JoePhish

TW order came the other day. R.I. Lil Dippers - Penetration Dakimi Hydras (2) - Cherry Red, Pearl White S.K. Rage Menace - Blue Sapphire Scum Frog Trophy Series, 1/2 oz - Green KVD Line & Lure Conditioner Zoom Horny Toad Hooks, 5/0 Vike Force Beads, 8mm - Black A.T. Skip N Jig, 1/4 oz - Black/Blue NorthStar Swim Jig, 1/4 oz - New Gill

I've noticed that tungsten weights with plastic inserts cut line very easily.

x2 I use gallon ziploc bags with labels on both sides. I've broken my soft plastics into 6 catagories and dedicate 1 ziploc to each: Worms, Creatures/Frogs, Swim, Pitch, Senko, and Fluke/Ika/Swimming Senko/Misc. I pack 8-10 bags of soft plastics in each ziploc. At home I keep my soft plastics in tupperware bins.

Skill and knowledge will take you a lot further than owning expensive gear. I've felt this way my whole life because of a family story. When my father was "courting" my mother he was invited to go fishing with my mom's dad. Now it wasn't bass fishing and it was on a party boat but fishing never the less. My grandfather was an old salt in the fullest sense of the word. My dad on the otherhand, was more of a land lubber. Dad wanted to impress so he went out and bought the latest and greatest gear out there. When he met up with my granfather at the boat all Grand Dad had was a hand line. My grandfather proceeded to outfish my father and every other person on the boat with that hand line. I really wish he lived longer because I would have loved to go fishing with the man. Instead, I think I inherited his fishing genes. Unfortunately as a result I was the kid down at the local pond with a cane pole. I still outfished my peers. (No bass in the pond. Just panfish, Bullheads and goldfish (gasp). To this day I'm more of a bankg for the buck type of guy when it comes to fishing gear. PS - My personal best was on an ugly stick.

I've been trailing Lil Dippers on my swim jigs recently. I've been known to put a Producto Tournament Worm on them as well.

I'd want dream terms to go along with my dream sponsors. 1 - Bass Pro Shops: Includes anything sold in their stores, catalog and website. Even though they don't sell some of my brands I prefer I figure I can get by with that massive selection of a diverse array of products. 2 - American Express: Would pay my per diem expenses of lodging, food, fuel and entertainment. 3 - Toyota: Would include tow vehicles and personal vehicles and any repair expense related to them. 4 - Guy Harvey: Not only would I have the best looking wrapped boat and truck as well as being the fashion plate of the circut, lol, but Guy Harvey would cover all my entry fees. GH and his level of environmental awareness is uaually associated with salt water. I'd like to expand that into the freshwater fishing community. 5 - Rock Out Cures: After taking so much from the sponsors listed above I would feel the need to give back some way. ROC is a charitable organization created by friends of mine several years ago. It is in the process of growing out of it's infant stage. I'd donate a precentage of my winnings and organize charity fishing tournaments in their name. In return I'd give the above listed sponsors (as well as the sport itself) exposure at ROC events.

2 Heavier - 1 Crankbait - 2 Lighter That is generally speaking. It's all relative to the body of water one fishes, preferred presentations and baits as well as what gear one owns and prefers. Personally speaking I rig the 2 heavier combos for jigs, heavy T-rigs or frogs. The 2 lighter combos are for light T-rigs and weightless baits. This is how I keep it simple. For me simple eqauls more time with a bait in the water as well as more focus on the fishing instead of what I should throw next.

I won't just give them to you. I'd probably give them away to an underprivileged kid or pretty much any other random fisherman first. However, PM me if you want to trade something for them (1 Popper/Rainforest Blaclk and 1 65/Navy Seal).

My frog of choice is the Scum Frog Trophy Series. It's weighted so it's different that way than the regular Scum Frog 3/16. For me this is important because I have trouble throwing light frogs on gear suited for froggy conditions. I also like the way the back end sits below the water dangling its legs. I almost never miss a hook up on them though I do go through a few of them per year. Spros are more durable (and nicer to look at) but I seem to miss more fish with them.

My buddy wants to fish Ida this weekend. Anyone fish it lately? Are the LMB still mainly on beds? Any Peacock action?

I always say, "You would be surprised how much the fish don't weigh". I think BS is just something in fishing we have to deal with whether it be ego or ignorance. There are always people fishing the lakes/ponds in my developement who tend to tell untruthful fish tales. One guy swore up and down that he caught a 14 lb striper. When I asked if he weighed it he went on a tangent of how he has caught stripers in NY and knows what they look like and how much they weigh, blah, blah, blah. He probably caught a nicely colored 4 LB LMB. Another guy started bragging that he caught a smallmouth. He didn't want to hear it that it was probably a warmouth. A kid brags that he caught an 8 pounder. Same kid sees me catch a 3 pounder. His reply was. "That's bigger than my 8 pounder". lol I have named my scale the Lie Detector.

Next time you talk to the guy tell him you took his advice and have been killing it on that rig ever since.

I don't consider it bad etiquette. Sometimes I give comprehenive answers, especially to kids or people learning the sport. However, most times I give vague answers to passing boats like swimbaits, worms, soft plastics, jig or crankbaits.

Got to be in it to win it. So, I'm in even though I need a fin and a prayer. Love the LM, SM and Spot catagories. It gives the rest of us a shot when those guys up north are slaying giant SMs.

Welcome! Lots of Floridians on this board. Make yourself at home.

