FD.

It rained this morning and she fished anyway. We went back to the cabin and put on some dry clothes and even though the temperature had dropped another 20 degrees she is right beside me headed back to the ramp. 5 min out of the ramp my eleven year old caught her first fish on artificials and her second on the same cast. Her name is Taylor and I am a proud dad.

Just got here and checked in. Josh and I spent a couple of hours on the water this afternoon. All of my spots from this summer are high and dry...Any Ideas?

Harris Chain out of Buzzard Beach Sat 11/17/07 It is 5 am and as I am rolling thru Howie in the Hill I notice my thermometer reading a balmy 36 degrees. Considering in the fact that 48 hrs ago it was over 80 degrees, the wind is out of the North a 10-15 mph and I don't have my coveralls, the "feels like temp" is somewhere around minus 40 degrees and falling. I launch and discover that my '92 Johnson is as fond of the cold as I am....A little coaxing and she finally warms up and we get up on plane...this is when the "feel like temp" calculations need to be modified. I was not aware you could get frostbite in FLA. Now for the fishing report...I have nothing to report.... Air temp...45 to 65 water temp...mid 60's blue bird sky with a fresh cold front spinner bait- NO lipless crank- NO carolina rig- NO Shallow Canals - NO Deep Holes - NO In summary, 26 boats. 20 had fish, only 5 with more than 3, and 13 lbs won a tournament that normally takes 25 to win.

One more thing--- I have a lot of confidence in this bait so I fish it alot, it is my goto bait and there is always one on deck. If you pitch it and it hits the bottom without the rod getting snatched out of your hands then reel up and pitch again. This is not a finese bait, and you dont have to worry about hook sets, they will hook themselves.

I have caught more than 20 on a gambler blue/black 3/8 with a kissimmee craw in light blue and green flake this year. All over 2 lbs, 5 over 5 lbs and one 8.57 that got me a big fish check. Most of these came in 5-6 ft of water flipping isolated patches of grass about the size of kitchen table.

I also only use megastrike. I use it on all baits including worm weights and the first few feet of line. Not only does is cover my non fish smelling hands scent, I don't tear as many soft plastics fishing the heavy cover I usually fish. Plus it does not get all over the boat and does not smell that bad to me..

If you are smart go to college... If you're not so smart and an average fisherman, then you can look forward to flippin burgers instead of jigs and living in a trailer instead of pulling one. If you are smart and can fish, then go to a college with a fishing team. There are several in the midwest and Webber International University in Fla (the school is on Crooked Lake) just started one last year. Just google NCAA fishing teams there, are 24 colleges with fishing programs. GO TO SCHOOL and FISH

Here are mine and my wife's ( also a fisherman), all true: My honeymoon was spent in a cabin on West Point Lake....In July and I have a picture of the 10 pounder I caught but not a picture of my wedding..(the picture to the left) We bought a bigger boat instead of remodeling the kitchen. (her idea) She goes to Walmart to get groceries and comes home with 3 bags of renegades. "food for the fish" she explains You open my garage and it has more rods and baits than the local tackle shop. 13 are mine, 4 are my wifes, 4 are my 14 yr old sons, and 3 are my 11 year old daughter. Oh and not to forget the 5 or so saltwater rods. We have family outings on the back porch practicing flipping and pitching into flower pots Thanksgiving vacation is planned for the same lake as the honeymoon. My calendar has ALL the upcoming tournaments for the year already listed in them...Club, 3 divisions of ABA, charity, Stratos owners, BFL, BASS, HT3, Extreme Series on 3 different lakes.

Istokpoga is limited in decent accomodations. Sebring has decent hotels. I would recommend a place on Crooked Lake with a private boat ramp and dock with power for charging batteries. It is about 40 min from Istokpoga, 30 min from Kissimmee and an hour from Harris. Lee

I'm headed to West Point Lake for Thanksgiving. Anyone have any spots to share. We will be staying at Highland Point Marina. I have only been on the lake once, in July...just the wife and I. This time we are taking the kids and would like to put them on some fish.. Thanks Lee

