Pegleg

That's a Red Ear Sunfish. We call em Shellcrackers here in Florida. I think Green Sunfish is a local name. The true Green sunfish don't get that big. Redear's or Shellcracker's get over 2 pounds. That one looks to be full of eggs.

I used to work for a horse tradein outfit and there was usually three or four of us travelin together. One guy always took forever in the restrooms when we stopped for meals. We used to tell the waitresses all kinds of stuff about him like he was deaf so she was to talk real loud to him or tell her we just got him out of the loony bin so she would bring him plastic dinner ware. Then we would salt his drinks. We had a ball breakin him of makein us wait.

I cure my chicken livers with garlic powder. Cut the livers in chunks and spred them on a old cookie sheet. Cover them with cheap garlic powder (buy garlic powder at the "Dollar Store") Then set them in the sun to dry. Turn them once during the day and sprinkle more garlic on em. Put them in a sealer bag and freeze em or use them that night. Pegleg

Yah gotta be careful pickin up those roadkills. Last summer my grandson and I were headed to the river and I saw a fresh coon layin in the middle of the road. I slowed down and just opened my door and leaned out and scooped it up and threw it in the floor board at Nathan's feet. The dang thing was just knocked out and it started growlin and thrashin around. The kid was tryin to unbuckle his seat belt and crawl over the seat and I was slappin at it to keep it from bitein him. While all this was goin on in the car a log truck came roarin up behind us and dang near ran over us. I pulled into the ditch and got stuck in the mud. I finally got hold of the coon's tail and slung him out the window. I had to call my Daughter and her boyfriend to come pull us out with his 4x4. Needless to say I was in big trouble when they arrived and my grandson told his Mom how we got into this mess. It was weeks before she let me take the kid fishin. I guess she just don't have a sense of humor.

Next time you buy onions save the mesh bags they come in. You can put a chicken or fresh roadkill coon or possom in it and hang it from an over hangin limb 10 or 15 yards upstream from the hole you want to bait. In a couple days the maggots will be swarmin on the meat and drop thru the onion sack into the water. The fish will be drawn to the maggots droppin into the water. Go ahead and laugh but this really works great. The dang tourists in them Kayaks and canoes cut mine down sometimes on the weekends. Pegleg

Yep I was ok. Been workin with horses and cattle since I was a kid so thats something you get used to. I can sypathize with your Dad. I've been sprayed twice by polecats and its no fun. Pegleg

I used to work on a 2400 acre horse farm/ cattle ranch. I ran the cattle part of the operation. One of my pastures had two swamps that I used to gig frogs in. My Daughter decided that she wanted to learn how to get frogs so one moonless night we drove to the gate of the pasture. I decided not to drive in because it had rained earlier that day and I figured we would get stuck. We gathered the lights,frog bag and gigs and started walkin across the field. My daughter said something about not bein able to see. At least I thought thats what she said. Actualy she said she had to pee. I told her to keep close and she'd be ok and I kept walkin. I heard footsteps behind me so I figured it was her. She had stopped to pee. Are you wonderin what is walkin behind me? Well I got to the edge of the swamp and I stopped. I turned to my right and said Lisa be real quiet so the frogs don't spook. She answered but it sounded like she was a long ways off. I turned to my left and something blew on my face. I almost crapped my drawers. My old cow horse that lived in that pasture had been followin me across to the swamp. I was about to slap the horse to shoo it away and my daughter came walkin up with the frog gig. It was so dark she didn't see the horse. Yep she stuck the gig to the horses butt and the sumbitch ran over me. I'm layin there tryin to catch my breath cause the horse stepped on my leg and my chest as he ran over me. We didn't do any froggin that night and we used the light walkin back to the truck. Pegleg

The lakes and rivers are full of em here in north central Fla. I don't mind catchin them they fight like a bulldog. The small ones up to 5lbs are good eatin. The big ones are old and full of mercury. Just fillet em and fry em like any other fish. Eat em fresh, they turn mushy if you freeze them. Pegleg

When I fish along the Bullrushes in the summer I use a popper that looks like a hopper. I tie a drop line from the hook on the hopper and tie on a streamer or nymph. Works great when the hoppers are active. Pegleg

Sardines,smoked oysters,or vienna sausages on saltines and plenty of water. When I'm out fishin I can eat all that stuff that grosses out my wife if I eat it at home. Pegleg

I never have music in the boat. I don't even play the radio in the car or truck unless its time for the news. I do carry a little portable radio in the summer and its switched to AM so I can hear the crackle of lightning. My boat is very slow so the radio is my early warning for thunder storms. Pegleg

I've used about all of em but the finest so far are the KaRu vibra-spins. Their made by a small company in Iowa and the action and quality are great. PM me if you want to know more. (The company isn't a sponsor on this site so I don't want to be a spammer). Pegleg

I like the ole bass proffessor but I think the snake lures are way over priced. There's no doubt in my mind big bass eat snakes. I've seen them do it. Thats why big dark colored plastic worms work at night when you drag em through and over weeds at night. Its one of my favorite tactics at night here in Florida in the summer. Pegleg

I usually fish shallow most of the time. Its tough when you have a 8 yr. old grandson in the ole alum. boat but we're workin on being quieter. When he drags his tackle box acoss the bottom of the boat and all we see is wakes leavein the area and then he trips over his bottom lip cause he's sad the fish spooked. I catch lots more fish when I'm by myself but its not as much fun. :-/

In the summer here in Florida I fish at night alot. I like to use dark Jitterbugs and the old Devils Horse close to overhanging trees.