salmicropterus

No offense to anyone, but the pitchers and flippers pretty much struck out at the lake today in the FLW. The "sticks" that know the Lake topped out at about 12-14# and most less than 10#. It's litterly like the more you "know" the Lake the worse you are doing. Roland caught one for 1-1/2! Scott had like 9#.. tharpe like 10#. That all tells you something. Whatever anyone thinks is happening with the spawn I think is off. There may be anecdotal reports of beds etc but it hasn't happened yet in any large manner yet, unlike other years by this time of year. Maybe it could turn on with this new moon this weekend but I don't know. Winning bag total will be less than 90 and maybe less than 80 IMO. The Lake is confusing even the best

I think we need a good stiff cold front or two to get a change in the water temperature. Then, when it goes back up again, it might jumpstart the spawn up at the Lake. Things have been too stable too long.

I think it's technically CityPark Ramp which is just down the road from Big Toho

We fished Silver on Saturday but stayed south. Like a zillion others, no biggies so about 9#s. Have a two day up at the north end this weekend and I'm a scratching my head.

Wow, pretty much my exact color patterns per bait although not on the Flappy's. Also like Junebug as well on the Aces. I haven't picked up any of the Fat Aces yet

That airboat trail I believe is called "Billy West" and runs all the way up to the camp on the Miami Canal. It's not marked as a "marsh area" but I think you should have a flats flag when you run out there. As mentioned, if you are not familiar with the trail or don't have a good GPS, best to stick to the canals. When the water is high like it is, you just have to beat the banks and you can find some fish or go into the flats. To my mind, there really isnt "spots" per se although for some reason some years certain stretches of canal bank seem continuously better than others. Then, the next year, not so much.

There are various "drawn" artists maps of the Lake, one for the north end and another for the south end. They are usually available in independent tackle shops. I don't think they are available on-line. I think they are by a guy named Mark Evans. They are good for locating the various "place names" that areas go by such as "Tin House" etc. They are not precise and detailed as far as depths.

I think Steve Daniel is going to be on the new Byron Velvick show called "Through a Guide's Eyes".

If a 400,000 + acre lake can ever be considered pressured, this will be the weekend. There are multiple large events out of Clewiston on both Saturday and Sunday. So, staying north will be a good idea. Hope your trip is a good one.

Club Tournament for South Florida Bass Pros?. (Yes, the "?" is intentional LOL). We keep our name in the draw so we get out there about 2X every 3 years or so

Nice..I am going out there tomorrow. Have a T on Saturday but I have been struggling although did pretty good out there last Wednesday. Mike has been tossing me some info so I am excited to check it out. Good for you going out on a tough day!

Good to meet up with you Lee. I have a feeling that the south end is going to bust loose soon. Hope it's when you are on the water!

that canal running north from Moorhaven and the 7 mile ditch are one and the same. It should be runnable with no problem but I would agree to stay to the middle. Lake is 15.11 and that ditch is pretty runable down to 13, maybe even lower.

I went to Lox yesterday and it was pretty much skunk-city. Planning to go again Wednesday and the Lake Thursday. Hopefully with this warm up, the bite will get better. I think a little 5 degree front is coming thru late Wednesday. Florida fishing this time of year.

I think this last post was really a good one. I've been keeping up with this thread but have held off posting. I've been bugged by the word "prefer". If budget isn't an issue then I think many would "prefer" a fully tricked out 21' Triton/Ranger/Skeeter with a 250HP Mercury, Evinrude or Yamaha. That said, it's complex and it depends on where and how you fish. I am lucky enough to a) live on a small residential lake where I have a BassTender 10.5' with a TM (Yes, I have often used a five gallon bucket as a wind anchor and it's a great idea) and have a 21' Triton with a 250 Evinrude HO (I'm a dealer so it costs me less) that I use on big Florida lakes like Okeechobee. Either rig would be totally useless in the opposite scenario. I can say this: in my business we deal with everything from 10' john boats with a TM or 9.9 kicker to 40' ocean boats with trip 300hp Verados. All boats are "preferred" in the eye of the owner and thus all should be respected, as should the owners. I guess my point is that "prefer" is often dictated by finances and how and where you fish. It's all good.

Rock Creek? That's where I live in Cooper City. Used to be lots of Ps in the Lake but the freeze plus some indiscriminate and illegal harvesting by some folks did them in. If so, nice to hear they are back.

Lee, I'm planning to be up there the 27th and maybe the 28th. I'm an aqua, silver flake and bone TR-21 with a 250 HO.

Piscicidal, I taped a quick segment with Steve and Deb but I don't know if it aired on the Saturday show or the new Sunday show out of Clewiston. Either one, Steve and Deb do a great job and it's worth a listen. Despite the likes of me, they get some pretty heavy-hitter guests on there. I think the Lake will be very strong very soon

Everything looks good on the inside (except my livewell at the end of the day)

You shouldn't be towing any trailer in excess of 65 MPH. Trailer tires are not made to withstand speeds higher than that.

This is correct...there is no one more forthcoming about fishing conditions in Central Florida than Lee. I suspect he has helped more than a few of us up there. Lee, check your PM from time to time

Pretty much the same story...had a club T out of Clewiston and one team had 19, everyone else 8 to 12. We caught lots of small keepers but no difference makers. If fish can be puzzled (?) I think the water coming up fast and now going down has them confused. We ought to be in pretty clear cut pre-spawn mode for a good percentage of fish but they are not located or acting that way IMO.

I have been on a boat that did this. It was very slippery (surprisingly but I think the initial roughness had smoothed out a bit) on a very rainy day.

$18-20 is the price for Optimax plugs-you can't substitute out cheaper plugs. The belt I assume is for the compressor. If it breaks, you'll shut down but that said, it's not a usual replacement unless appears brittle or damaged. You should, especially in Florida (grass and grit), have had the thermostats checked and replaced if necessary. In Florida, labor is taxed if there is any parts install component to the bill, even if the customer supplies the parts.

Before the freeze, there were quite a few peacock in that canal running west, the one just north of the ramp that runs south of the golf course. They would congregate near the bridges or any cut or drain. The freeze wiped that out. I have heard some reports of peacocks being caught in the E-4 connector canal up by the C-16.