SirSnookalot

IMO the difference between catching smaller fish and a larger one is which fish gets to the bait first. If I thought I was targeting only bigger fish I'd fooling myself into thinking I'm some kind of world class fisherman. I've caught little fish on big baits and big fish on little baits, I'll take all the sub 3 pounders that come my way, the next cast just may yield that 10#+, or that " bonus fish".

Depends if it's a proven winner for me. I bought around 40 xraps on clearance at Sports Authority (offbeat colors that produced just as many fish), so cheap I couldn't resist. On the other hand if bought a number of lures untested and proved to be not to my liking, all I've done is pee away a lot of money. I'd buy one, if I liked it I'd wait for the next sale. A deal isn't a deal if you're not going to use it.

What puzzles me is, do fish see exactly what I see? My common sense leads me to believe the answer is no. How many animals are nocturnal and see things in the dark that I can't. How many times have I caught a fish at night using a black lure, they see it but I can't. I have tired all the combinations, don't see much of difference one way or the other, even for species that are supposed to be extremely line shy. I personally have given up on F/C leaders, even for fish like kings or snook, both are supposed to be very line shy, but that myth has been disproved countless numbers of times to me. It does boil down to a confidence factor, as George Costanza said "Jerry, just remember, it's not a lie if you believe it".

I own this scale, weight is dead on as I've used it to weigh items that are bought by weight. Grains, dwt ( pennyweight), grams and ounces. http://www.amazon.co...y/dp/B0021SXJ70

People have success using braid both with and without leaders, making it a personal choice. I always use a leader and seldom tie line to leader, when I do it's the alberto, an excellent knot. My leader size is dependent on the water I'm fishing, high baked canals I'm using 20#, pond fishing I drop down to 10 or 12#.

Amberjack, arguably the hardest fighting fish in the ocean, at least compared to the marlin and tuna I have caught. I caught this one off Singer Island with spinning gear, it's browned out as it's been on ice for a while.

That knot did not look uniform and neat in any way. Not doubting the success some have had with it, pretty sure I would not gamble with it.

I'm with Rhino, I never get excited regardless of how big a fish is, fishing primarily saltwater I run into some very hefty fish. Staying in the moment and heat of the battle, I don't lose to many of them. Catching a fish that takes me 360 degrees around the boat 3 o 4 times, or chasing after a fish on foot for several hundred yards puts me on auto pilot. I hook em, I own em.

I bought a wedding ring for myself for $125, retail $895, thru family contacts. Contrary to that my wife and I were in a local jewlers back in Detroit, she liked a diamond necklace, I paid retail with no qualms, as Bassn says that was my investment.

Be my guess fishing in that area the fisherman in question is not a bass angler, get near or above the frost line there are no bass, he's probably fishing for northern pike and swimming the jigs.

All fish tire, but some tire much quicker than others. Enjoy your regional favorites.

I've used 2/0 in the past but my preference is 4/0 for both worms and flukes. I personally have gotten away from EWG, I seem to be enjoying my success with an ordinary 4/0 worm hook for both kinds of baits.

If I'm catching fish I'm sticking with what I'm using within the same genre of lures. As Blubasser said, I myself have broke off quite a few lips on Rapala lures. Although I do use other brands, my preference is Rapala regardless of the damage.

Nice peacock......I personally have never caught one on a plastic fluke either. Wanting to look at some different scenery I took a ride into Boca and fished a few places I hadn't been to in quite a while, hoping to find peacocks, I didn't do very good. How many times can I prove this to myself, there is no place like home, I have been doing exceptional well in my own backyard canal.....but always trying to catch something out my normal routine.