1/4 oz swim jig with a Little Dipper trailer is often tied to the end of my line. I'll go with 3/8 flipping jig in heavier cover. 1/4 or 3/16 for my shakey heads. T-rigs I go as small as 1/16 up to 1/2 but usually it's 1/4.

I don't think bass get conditioned if they exist in a natural setting (not in a tank or small pond). I also don't think there are any constants in bass fishing. Things change other than the bass itself. The bass just adapts and reacts to the conditions and hence, the lures we use.

I don't really fish hair jigs but with my rubber skirt jigs I've been getting in the habit of not putting any attractant on the skirts, only on the trailer and heads. I feel, without any scientific proof, it inhibits the natural action as well as make it less full.

1) Yamamoto Fat Ika - When the going gets tough for me this always gets a bite. 2) Reaction Innovations Skinny Dippers and Little Dippers - I love these fished Texas, Raged rigged, weightless, as a swim jig trailer or on a Redfish Magic spinner. 3) Scum Frog Trophy Series hollow body frog - People rant and rave over the fancy higher priced frogs but for me this one gets the best hookups. 4) Producto Tournament Worm - This worm floats tail up. The 8 inch is my go to worm. 5) Strike King KVD HC Silent Square Bill 2.5 - Pretty basic but I've caught so many big bass on this as well as at least 5 other species of fish.

My most memorable celebrity encounter was when I met Clarence Clemons the day after The Promise was released in the local Publix several months before he died.He was in obvious pain/discomfort and seemed burdened by his leg braces when I approached him. We spoke and joked for a couple of minutes and he volunteered to take a few pics with me. We both walked away with ear to ear smiles. I've seen Springsteen maybe 30 times so this was a biggie for me. I've met a few other musicans. Paul Stanley, twice. Eric Carr about a year before he died. Joan Jett in a night club back in the 80's. Worked security for a Berlin gig around the same time. Got to casually talk to the band before and after the show. Just met Kenny G last week at PGA National. The most most awkward encounter was when I met Felipe Rose, the Indian from the Village People. Late 80's I was working for the company that made his hearwear for an upcoming tour in Australia. All the secretaries were overly giddy that he was coming. When I met him he asked me if I ever did any road work and if I wanted to be a roadie for the upcoming tour. I took a step back and politely told him I that I would be in school during that time. For the rest of the day I teased all of the secretaries that he liked my butt better than theirs, lol. The biggest D-bag celebrity encounter I ever had was when I met coach Jimmy Johnson in the Winn Dixie near Tavernier Creek. He had a clammy handshake and wasn't very friendly. That's ok because I dislike him as much as I dislike the Dallas Cowboys. That same week I was staying in a house across the canal from the one Jason Taylor was staying. Spoke to him every morning as we headed out fishing. Very cool guy. Growing up on Long Island my path has crossed those of many NY Jets and NY Islanders throughout the years (Kevin Mawae, Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Bobby Nystrom and a lot more). Since I've been living in Florida I've met tons of baseball players. The Cardinals and Marlins have their spring training facility nearby. Ramon Castro was the coolest. Dan Uggla predicted his 2010 season to me in a mensroom, lol. I've also run into a fair share of professional golfers. PGA National is right down the road and when the Honda Classic is taking place the town really buzzes. Ernie Els was the coolest of the golfers I've met. One of my favorite authors is Nelson DeMille. I've had an opportunity to meet him on a couple of occasions. The biggest political heavy hitter I've met was Dick Armey.

No on Swim Jigs as I feel (but have no real proof) that it may hinder a straight swim action. I've gone both ways with every other jig. On some jigs like the Boo-Jig I think rattles actually help the lure stand up (which btw they eventually fall off.). Then again, those same rattles also collect weeds and inhibit the trailer's action. I've come to a happy medium by using no rattles and if I want a tick-tick-tick I'll add a worm rattle to my trailer.

"Is there a place to rent kayks around there..." I think there are kayaks available at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park.

I've caught just as many fish on a Rat-L-Trap as I have on any other lipless. Recently at Dicks they had the 1/2 oz Chrome Black Zombie on the sale rack for $2.99 so I grabbed a handful. The zombie design wears off and you're left with just the chrome which is fine with me. I find that chrome eventually scratches off too and you now you have a scratchy grey and white bait. Then it hits the junk tackle box with hopes of one day being repainted. I put Lipless cranks in the same catagory as I do Jigs - baits that I will eventually lose if I fish them the way I want to. So I try not to buy too many of the expensive ones. I just hate that feeling when I lose a Yozuri. Something I noticed on the back label of Rat-L-Traps is a date which I assume is the date of manufacturing. Why is this on there? Do they have an expiration date, lol?

When I started focusing on Bass fishing I felt I took a big leap forward when I learned the Texas Rig. I took an even bigger leap when I learned jig fishing.

I have a 7' MH/fast Mojo which is the Spinnerbait model. I have thrown and caught with Spinnerbaits on it but I hardly throw Spinnerbaits (gasp, I know). Now I use it more as a weeds/pads rod with a variety of other baits from Jigs to Texas and Rage rigged baits to Frogs. I haven't had any issues using it in this regard. I went to the store with the intent to buy a Crankbait rod but instead I purchased a Shimano Convergence Jig and Worm rod (7'2"/Med/Fast). Even though it's rated for lures up to 1/4 oz I was throwing 1/2 oz baits easily when I went out to test it. Then I tried it out for it's intended purpose of jigs and worms. I like it better in that capacity than I did throwing the cranks. I think I'll keep it but still go back to the store to get the Crankbait model, which was my intent to begin with.