SirSnookalot

I was fishing in the ICW around daybreak, the saltwater bite is getting slow so I was working hard. There was a gentleman fishing with his son about 7 years old. Not wanting to cast over them, I was casting in a different direction. As things would have it I got the strike, quite often I like to hand my rod to the kid, but this fish had some shoulders and I was afraid of him dropping my combo in to the drink. It wound up being a nice snook, but I felt bad as I was the one catching the fish and not the young child, they caught nothing.

Wonder if that $88,000 bid can be canceled, don't really know the value of 11,000 twinkies but without the Hostess route that step van doesn't have a whole lot of value. Not being a step van expert but having experience in hauling heavy weights, a quick visual inspection of the picture tells me, the wheel base is short, tires too small and the body of the van is too low to the ground. I would doubt if the rear end ratio is adequate and the drive train (transmission and engine) is probably under powered. Offhand would not know what the GVW is, but step vans are not designed for towing or handling any kind of significant loads. That said I've seen these things converted into campers, housing for the homeless and utility vehicles for electricians and plumbers, work nicely for those applications.

I don't like bait fisherman and I despise bait fishermen with a castnet, I usually just leave and fish another area, really not a big deal. All my boat fishing is in the ocean, don't think there are not a lot of boats but crowding really isn't an issue, no real problem arises, except an isolate incident on occasion. Shore fishing, whether it's at the ocean, ICW or freshwater, I always stop by and shoot the crap for a while. There was a situation that really po' ed me, at one time I was fishing quite a bit with a Hall of Fame fisherman, he was an authority on freshwater stripers, even autographed his book for me. Granted when it came fishing off the beach, he was a bit lacking even though he was born and raised on he Jersey coast. Each and every time I out fished him, several times as I had a fish on he was casting right over me before my fish was landed, I'm talking 10 and 15# jack crevelles that are swimming all over the place. I said to the guy, "gimme some room for crying out loud, as a Hall of Famer you should know better". Last time I spoke to him, glad to say he moved back to Tennessee.

Am I safe in assuming that you are primarily a bank fisherman? As I said before I think a 7' mh redbone is a little too much for bass fishing even in canals with vegetation, but you can get away with it. Without a doubt it's way too much for ponds. A 4000 reel on that rod is ideal, it would be good outfit for snakeheads that are in your area and an occasional saltwater outing. What I would do is take your 2500 sedona and put it on a med 7' 8/17 rod and if you are on a budget take a look at this. Hurricane makes a cheaper rod called a Calico Jack, s/auth and dicks carries them, it's about $55, this is a very good rod that I like as well as my redbones for freshwater. I know another BR member bought one he likes his. Your sedona will feel great on it and you can use it for ponds too, especially if there is some heavy cover. Ideally if I were fishing ponds with little or no vegetation I'd be using a 6'6 6/12 rod.

One of the nice things about Florida, snook and jacks in the morning, peacocks and bass in the Pm. I used to have a ton of Peacocks in my backyard canal, which connects to the same place I've been catching those peas about 3 miles away, so I'm hopeful to get some action at home. My canal used to be excellent, many peas and some great bass, 2 bad things happened, the freeze and the county came in a dredged, the bass haven't been the same for 2 years, just yesterday I had some better action.

I do feel bad for anyone that no longer is employed by Hostess. Had Hostess been more profitable they would have most likely met the demands of their workers, so the decision out of biz today or a year or 2 from now. I personally will not miss any of their products, haven't had one in 40 or 50 years, not much into processed foods of any kind, especially with sugar and white flour. Sticking hard and fast with my other vices.

If a settlement isn't reached by Monday Hostess says liquidation will commence. This isn't the first problem Hostess has had, they did file for bankruptcy some years ago. People don't seem to eat twinkies, ding dongs and cupcakes as they once did. Something must be wrong with their business model, there is no shortage of adolescent obesity and diabetes, in fact it's on the rise, kids are eating some kind of junk.

If it's a private community pond the rules and regulations set forth by the state may not apply. If the state does have jurisdiction and you are offended at a resident's practice on their property, call a game warden. IMO, protocol for a guest to "educate" a resident is walking on thin ice, but being a man of conviction, I'm sure not being allowed to fish there again would be worth it for standing up for your principals. A change in your fishing venue may please all that are concerned and avoid any other confrontation.

3 rods, 2 of which are usually stored in the rod holder on the bimini top our of the way. At any time a fish may take me 360 degrees around the boat, having rods and reels in my way can result in tripping or a broken rod.

