JoePhish

I use the Trokar Neko Weedless in size 2. I like how the “v” part of the hook nestles the o ring.

Out of everything featured in that article I will positively purchase DT8s in Dark Brown Crawdad, Helsinki Shad, Fire Tiger, Caribbean Shad and Silver. $10 Seaguar Basix fluorocarbon is worth a try at that price point. Love the whole concept of the Sunline backing line, especially 1000 yds for $12.49. Items that interest me but not sure if I’ll go ahead and let the bait monkey get the best of me are the Spook Boyo, the Mid Brat and the football style Ned jig head.

The Mayflies are hatching in my neck of the woods. What do you guys throw during the hatch? Do you try to imitate the Mayflies or do you try to imitate what eats the Mayflies?

Cream White I see a lot of people throwing all sorts of white baits but rarely a white Senko.

Producto Tournament Worm, both 6” and 8”. I like them because they float so they stand up more.

I once won a tournament throwing a weightless black Trick Worm at a culvert. Yeah, I like em.

I lived in Palm Beach Gardens for 8 years. Got a several spots for ya. - San Matera condos in PBG, across from Gardens Mall. Park on the east side across the street from the development. - L shaped pond behind the Target on Okechobee Blvd and 7. - Okeeheelee Park. - Donald Ross and Military Trail, ponds behind the school. I would bring a machete with me. Watch out for snakes here too. Caught some beasts there. That’s off the top of my head. I used to catch plenty of fish in all those spots but not sure what the look like now.

I'll fish a Little Dipper t-rigged with a glass bead on a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG (red, for some reason I like fishing this on a red hook.). I slide a bobber stop up or down depending on what I'm casting into.

Couple of the new DT colors struck my fancy, Chartreuse Rootbeer Craw and Citrus Shad. Like the midsize Zoom Brush Hogs too. Spearpoint hooks look interesting but I probably won't replace what I use now.

I fish jerkbaits all year long. I jerk them more aggressively when the weather warms up. I'll almost always have a floating jerk bait tied on during the summer. My favorite is a Zerek Sabre Dance 85 in Black Shad (chrome with a white belly and black back). Also like the Yo-Zuri Floating Pin's Minnow in Chartreuse. The new Rapala Rap V Blade has me thinking about fishing blade baits in the summer.

I lost a black Chatter Frog in some heavy weeds once. About two weeks later I was fishing that same weed line and got snagged. Turns out it was my Chatter Frog. Hook was a little rusty but looked good enough. I wasn't catching much that day so I decided to tie it on. After that it was like someone flicked on the fish catching switch.

My dad was from Italy and he always called it sauce. Pretty sure all my cousins in Italy call it sauce too. Look on any Italian restaurant menu and it's called sauce. Anyhow, back to the original topic.... I'm a former restaurateur and personal chef. My biggest influence was my mother (Italian, says sauce) whose family owned restaurant as well. My specialty is Italian but I dabble in almost anything. Besides being known for a kick butt SAUCE people love my meatballs, lasagna, pasta dishes and countless others dishes. Something I've been toying with for the last couple of years is growing exotic hot peppers from seed and making hot sauce with them. Last year I made 2 different types, Sugar Rush Peach and Brazilian Starfish. I like how both turned out. The Brazilian Starfish is a well balanced traditional red hot sauce while the Sugar Rush Peach is hotter but also has a sweetness to it. I added Lemon Drop Peppers this year. Can't wait to start harvesting those. There was a time when I did almost all of the cooking in my household but recently my and my wife's career paths have changed. So now she does almost all of the cooking and does a good job at it. Her specialties are southern comfort foods and Tex-Mex style dishes. She comes from a restaurant family too as her mother owned and operated a cafe for over 30 years.

While I was fishing a brackish water pond from a dock in So FL I witnessed a Bull Shark (probably a Bull) take down a seagull swimming on the surface. Then watched the fin tear across the pond and submerge. Think bass hitting a hollow body frog but magnified a thousand times.

Scum Frog Trophy Series. Best hook up ratio of any frog.

I used to bank fish a lot before I had a boat and a kayak. I fished with 1 rod. I used to stuff everything in my cargo shorts. I carried a small tackle tray with a few hard baits and terminal tackle in it then as many packs of soft plastics as I could fit in the other pocket. I found if I brought any more I'd forget/leave something behind.

T-Rigged Soft Plastics Crankin' 1-10 ft Jerkbaits Honorable Mention: Wacky Rigged Stick Baits Shakeyhead Worms and Stick Baits Poppers

Helsinki Shad gets tied on first. Also like Caribbean Shad. Fire Tiger gets some play too. Brown Crawdad in the later winter/early spring.

412 Bait Company Grub - 3.5" - Salt & Pepper It's got a little more thump than your average grub. Producto Tournament Grub - 4" - Pearl White I use this as a trailer on small jigs and micro chatterbaits.

Good, I'm glad it's not just me. Some guys I know, though, kill it on the Ned, especially a weedless version. Me? I end up retying more than fishing so I've pretty much abandoned it except for throwing it into a school that is popping shad on the surface.

Love a Smokey Shad Strike King Shim-E-Stick.

I would use these in very skinny water where a KVD (or any other 5 or 6 ft SB) would run too deep, similar to a Brat 03. Just another tool in the tool box.

I was able to get a Chart/BL in the smaller size. Not sure if there were any of the bigger ones. It wasn't on my list since I still have an old Xcalibur in that size/color. I like Trey and have seen TAB. That "PH" is more a play off those letters in the name JosePH than it is the band. Funny though, there another guy on here with the screen name of Joefish.

I picked up several today at my local BPS. The 5/8 oz in Rayburn Red was sold out. I searched the whole bin but came up empty.

Allman Brothers Band Tedeschi Trucks Band (Derek Trucks Band, Soul Stew Revival) moe. Widespread Panic Chris Stapleton (The Jompson Brothers) Rush Blue Oyster Cult The Good Rats Buckethead Lyle Lovett The Vegabonds The Who JJ Grey (& Mofro) Styx The Delta Saints Jason Isbell

Congrats to Jim Davis for being the first champion. I've fished with/vs him several times. Nice man, humble man and a real good fisherman.