piscicidal

I've got bad news for you...you've got bait monkey fever, and yes it is terminal (pun intended!) You can't treat the cause, only the symptoms. Take two basstrix and call me in the morning...

Those dead ringers are pretty good also, eh Eric? airborne_angler, The 10" ol monster and 8" dead ringer are my two worm fishing staples. I'll have a pack of each on the deck with me when fishing worms. The dead ringer has a larger profile with ridges. It displaces more water and has a slower sink rate. The ol monster has a sleeker profile and a faster sink rate. I let the fish tell me which one they prefer, but between those two I can usually get something going. I'd say half the fish I've got over 4lbs this year have been on the ol monster.

I haven't got out too much lately...been crushed at work. The times I have gotten out, I've had better luck in the late afternoons. For me, the vertical presentations (weightless jerkbaits, jigs, flippin) are working better than the faster horizontal methods (frogs, swimbaits, worms, etc). The only decent fish I've got lately have been sitting down tight, deep in the slop. I'm going to try and get out and do some flippin in the canals this weekend...see if I can't scrounge up something big. I haven't caught a five lber in about six weeks, and I'm startin to get a little anxious...

That price range makes things a little tougher... If I only had $180 for a worm rod, I would look at a used Curado CU200 on EBAY (~$70) and paired with a 7' M or MH St Croix Premier with a fast tip (~$110). Or....used AC500PT on EBAY (~$50) paired with a new Daiwa Cielo from TW ($128). I'd probably go with the second option...you can always upgrade the reel later. Good to see another S. Fla poster...

I love the Quantum PT products. IMO, for the money, they are the absolute best value going. I like my curados slightly more, but bang for the buck, I think the Quantum PT is a better deal. I bought (2) new E760 Energy PTs on EBAY last week for $99. I don't think there is a better deal on a reel than this.

Oh my...thanks for the awesome tip. This rod is a steal at $200. $128 is sick. I just gotta figure out how to get 5 of these in the house without the wife seeing....

In my opinion the Quantum PT series baitcasters are the best baitcasters you can get for under $100 (followed close by Revos/BPS Qualifier). I have twelve of them, most several years old, and they all work perfectly. If you need any advice on cleaning/servicing them, send me a PM. The bayonnet release on the right side cover may be a tricky if it hasn't been opened in awhile.

I hear ya...I read on another thread that Everglades Pro Bass down here is shutting down (Griffin and University). Every time I go to Bass Pro Shops, I make a point of going there first. Unfortunately, it's hard for them to compete with that monster BPS store right down the street. Last week I went to Everglades Pro Bass and bought some stuff...my credit card strip wasn't working on her machine. She bagged the items up and said "next time you come in you owe me $21". I went to the ATM at lunch, went in and bought another $30 worth of stuff for the bait monkey...

I have 12 baitcast setups, ranging from 6' to 8' (technique specific). Most of them are 7' and up. I use the 6' rod for spinnerbait and topwater plug fishing. Personally, the 6' rod is too short for me for softbait techniques, but that's just my personal preference (I'm 6'1").

I prefer bass fishing over saltwater also. My rig (Hewes Bayfisher) is setup to do both, but I find myself bass fishing 90% of the time. I just love all the different techniques and subtleties associated with bass fishing. I go to Flamingo (saltwater), I'll catch fish until my arms hurt and I'll use two rods all day long. I go bass fishing at Loxahatchee or Okeechobee and I'll bring eight rods, use every one, and kick myself for not bringing two more!

Eric, I take every bit of advice I get from Robert when it comes to Okeechobee! Glad you guys had fun. Wish I could have made it out there but I'm just slammed right now. I might try and get out there on Monday.

I caught this pickerel at Loxahatchee this spring. it was 26.5" and 5lbs, 6oz. He was bleeding a bit so I snapped a quick picture and put him back in the water, never realizing how close I was to the state record.

I went to Everglade Pro Bass a couple days ago. Some good stuff in that clearance basket. P-Line CCX half price. Gotta jump on that!

