gatrboy53

spring of 06' started out promising.caught several big bass by march biggest being 9-3....then the drought kicked in,we have not had any appreciable rain since spring.most of the lakes i fish are so low you cant even launch a boat and the weeds have covered once good fishable areas.the scary part is ...there is no relief in sight.

all of my reels are L.h.,one day i went on the spur w/ a friend down to the lake,having to use his R.h reels.i was trying to turn the rod.today w/ all the choices w/ L.h. reels it makes perfect sense just starting out to go w/ L.h. reels.

like alot of bass fishermen i was mostly a bank beater,and most of the lakes in n. fla. are shallow grass bowls w/ little undulation.about 5 yrs. ago i started fishing a couple reclaimed phosphate mines across from Bienville plantation that are structure fishermens heaven.continual undulations,humps ,drops, points,ledges up to 30' deep.i have develpoed and honed my structure techniques,and started applying it to the lakes i fish.this past sat. subman off the fbf board took me to kingsley lake (limited access thru camp blanding-military only)i have fished kingsley several times but over the grass flats in 13-20' of water.today we fished in 40'+ water.drop-shotting points and ledges.we caught around 20 bass most cookie cutter keepers,one over 3.we tried shallower drops and brushpiles and did catch the 3+ from one of the 25' brushpiles but marked bait and fish on the 40'+ stuff.i had a blast and found no problem adjusting to the depths,mike

i think the 3 day rule is in general..right.but the pros dont have that luxury in tx.and they dont seem to have problems catching fish.

did see where santa fe c.c. was listed!

uf doesnt have a team, maybe you could contact intermural sports and inquire.dont know anything about aba.mike

http://www.bassmastersofgatorcountry.com/ im not part of gator country bassmasters but it is a very good club that has been around for a long time and has very accomplished fishermen in it.give me a shout sometime and we'll hook up and fish.i mostly fish during the week .mike

some things ive experienced...the bigger the bass the stronger the jaws.a big bass will clamp down on you lead or line and the strength and force of their jaws can cause the hook not to set or set weakly.plastics especially curly tails are notorious for wadding up on the hook point and not getting into the fishes jaw.any object in the water that can cause slavk between your rod and hook can cause non hookups.many times you will never feel a bass pick up your bait and by the time you realize you have a bite, they have created slack .also, a moving boat position is working against you not for you.i have found the bigger the bass the more that can and will go wrong.from many yrs.saltwater fishing for big fish,every facet has to be right or that fish will exploit your weakness,and if you dont know what they are they will expose them when you get them on.the same w/ big bass.hooking and losing big fish should makes us all better anglers

the only thing i would disagree w/ is starting an inexperienced bass fisherman out on 6# test line.the slightest mistake a 6# test is popped.

in the immediate area of jax. you have the st. johns river and its tributaries.there are some areas s.( dr. lake) that a aluminum boat would work.i wouldnt want to traverse up and down the river much in a alum. boat unless it was a larger one.check out floridabassforum.com most of the posters on there are from the jax. area and you can get a feel of the areas to fish from them.

even though bl. may be the dominant color in a lake due to water clarity i wouldnt throw everything bl.,reaction baits are better w/ some contrast color such as chartruese or parrott.even jigs i would add color,blue or watermelon or even red.good luck,mike

9/4 rowell lake,balsa B 9/3 lang lake,black trick worm 8+ rowell lake,black trick worm,didnt have any scales,stopped another fisherman who had some spring scales,his said 9+ but it wasnt that heavy

points in general,whether visible or submerged are holding areas for bass.for bait also,but bass are not always holding to a point because of food.visible points create current breaks in windy conditions.bait or not they will set-up predictably in windy situations.underwater poits offer different comfort levels for bass to hold to.temp.,oxygen levels,and other conditions cause bass to move up or down on a point.wind on underwater points help fishermen because it stirs the water and the bass relate to movement more than site and are more easily fooled into biting than in calm conditions.

i consider myself to be a decent angler,have always been able to hold my on CATCHING bass.i would say my biggest weakness is finding bass on new water.the reason i would hire a guide say on STICK MARSH,which is my dream trip,only 3 1/2 hrs. away.1)w/o knowing where to go or how to get there safely would be worth the expert knowledge.2)i would pay for that persons expert knowledge of where the best place to fish at that time.good guides spend countless hrs. on a body of water finding,following,predicting where the bass are at that time.so i dont have to spend my time looking and being disappointed when i cant find em.3)i want to expand my knowledge of the fishery,when, where and how to catch them ,so the next time i come,i'll know how to get where i want to go,where i might find fish and how to fish for them...i also want to pick that guides knowledge of bass fishing to help me become a better bass angler.instruct me on hows the best way for me to catch a bass.i dont want no guide fishin for me or w/ me.i want him to guide me to the best place they know where i can catch a bass.last...i want him to appreciate me for choosing him as my guide.im the one plunking down my hard earned money,paying for a service.he dont have smile ,or be funny ,just guide me to the bast spot he knows where to catch fish and increase my knowledge of that particular fishery.

thats why i like to fish by myself,i can get on a point or a cut that i know holds fish and wait em out.there are only short periods of the day that bass are active feeders.about as unconventional as i am is w/ a trick worm,i'll rig it every which i can to entice a bite.weighted, unweighted,t-rig,c-rig and drop shot it,swim it, jerk it,wacky,dead stik it,ive even put a nail in the tail to get it to fall different...all in the same spot .when the bite gets slow or tough i slow down,hunker down and wait em out.NOW...in tx. i dont do that im always moving and throwing every thing i got untill i find fish then try and slow down but most times that dont work.if a bite is on then i may try some un things to solicite another bite but if its not its usually by the book.

