gatrboy53

where are you putting in at? as of a few weeks back the only sure ramp was heaggy burry.the water was up some but still low.the top water bite was really good .my buddy who knows the lake good took some visitors and caught over 50 bass w/ several bigguns on top water.rapalas,devils horse, and frogs.also caught some on traps.he would only tell me that they didnt leave the s. end.

its not that it wont catch big fish but small fish love em too. if you want to fish a fluke go to the super fluke,which little fish love also,or switch baits ,like to a jig,or a creature bait like a brush hog

floaters are a given in rodmans in the barge canal,but so are sharks at the beach.common sense and xtra awareness are necessary.running outside of the canal is suicide,but i see some do it.just as you hear someone getting bit by a shark at the beach every once in awhile toy'll hear someone getting bit by a floater or planter.use caution and your likely not to encounter any problems.fishing is good,so it should be woth the effort.

you noles kill me!

baby carrots and pineapple.both quench the thirst and stops the growling in the gut.i have jerky and crackers in the cooler along w/ water and power ade.

they make excellent habitat but securing them is near impossible.

i can only respond by own personal experiences,but ive always went on the 3 day theory.i would think it takes them a day or two to stabilize the pressure and usually a warming trend follows a pfc and a slight rise in water temp triggers another response in bass. boca, i consider myself a power fisherman also,mainly from tx. fishin.even in post front conditions i go for a reaction bite more than the slow down approach.so im coverin alot of water but makin repeated cast to likely spots.i have found from day to day that bass might want a reaction bait one day but only baits dropped on their head the next,so if the reaction bite is not producin i'll go and try to eak out a bite w/ a jig or plastic.still i'll be throwin to cover repeatedly. i dont want to come off like i catch alot of fish during pfc's.cause i struggle like most other bassers in fla. during these times,but in tx. you got 8 hrs. to get 5 bites no matter the conditions.

everybody has their opinions and i have mine.pfc, usually mean a rise in pressure which in fla. lakes puts bass in a neutral or negative mode.meaning they arent actively feeding or chasing.for the most part they do move tight to cover or structure and hunker down,BUT, bass are instictive and will react as such.put a bait close enough and in front of him and he will strike it.reaction bite,it doesnt necessarily mean slow presentation just slow down working an area and pick it apart.if your working cover dont blow thru it pitch to a spot numerous times to aggravate him into striking.this could be w/ a plastic,jig or even a sb or some other fast moving bait.in fla. there is always bass shallow even when its freezing,but there are bass on your drops as well.pfc,may make a bass go from the first drop from 3' down to the next drop which may only be 4'.dont overlook these spots w/ lipless and lipped cranks

you'll find all 3 stages in c. fla. but the spawn is still on.yale is a good bet.the area around the baptist church camp is good spawning area.the oklawaha leading into griffin would be a good bet also. there is a small chain just across from yale on cr 450 "the holly chain"some monsters in there.i heard the water was down,they use it for the orange groves.you'll be hittin that area just right.

baby bass-in clear water chartruse in dark or muddy water watermelon and watermelon red in stained water

producto and venom lures have made those for yrs. the buzz tail shad. i just caught a 7/8 in the suwannee river last week on one.my go to bait in the spring and summer over submergent grass and pads. the ultra vibe is also a go to bait. it is very versatile,you can buzz it on top or swim it below surface or even rig it.many times the tail will ellicit strikes when others wont.

it looks like what im fishin on the suwannee river right now.to cover alot of area i fish a producto buzz tail shad or a zoom ultravibe speed worm.if i catch a fish i'll slow down and pitch WEIGHTLESS trick worms,senkos,small jigs or even tubes into the pockets.if i know a area holds fish but they arent in the pads i'll move out in front of them and c-rig or run a crankbait parralell to them.once the water gets warm enough i'll always throw a toad in there.

dont discount the effectiveness of this technique.for strait tail worms i use a splitshot,the lightest i can get away w/ for conditions.w/ curly tails i use a swivel to decrease line twist.there are times especially on pressured fish or nuetral and negative fish that having no weight on the worm is necessary but the little weight above the baits imparts a different action.i have gone to this rig when im t-riggin(hook) and the wacky rig when im fishin weightless.

there was a 11/12 caught this past sat. in the n. fla. fishers of men out of palatka off a bed.my partner caught a 3/6 last week that had already spawned out.she had a big saggy belly.

hardly ever fish a curly tail worm.trick worms and senko type baits catch fish in any conditions.

