avid

Nice fish. That first pick kinda jumps out at ya. Nothing in bass fishing can beat a new pb. I caught a 7lb 8 ounce bass in 1981. It took me 27 years to up that PB to 8 lbs. I'm still trying for that double digit, but a nine pounder would thrill me to no end.

The other half of "you should have been here yesterday" is this one "the fish are biting on the other side of the lake" I really like that one. How often have you set out to fish the far shore only to meet people who launched on that side heading for your shore? It has happened to me ALOT over the years. the funny thing is how many people don't think it's funny.

Fish where you think the fish are. If that doesn't work, then fish somewhere else.

I agree. Someone who buys something and then asks for reviews is really looking for compliments on his choice. One thing I have learned over the years is that people should buy what their friends buy. If all your buddies use Shimano reels and you buy a Daiwa, your gonna get chit.

I have had great days and lousy days on all phases of the moon. But I do have one belief about moon phase and bass fishing. I don't seem to do well on DAYS when the moon is full. I've been told that because of the bright light the bass feed all night, and this may be true, but with some notable exceptions I find the bite is slower during day time fishing when the moon is full.

X2 on this. I love it when a fish jumps. The only time I really make an effort to keep a fish from jumping is if it's a biggun and I want to land and weigh/photo it. otherwise. Let the good times roll.

bass lakes get hot and cold, right now I think Amistad is pretty hot for numbers and size.

I throw poppers more now than ever. I can't say It's poppers or nuthin, but I have learned that by varying the presentation you can attract topwater strikes when the "textbooks" say you shouldn't throw em.

I have a Daiwa TDZ and a loomis cr721 that can throw just about anything. I actually had a time there where being able to toss really light baits, like a zoom finesse worm, on a baitcaster was a source of pride for me. the novelty wore off, and I use a spinning outfit for light stuff.. I mean that's what their made for right?

I've had the same pair of frogg toggs for 3 years now. They still keep me dry during some holacious Florida downpours.

sorry man, gotta tell the truth y'know

In the summer in Florida we gob the stuff on. Some days we catch a whole lotta fish, some days we don't

I haven't gotten drunk on a boat in a whole lotta years, but when I go now, along with plenty of water I take two cans of beer. Can't say that it makes a difference to my fishing one way or the other.

A smashing topwater bite is a thrill fer sure, but I gotta tell ya, some of the biggest bass I caught on topwaters sucked the bait in so gently I barely knew I had a strike. So you never know.

The stickmarsh has fabulous fishing but it can be very very tough. The first 5 times I went there I caught nothing. That's right.....ZERO. Since hooking up with SteveP a few years ago my fortunes have improved considerably. We have had days where we caught over 40 fish each. My Personal best of 8 lbs came from here. I have been in the boat on three occassions where double digits were landed. There have been some slow days, but only once in three years have I been skunked. I have never fished shiners at Stickmarsh, but have seen others out there doing it with mixed results. The ratLtrap is the number 1 bait out there as far as I can see. No matter what else someone may throw EVERYONE has a ratLtrap rigged up. Swim senko's are another reliable bait, that I have caught alot of fish on. Then popping plugs. The water is pretty shallow say 4-5' so tossing an unweighted senko can always be productive. I have never fished with Larry, but I have seen him out there many times. He is friendly and will always share what he knows. Good luck and have fun. avid

Your first fish is definitly a 4 lber and your second just under 2. Way to go

Right. The OTHER one is a nickel

We didn't talk to the people who were killed. They were with a group that just idled past us (all the airboaters in these two groups were very considerate). We did talk with the two guys who were in the group with the guy/girl who ran into them. We didn't speak with these two but they were very close and we waved as they idled past. Still in all ...very creepy. Air boats are really loud, and these channels and cuts are narrow with high vegetation. There is no way to see another boat or hear it over your own engines. They use airplane engines and V-8's. Sad, be careful out there.

SteveP and I went out on Blue Cypress the other day. This is a pretty natural body of water in the same general area as stickmarsh and ansin garcia. It's not noted as one of the area hotspots but steve had a few good days there so we gave it another try. The lake had slowed down, but we still caught a few each. Nothing photo worthy, except maybe the Ospreys. I think these are the coolest birds and they are all over Blue Cypress. The big news is that we saw two groups of airboaters. We talked a little with one group so it was really a shock when I saw this.... http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/08/03/0803wpbboater.html

I'm not that scared of the gators, it's the moccasins that creep me out. The gators can be dangerous but they usually don't bother you. Of course some I fish near can be 12 feelt long, but hey, those little moccasins are sneaky!!

Yeah we call em mudfish. They are alot of fun to catch and can grow pretty big too. I always wondered why guys who release every bass they catch get all bummed out when they catch a chunky hard fighting mudfish.

Gotta tell you that i have been having very consistant success in ponds this summer using topwaters. Oddly enough I have been doing best in the middle of the day. Not a recommendation your likely to see in Bassmaster but I just love fishing a little rico popper and so will take it with me when I go to any of the local ponds. The one tip I may suggest for mid day topwater is to keep the bait moving pretty quickly. It seems to generate more strikes that way than a quieter approach I like for early evening.

One of my biggest fishing related laments is that I can't use my fly rod since moving to Florida. I suppose I could, but the wind down here on the coast is pretty gusty most of the time. I sorta gave up on it. Fly fishing is effortless, and talk about finesse fishing. Using a fly sorta defines that technique.

Maybe that means the government doesn't have you under surveillance .......yet. :-/

firefox is great but for some reason I can't get it to remember log in info so after numerous settings checks, re-installs and tweaks I have given up on it. I went back to explorer, downloaded 8 and after a week remembered why I hate it so much. I then installed google chrome. Much faster and easier to use. Anything but IE