SirSnookalot

When fishing a golf course it has to be done before or after the golfers play. Most golf courses you won't be able to get on at anytime, they are either in a gated community or there is no roadside parking. It's a good idea to know the golfcourse, you don't want to fish a pond on hole #1 at 7 am, or #18 after dinner. I'm pretty much only familiar with delray/boynton. I have a few places for bass and peacocks where you should have no problem, if you are interested.

I'm coming to your side of the state, I want to catch reds anyway, lol. I saw beds yesterday, tilapia beds not bass. Went to the inlet and only only 1 barracuda follower, no strike and no other fish around. Bass fished in the PM had 1 strike (big fish too) and lost it on the first jump. I went orchid shopping with my wife.

I get windknots because of the way I fish in freshwater. I may be throwing very light lures and I use a lot of popping motions that can create loops. When I'm using heavier lures windknots are rare. To my knowledge I've never owned braided line that was a disaster. Do my lines wrap around the tip, only if I've been tugging on a snag, normally operation , no. Have my lines broke in mid air, only if the line has been compromised, healthy lines breaking, probably as rare as me catching a 20# bass.

I'm not so sure about that anymore. I've used many of them and with most it's windknot galore. The 2-3 months I've been using a very inexpensive braid 10# almost exclusively with an inline spinner, so there is line twist. Not one single knot and have caught bass of all sizes, the line has been perfect so far.

I totally agree with FloridaFishinFool with regards of a roostertail vs a beetle spin. I have fished almost exclusively the last 2 months using a Storm Chug a bug and roostertails, hardly anything else. I may have one of my best seasons for both numbers and size. I have used roostertail type inline spinners with a single hook, I like those too.

Fishes beat me to this, by your own admission you enjoy it so much, why not just stick with it.

Why is it a sin if it does the job? Good friend down here fishes nothing but Van Staal, most of his rods are custom but one isn't. One of his favorite set ups is a van Staal on a $29.95 Shimano soujorn sjs70H. I know how good this rod is, I have the identical one.

Good for you. Yesterday was the worst day I can remember, including the summer. Caught only 1 at daybreak at a golf course pond, it was chasing bait maybe 15-16". Not strike the rest of the day. Went to the same places I've been fishing for the last few months, feast to famine, 20"+ fish daily to lucky to catch one 8". I hate February, this happens every year.

I agree with Weld. I live just a few minutes from Lake Ida, fished it a number of times over the years, it isn't my favorite place. There looks like there is a lot of shore access. but that's deceiving. Water can be low around shorelines and it's weedy, if you are going to fish bass go weedless. There are lots of peacocks there but very hard to catch them from shore with artificial, live shiners rule. As far as Lake Ida itself 2 of the better spots are close to the bridge at the Lake Ida rd entrance and all the way back as far as you can drive, a small cement fishing platform with a railing. I've caught countless numbers of them in the surrounding canals, in the middle of March the bite should be picking up for them. Blind casting with lures does not work near as well as it does further south, sight casting is the best way to do it. Peacocks like to hung the shore around here, walking the bank IMO is advantage, you can see them easier than you could from a boat and fish shallower. Believe it or not the 2 very best lures to use in that shallower water for them are crappie jigs and inline spinners. As aggressive as they can be, they can be even more tempermental, not always an easy catch.

It's his life, he can do as he pleases. I'm paying little if any attention to what he does.

Had I to do it over again I'd buy what RW posted or something similar, very compact. I hung mine in my garage using a horizontal 1x4 with hooks, not really the best set up I could have done.

No Idea, don't weigh them. I can tell ya what was the most fun, maybe not the biggest. A bass several inches above my 20" mark on a ul rod and reel with a Storm chug a bug, best fight I ever had from a bass.

I don't dissect it that closely. I will admit I spend more on reels I use for larger fish than the smaller ones. My rod prices are pretty consistent regardless of species. For smaller species the cost is about equal, for larger I spend more on the reels.

I'd personally give the edge to snook over redfish and saltwater stripers. All 3 of those fish don't even come close to a jack, permit or tarpon, a totally different league.

I thought you were diabetic as I am, wish I could that way. I've been dying for a bag of potato chips for years.

I thought I saw one only once, that was at 441 and Palmetto. Looking at the spillways they are elevated, don't see how they can get into that canal system.

Not only have the numbers come down the past 2 weeks, getting no real size either.

Ripped up an old t-shirt, gonna give it a whirl...........bet I get one, lol.

I've looked into this http://eternalreefs.com/

The lack of gimmicks. Back in the day, not that I ever did this, I've been told trollers for billfish would put a hook thru a white rag and use that as a lure.

Oh poor baby......................best wishes for a speedy recovery

It really isn't even the balance, I'd call it "comfort". Not everyone holds the rod in the same place, that will alter the effective balance. Depending on preference some do prefer a bit tip heavy while others prefer not. It really boils down to the feel you like, it may not be what others like. Addressing the reel itself reviews are not the way to go. Not only are there preferences in materials used to make the reel, but size can be very important. For example a man with larger hands may find a smaller sized reel feeling a bit awkward. The crank handle may have a bearing on one's preference. It's the comfort of the entire combination. With all that said don't make too big a deal over it, the explanation is more complicated than the actual purchase.

What ever reel feels comfortable on the rod.

25# fish? Only if the intent is to keep the fish. No reason to harm a fish that's going to be released, I'd cut the line or break it off. In the ocean that's a good possibility, but freshwater fishing in Florida not too much. You may hook into a 25# freshwater snook or tarpon, one is over slot one the other illegal to possess. A big jack is possible but again why harm it with a gaff.

That's pretty cheap ! Being a senior resident of Florida I'm no longer required to have a license. Fishing salt from shore or pier a licensed is not required for non seniors but you must have one for a private boat. Many places in South Florida there is both a pier charge as well as a parking fee, luckily in Boynton the jetties are free with no parking charge, better yet they are open 24/7. I have access not only to the jettie but beach and ICW, only problem is the fishing stinks the last few years.