I need me back too.

Hi, Mitch. Have some of both. See my playlists. Lots in there. Hopefully there will be more someday. Cheers.

Thanks! Very cool. Yeah, the more you know the more interesting things get. Good luck with the catching too.

Hi, allow. Awesome to hear. Wish I was able to continue. Remains to be seen how things pan out. Besides that, we’re ok here. Thanks. Paul

The "fall" is a very important strike trigger for bass and other fishes. It's important to be able to do that and still detect strikes/takes. Requires control of your line on the cast (keeping it straight between you and the lure), allowing the lure to fall nearly unchecked but enough tension to feel and/or see takes. I suppose one thing to know is that many takes are discernible, with control and attention, more so than one might guess. Those that aren't, well... that's part of the game. With experience, you can learn when to expect strikes, and can "weigh the line" momentarily by adding tension to gain feel. You'll get better as you fish a lot, paying attention to your line control (straight line, proper tension). Surface conditions matter a lot. Calm water allows better feel and ability to see line movement. Line type matters: braids float and are quite visible but only offer feel when taut. Mono's, esp FC, may be the most sensitive when fished semi-slack as its weight puts tension on a light graphite rod; It's surprising how much you can feel through a mono line hanging in a bow off the rod tip. As to the bow created in the line between surface and lure, this is true. More an issue the deeper you are attempting to fish. Thus, line diameter vs lure weight matters greatly. May have to drop in line diameter or go up in lure weight to increase detection. FC is an advantage bc it sinks so can maintain a straighter angle from surface or rod tip to the lure. Hope this helps. This is where it gets fun! Stay on top of where your lure is at all times, control that line, let the fish do the rest. Can be good to practice on abundant small fish. You'll develop confidence with success. And, again, you'll feel more fish than you might think.

Sad but so true.

@@thenatureoffishing7591 Hope all is well Paul. Past, present, and future me are grateful for the content you've provided!

Yes, that bow simply puts us out of touch. The best line for windy conditions is FC, either a spool full of FC or a long leader. Learning to stop a powerful cast just before it lands can straighten a line. A straight line, esp with braid, is critical to presentation and esp detection.

@@thenatureoffishing7591 yes, I recently noticed that if I touch my line at the moment lure touches water, I can reduce a lot of slack line from coming out of spool. Also, any insights on the color of braid? What’s the color easiest to watch on the water? Thank you!

I try to straighten the line tight before it touches down using the lures momentum. This is also how you can get a quiet splashdown. Color for visibility depends on lighting and background (dark surface or bright reflections). Never a perfect world. I’m not sold on any particular colors.

@@thenatureoffishing7591 nice, i will try tightening the line before the touchdown. Hopefully my finger doesn’t get hurt haha

With casting rigs it’s the thumb. And raising the rod tip just before splashdown helps slow it too. Johnny on Fish the Moment has a good vid on this. With spinning rigs the forefinger is often touted. But I’ve developed the habit of cupping, or slapping, the spool with my left hand.

Whole lotta crayfish munching going on out there!

Motivation/interest to persevere. True consistent confidence comes with time. We’ve got to get our butts kicked a lot. And learn to roll. The real world is a BIG place.

Thanks, Stephen. Great to hear.

Keep at it. The learning never ends! Big world out there. Even in a small pond.

I was specifically looking for this info. When I asked about it on reddit, I am not getting a good answer. Any other books or resources you know of, on this topic?

Following up, I just spent 2 hours trying to find other resources on this topic. It's really difficult to find anything. You should make this a book or expand on this more. Maybe a udemy course, if you don't like books.

Not many cover this kind of info in much detail. Some good ones: -InFisherman Handbooks of Strategies -InFisherman Critical Concepts -Knowing Bass by Keith Jones

Maybe someday.

Also, I did expand quite a bit on C&C in the Fundamentals playlist. I also consider such things in nearly all my other videos. See the channel playlists. Best, Paul

No way! Another one?? :))

Hi, SLS. Thanks so much. Great to hear. I'm doing...ok. Really want to get back to my fishing. Paul

Thanks, Mathew.

Well... time, mess, satisfaction. One such lure fits in my pocket and may catch 20 or more fish. And I done made it myself -mostly. (Although I have invented a number of awesome crayfish fly and jig patterns, along with many other darn cool critters.

@@thenatureoffishing7591 Well I'll give ya that, if I want the real deal I do have to seine them myself out of our local drainage ditches, and on top of that I choose to use only the ones that have molted or shedded out as we call it, however, I have seen many a big large mouth taken on artificial crawfish....by the way , I think that's darn cool u make ur own....keep on fishing!

