Dwight Hottle

Private courses in FL are not going to allow you access. Your only choice would be to try a public course if you can find one.

The state of Florida allows open carry when fishing. A visible gun on your hip might have alleviated them crowding you in the first place. Just a thought. A call to the FWC is warranted after you see a violation. If you have video evidence so much the better.

@Pat Brown congratulations on the new PB. You skipped right over 10 lbs to 11lbs plus.

@Ryanralston07 I have seen them in drug stores & Walmart. It' two pieces of hard plastics like a clam shell that compresses your forearm with Velcro straps. It has saved a few trips for me when casting heavy baits for a week of long days fishing. https://www.compressionsale.com/products/otc-band-it-forearm-band-2421?variant=37727945425075&source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=16855031259&utm_term=&gadid=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzdOlBhCNARIsAPMwjbxi19NJmeayu-t25tVnqMyF0d3GU6tjKBlgYyrYm4tlVLfm7XMe-iQaAgW4EALw_wcB

Some times the wrist pain radiates up into your forearm muscle. They make a clam shell brace of rigid plastic & Velcro straps that really helps with the problem.

@Darth-Baiter we ran into another legend in the hallway while leaving.

@JNorman I have the Kistler He3-SpLMH-70F that's the 7' Light Medium Heavy spinning rod. Same action & power as the rod your asking about. I bought it to use for jerk baits with mono & braid specifically for smallies. Mine is rated 3/16 up to 7/8 ounces. It would be perfect for your intended use and no it's not too moderate. It has a lighter tip than a regular MH. Its actually 1/2 power less than the MH. The light tip moves quickly into the backbone but still has enough give to keep treble hook baits pinned with a moderate to medium drag setting. It will handle baits up to & including 1oz. I have caught smallies up to 6lbs with it so no worries if you hook into a big fish. The handle is comparable with Loomis & St Croix in size maybe slightly smaller.

@TheBaitMonkey My wife will gladly write the note for you if you promise to take me, LOL.

Sounds like a very enjoyable outing.

@Jar11591 I know I'll pi-- off a few people but St. Clair is a better numbers fishery than Erie but seems to lack the quality that Erie produces. It just doesn't produce as many 6lbers or bigger smallies than Erie. But it is a much smaller fishery in size & does not have the diversity of depth that Erie has.

Well I am biased but no other body of water in recent times has produced a smallmouth over 10 lbs. Lake Simcoe is under rated in my opinion. But the growth of trophy smallie lakes has been on a strong upswing the last 10 years with Washington, Idaho, @A-Jay beloved Michigan & the entire Great Lakes system flourishing.

@Mike L That’s where I first saw them @ Stickmarsh.

I have seen all the usual animals & birds. The most unusual bird was a flock of roseate spoonbill pink in coloring like a flamingo. The most unusual animals would be moose, caribou, marten, mink, bobcat, large river otters out of the water on shore and a musk ox on a trail above the Tree river while fishing for artic char. .

@Mike L, @Glenn, @MAN Since you all know what I look like; skinny old man with graying goatee probably wearing a hawgtech hat stop & say hello.

I'll be there on Thursday just walking & looking. Not in a display booth. I'll look for you.

My wife seasons them with olive oil & seasoning salt then roasts them at high temps in the oven.

@Tennessee Boy hit upon my thoughts. Wind direction & current are not always the same. A lake that drains from west to east has a westerly current even though the wind could be blowing from the east. Surface current & under water currents can be totally different. So it depends on the body of water. Obviously it is easier to fish with the wind increasing your casting distance especially when fishing mid depth to deep. Simply drifting with the wind can be very productive.

Get a cash back card. Then you can use the cash back credits to pay for what ever and never have to play the games associated with reward cards that don't pay back cash. I have an American Express card & a Visa card that gives back cash with no annual fees. It's a no brainer.

Donkey, slobasaurus & bigun.

Nice to hear from you again Raul.

When I was a kid we had a large tree hit the back corner of our ranch home during the night. It sounded like an explosion when it came crashing down. Definitely a scary situation & a real eye opener.

I would certainly try a jerk bait that will run 6-8 or 8-10 feet deep. Also I would try both a thin profile and a fatter profile like a LC 128. If that fails take A-Jay’s suggestion.

@A-Jay Me too.

Welcome to BR. Nice first post.

Moment or movement? ?