A hunt for big bass sent me to a pond armed with an 8 wt., 4 i.p.s. (inches per second) sinking line, and a 4-ft. length of 16-lb. tippet, and our H.O.T. (acronym for “Hold On Tight”) Streamer in the sunfish pattern. Along the face of the dam I counted the fly down (using the one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, etc. method) to 8 feet of depth next to a thick weedbed of coontail and imparted a strong lift, drop, strip retrieve. The tail vibrations signaled the bass population that a wounded baitfish was in their territory and caused innumerable smashing hits followed by memorable battles. What a great way to spend a sticky evening!