I have with jigs with skirts and trailers. So I got a couple of PM's asking which bait it is and here it is- the Yamamoto Hula grub double tail. I absolutely love this thing! I guess Gary Yamamoto hates messing with skirts as much as I do! Thanks Gary! Wish there were more like this one on the market!

Can you post some images of your spiral wrap rods with micro guides? The rod above came with one #10 and the rest of the rod with #8 size guides- all on top of course. I reduced the guide size down one step to one #8 and the rest are #6 with a 5.5 tip because they did not have any #6 tips in this brand of guides I chose for this old rod. These are titanium oxide, medium duty guides. I am sure going with micro guides is going to be a different beast all together to find as close to optimum spiral wrap.

Here is an image of a rod I just finished spiral wrapping yesterday. This rod is a 25 year old rod I retro-fitted as a spiral wrap. I adjusted the guide angles to give me the straightest line flow through the guides under load which is what is important to me more so than when casting. I do my spiral wraps in such a way that the guides come into alignment when under load. If I aligned them without loading the rod, they would move out of alignment under load as seen in some of the photos I post above. Notice how straight the line is as it flows through the entire 180 degree spiral wrap portion of my latest project rod. Also notice how the line lays in the bottom center of the guide as it enters into the spiral wrap around. I do not want to see the line off center in the guides riding up on the sides. To me that is a mistake and wrong. All I have to do is slightly adjust the guide according to what the line and rod are telling me where the guide placement should be located and at what angle. That is 4 guides covering the complete 180 degree wrap around under load and darn near ruler perfect straight through it all! To me this is ideal. Anyone who goes by the book and puts their guides on at 0, 90, and 180 are not doing it to 100% efficiency in my opinion and you will see the line change angle as it flows through the guides like the first image I posted above clearly shows. I strive to avoid this situation in all of my spiral wraps I do myself. It is something I learned only through experience of doing a lot of rods with spiral wraps. In all honesty I have no idea what the exact angle of each of these guides is and it does not matter. The line itself tells me where the guides go on each rod I do like this, and no two are the same! I am using the beginning of the bend in the rod under load to my advantage in this type of spiral wrapping a rod. And this is why I do not epoxy the spiral wrap guides until a visual alignment is completed under load only! Then I epoxy them in place. I am already working on the next rod and waiting on Mudhole to get my new guides in for at least 6 more rods to do before next spring! I am thinking of doing one of them in micro guides...

Very nice!

I get a kick out of fishermen in Florida worrying about color in dark waters where you can not see your hand 6 inches below the waterline. If you can't see your hand only 6 inches down with good light, how in the heck is a fish going to see what color a lure is 3 or 4 feet deep or deeper? They can't! In that situation color does not matter in my opinion. Oh but wait! Purple works better than black! Uh huh... sure it does. Sometimes us fishermen worry about details that in the real world simply don't matter as much as some think they do!

Wow! I do the same thing! I also use to do metal fabrication and working on aluminum boats is a breeze! Someone gave me an old 1973 AlumaCraft with a shattered transom because they used a 60hp outboard on a transom rated for a 20hp. So he gave me the old boat for free. I spent an entire winter overhauling it and customizing it, but I added a yamaha 25hp 4-stroke outboard that is a perfect match for the 14 footer. Here is what it looked like before and after: For a free boat, a few modifications and presto! Instant bass fishing boat on the cheap and it can take me to where many fiberglass boats can not go because they draft too deeply and will ground out when this one keeps on going and going. I can go all day on a gallon of gas too. And I added a rectifier/regulator to the outboard and now charges the trolling battery as I run it. That cost $25 and was well worth it. I used no wood in this overhaul. But one difference between your boat and mine is that front deck. I used all plastic and aluminum. That front deck is all aluminum angle framing, but covered in expanded foam PVC plastic sheeting in 2 pieces with hinged access to below where the batteries and fuel tank are stored out of the way under the front deck. I wanted an open floor in the boat without lots of obstacles. I only used an 1/4" aluminum plate under the casting seat and raised it up another 1/4" to match the thickness of the plastic decking I used to keep weight down, and the plastic decking was a 1/3 the price of an all aluminum deck. In this next photo you can see how I extended the casting deck back another foot by using some custom made L brackets I hand hammered to fit this boat and used all aluminum hardware. Stepping up and down on the deck is solid now and I am not stressing those weak old seat rivets which would eventually tear out of the thin hull. My extension method hanging the rear of the casting deck from the upper railing takes all of the weight with ease and is not dependent on the hull for support back there. In total I spent maybe $1500 on it- including the 4- stroker, but it is like new and takes me where ever I want to go for freshwater fishing. I did add a Lowrance dual scan sonar with GPS and mapping... Aluminum boats do save money, and are cheaper to maintain over the long term. It may not be as nice as a fiberglass boat, but it is more important to me to be able to go into places to fish that fiberglass bass boats simply can not go!

So you have one of the RC models without centrifugal brakes, and more than likely you also have an RC model with a single drag washer too, and in the RC reels Bass Pro used some white plastic looking drag washer I doubt if it is teflon, probably something cheaper than that. But yeah they made RC reels right handed with the 7:1 speed, but on the paperwork I got from Bass Pro it shows they did not make a lefty in the series I want in 7:1 speed, but it did have triple drag washers, but 3 of those cheaper white plastic type of washers which I quickly replaced with carbon fiber. I also noticed that Bass Pro shorted 2 bearings in the handles and only installed 2 out of 4 handle bearings and instead put in a cheap white plastic bushing which I also quickly swapped out with some ball bearings. Now my RC reel has everything the JM reels have. Virtually no difference except the nice shiny exterior JM has and my RC is an unpleasant purple! But I don't care. I ain't no reel pimp! My rods and reels do not have to match color-wise. Not into that sort of thing. I'm strictly a function over form guy. And as to the pawn shop situation, it sounds like you are dealing with a small independent mom and pop owned type of shop and they do want top dollar, but try some national franchise type of pawn shops- and haggle like hell! Cash talks!

