piscicidal

I prefer the Albright knot, if the leader material is bigger in diameter (for me, it usually is). Never had one fail, and very easy to tie.

My wife got me a Shimano Stradic 2500FI two years ago as a gift. I wanted a reel and that was perfect... An Abu Garcia Soron STX20 would be a great choice as well. I have one of these and like it as much as the Stradic.

I picked up a 7'3" MH Veritas yesterday at BPS. It's my new med-sized swimbait rod. Took it out this morning for a couple hours...caught two little bass and about a 5lb snakehead. A little early to make any real conclusions, but so far I'm really impressed with this rod. I agree that the ratings for this brand are a little low...this is the stiffest MH rod I have (I have about 15 MH rods). Again...haven't had much time with it, but I can't imagine theres a better $99 rod available right now.

Rage Thumper Zoom Ol Monster Lake Fork 10"

Everglades Holiday Park rents jon boats. Some pretty good fishing to be had in those canals in January/February if the water is down. The rentals are not cheap (~$75), but if you're shelling out the cash for a plane ticket you might not be opposed to dropping a couple more for a boat.

Sheesh...I'll bet Uncle Joes was choppy with the E wind today. Nice job tough pulling out the win in tough conditions. 15lbs is no joke, especially with no trolling motor.

I haven't fished Big O when the lake was less than 13.7ft. Coming out of Clewiston, is it still OK to run north thru the spoil islands (thru the "goal posts")? Is there anywhere in particular that a guy should watch out for (esp on SW end)?

Thanks guys. Captain Shane, good talking to you too. Notice I'm smiling in this picture? (NOTE: Captain recommends I smile more when holding 5lbers). BTW, I went back to BPS today and picked up that Veritas. I don't have the will power I thought I had...

Yeah, it was a killer evening. Beautiful night for fishing. Fished from about 2:00-6:00. Caught ~15, with a couple nice 2-3lb chunks and one more good one. This one weighed 6.17.

Anyone heading to Lox today? Looks like I'm gonna try and sneak out there this afternoon...maybe 3:00-dusk. Anyone heading out there this afternoon, drop me a PM...

My only comment...if you are going to use one rod for cranking, I would go 7' MH, moderate action. My crankin stick is 7' Medium/mod action. If I had to do it again...I'd have gone with the MH rod instead of M. A little better to go slightly heavy, I think...you can always add compliance to the system by going with mono line (stretch). Also, the MH is better suited for deep cranking and rippin traps through grass.

I don't think I can make it out there this weekend, either. I'm thinking Tuesday/Wednesday next week for me. Now the only question is: Loxahatchee or Okeechobee. Decisions...decisions... :-/ I'll send you a PM, Robert.

I usually use 1/4 or 3/8oz. 1/4oz for flippin into holes or skipping over pads (esp at night). I usually have a 3/8oz tied on as a 'follow up" bait...if I get short bit on a frog/worm/swimbait, I'll throw that 3/8oz where I had the strike. Sometimes I can get that fish to hit again, zooming that 3/8oz jig past him (reaction strike).

Oh...I hear ya. I've caught bass down here on craw baits in areas I'm quite sure do not have crawfish. Like I said...it's a hangup of mine. I have a hard time gaining confidence in a bait if I think I am violating a "match the hatch" philosophy.

It's actually a fairly common occurance if flipping heavy cover (mats) alot... Two solutions...1)the snell knot (as has been mentioned). 2.) They make flippin hooks with a welded eye, specifically to prevent this issue from happening.

I have had some luck with the Gambler Ugly Otter as a jig trailer, fishing these Florida canals. I was kinda hungup on the craw issue also...I've never seen a craw in my fishing areas. The appendage on the Otter is more of a big paddle, rather than claws. I think it fairly closely resembles a sunfish. It's a nice bulky bait that displaces a good amount of water. A nice flippin bait also...

My daughter is seven. She uses a ML spinning setup about about 5' long. She has no problem using this outfit (On this particular day she had me down 6 fish to none, before I wised up and put a senko on...) I work the trolling motor in the front of the boat, casting forward. I set her up in the back of the boat, drifting a weighless senko behind. She will almost always catch fish doing this (always important when fishing with a seven year old). Now that she is getting more experience, she is wanting to cast more and more...

Here's a picture of a bass I caught last night. Ignoring the ugly guy holding the fish....this picture really captures the beauty/tranquilty of my favorite place to fish (Loxahatchee Reserve, Everglades). I love the colors of the sunset and the bass.

I'm with you, Eric...I really like fishing this time of year. Seems like even on the "bad" days you can get something going. Today...had that nasty cold front...caught most of the fish (12 of 20?) pitchin beavers to tight cover. I dropped another fish off that felt at least as big as the two I caught...

Mike i would hit up Blue lagoon lake (airport lake) if i were you. I dont think you are far from there. If i lived there i would be hitting that place all the time. They eliminated all the hydrilla so the fish are pretty easy to find now. You could make a good day there catching peacocks, bass....and maybe a snook, jack, tarpon. I might just do that one day... I have a house on C-13 canal in Oakland Park (ocean access) that I rent...I fished that canal alot and it was always a mixed bag bass/jack/snook/tarpon. I had to laugh when you mentioned catching that Jack...I know exactly what you mean. At first you think you have a DD bass...then you feel that head thump. > Jack are amazing fighters. They'll give the bass gear all it can handle.

I fished Lox today...my first outing since the cold front (see Lox- Oct 30 thread). Water temp was 11 degrees colder than it was one week ago but the fish didn't seem to mind too much. The bite was pretty good for me today. As has been the pattern for me lately...numbers in the morning and size in the afternoon. The weather kind of broke about 4:00PM today...the wind slowed down and it really was a comfortable evening to fish.

Went out today. Apparently the cold front hasn't affected the fishing too much. The big girls are still going. Fished from 9:30-6:30. Caught a couple 2-3lb chunks and two good ones: one 5.20 and one 5.87. Probably close to 20lb bag today. Action wasn't fast...caught ~20 in 9 hours, but I was pretty much going for big fish all day (swimbaits, flippin, spooks) Here's the two big ones...

Hey guys. Anyone make it out to Lox this weekend? Curious if the big fish are still feeding... I'm heading out there tomorrow for an all-day "hawg hunt". I'll post a report....

Bruce, I wanted to get out this week, but it doesn't look promising. I'm slammed at work. Maybe an afternoon trip Saturday or Sunday, for me...

Nice work Dale...I'm jealous. I haven't caught a peacock or a snook yet this year. Haven't really targeted them, due to the massive kill we had in March. Still, I usually get a couple by accident....this year nothing.