"fish" followed by" thank you lord!"

rodmans is off limits due to drawdown.the spring areas are going to be the hot spots.there is a FEW starting to pull up to spawn w/ alot of cruisers.the springs are going to be a zoo and if your not familiar w/ area your going to be lost.i would concentrate from astor s. down to woodruff and dexter.if your savvy enough to find some areas of bedders more power to ya. if not i would concentrate on pre spawners lookin to move up but in staging areas. if you can find eel grass close by deep water especially around creek mouths ...fish it.

garry, i live in lake butler,the e. side of l.c. and have fished extensively all those waters except suwannee lake.the drought has had an adverse affect on the lakes youve mentioned and even the river down to rock bluff.if we dont get some appeciable rain its going to get worse.if you'll im me i can give you some details and put you in contact w/ someone who lives close by you. there is a lake up in madison,cherry lake that would be worth your trip.mike

jeff,do you have a boat.if so pm me and i'll give you plenty of places to fish. if you dont have a boat let me know and we'll go wet a line sometime. i fish a couple times a week and am 30 mi. n. of g,ville.

it depends on # test im using. for the most part i have it locked down.ive lost too many big bass letting them use me in the grass.sometimes though especially in tx. when having to use 12/14 # mono to get bit i leave drag at normal,tight drag and it will pop.i just go in and try to get to fish before he breaks off.

dont worry about the gators,just dont stick your toes in the water or fall out of the boat!!!

there are a few concepts to consider. getting the bait to the bottom.i know in fla.in most instances the less weight the better.the bass want a natural acting and slow falling bait.but in some conditions they want a quik fall (reaction bite) or are relating to the bottom only. depth your fishin.anything over 10' you need to go up in weight.the fall is too slow w/o weight in deeper water. current and/or wind.the worst thing fishin plastics is not to be in contact w/ the bait.you dont want it draggin or to have big bows in your line. i usually start w/o any weight or a slit shot rig.one might think the bass dont care but i have found that on a given day you'll get bit better w/ no weight ,or a slit shot, or even a heavy weight (1/8 for me)you just have to let the bass decide what they want and dont get locked into fishin one way.

depends on why you would decide to stay home. temps dropping from the 71's to the 50's doesnt equate to a post frontal condition,especially overnite. the water temps arent going to drop significantly to put the bass in a funk.if anything it could stimulate the bait to move alittle which could be a trigger.if 50 deg. and rain is to uncomfortable to fish then ....i still wouldnt stay home id just bundle up fpr the conditions and go catch some bass...

the best flippin weight (imo) is a penetrator tungsten.there are several reasons.the shape of it penetrates cover(grass) easier than other type and shapes.the hardness and slickness is the most important factor to a flippin weight.when a BIG bass bites a flipped bait it clamps down w/ tremendous force on the weight.w/ lead weights and some tungsten weights the force of the bite wont allow the grip of the teeth to slide down to the hook and if it does it to weak to make good penetration.result is a fish that you think is hooked but comes unbuttoned after a brief fight and is lost,when in many cases the fish was never hooked to begin with. it just had pressure on the weight.with the penetrator weight the fish cant clamp down on it and the shape allows the teeth to slide off to the hook.to each his own,but if you flip enough you'll find that some fish can be lost by the weight not seperating from the bait on the fight.especially w/ heavy weights.every flipper has to decide for himself what they want to use and be content with.i want every advantage i can get.i dont want any thing to fail if i get the 10+ on when flippin or any bass for that matter if im flippin in a tx.i never ,ever would use a screw in weight ,i would never peg a weight that even had a hard time seperating from the hook.no toothpicks or the such.i only use bobberstops.another thing i started doing a couple yrs. ago is to snell my hooks. it causes the hook to flip up to a 90 deg. angle when the bass clamps down on the weight .

i line watch when possible w/ soft plastics w/o weight or very little that get bit alot on the fall.when fishin a jig i fish by feel because of the weight of the jig,usually even on the fall im trying to feel the bait fall.there are very few times you wont be able to feel a jig bite.