i like the niece in the back of the boat ,then you dont have to do anything but fish.powre fishing from the back of the boat would be hard.

im on the side that bass can see your line and if they do it can affect your percentage of getting bit.im talking about situations where a bass can distinguish the line tied to your lure.in weedy or grassy areas seeing your line isnt as much a factor,but even in stained water bass can see your line if its the wrong line for the application.it doesnt always translate into that fish not biting ,but it can.on reaction baits i feel the fish is not concerned w/ the line as much as the noise or action of the bait,but on finess baits where the bass get to look at your presentation as long as it wants,if its not committed to biting seeing your line could cause it not to bite.i believe most would agree liter line will usually get more bites,i know the action of the liter line is the main contributor but in some instances,if they see it they wont bite whats on the end of it.i know in fishing the rainbow river which is crystal clear i use to try and fish 10# test flouro,my friend fished 6# test,he consitently got more bites than me in the daylite.at nite he would move up to 10# test and continued to get bit, nad my percentages went up as well.

any bass video from Glen Lau or Doug Hannon are invaluable to understanding the lmb.most if not all were recorded on the rainbow river in Dunnellon, fl.

depends on how big the bass was ,a 5lb. bass could be a little peithy.small bass 14-15'' can and should be very firm and tasty.i would recommend skinning your bass as the mercury build up is in the skin and between skin and meat.one thing that can make any fish rubbery or tough is over cooking.you can cook bass any way you want and it is good ,not as good as panfish or catfish but good just the same.some people i know would rather eat bass than any other.i practice catch and release,but every once in awhile i will harvest a bass,especially if the lake is stunted.it is the only way to get a lake back in balance is to harvest the dinks.any thing over 2 lbs. shouldnt be eaten unless it is a dead fish.

first, i would upgrade my electronics to the best there is console and bow. second, i would finish upgrading my rods and reels to the set ups i alresdy have. third, if there is anything left,i would spend it on hi dollar tackle that i wont buy now. the lord just checked me, first i would tithe 10% $500.00. its all his anyway.

fish and conditions will test your weaknesses and forgetfulness.i also have lost too many good fish from not having all my ducks in a row and got used like soap,...and BAM she was gone!!! :-[

george, the original q. was "do FISH feel pain"the intellectuals on this thrad have turned it into a study.its a 2 sided question.do fish,ALL fish feel pain?the answer is YES.do fish,assimilate that pain as humans do?NO.there is no amount of study that can refute that.humans are the only living life form that can assimilte any emotion to reason.not even other mammals.to say otherwise is agreeing w/ evolutional theories and attributing human qualities to animals.ive lived on a farm all my life and have killed animals for human consumption,as well as herd control.i have learned first hand from those animals that they do not reason pain.why? cause they caint.fish included Lane,yes im a tried and true gator fan.and i do have a gambler boat.i live just n. of g,ville.im not a scholar just a old country boy that knows not to mix humans w/ animals.

basslovr,gators are more afraid of you than you are them,they shouldnt be a concern.we fish at nite mostly because of the traffic it keeps the fish spooked and you arent as visible to the bass.you can also move up alittle in line size.also, the bass tend to come out of the cover more at nite. the main ch. is to swift to fish effectively,unless you slow down or get out of the current.thats why w/ a drag we have a controlled drift down river.we motor up stream and drift back toward ramp.during the day the bass are tucked under the cover more and fishing this way is not as effective.there are several mine areas along the river,indents that are out of the main current,most are very deep w/ grass on bottom as well as emergent grass along edge.if you are stealth you can ease into these areas and soak plastics,worms,lizards,flukes,etc. most of the grass flats and patches hold bass along the main ch.fishing these areas are very difficult because it is hard to get to the fish w/o spooking them.it requires you to set up on a spot and wait till they settle down and you present a bait to them w/o spooking them.there are some monster bass in rainbow river!!!at nite i only fish black trick worms or black finess worms,thats my preference.during the day colors w/ green in them.the lighter the line you use the more bites youll get,but the more fish you'll lose. i have a friend that fishes there every full moon at nite.before the storms of 04 they would catch 50-100 bass up to 10lbs.but since, they catch around 20 and rarely one over 5 lbs.i only go a few times a yr.in the hopes of latching into a monster.the place is simple beautiful to me,its florida at its truest form.

i dont care what some study thinks ,only what some individual has pondered in their heart and came to a conclusion they can live with. i hope the young man who started this thread doesnt base his opinion on any post on this subject and deals w/ matter on a personal heart felt decision.

any fisherman that thinks fish feel pain shouldnt fish,they are sadist.any person that feels any wild animal feels pain should not eat meat.how can one justify doing something if they are imposing pain on that creature.how can a person relate human values on lower creatures,you cant,and trying is futile.being raised on a farm this is one of the first emotion that has to be dealt with.the only place i ever got clarification from was the bible,and jesus said in 1st. corinthians its alright to eat meat,and jesus wouldnt tell me to sin(causing pain to another being)if killing that animal was causing it pain.AS HUMANS KNOW IT!!! fish included.oh, and also there is no humane way to kill a wild animal!!!