Pumpkin Lizard

I think the predominant prey can vary based on the season too. When I lived in Wisconsin there was this Giant Mayfly hatch every summer (Hexagenia Limbata) or just “Hex” for short. They would hatch out of the Mississippi and any other body of water with a soft bottom. The fish gorge themselves on the nymphs by the millions trying to get to the surface. Supposedly according to the local biologists during this hatch the fish got 70% of their annual protein. And the fishing would be terrible for quite a time after. They simply can’t ignore that amount of easily available and vulnerable biomass.

They love eating yellow perch too.

Where is the science on the soft rayed theory? I remember watching “The Nature of Fishing” on YouTube and he said that Largemouths evolved those big mouths because it made them more efficient at preying on bluegill and their relatives. I also am not sold on the ancient war between the bass and crawdads. I think they will jump on them like a fat kid on a bag of Doritos when given the option. They just like to eat them.

I think the really big bass got that way by being efficient. Better to eat one big meal, digest for a day or two or more and sulk as opposed to burning calories eating lots of little prey. They are lazy. Now if there is a situation where there is plentiful, easy to catch small prey then the amount of effort may make it worth it. I don't think they mind the hard bones. They probably need the calcium and the minerals.

There are probably a crayfish or two in the bayou I would imagine lol.

I used to Scuba dive and snorkel in lakes in the northeast. In the mornings you could always see tons of left over crayfish parts left over from the night before on the bottom. It looked like battlefield or something. Even more so in the rocky areas. The crayfish hide in holes mostly during the day and they come out and feed and do their thing, and the fish hunt them like crazy. In my experience the places that have crayfish are virtually paved with them on the bottom. They are a great source of food. One crayfish on it's own may not be a great source but if they can eat lots of them then they are a feast. Not just bass but trout too.

Less Ned Rigs. More Swim and Glidebaits.

Luck is just the collision of opportunity and preparation.

I doubt it's bad spool. That's just so unlikely. These companies, particularly the Japanese ones have great Quality Control. I won't hazard a guess of what happened to you. But what it looks like happened to you happened twice to me last season with Seaguar Basix and it was my fault not the line's fault. I have been using mono my life when not fly fishing and I didn't take into account that fluoro has to be taken care of better. I was making long casts and every now and then I'd get a very mild backlash without a tangle. So instead of picking it out I let it ride thinking I could get it out on its own on the next cast. In my opinion I just set myself up for failure because sooner or later that brittle fluouro carbon will get knicked. So I'd make a booming long cast and then suddenly half my line was gone because that knick became a complete fracture. Lost a nice Megabass Spinner Bait and a Swimbait doing this; breaking off in mid flight. Now I take real good care of backlashes, and I use backing on the spool so that I only have 60-70 yards of fluoro spooled up and I am wasting less lane. That way I can spool three times with a 200 yard spool. Once you get that knick in your line, it's a matter of when not if. What do you think of the uni knot?

I don’t have one, unless you count getting hung up on unseen snags on the odd chance that one of my casts make contact with the water.

This is the best winter topwater tutorial I have seen. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFduswtShKV/?igsh=NjYwZzRmMG1rNDA2

It was in the 50s most of the week here in this part of Missouri and everything I fish is still locked up. The ice must have gotten thick. And it’s going back down to the teens this week so I don’t expect to fish until March.

Maybe in Zone 1 LOL!

They figured it out for Kayak Fishing. But yeah. Tough to replace the spectacle of a weigh in.

Almost certain that this comment was someone doing their best to speak English. Still hilarious though.

I had to do the same thing. Except instead of going from the surf I went from cold water fly fishing for trout back to bass fishing with gear. I grew up bass fishing obsessively so getting back to it makes me feel like a kid again and I think I am better angler for it too. I always kept a bait caster around as sort of a side gig that I would mess around with once or twice a year. But honestly even if I was transplanted back to a cold water plentiful place again I would stick with bass fishing for the foreseeable future.

I'm sold on giving the free rig a go. Springtime with Zoom lizards it must be deadly. Ok. Maybe I need to watch this again, but I missed a point. After that initial descent, and the bait has hit bottom, what should the retrieve look like? As you retrieve, the space between the sinker and the bait will decrease. Is this something you are just presenting to a target with a shorter cast? Looks fun as hell.

I throw 6 inch magdrafts of 7 foot Medium Heavies with no problem.

I think limiting it to one period introduces a very interesting tactical wrinkle. i can say that without a doubt. Watching one period of FFS is versus three periods is FAR more engaging. If you don’t have a good FFS period then you are behind the power curve. So you need to use it wisely. There should be zero debate that anglers catch more fish with it. Also you can’t expect your one period of FFS to carry you through. You have to be able to actually go fishing and keep up the momentum. I’m looking forward to seeing the numbers in NPFL and I want to compare Swndle/Hackney/Christies BASS numbers versus NPFL since they are competing in both.

It seems that with technology, weigh ins should be a thing of the past.

It was more than decent. I guess a plus of MLF's format is that every now and then it can produce a real time nail biter on the water versus a suspense at a weigh in.

Wall making that move to the dock with Magdraft was cool. Picked up two keepers and then a third on a creature bait. Kid can fish. Really good sport today.

Rage Bug on a VMC Rugby or Swinging Jig.

I think in some non pressured private waters a lack of harvest can cause imbalanced population. I saw it happen at my own pond. This recent Auburn study however suggests dire consequences to the fishing quality due to tournaments.with delayed mortality being a huge culprit. https://www.si.com/onsi/fishing/bass-fishing/843000-dollar-bass-mortality-study-coosa-river-al-fishing

This Jacob Wall has a good head on his shoulders. He had the most weight caught of anyone in the non FFS periods.