We used to catch them from rock and wood crevices with a piece of bacon fat tied to a string. They grab hold and get lifted out. Worked like a charm. Yeah, keep on fishin’! It’s all good.

Hi, YR. Thanks. In short, things are complicated here. Hoping to get back to the fishing life again. And back to sharing it. I sure miss it.

@@thenatureoffishing7591 as long as you are ok no worry. Life is life it takes us left and right. I wish you the best buddy if you ever visit Virginia near the DC area hit me up I would love to meet you and fish I just bought a new boat and I’m really excited.

Hi, Bruce. Yeah, fish don’t know what line is. Any line can spook fish, depending on conditions, whatever color it may be.

Hi, Arthur. Your situation sounds like a well balanced fishery. Lucky you! Fish apparently need 2 main things to get BIG: good rapid early growth (prior to maturation) and then abundant large prey. For me, I'd rather have your situation than the one in this video, or the needle in a haystack I've been currently fishing. Man those strike-less hours grow old!

LOL. This is not going to be your channel. Click away.

Thanks, Y R.

Hi, Jay. Sorry to hear about your dad's passing. My dad is turning 91 next week and now lives with us. He introduced me to fishing nearing 60yrs ago now; Or maybe it was the rock bass he helped me catch! :) And, thanks! What you've described is what I've geared my channel toward, making and deepening our connections with the natural world. Great to hear you are able to dive right in. It just gets better and better. Hopefully there will be more to come for my channel. For the time being I've been occupied with other more pressing priorities. Thanks again for the spot on comment. All the best, Paul

Doing ok healthwise, although recuperating from surgery. Little time lately to fish, much less make videos. 🤞🏼

Thanks. Just can’t right now.

LOL. Thanks. 😁🍔

Hi Jason. Good to hear. Yeah, fishing and science are cut from the same cloth. Both are attempts at understanding nature. Best, Paul

:)) Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. I guess that works for bass.

Thanks. We’re doing ok, I miss it too. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

@@thenatureoffishing7591 have you been doing any fishing?

No! Or very little. Ironing out other priorities. Patiently waiting… I hope I remember how to fish.

Thanks Andrew!

Hi, Henry. Thanks. Glad you are enjoying them. Paul

Hi, Jacob. I’ve experimented a fair amount with hook types, including barbless. I feel the most dangerous hooks are large single hooks, due to gap size vs fish mouth size, and the risk of fish taking a soft bait deep. I find the biggest issue with trebles for people is knowing how to unhook fish. I really dislike seeing mangled mouths on fish. I show careful unhooking in a number of my videos. And hope to do a full video on fish handling and unhooking. I really appreciate your thoughtful comment. It’s important to be careful with those wonderful creatures we love.

Hi, Francisco. Me too! Thanks. Best, Paul

Thanks, Francis. This one took only about 6months or so. My second doc took a year and a half and specialized equipment. Very much a labor of love, and deep curiosity.

Thanks, Sidenotch.

Thanks, B and T. Wish I could get back to it. Little fishing/video time lately.

@thenatureoffishing7591 I get it man, life is busy and this fishing thing probably shouldn't be on the top of the priorities list for anyone, unless they're winning 100k tourneys haha Whenever you get the time, I'm sure you'd have an eager audience. Hope you and your family are well brother!

Thanks, CJ.

What depth would you recommend taking water temperature at on a highland reservoir? I ordered an underwater thermometer and have been reading at about 5 1/2 feet

Sorry CJ, just seeing this now. I often start by taking a temperature profile, down to as deep as I might expect bass, for that time of year. I would be curious as to whether there is a thermocline. With very clear water you likely have bass using deep water. I use a thermometer as a guide to eliminate chunks of water, to keep tabs on where I am in the season (identifying “core” water temp), and looking for places and periods that affect fish activity, keeping in mind that bass in particular are pretty labile in their responses to temperature. Cover and food availability can have great influence.

Hi, ECRD. Yeah, it's a lot of work, esp the way I want to do it. Have had to take some time away, more than I anticipated, and am hoping to make it a part of my life again. To your question: Spawning tends to be a whole different mindset for the fish, and separate locationally from feeding, the fish needing different 'habitats' for each. There are locations in a water body that yield successful spawns and bass will return there, something called "site fidelity". Spawning areas may be close to or far from prime feeding areas. In small waters/ponds they may be very close. In large waters bass may travel miles to prime spawning areas. Both are 'migration' behavior, however. My Video Fishing Journal (VFJ) #17 addresses this behavioral shift in a fishing situation. Might check that out. All the best, Paul

Hi CJ. The line provides the most sensitivity. For slow presentations, “stitching” can be helpful.

Yeah, even if they can’t see it, it still moves a lot of water. And that can be enough. FC does have some advantages though, as do all line materials.