shallow thinker

A similar thing happened in a club tournament out in the glades canals. A wake caused a jon boat to sink... losing all the gear but everyone ended up safe. That event, plus the experiences I've had in jon boats, canoes and yaks... is a reminder to me to slow down when I have to pass by small craft. Even bigger boats carrying kids or old folks deserve some consideration. We do lots of canal fishing down in S Fl. and the proper etiquette is to come off plane in small canals unless the other boat waves you past.

I fish saltwater a lot with 10 lb braid on spinning gear. There I add a 30 or 40 lb leader to handle toothy critters and overall abrasion resistance. Yes, the 10 lb is much smaller diameter so I double it up with a bimini twist. The advantage of braid is superior casting distance. In freshwater I pitch and flip with straight 50 lb braid. The only time I like a leader in freshwater is for topwater fishing when I prefer a loop connection to the hook or lure. I don't know a good loop knot that works with braid. My topwater set up is 50 lb braid to about a foot of 20 or 30 lb mono leader material.

Sunday's winner had 25 and change. 66 boats total with just a couple weighing 20 lbs if I remember correctly. We had like 8.5lbs... makes me think of taking up golf again.

Gar-tracker... that Phoenix you saw at 2:30pm idled past us twice. I said to Mike "That guy driving sure looks like Bobby Lane". It was, I overheard him at the ramp. I should have asked him for some pointers since the south end of the lake treated us pretty badly too on Sunday.

Lake Okeechobee and the canal system of the Everglades fish differently with changes in weather. The wind creates currents, stirs up mud and piles up water on one shore. Then we have the water management folks who open gates and move water around in bulk. I've learned the hard way that you can't count on pre-fishing to lock in a spot or a pattern. I also do lots of saltwater fishing which may be similar to the Potomac. There at least you've got published tide tables to get you started.

Nope. It had more to due with weather and water quality changes from one day to the next. Stuff like an influx of muddy water or a shallow bay suddenly dropping six inches due to a wind shift. Too often I stick with what worked yesterday instead of going to plan B

I use many of the ones mentioned earlier. They all have their applications. The ribbits work well for me but lately I mostly use JD's Custom Baits hand poured frog with a 5/0 Gamagatsu EWG Monster hook. It throws a country mile and doesn't get torn up so easy. It is a bigger bait than most of the ones sold at retail.

My problem is pre-fishing. When I find a pattern or good area... it will never fish the same on tournament day. I get stubborn and waste a 1/2 day before making changes. It seems to work better for me to just keep an open mind and have a couple of options in mind before launching.

I can't help you withe the 'where to fish' but never leave home without some stick baits. Yamamoto Senko or Gambler Ace style baits are just money in terms of numbers of fish. Those canals have almost vertical walls cut into limestone so a weightless fluke or Senko rigged texas style will just wiggle and flutter as it falls. It's not as exciting as a topwater strike but will catch fish under most conditions. Just let it fall on a slack line count down a foot per second and watch to see if your line moves. Maybe give it one twitch when it hits bottom and reel it back in. Wacky rigging works if the canal doesn't have too many snags.

As Mike says, those new penny gulp shrimp (3inch) are the ticket. Some guys also like the swimming mullet style gulp. I mostly use 1/8 ounce jig heads with a strong hook (like the DOA or Strike King jigs). A gold or silver spoon works great and you could also throw topwaters. Most shorelines are 1 to 3 feet deep. The whole bay averages 5 feet deep. Consider spooling with 10 lb braid to increase your casting distance. Fishing success in WWB has lots to do with current and water temp. A warming trend means hot fishing. However, a sudden and strong cold front makes for both tough paddling and difficult fishing. You are not in bonefish territory... but the redfishing has been off the chart for the last couple of years. Good luck.

Punching is for the real thick stuff where a standard flip or pitch won't get through the cover. You want to toss your bait up 6 feet or so and have come straight down so that heavy weight can bust through the cover. Do a YouTube search to see guys doing this and it will become obvious. I've tried the Miller punch weights but prefer 1 to 1.5 oz Tungsten when puching cover.