Buying jewelry is one thing, buying investment grade diamonds is another. Far and away the dimaond jewelry bought in retail chain stores has been marked up quite a bit thru a series of middlemen, most of it has little chance for any significant increase in value. For example, and I'm not privy to exact numbers, a stone one may buy for $2000 retail, wholesale may only cost $500 or so. Any dealer or pawn shop can buy one cheaper, why would they purchase yours for more than their wholesale price? Personal experience, I bought a very nice 2.08 brillant cut stone, d quality for $1200 in 1969 at cost which is below wholesale price, retail was about 3k then, it isn't worth a heck of lot more than I paid for it I wanted to sell it to a dealer. Investment grade diamonds are a totally different entity, you need to know someone to buy and sell them, many of these investment stones are never set, their held in safes and deposit boxes like bars of gold, they do increase in value. Some of the finer jewelers like a Harry Winston, will set them into top of the line jewelry, not with the retail mall shopper in mind. On a sidebar, if not the largest but on of them is company called Sterling Jewelers out of Akron Ohio, started nearly a 100 years ago. Moving ahead some 60 years or so a family member became CEO of this company, over 1500 stores were created in malls. Ever notice 2-3 or 4 different jewelry stores in a mall, they owned them all creating their own competition. In time came some free standing stores called Girards, this company was sold to an English company withing the last 10 years or so. Never have I been affiliated with the company or have had any involvement other than some family conversation, mainly thru my son in law who was employed there. I was able to buy jewelry at extremely favorable prices.

Trailers on jigs have been around for a long time. In my experience primarily used to rig bait like frozen sardines and ballyhoo, used to catch fish that are slashing type strikers rather than bait inhalers like a bass. May not be worth the risk of having a big enough bass inhale both hooks.

Even though there was no landfall and the storm was well out to sea there was a effect on South Florida. With the high seas water moved past the high water mark in some areas and a few homes were flooded, also beach erosion as well as sea walls destroyed. The storm created some large sandbars, fish that normally venture close to shore are not coming in. On low tide there is a large groundswell coming in making it both difficult and dangerous to enter the ocean thru some of the inlets.

As RW said, don't set the hook with a circle, just lift the rod and keep a tight line. I don't wacky too often, but I do use circle hooks quite a bit. I use Eagle Claws anywhere from 1/0 to 6/0 pretty much depending on the size of my bait, I primarily use them for a cut or live bait presentation, have never had any kind of failure with them. I would suggest not using them for toothy critters, with the short shank you are more prone for cutoffs, a steel leader can be a deterrent for some species. Sometimes you can get away using them with a stinger rig, trail a treble with piano wire off the circle eye.

Recently I was very impressed by a friends new rod, I used it for a while and I may just have to get one. It's an Okuma Cedros coastal rod, his was an 8' 10/20 mh spinning, I really liked the aluminum reel seats.

I've had no problem posting pics anyplace on the BR site as long as the picture size fit the parameters. My problem has been in logging on with my smartphone, just won't do it.

I'm not all that privy to Broward canals, but I fish Palm Beach canals daily. Our canals I believe are cut higher, making the use of spinner baits more difficult, I like using them when I'm close to the water in pond or canal when I'm pretty close to the water's edge. This time of year we have a lot of sea lettuce floating around, I'm using nothing but weightless flukes and work them fairly close to the shoreline as a topwater bait. As this is bass time, the results have been excellent. I believe the fish are going after the outline and color isn't important, I'll mix my bag with arkansas shiner, white with blue speckles, albinos and baby bass, see no difference in strike rate.

Florida is a big state and something is always happening someplace. In my area inshore fishing slows down to almost a standstill, not that I give up but I've only caught 3 snook in the last 2 weeks, this is when I do the majority of my bass fishing. It's all about location, offshore is on fire, the rough water brings out the sailfish,dolphin, kingfish and cobia. The backcountry in the keys is a great place and the water is calm as a rule, whether there are migratory of resident fish, you're going to catch something. Close to the Miami area and that is peacock country. I probably fish more this time of year than any other time, inshore every morning, bass every afternoon, offshore once a week sometimes 2, and the occasional trip for peacocks and snakeheads or head north for redfish and sea trout. My plate is pretty full.

I don't get excited that easy, a 10# permit or a 10# tarpon, which are entry level for those species, will put one into a world they never knew existed. Not everyone is up to the challenge handling fish like that on lighter tackle, totally understandable to know one's own limitations.

Without one iota of doubt IMO this is true, and the same rule applies for saltwater. I use nothing but clinch, improved clinch, alberto and loop for 100% of my fishing.

Can't catch snakeheads and peacocks in Okeechobee, need to be in South Florida. I personally would not take a trip to fish for a species I routinely catch at home. For light tackle fishing the same guide fee, bonefish, tarpon and permit are some pretty tough hombres.