Hi Everyone, I'm a newbie to bass fishing, less than a year, and I'm already an addict. Mostly the addiction is driven by my competitive nature, and since I can no longer compete in the other sports I love (bad knees), tournament fishing has filled a void for me. I fished my first tourney in April this year and have fished over 20 since. Now the reason for this post. Being new to fishing, it appears to me that I have a huge learning curve to overcome. I have learned 3 things. 1) These locale tourneys are won by the same 4 or 5 guys everytime. 2) They have been fishing these bodies of water for several decades. 3) I'm tired of getting beat by 15 lbs. That being said, I'm going to post real, timely, reports. Locations, bait, pattern, weather, total weight, ect.... Hopefully this will help some of those like me and if you guys do the same maybe our BR family will have more success in our future tournaments. Thanks Lee

I came by Hickory Point about 630 fri. I saw someone putting in, maybe it was you. Tough luck on the cable. I'm going to fish the ABA Harris tourneys. They start this weekend so if you have any tips, I sure could use them. I'm not that familiar with fall/winter on this chain. I only started fishing seriously in March.

I stayed in LLH and Eustis on friday riding around charting the bottom. Spent a little time in Haines Creek without much success. The ABA national championship was out of Venetian this week with 150 boats. The fish were pretty hammered by friday. I fish a tourney this weekend so we will see. Lee

Wife, son and daughter. I get to spend every weekend on the water with no grief from anyone.....life is good

Ditto, <---------------------10-8 West Point Lake, Ga, July 07................. or 8-3 Johns Lake Fl Aug 07m she was 27 in but thin

How deep is the main canal? Where do you fish in the canal? I want to try again this weekend. Thanks Lee

The Candy Store also builds there own rods, has line in 4000 yd spools and sell plastics by the pond. It is at least a hundred to get out of the door every time I go. d**n that monkey.

I fished in Beauclair and Dora on Saturday. I tried to get into the canal but could not find deep water on the south side of Beauclair. The entire area was ringed with shallow water bouys. How do I get to the canal? Lee

Last week with the water temp in the mid 80's gabler cane toads were producing all day long. Yesterday on Harris with temp in the mid 70's I tried spinners in the grass lines (no luck) rattletraps on the ledges ( no luck) and flipped a candy bug in the vegetation in the canals with few bites. The wind was blowing hard out of the NE and a blue bird sky. My 11 years old daughter learned to run the trolling motor and had a fun time with dad. That made it a good day fishing.

First of all good luck! I fished my first tournament in March and have fished about 20 since. Here are a few things that would have helped me out. 1. Make a plan, using a map if possible, with your buddy the night before. Pick 3 or 4 spots you have confidence in. 2. Tie on your 4 favorite lures the night before and have them on the deck. (topwater, spinnerbait, crankbait, and a carolina rig are my personal fav) 3. Get to the ramp early! Don't be rushed, get in the water and relax......... 4. Fish your plan..... 5. Hydrate yourself....During the excitement of your first tourney, remember to eat and drink plenty of fluids.. 6. Don't fill your livewell until you are in the cleanest water available...usually not at the ramp... 7. Put a set of jumper cables in the boat. A dead starting battery 20 min before weigh in is depressing...You can always jump from your trolling motor batteries. 8. Take 5 min a couple of times in the morning to stretch and relax.... The last 2 hours make the difference between 1st and 20th...You need the rest to stay sharp and not miss a fish 6 hours into the tourney. 9. Retie your lures after EVERY fish or bad hangup, it only takes a few seconds and you will not be sorry, (like I was) 10. Remember fishing is FUN. 11. Remember fishing is FUN. 12. Remember fishing is FUN. Lee

My first boat was a 12 Monarch aluminum john boat when I was 14. I also just got a used stratos. Bought a 92 201 pro a month ago and love it....I fished Lake Kissimmee this weekend in a 30 mph wind and felt very safe in it....good luck with your new toy

Thanks Matt. I have been looking for something like this... Lee

I fished the ABA Couples trail in Florida this year. Had a good time and met some nice people. I also fished as a non boater a few times in D-20. In one day I learned more about the lake and how to fish it than I have figured out prefishing for days.

I have been bass fishing for less than a year now. I bought one in July and don't fish without it. I normally fish with it on the shad subtle setting and adjust the volume depending on the depth and wind conditions. I have had bait fish jump into the side of my boat several times but I believe it covers the noise I make more than anything. I fish a 60-80 boat tournament every month on Lake Kissimmee and the last three months I have come in 32nd, 22nd, 13th and have a big fish check. Maybe it's luck, maybe it's coincidence. No matter what you will not get it out of my boat.