You definately worked me when it came to the swimbaits. You know, Bruce touched on this also... The skinny dipper just was not getting hit. You were getting hit 5:1 on me with that other swimbait (same rig/same color). Amazing how a subtle difference can make all the difference sometimes. I've caught so many fish out there on the skinny dipper it's hard not to throw it, but they definately preferred something else. I just had to prove it to myself, I guess... Two tactical errors I made...not hitting the eel grass sooner (we knew they were there at 8:00AM) and not having the swimbait rod with me. I won't make that second mistake again!

Eric, Yeah took us a little while to get it dialed in. Probably caught 10 between 6:30 and 11:00. Then we catch +10 in the last 1.5hrs, including the three biggest (with one pig dropped off). Better late than never, I guess. I'm a little bummed my Frog bite has disappeared. I pulled a 15lb bag out of that spot two weeks ago. The fish are still there...we saw some good sized chasers. Gotta keep giving those fish a different look, I guess... Anyway, I enjoyed fishing with you, Eric. And, it was awesome meeting all the rest of the guys. Hopefully we can do another one of these again soon (and hopefully Glades, Sal and the others make it also)

turnpike to sample go west to 441. 441 north. about a mile after hillsboro blvd on your left hand side is loxahatchee road, go left and 6 miles 9 speed humps you will come to the entrance. straight over the berm and you are in heaven. 95 to hillsboro blvd. go west to 441 and go right (north) lox road is on your left. i will see you guys wednesday morning. <- bolded. Aint that the truth. Lox is truly bass fishing heaven. How lucky are we to be able fish a place like this that has monster bass that you can catch 12 months a year...Look forward to seeing all you guys tomorrow. I'll be in the 16' foot white Hewes.

I like the picture and release idea also. I would rather not bring any fish back to the ramp.

Perhaps the best arrangement is for Krzkev to ride with SouthFla and for me to be a boater and SoFlaBassAddict to take my backseat. I need to replace the trolling motor batteries though...they won't make it until 1PM.

We should probably list an update of current available boaters/riders. I was planning on riding with Robert (South Fla), but I could be a boater if needed. To salmicoptus point...I don't think we want to bring any fish back to the landing. Perhaps we do a "big fish", catch and release contest. Longest fish wins. Measure your fish and let him go. Maybe everyone throws a crankbait in at the start and winner takes all. Just one suggestion...I'm down for whatever the group decides.

One vote for the Lox ramp, here....

Went to Lox this AM. Caught about 20. Mostly little dinks, but did get two good ones. Here's the biggest. FYI...I'm gonna pair up with Robert (South Fla) for the Lox outing.

Went out to the alley tonight: 5:00 - 9:00. Fished with my buddy Jack (handle: shallow thinker). Continual light rain kept the frog bite going all evenking. Caught at least thirty and better than average size. Five biggest ~15pounds. Fun outing...not too hot and a good steady topwater bite.

"fun" is one way to describe it... ;D There was a ton of rain where I was. I had to run through it to get to the bridge and it was nasty. After the storm went through, though, it was perfect. It was cool (relatively), not a breath of wind and the fish really started wackin...I caught 4 fish from 3:30-6:00 and about 20 from 6:00- 8:00.

I fished Miami Canal/Alligator Alley tonight. Total catch about 30, fishing about 3:30 until 9:15. Caught 5 on toads, 2 on cranks and everything else on worms. Got caught in that nasty storm...rode it out under a bridge for about 1.5hrs (got alot of use on my new Carolina rig setup). Fished the last 45 minutes on the Alley throwing horny toads in the pitch black. Caught a couple nice ones that way (~3 pounds). Pretty intense...had a couple monster blowups right next to the boat. They could have been gators for all I know. I couldn't see squat! Anyway...very fun night. A lot of action...no monsters but a half dozen between 2-3pounds.

My wife/kids just went to summer home for one month...I plan on hitting the Alley after work the next few weeks, fishing ~5:00 until ?? (whenever the bugs chase me out). I'll be out there Wed/Thurs/Fri night and will post a report.