Very similar to my community ponds, except my ponds are larger. I approach it 2 ways, do I want to catch fish or do I want to have fun. If I want to catch fish, dragging a worm is about as good as it gets. For fun, which I do 90% of the time, I'd be using shallow diving lures, like a baby imus holding my rod tip a little high when you get close to shallower water, I've been liking a rapala flat rap lately, in line spinners, spinnerbaits, and a top water popper is always my #1 choice. You ought to get something with those choices.

I know a little something about redbone rods, been using them for nearly 10 years and I have 7 of them. Redbones have enough backbone to handle anything you'll run into, the rod you have I use for snook, jacks and juvenile tarpon. For the reel and line you bought, I would have gone with the med 7' 8/17, which I use for light beach fishing and sometimes for high banked canal bass fishing. You have it so enjoy it, in the future if it were me, I'd put a 4000 reel with 15 or 20# braid on your rod and do some ocean or ICW fishing and buy a lighter rod for your sonora. The redbones are not as light as some of their freshwater counterparts, which really makes no difference to me, never once have they failed me, a 10# fish is no match for what you bought. Using braided line, don't worry about line twist. Closing the bail by hand is a good idea just because it's smoother than using the handle, any line twist (mono or copoly) is caused by the line wrapping around the spool when retrieving or bait turning over like a spoon.

I live in Delray, don't get down that way too often. I like using in line spinners, spinnerbaits, top water lures and hard jerkbaits like an xrap or flat rap (rapala).

The few I caught were not big, but I only fished it once.......could be some peacocks too, many of those residential lakes a around there have them.

I've been using a Buff for years, for protection from no seeums, I bake with them on. I will wear it as a scarf around my neck on a cool morning, does a good job for that.

Coral Springs kicks my butt every time I go there. I did fish a lake I thought may have some potential, caught a few bass there. Coral Ridge dr just north of Atlantic on the east side of the road there is a Kids Academy Learning Center, park in that lot and walk north across the driveway and there is lake with good shore access.

I have seen a few beds in my community pond, but no fish on them.

I lost a fish a few years back due using the wrong knot. Fishing offshore the hot bite were amberjacks in the 40-50# range, we had boated a few. I was using 20# braid on spinning gear as I do most of the time, I had added some line to my reel, the knot gave out and I lost what I thought to be a very nice fish. Since that time, I've changed knots, I do join for my freshwater and inshore fishing, and when fishing offshore I do a complete respool when short on line. Things have gone well since then.

I had only 1 matching combo, 8000 Shimano spheros on a Shimano tallus rod, hated the rod and replaced it with a redbone 30# boat rod. I have only 1 other Shimano rod, an older clarus which I love. All my other rods are Stars and Hurricane redbones, with various Shimano reels, Pfluegers, Penns, Abus and an Avet, no matches.

Went back again yesterday Pm and caught some more, this time I went with a light rod and ul reel. I'm burned out on the small ones, 1-2 pounders don't get it, gotta find the bigger ones. Didn't realize this until yesterday but there is a daily limit of 2 with only 1 being over 17".

I don't like slop, I'm an open water fishermen using lighter tackle for all my species. For me it's a toss up between hard jerkbaits or topwater lures. Fun takes priority over fishing for the "one".

It would depend on their age, intent of dedication and species. I'm not a fan of live bait, but there is a time and place when I would use it to teach someone. Being primarily a snook fisherman, which is very similar to LMB fishing, bait is the way to go for a beginner in the wintertime, I could go for days without getting a strike that time of year on artis, that's only going to have a negative affect on a newcomer.

If I waited for the perfect moon, tide and wind I'd probably never go fishing, as it stands I fish 7 days a week. I'm aware of those factors and some of them do dictate what my target species will be. I seldom get skunked, the fish of the day may only be 6", but it could be 60" and it has happened. Some of my greatest catches have been when every factor has been against me, like flat water, bad wind direction, no baitfish, time of day and species not generally caught in that area. Out of the clear blue sky you see a big fin cruising, that's sight casting time. Maybe only a coincedence but my best output is on the new moon, hardly any ambient light.

I don't target bluegill but catch them on inline spinners while fishing mayans, so often when I have mayan on my first thought..........is it a peacock, they are a real terror for a small fish.

That one is old and in real life doesn't look so good. It's a size 08, I was using it in saltwater, it has 4x trebs.

I've said it before, Pflueger spinning reels is the only brand that I never had to have repaired or serviced, I own 5.