SirSnookalot

Fish the bait that is conducive to the conditions, tarpon and snook will hit any type of bait small or big, bass baits are fine. As I understand it landlock snook and tarpon can live in freshwater but cannot reproduce.

Has a nice look but I didn't notice a sealed drag mentioned. I would not buy a reel just from a picture. Very good reels out there already with a proven track record.

Tarpon and especially snook love current. White is generally the best color for snook. I fish an inlet with very fast tidal water, both in and out, snook and tarpon will just come up to the top in white water type rapids. Primarily ambush predators out of the shadows.

Yes Mahi Mahi is Dolphin and some areas people call them Dorado which is the name I really like. Dolphin gets mixed up with Flipper and Mahi Mahi sounds like a fish a wimp would target and a big bull will give you a real tussle. For me only Sailfish surpass Dorado as my favorite " glamour fish". I don't weigh fish as a rule, so my guesstimate was in the 20# area. Yes the beach is my favorite place to fish for a variety of reasons, the beauty as the sun is rising (rough weather is the prettiest), peaceful, seldom crowded and the fish can be awesome and never know what's out there. Inshore and offshore are totally different, inshore can be much like freshwater fishing. I get invited out by some friends quite often and never pass the opportunity to do some offshore, it can be pretty boring but rewarding if you get lucky. I prefer lighter spinning or fly rod to drifting with live or cut bait. The equipment I use is probably no heavier than many bass rigs, major difference is the rod, a long foregrip is essential to gain leverage on a fish.

Hopefully wheel weights along with lead for other uses will get recycled, even though lead is fairly cheap scrap item it can be a profitable item due to the fact it weighs up heavy in a hurry.

Nice looking fish

Dolphin......This was fun I needed a towel, little heavy kept slipping out of my hand

Catt is right on this one. Every thing is secondary to finding the 10% of the water where the fish are, find the fish and whatever technique employed will catch fish if the bite is on. I use 1 rod whether I'm freshwater or saltwater fishing and have no more than 3 or 4 baits with me at any given time, learned that's all I need. If I were in the business of catching fish for a living or being a guide or captain I would buy top of the line equipment, but as recreational fisherman I think it's thrown out money. I guarantee I have as much fun as anyone using mid price gear.

I have never seen lady fish that thick before and never have I seen them beach themselves, could be they were chasing bait which was unbelievably heavy. The bite may only last 5 to 30 minutes, then it's over, matter of just getting lucky to time it.

Ladyfish by the thousands...great fun catching these acrobats on light tackle.

Closed season on Goliaths and if you catch one have to unhook it in the water. My guess is was a Mantaray or a big Leopardray, not a Stingray based on the type of fight you had and the size, ,Mantas are much larger. I hooked one myself a few weeks on the beach, maybe 4' across on spinning gear, my knot broke after about 15 minutes and almost out of line, no way to stop them on light or medium tackle.

Well, if ya have to ask... : A rhetorical question...... any real man knows a card is only for those that aren't sure if they man up.

A man card, does one really need one, to be one?

Strong cross wind makes a top lure difficult to use, wind at your back is much easier. Out here we use them when the surf is 4-5 ft, believe me aggressive fish just come up and grab them.

Have yet to see a snakehead in my part of Palm Beach County and I hope I don't. I do know in Coral Springs they catch a lot of them. Average bass 8-10lbs?, Hmmmmmmmmm !

Nice looking fish.

Snook= Soap fish..........I don't care to eat them either and I know the skin has to be off. In this household we don't eat fried food ( even an old sneaker tastes good fried). We baked it one time and grilled it another, my wife told me to never bring it home again. Once the season starts every yahoo will be out there, it's been a pleasure fishing uncrowded areas. Nothing I hate more than these BAIT FISHERMAN WITH THEIR F..$%^&*$# CAST NETS!

I think we are talking spinning reels, cheapest and best imo is a toss up between abu cardinal 100 series, less than $35 smooth and durable, and pflueger trion. The Abu 170 series for saltwater about 50 bux is decent buy, but Pflueger Medalist is imo is the best value in saltwater out there, my medalist compares to my soron, quantum cabo, stradic fi and fin-nor in every aspect except a bit heavier but at a fraction of the price. This one is a winner.

When I lived in Michigan I used wood for my fireplace, only for asthetics as that is not a very effeicent way of heating your home. Having a cozy family room sucks heat out from other rooms causing your thermostat to turn your furnace on more often resulting in higher energy bills. That said, I don't care what the heat or A/C costs. My motto, "work smart, not hard" then simple creature comforts are very affordable.

Between the heat, gnats,slow fishing and small fish I probably have logged no more than 2 hours of freshwater fishing in the last month. I have hit the beach just about everyday for the last 3 or 4 months from Jap Rock to Jupiter Inlet. While I have caught some real quality fish this year the numbers have been low. Bait is everywhere now, sometimes just too much bait, today for example I caught only 1 small snook and a blue runner, saw only 1 other snook caught. Tarpon, snook, jacks were busting bait all over the place but just to busy to hit artificial, in these conditions live bait users may need to clip fins.

Snook season will start in Florida Sept 17, 2010, but only on the Atlantic coastal and inland waterways. A poll was taken and the split bewtween opening and keeping it closed was right down the middle, I favor keeping it closed.

Pees still haven't shown up in Palm beach County.

At first I thought an Adult only forum with no control was a good idea, but after thinking about it I'm not so sure anymore. I would favor certain topics still off limits, but not sure where to draw the line. Certain political debates are healthy as people from both sides of the aisle agree on many issues like the Ground Zero debate, but so many other political issues are just a conversation right against left and this forum does not have even representation, other forums do. Also what is considered an adult and how will the minors be excluded ? Member profiles are not checked for age accuracy, will members have to submit a copy of their birth certificate? I'm up for any conversation on your favorite brew or adult beverages, even the brand of condom one prefers, but is that appropriate for minors to view ? If anything goes can we post x rated pictures or videos..........I say stick to fishing.

you do this on your bass rods? Medium 7' 8/17 spinning rod rated max 3/4 oz., I don't use it for bass, but I could and have when I don't have a smaller rod with me. The baits I use I make specifically for a certain target species, I make them in 2 weights, 1 that weighs about 11/4 for the above size rod and another that weighs about 1.5 oz for rods with a max of 1 oz...all spinning.

Actually a Tarpon is the world's biggest herring. Here in Florida it is no longer acceptable to take them out of the water for unhooking or photos, unhealthy for their organs.