Big Mike in Fl

I'm kinda surprised no one has suggested a C-rig yet, first bring it from shallow to deep, then if that doesn't work,go from deep to shallow, if that water is flowing,it should work, also give a spinner bait a shot.

awesome fish bud! gotta love the Ultra light!

I actually do lighter carolina rigs than most, but seem to do alright that way. I use a 7' medium spinning rod,with a stradic 2500 spooled with 20lb power pro. I usually use a 3/8oz bullet weight, with two beads, about a 3' leader of 20lb flouro and almost always use a 5" or 6" lizard, altho sometimes I will use a french fry type bait.

I think you just peaked the interest of a lot of us florida guys.... how is it you live in washington and decided to come up with a gator bait? lol... I want on the list to try one out!

the sad thing is, I always thought of owner as a second choice to gammies, until I started reading up on here, how everyone loves owners over gammies. I just stocked up on a fresh supply of them. oh well, theyseem to work too.

that's awesome, about a month ago I had the pleasure of getting my brother his first bass, while he's most certainly NOT the fishing type, it was awesome that he could go with my and get one, sometimes it brings more joy to me to see soemone new to fishing get one, than to catch a bunch myself

Funny, that also drew my eye right away. ....lol Man i saw that and didn't even process what the heck it was, LOL!!!! Maybe it's for gators................................ I have carried my 12ga a couple times in my jon boat for that exact reason, something slightly scary about being in a 12' jon, with gators about the same size swimming around! easttexas: moccassins makes sense, didn't think about that one, but the turtles, seems like easy pickens to me. and yea,I'd expect a gun on a boat if its in texas, heck,I'd carry one here every time I go out, if it were my boat I fish on regularly. but I'd probably keep it in the rod box until I needed it.

I myself would love to know some spots on toho, or atleast some ideas. I fished it this morning and pretty mcuh got skunked(my buddy caught one dink, and one mudfish) here's the spots and techniques we tried 1st spot: the outflow of "shingle creek" the water was flowing pretty good, worked c-rigged lizards, and topwater, this is where the dink came from. after about an hour we left, 2nd: just south west of marker 24, in about 7' of water, c-rigs, traps, and jigs in scattered hydrilla. nothing! 3rd: locked down to cypress and fished the outflow of the canal into cypress (an area where my buddies had slayed them about a month ago) the water was flowing south pretty decent, tried c-rigs, cranks, jigs, and senkos again, not much action at all. 4th: headed to south end of cypress near the canal to run to hitchnawha (sp?) flipped an area of reeds, just east of canal with creatures/jigs, again an area that had produced previously, fished it for about an hour with no hits at all! 5th: headed back into toho and worked the area around the south east corner, where the little house is out on the peninsula. fished senkos, nothing finally we headed to what I believe is called "browning's point" and fished in the shallows there, that's where the mudfish came. we jsut didn't see much activity at all. I know the reports have said open water with hydrilla, but there wasn't mcuh at all going on there. so I guess, I'm looking for some guidance on that lake, I'm not anyone's secret spots ss to speak, but a better idea of what to look for

I have an assortment of rods, from different manufacturers, and I get by fine, however, I did hear an interview KVD gave on the subject, saying that if all of your rods are similar in size, weight (but still have different actions and powers for different applications)as if made by the same manufacturer, then it will take you less time to adjust when switching rods. so there is something to be said for keeping them within one brand/series of rods. I know when I switch form my topwater, to my stick(senko) rod, its a major change and takes some readjusting.

bobby, you think its hot down here, try fishing in it, or even worse, working in it.

keep the .22 on the boat for mudfish (bowfin) or just for plinking?

I got one in the ear once, went into the meat, and didn't come back out, so we had to cut down into it with a razor knife (box cutter) to get it out, that wasn't fun.

could be what we call armored catfish down here, they will undercut the shore to spawn, and therefore seem to destroy the shoreline

I just got an old 94 for christmas this last year and it's become my new favorite gun, I don't even carry my .300WSM anymore.They also stopped producing them, so if you have one, don't get rid of it. I agree with what's being stated here, there is a cross refernce between useful, quality, and over priced waste

I've had more fo these days on the marsh than not, I guess that's why I fish Garcia more, because it always eems to produce some fish, even if they are smaller... Then again, the good days I've had on the marsh were amazing. I need to get out there again! Hey Dink Wisperer, if you make it out here this year, got an extra spot in the back of the boat?

try a magic eraser, they seem to work my PP doesn't bleed nearly that bad!

I like the 9's and 11's, in a silver, gold, goby, perch, or shiner several years ago, they had a color named silver minnow, it was actually kinda a baby blue, baby bass looking pattern, I loved it but they discontinued the color, and my last couple were stolen when I had an old tackle box stolen probably 6 years ago.

the popper far out performs the original in my mind, however as stated, ti does hang up easier in thick stuff, altho a little wiggle will free it up, it can be a hassle. however, I seem to get better hook ups on the popper, than the original for whatever reason, atleast so far. right now my popper is my main go to frog, and the original is mearly a back up.

HOLY POOP That's a sow belly... What size rock did youput in it's gut??? J/K I've never seen a fish with that big of a belly... maybe a really late spawner??

THIS GUY RIGHT HERE!!! I AM BIG LOL

I've never done the money minnows, but I LOVE Reaction innovations skinny dippers, which work pretty much the same way, I'll throw them pretty much anywhere, anytime I can get away with it, through pads, through grass, in open water over drop offs. they are as good of a search bait in my mind as any spinner bait, or trap, and in my arsenal has essentially taken the place of said baits.

I'm usually up at 4:30, on the water by 6, but in the colder, winter months, I may not be on the water till 8. this is in reference to when I'm on the boat, if I'm fishing from shore, I just go whenever I feel like it really, no prefered times

I understand what you are saying rhino, but I believe my fisihng percentages are more tuned into the bass, than they are to what I prefer to do. I love t-rig worm fishing, I believe I'm pretty good at it, however, my experience has always been that I will get 5 bites on topwater, compared to 1 on a t-rig...thus the reason why I fish that much topwater. But again, I think it has to do more with the water I fish, than the grass...I'm fishing in 4-7' of water, so the fish are always within striking distance of the top.... let me also add, that my t-rig and c-rig's were meant as the 30%, not the 10% flipping/pitching, I will typically cast a worm, rather than pitch it within close distance of the boat. I think this debate is so hard, because there are SOO many factors involved, its hard to make comparisons of fishing here, to the fishing that catt does, to fishing the potomac, or cali. that is why I state that for me, topwater is a much better producer of bigger fish consistantly. Many tourneys around me are won on flipping,many are won on c-rigging, but in all reality, many are won on varying techniques throughout the day, with many people starting off with topwater in the morning.

Thats where my secret/favorite topwater lure came from, about 4 years ago, from a bargain bin, got three of them, for $2.00 each, caught ton of fish on them,eventually lost them. went a year or more without being able to find any more, thne at the same store (I'd been back to the store several times since then too), I find them again, under a different manu. packaging (definitely the same lure though) again in the bargain bin, I got 5 this time, and will guard them more closely! ***Notice, I didn't say what it was, or where I got it*** Everyone needs to find their own little secrets

I usually use 20lb or 30lb braid, a couple of my heavier setups have 40 lb (my flippin rod and my jig/heavy t-rig rod) this is as much about the cover I'm fishing as it is about the fish I'm catching, if I'm in heavy hyacinth/reeds/bullrush/pads I want a bit of heavier line to cut through the weeds on a hookset.