I was out on Saturday too. Fished those same areas plus offshore. I ended up with one good fish and a sack around 14 lbs. It is a very different lake compared to past years. There is so much more marsh area to fish. I was running a boat trail on the shoal and passed a guy in a pontoon boat... I didn't expect to see him as the trail is 10' wide and he had a 12' beam! We'll still fish Ghost & Goblins and see what happens.

Also try Lake Ida in Delray Beach and Lake Osbourne in Lake Worth. Both have parks with open shorelines. The canal system that links those 2 lakes extends to the C15 canal in Boca and up to the West Palm Beach canal. It has a healthy bass population and a bunch of places to park and fish. Good luck!

$40 for 4 hrs is what we call a head boat. Each inlet has a couple of outfits with a large 60+ foot boat. They typically run a morning trip for 4 hrs and an afternoon trip. You just show up at the dock, buy a ticket, and go out with 30 new friends for some drift fishing. The boat supplies equipment and dead bait along with mates who help you out. Drift boats head out to the near shore reefs so you have a shot at reef fish and some pelagic species. These are low cost and a good way to experience saltwater fishing. Expect to catch something but not necessarily table fare. There are ways to improve your odds (bring live bait, fish from the stern) but most people who go in for drift fishing don't bother. If you had a larger budget you can go hire a charter boat. This is geared for 4 anglers with a dedicated captain and mate. There are a bunch of well regarded charter outfits out of Miami. You will catch fish on a charter.

I have worn Frigates in polycarb and now Harpoons with glass. The glass is superior optically (to me) and I don't feel that it weighs any more than plastic. As for frames, you have to go and try them on since the size recommendation is just a general thing. How it fits your face is what matters. I go with the frame that minimize light coming in around the sides and bottom. I like amber lens and this time I got a green mirror finish which seems to be working OK for me. Good luck

That 9.2 lb'er was the biggest fish I've seen weighed. I had a 6 and figured it might get 2nd place for big fish... heck my little ole 6 was only 4th best in your livewell! Great win for you guys. Congratulations.

I fished that area yesterday. Can't say that I tore them up although some mudfish have sore jaws. Good numbers of panfish are in the pads so there is life out there.

Normally alligator alley would be good bet at this time of year but it has been very tough this year. You can do some shore fishing at the intersection of the Sawgrass Expressway and Altantic Ave. That spot allows you to walk over the levee to fish a short stretch of the Sawgrass recreational area as well as a few hundred yards of the canal system that runs along the highway. A better bet might be to drive out to US27 and put your canoe in at the ramp of Sawgrass Recreation Park... or rent one of their john boats. Folks are reporting good catch rates of small bass lately. You can't go wrong with a wacky worm along the edge of the pads. Good luck

Its been a warm winter down here but we still get a front coming through each week. On those cooler days you might try flipping thick cover. I got a 7.22# on Sunday flipping matted junk. Some days they'll eat a moving bait (like Shane's frog) but more often you have to slow down in January. Good luck

I fished Lox Sunday morning. The flats have 4 feet of water at Lox so while its easy to navigate the fish have more places to hide. I got 4 bites in 4 hours of fishing. Nothing big this time. I stuck to the open water since the duck hunters are blasting away back in the trails.

I'll be going. We had a good time last year. Didn't come close to getting a check but it was fun. I still have lots to learn about that lake

I checked some other fishing boards and guys really struggled at Lox on Saturday. I went to plan B and put my brother on law on some topwater snakeheads instead. He liked that and we got a few bass as well.

Shane... I am taking my brother in law out to lox in the morning. I'll look for you but I think we'll be making a long run and fish mostly in the canal. Jack

I fished Hillsboro yesterday morning since it was overcast (and not so freaking hot). I caught 3 big snakeheads, a 3lb bass and a 4 lb bass on topwater. There was lots of floating grass to deal with but you can't complain about catching quality fish in August.

Mike and I fished Saturday morning. Like this post, we struggled out on our favorite flats and shorelines. Around 9:30 we moved to the canal and started whacking them on big worms. This was the biggest and I lost one over 4lbs.