Chris

suspending jerkbait or crankbait.

OH yeah I forgot about that im glad you said something! Florida considers a bluegill as a game fish not a baitfish#5 domestic shinner.

#1 best live bait in Florida for bedding fish is a bull minnow. They look like a large guppy and can be netted up in most ponds and lakes. #2 would be a mudpuppy.#3 an wild shinner.#4crawfish#5 bluegill

I pond hop with a friend with one all the time. Just keep an eye out when the other guy casts. Besides the new piercing I get sometimes they work out great.

other stuff zorro spinnerbait- its a short arm bait great for off color water Hank Parker Classic-thin wire bait that with great vibration that with the tandem blades can be slowed down. flip n spin- great drop bait with a weed guard lunker lure buzzbait-nothing fancy just catches fish Pro model jig/rattleback jig-I like the flat eye zoom products senko/kreature bait-the kreature when rigged backwards displaces more water also a great clearwater drop bait. culprit-just an old stand by Shad Assassin-like the fluke great jerkbait but the tail swims on the fall strikeking tube- I like it because you can use it with or without a weight the solid head helps weight it Tube lizard-has more bulk and has a slower fall paddle tail worm- i like to swim these or hop them when the tail starts it has a thump that draws fish Paca Craw- Its a tube craw worm with arms shaped like a zoom super chunk and flap on the fall(good flip bait) strike king cyberflex jig trailers-good stuff Snapback tubes- it floats and you can counter balance it to really slow the fall. Someone asked what I used so there is the list and why. Cover an situation determines when and where I use them.

The funny part was if you where here watching me sort though all those baits figuring out what the heck I do use and trying to hunt an peck while typing it up lol Almost hooked myself :'( lol

Here are some hard baits that work for me. Bandit crankbaits- day in and out cold, warm, clear water to stained this bait catches fish Fat free shad- great bait Bill Norman deep little N, baby N- if you can get one to run right its a great bait Timber tiger-my 4 wheel drive crankbait good rock bait speed trap- I like to burn these Big O- the older ones have a deeper rattle and is a good kicker bait Rapala dt-great clearwater bait Balsa boogie- great bait for shallow wood Suddeth-tight wiggle great bait CC shad- can be fished like a jerkbait Lipped Rattletrap- It can be counted down oldie but goodie Diamond shad-great vibration Radar-10-I was impressed with this bait Smithwick rogues-this bait still catches a ton of fish for me Spence Scout-great 4 wheel drive bait in wood KVD wild shiner-great bait Spook-still produces spit'n image- great spook bait and schooler bait chug bug-can pop it or spook it sugar shad-it sits upright on the bottom and you can puff the sand with it Baby Johnny rattler-its a pop bait that spits 3d vib- yozuri rattletrap style bait thats lighter than a rattletrap that you can slow roll it like a spinnerbait. Thunder shad- like the bagley's and others on the market they can be tunned to spook this is just one I like and catch fish with. baby 1- great for running just under the water or running over grass Bomber Fat A(small one)- this bait along with the baby tiny n is great for pressured fish and right after the shad hatch torpedo-great bait orion-great stained water bait it has a thump kinda like a spinnerbait spoonbilled rogue- great bait for suspended fish you can sweep them and fish them like a worm Here is a short list lol

Name or list lures that day in and day out catch more fish.(be honest)

Good for you! I still practice I have now gotten to the point where I can pitch with either hand.

I think its their right to catch and keep and its healthy for the population. I do draw the line when I see folks fish everyday for a month keeping everything that they catch. For me it dosn't upset me to see a guy keeping a trophy fish if its their first big fish. The genes are already in the lake for the next trophy. I feel that the mid sized fish should be turnned loose so that they can grow to be a trophy.

I think to many people are spending to much time with their chemestry set trying to make something that they shouldn't mess with. I think someone is trying to figure out a way to grow bass bigger just to beat a record fish. If they mess around enough a 10 lb fish is not going to be considered a tophy anymore. They should have kept florida bass in florida period. The florida bass was the claim to fame and big draw to tourist traffic. It should have stayed that way. Sorry just a touchy subject for me. My question is that when then next state trophy is caught or next record will there be a side note saying that it was a florida fish? I doubt it.

