piscicidal

Any reports on the fishing @ ida/osbourne lately? My parents are taking the RV to John Prince park there on the lake. I'm gonna spend a couple days there with the boat. I've never fished it...it looks pretty good tho. If I could get the ol man on some specs that would be a nice bonus

I presume it's your first boat...I would tend toward something a little more stable in that case. Besides the fact that a first-time boat owner shouldn't be operating a vessel at 80+ MPH, there's the practical aspect...There's a price to pay in making a 65mph boat go 80mph, that price is stability and reliabilty. Who cares if the boat goes 80, if you can't go 45 in a foot-and-a-half chop. Personally (and especially) for a first-time boat owner, I would favor something more practical. This boat seems like the 450HP Dodge Dart that has no steering, handling or brakes and is going to be in the shop every two weeks. Not a good choice as a first time owner, IMO....

Dale, that's awesome. when do you find out who you're riding with?

Eric, Yeah...perfect day. Very comfortable fishing. Didn't even have to wake up early.. Salmi, I agree...I think it's gonna be a slugfest out there. This stable weather is gonna kick out some big bags. Good luck! If you're getting #15-#18 bags, then you're a kicker or two away from competing.

Fishin Daddy, Thanks for the response. I'd be fine with a PP and anchor pin as well.... I just want to make sure that the power pole will keep the boat from drifting.

I fished Okeechobee today and there were a bunch of pros out there practicing for the tourney this weekend. I recognized a few of the guys..a couple of them buzzed up to me and talked to me (once they saw I was catching fish... 8-)) One thing stuck out to me...many of these guys have not one but two power poles. Of the fishermen I know....I'd say 1/3rd of them have a power pole. I don't know anyone who has two. I am definately in the market for a power pole. My question for the guys who have them...has one ever not been enough for you? I am starting to question the effectiveness of the product if it takes two to do the job. No way I am buying two of those things. Either way, I don't think it's very good marketing.

I fished Okeechobee today with my Dad. Fished from 10:00 - 2:30 and caught 23 bass. No monsters, but some nice fish (13-15lb bag). I went to my first spot and had five fish in 15 minutes. Never even made it to my other spots...the fish never stopped biting. 75 degrees, nice gentle breeze. Great day on the ol' lake with the ol' man...

Floating hyacynth. Punch thru the heavy canopy with a 1.5oz punch bait and hang on.

That Powell Max Crank rod is pretty good. It's on sale right now on Tackle Warehouse for $118. In your price range. I've been eyeballing one for myself...

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1293385709

One thing that falls in this category for me is when otherwise exceptional reels (i.e. older chronarch, newer quantum energy PT) have a slight amount of backplay in the reel handle. This bothers me because the designers/engineers made an obvious decision to favor form over function in trying to hide the hardware which holds the reel to the shaft. I'm an inventor/mechanical engineer and I work with industrial designers everyday, so I understand how these decisions ultimately end up getting made. I think this understanding adds to the frustration for me...

The sweet beaver is in my top five "go to" baits. Lately, I've been trying this Gene Larew Biffle Bug and I'm really liking it so far!

Who says I'm telling you? Just kidding...we need to get out there to the refuge, man! I've been there once since Christmas...it's killing me. Flamingo was fun, yesterday. We got six redfish and a ton of sea trout, jack, ladyfish, etc...Rods bent all day long.

None. If a technique catches fish I don't loathe it. And if it doesn't catch fish I don't use it.

It's the truth, Sam. My group use to sponsor Tom Mann Jr and Bernie Schultz. Every March I would go up to Clewiston for the FLW event at Okeechobee and rub elbows with those guys. It was awesome how friendly and accessable those guys are.

Horny Toads and Skinny Dippers. At least 50 bags/year.

frog, overcast, slop

Stopped at Bass Pro Shops to pick up some stuff for my trip to Flamingo tomorrow with my Dad. Roland Martin was there giving a clinic and I talked to him afterwards. Really great guy...talked about some lakes in Minnesota he fished, Okeechobee, and some salt water fishing. He's the youngest 71 year old I've ever met. A reminder to myself to keep fishing... Billy Bob Crosno was there also. Talked to him for awhile...he fishes Loxahatchee a lot (like I do) and he had some interesting comments about the bass out there. He's a real character and a real good guy also

I much prefer the yozuri hybrid ultrasoft to p-line cxx. The cxx is tough stuff...you can pull stumps with it. But the line manageability issues just made me look elsewhere. The yozuri seems just as strong and I have had no line manageability issues...even on the spinning gear.

I agree...I've experimented quite a bit the past two years with various jig rods. I've settled on a 7' M/XF rod (All Star) for jigs less than 1/2oz.

My list is almost exactly the same as Eric's. I would also add Lake For to his list. I am not married to any specific brand, but there are specific products which I absolutely am loyal to. Some: Skinny Dipper (RI) Horny Toad (zoom) Rage Chunk (SK) Senko (GYCB) Sweet Beaver (RI) Ol monster (zoom) Rage Thumper(SK) Magic Shad (Lake Fork) Big Ez (Gambler) Fluke (zoom) Ugly Otter (Gambler)

The Quantum Accurist is $99 new and IMO is an outstanding deal. Aluminum frame and side plate, solid drag (ceramic), five bearings, fast retrieve (7.0:1), good braking system. Pretty much every thing you need in a pitching/flipping reel.

A follow up to this thread... I received my spool of Yozuri 10lb test about a month ago. 5800yards for $24.99 (that's ~3.25 miles of line!). I have since respooled every single finesse/light T-rig/topwater/jerkbait/crankbait rod I have with it. And I have to say, so far, I'm pretty impressed! Line memory seems alot better than the 100% flouro I've been using. Sensitivity is good, and the line strength is excellent. I've been going out every morning, and have caught a bunch of fish on topwaters/pointers/flukes/senkos/t-rigs. So far/so good! Each year, I try out a new line. For 2011, I am going completely Yozuri Hybrid Ultra Soft on all my mono/flouro rigs and Sufix 832 on all my braided rigs. So far, I am really liking these two choices!

OK, S. Fla. guys....I gave you a 24hr head start. I went back today and pretty much cleaned out Dick's Sporting Goods of their pointers/sammys. Still $5.48 for the 78/85 series LC lures. Good colors too! The 100 series were $6.98, but I wasn't complaining. BTW, there are still some fantastic deals to be had there... XCaliber 1knockers: $2.48 Packs of Rage Toads/Rage Chunks: $1.98 SK Red Eye shads: $1.48 Packs of SK trailer hooks: $0.23 etc... Bought a couple packs of sidewinders...haven't tried them before but for $1.48, I'll give em a shot. OH, BTW...if you go there....don't go to the back of the store to the sporting goods section...they are cleaned out. There is a standing rack in the middle of the store. That's where all the good stuff is. Still a ton of Lucky Craft/Excaliber/Rapala/Rage/etc....

Nice work Dale. That 6lber is one fat hawg.