Palomar may not be practical when the hook eye is small. I use anchor knots exclusively and have no problem with knots untying.

Beautiful trout!! I’m jealous but I can fish in water that doesn’t get below 80 all year round here in Miami 😀

I actually read an article that says cull the medium sized bass to give the larger bass less competition for food. They probably feed on the smaller ones too

Taking out that amount of small bass is the best way to create a big bass lake! I did the same thing and it wasn’t very long before the average size went from 1 to 3 pounds. I always threw back the big ones and I caught a post-spawn 8.5 pounder. Anybody know what it could have weighed with eggs? But I digress. The little ones tasted great, lol.

Of course trout are way better than bass but even the taste of trout will vary depending on the water conditions. I caught some cutthroats in a volcanic lake in steamboat springs that were fantastic. I’ve also had some stocked trout from the wissahickon river in Philadelphia that made canal bass taste good, lol.

Always seems to be everyone else catching and me saying “What am I doing wrong”. First thing is to make sure you’re using the lightest line possible for the fish you’re after. You may go to 4lb test for crappie and be surprised at how often you hook a largemouth. It’s more thrilling landing fish on light line too. Nobody can brag about catching a 4 pound bass on 30lb test but if you say 4 or 6 I’d be impressed and you’d have a lot more fun. Just don’t try it around a lot of cover, lol

The taste of Largemouth bass is highly influenced by the water in which they reside. I’ve eaten bass from New Jersey to California and most recently here in my home state of Florida. The best tasting come from deep water like the numerous quarries or “rock pits”. The darker waters of the cypress lakes and rivers and canals, especially if they are shallow, will produce a muddy tasting fish that is darker in color, have higher mercury levels and generally have more creepy crawlies and sores on them too. Clean, light green bass from deep water grow faster and have very little muddy flavor. Great for pan frying like grouper!! Yum

Bass in “old water” like in the canals of Florida may have a high mercury level and should be limited in their consumption. They’re not nearly as tasty as the bass in the deep clear water quarries. Theses bass tend to be lighter in color and free of the ulcers and parasites you may encounter in old dark water and have very little muddy taste. I use seasoned Italian bread crumbs, old bay seasoned salt and pepper. Pan fry and enjoy!