So glad this forum is NOT T,T! Over there it is the opposite and how much can some guys spend on art to hang on the wall and NOT fish with it! Like you I want to save money on gear and tackle. I visit pawn shops on a regular basis looking for rods and reels and sometimes find tackle boxes full of tackle for less than $20 usually. I have purchased some $200 custom rods this way for less than $15 each. Garage sales and even estate sales have been good to me over the years. My first custom spiral wrapped rod came out of a garage sale for like $3. But I gotcha on the Johnny Morris reels. I have repaired and modified reels for more than 30 years. So what I do is look for broken reels needing parts and repairs. My first Johnny Morris reel cost me like $5.00 for the reel and less than $20 for the parts. So $25 on my first JM. I recently picked up another one for $15 again missing some parts, and I am waiting on the parts from Bass Pro as I write this. So another JM for under $25. One man's broken junk is another man's treasure! Thanks guys who don't repair reels! And rods too! And a side note on those Johnny Morris reels, there are specific models to buy and models to avoid! You can download all of the JM manuals and schematics from the Bass Pro website. Once you have these you can compare the guts of each reel. So the only models I will purchase are the ones with triple carbon fiber drag washers and avoid all the models with a single drag washer that is not carbon fiber. Another Bass Pro reel secret is that some of the now discontinued Rick Clunn signature reels are identical inside to the JM reels! Most of the internal parts are identical. Same reels, different exterior basically. But, there is really only one model to buy. Bass Pro shorted some of the RC reels and they only come with magnetic brakes, but there is one model that has both magnetic and centrifugal braking and triple drag washers, but not carbon fiber. I simply switch them out with the carbon fiber. Piece of cake! And on my Rick Clunn reel I leave the drag dry so I can lock that drag down for pitching and flipping while the JM reels I lube the drag and use them for spinners and crank baits. Oh, and those RC reels are much cheaper than JM reels and no one wants to bid on them hardly as compared to fighting for a JM reel in a bidding war! And, Bass Pro did not make a Rick Clunn lefty in the 7:1 speed that I know of for the series I want with dual braking. No problem! The gears from a JM will fit right into the Rick Clunn. Problem solved. I walked into a thrift store one day and found a nice 7' top of the line Bass Pro spinning rod made from IM-8 graphite and bought it for $2 because some of the guides were broken. Took all of 3 hours to remove and replace all the guides with titanium oxide guides and I've been using it ever since. A sweet deal! One of my local bait and tackle shops routinely buys tackle out of estate sales and then resells it in their store. I can go in there and buy all kinds of name brand lures for $1 each, or $2 each. Bags of rubber worms for a $1. I save money buying a lot of rubber lures in bulk. Rather than hit Walmart and get a bag of zoom lures that come in like 8 or 10 per bag for $3-4, I go online and locate bulk sellers and buy like 50 or 60 rubber swimbaits at a time for $10 with free shipping type of thing. To save money on line, this may cause some controversy but oh well... when I began using braid line I paid the price for power pro coated with teflon poison that quickly wore off on my hands and into the water. Next I paid the price for sufix. Good line no doubt, but way over priced. Today I buy bulk rolls of cheap Chinese braid line without any poison teflon coating. My average price is like $20 for 1500 yard roll. And guess what? I have been using this line for 2 years now and I don't lose fish. I did some research on braid line 2 years ago and I went to the plastics industry who makes the PE gel spun fibers and I discovered there were only 12 companies in all the world who even made gel spun fibers used in all braid fishing lines. There are a couple in America, some scattered across Europe, but by far the most gel spun plastic fibers are made in China. So what happens is various line companies buy these gel spun fibers and then do their own weave and processing and then sell it for top dollar, some other companies just buy the already woven fiber line and then do a finishing processing on the line and also sell it for top dollar. I made the decision one day to skip all those top dollar high priced line companies and just try out the cheap Chinese line I read online here in America all these fishermen complaining about it, so I decided to give it a try and see if it was as bad as I read about and I was pleasantly surprised the line was not as bad as some make it out to be. And I have been saving a ton of dough over the last two years using Chinese made braid line ranging from 8 pound test up to 50 pound test and never had a problem with any of it. It is kind of humorous to know that some of those American fishermen who would complain about the cheap Chinese braid line are actually buying it themselves from Walmart marketed under another brand name and paying much more for it! Let's see... A roll of power pro for one reel's worth of line at Walmart is what $12 to $13? I can spool a reel with chinese line for a $1. I can do without the teflon poison too power pro uses for their finishing processing to make their line special. So I would not exactly call chinese braid line a cheap knock off since in the plastics industry about half of the gel spun capacity in all the world is coming from China. They can make it as well as anyone else and do! And they can weave it too. Oh, and for skirts... I hate them! I am not going to lie. Playing around with skirts gets old real fast. So I looked around for an alternative and found a yamamoto lure, a soft rubber molded bait that has the skirt molded as a part of it! And in the dark waters I fish here in Florida where you can't see your hand 6 inches below the waterline, there is no way any fish can see it 6 and 8 feet down either, so they don't care as long as they think they can eat it, it catches fish! And no more skirts to play with!