salmicropterus

Hmm, pretty cheeky for someone with 13 posts. Headhunter, most likely you will have to go south into Dade County. The winterkill from the past two years pretty much decimated the peacock population north of the county line. The lakes across the highway from the Miami airport (you can put in at Macias Park off 7th), and the adjacent canals are probably a good bet. Some of our guys have had some success in SW Broward and South Broward but I think that is residential private lakes.

Maybe you are trying to do too much. Try just using senko's (both wacky and T-rig) and maybe drag around a 10" worm with a 1/4-3/8 oz weight. Lot's of times, the issue isn't what bait to use but where the fish are. By constantly changing baits you are adding a variable.

Can anyone recommend a guide for inshore or back country in Homassasas area?

I have a club tournament out there Saturday. I'm not planning to pre-fish, just go fish. I always kill them on pre-fish, get locked into a mindset, then if it doesn't materialize, I get to running around mindlessly LOL. Some of those flats out the 67 almost look manageable though but not with my aircraft carrier.

Haha Shoot'em Liz, shoot'em Agree with all the posts here. Except for mating season, they are pretty docile and more wary than aggressive but it amazing to me how freaked out some people get around them

Haha Shoot'em Liz, shoot'em Agree with all the posts here. Except for mating season, they are pretty docile and more wary than aggressive but it amazing to me how freaked out some people get around them

The weir is out past cut 5. If you see the little platform on the left with the water gauge, you are there but dont come down off plane there or someone will be towing you back to Holiday. When you are there, stay in the middle. The weir is most effective when there is current on the L67 but it will almost always hold some fish. However, everybody knows this and any serious tournament has 3-5 boats in the area so it is best not to make it your Plan A

Was out there yesterday and pretty much had the same experience as the first post. Got a call from a buddy who spun his hub at the weir so ran down there to tow him back. Long haul back at 5.5 mph. Be careful down there!

The Corps of Engineers is who let the water out of the Lake from October thru January. They have absolute control of the water level of the Lake. Somebody with no responsibilty or accountability to anyone made that decison and no amount of hearings etc. is going to change it. Once it leaves the Lake it falls under SFWMD.

Ya know, those fish might move 50 yards or so on a given day ;-). Agree with other post-those pinned areas in the flats usually produce but it will be very difficult to troll over there with the dense grass. Suggest a rake and maybe a back-up battery

I like the Plan and hope it is successful. With all the competing constituencies for water resources, no apparent accountability to the general population for decisions made regarding water management (dumping nearly 2' of badly needed water out to sea at the end of last year's rainy season) and a political climate that seems to be a new round of giveaways to real estate and development interests, its going to be hard to implement. When competing against big money interests, the black bass has a lot of challenges. Just my .02 and I hope I am wrong

Wow. Went out to Holiday last Thursday to pre-fish for a club tournament. I hadn't been out there for about three weeks. It was shocking how much the water had dropped. Almost got my big butt stuck in the south weir going west on the Alley before I had enough sense to know I wasn't going to get through. The entrances to the flats are pretty much all up and out of the water by a foot or two. In some places like the upper Fingers the bottom of the vegetation line is 2' above the water. I'm sure it's been this low before but not that I've seen. What is interesting is to see what that bank structure, usually 2-3' under the water looks like when it's high and dry.

I still believe that letting nearly 2' of water out of the Lake between October and January, at the end of the rainy season and beginning of the dry season was a bad mistake. I can see taking the Lake down from 14 to 12 at the beginning of the rainy season (which weirdly enough they didn't do last year). Obviously, no one could forsee the magnitude of the drought so I'm not saying this in hindsight. I know the arguments for drawdowns and how it benefits the Lake, but this could well be a very serious mistake. What if there is isn't a tropical depression or rainy season-some years there isn't. 12' right now would look a lot better.

Ditto on the magic canal. I've been in there with a friend who has a Ghee-noe and it is awesome. I don't think I can get my aircraft carrier, er Triton, in and out to fish it. Many large dumb bass!

If you as you said in your words "don't know anything about the Lake", now is not the time to learn. Going slow is not a solution either. I would suggest staying in the Rim Ditch, the cuts into the Dynamite holes, the Dynamite holes themselves and if you are hell-bent on venturing out on the Lake, the Clewiston ship channel which is well marked by navigation. First of all, each of these places are holding fish right now. Fish the edges of the drop-offs on the ship channel. There are humps in front of many of the cuts into the Dynamite holes-fish those. Many of the D. Holes have severe edges and drtop-offs-fish those. Look for irregularities on the Rim Ditch such as outcroppings or vegetation.

Shane, there isn't as much Lake to see. What is so disappointing about this level is how we got here. The US Army Corps of Engineers released about 1.75' of Lake level between October and January. Now, keep in mind that this was at the end of the rainy season, not the beginning and some of it well into what has been a drought. I can kinda understand a major release program in say March-April if the Lake was at 14, in anticipation of the rainy season but the timing of this made no sense. I have researched the heck out of this and while I used to lay blame with South Florida Water Management and all the computing constituencies for water supply, it isn't them-it's the Corps. They have absolute control of the Lake level and while they may receive input from various sources, they have no responsibility or accountability to anyone. The stated reason was to protect the dike but if that was the case, why did they allow the Lake to go above 15' in June July in the middle of the rainy season???

Pretty much the same deal at Holiday yesterday. They bit everything. I kept trying to throw something they wouldn't bite (usually quite easy for me) and it never happened. My buddy stuck his rod tip in the water and a small bass came up to it and nibbled) No size to speak of although the vast majority were solid keepers of 1-3#s. With all those numbers, we would have still only had 15# so not near good enough for the KOTG Sunday

The only negative I have heard is that the ease of installation of the Talon has also made it more susceptible to theft. I'm going through the same decision process

My 10 year old MK Maxxum has bit the dust so I want to upgrade to a 36v. What new is required wiring wise. I understand in general another jumper has to be added from Batt 2 to new Batt 3. Any need to upgrade wiring? Change the trolling motor plug receptacle?

Dang, now I'm out for tomorrow. A customer got in the way. Really wantded to meet everyone since I couldn't make the last one last year due to eye surgery. Hope you all have a good time and some great fish (with px) Dave

Remember the 35mph speed limit. I'm not sure I've figured out how to drive the Triton that speed in one foot of water. Last week at Harney it was keep it floored or risk bottoming or bogging.

I meant to mention this incident on Saturday. Hooked up with a smallish keeper. It jumped out of patch of Kissimmee grass....along with an 8-10#+ which jumped right next to it at the same time, behind it. I am convinced the pig was planning to eat my runt-that is how crazy and aggressive these fish are right now.

Our club had a two day out of Lakeport. Everybody had high double-digit and the leaders each day mid 20s. It didn't metter where you went. Basically, you catch 2-3s all day and throw in the occasional 4-7#s. And, the fish are insane. 2's pulling drag and fighting like smallies. If the Corps and SFWMD don't screw it up, the Lake is going to be great for a very long time.

For the record and since everybody else's name is up, I'm a "Dave". I'd be happy to have a non-boater come along