I have seen blue gills eat small catfish too along with bass.

I can not stress this enough. Figure out what they want. Spend the day moving around and trying different stuff and different lures untill you unlock something. Myself I am a well accomplished crankbait fishermen I could spin rings around alot of people but guess what last year I never caught a keeper all year in a tournament on a crankbait. The high dirty water killed my crankbait bite. Even out of my element I still placed 11th in points with a few high finishes to include 2 second place finishes. Why? I changed and used different stuff. You need to adjust change things around. One bait is not going to work all the time every time you go.( I sometimes wish it could) If you spend the day chucking a spinnerbait with nothing to show for it then the fish just told you that they want something else or that they moved. 90% of the fish live in 10% of the water. There are a bunch of places that I fish that all look like they should hold fish but few do. Some fish may use the area at a different time of the day or season.

Here is my feeling right or wrong I have no idea. I feel that in water 8 ft. or greater I don't think the sound waves from your depth finder, trolling motor, or livewell pump makes much of a difference to the fish in clear water. In dirty water I would move the bar to 5 ft or greater in some cases 3ft or more. If the fish are spooky, noise will put the fish on alert. The fish might not spook or run away but move closer to cover and become less active. They feel something in their enviroment is different and it takes them awhile to calm down and become active. Thats why they say in clear water long casts work.

I guess it would depend on who said what and if its a trustworthy source. I take people fishing all the time that are not the most skilled fishermen in the world. I try to make it a point to teach them how to catch fish and one or two things that help them catch more fish. I figure if they get hooked they might stick with it.

Where they prespawn, postspawn? Water temp? clearity?(was this the clearest water in a given area?) Where the fish roaming or just hanging out? Did you try the area at night? Was there an influx of bait in the area? moon phase? <~ these are the things you need to figure out to find out what mood they where in and why they where there. The fish might have been roaming around looking for a place to bed and was not interested in feeding. If that was the case then watch the moon phase and water temp. If a front or an influx of water pushed them off the beds they hang in the area also waiting for conditions to change. If they already spawned they maybe in the area for awhile protecting the fry or waiting to move off into deeper water to recoupe. The also could be in the area if its known to hold baitfish.

Good point lol!

Here is my thought. In heavy stained water I don't think that the color of your boat or clothes makes a difference atleast for me. Clear water to a degree would matter, and movement matters more. The fish pick up movement and noise more so than an odd color that doesn't blend with the surroundings. When I did alot of sight fishing in Florida we always said if you can see the fish the fish can see you. Fish like deer know whats different to their surroundings and pick up movement like a owl. You can sit there for hours pitching in a bed you can see the fish and the fish knows and see you and never get bit. You can then leave and come back to the bed (fishing from shore) and act like a herring rock back and forth like a wind (you can laugh now but it works). The fish then thinks that you blend with the enviroment and will then hit. You can also pitch into the bed then back off the bed so that the fish calms down and will hit. I think that threatening movement or noise puts fish on notice and are less likly to hit but when fish calm down they then will feed. I don't think boat color matters as long as you keep distance between you and the fish.

Well come spring I think I will fish more than I did last year. Around here gas goes up every thursday like clockwork then drops back on tuesday. I try to fill up on off days or out of town. I think I would drive my wife nuts if I didn't fish or if the price of gas dictated how often I did go.

Has any of this stuff worked for you?

I have done well with a dropshot, crankbait, spinnerbait, small swim baits, and a small spook

If your fishing stained water a spinnerbait will work or a jerkbait.

Well what I would do is run your trolling motor and flip your bait along side of the boat and look and see if its running right and at what speed makes the bait run funny. Then use that to figure out how fast to go.

Plastics: redshad, junebug, blue/blueflake,pumpkin seed, green pumpkin Spinnerbait: white, black, white/chart Crankbaits:black/white,blue/chart,white,chrome/ blue, baby bass, tan, red Topwater: shad, green, black Jig: black/blue, greenpumpkin, black/chart, white Pork: black/blue, light blue, black/yellow, white, brown/orange, brown/red

Most of the time they will hit it on the fall. If I don't get a bite right away I just shake it or yo yo it a few times.