BassMike88

Very nice catch!

I like using buzz baits when the water gets a bit choppy with wind. Seems to work well.

My time will be limited, but I'll be there May 16-20th.

I seem to notice that smallmouth bass are more often associated with rivers rather than lakes. However, about two years ago, I tossed a few casts into a couple acre private pond of a woman I knew, and it was strike after strike. In 15 minutes, I landed four...but to my surprise...they were smallmouth bass, not largemouth. For a private pond, I found this odd. Are they more common outside of the river basins than I thought?

My dad would take me to the rivers in Northern Ohio during the Summer for smallmouths. I think the biggest I ever caught was 16 inches or so, but as a kid, it was definitely a thrill.

Back in 1994, I was fishing in the Chagrin River with my father for smallmouth bass. As it was getting just past dusk, bats began to fly. A bat got caught in my line. As the hilarity ensued, something unbelievable happened. A bullfrog jumped up and grabbed the bat in it's mouth. I still laugh 17 years later at that. I have a picture from a Polaroid somewhere. I'll show it sometime.

Though not always on the surface, I always did well on smallies with rebel crawfish, especially in rivers, reeling in the direction the current is moving.

I live in Ohio, but I'm planning on making my annual trip down to the Fort Lauderdale, FL region in late May. I never fished outside of Ohio/Pennsylvania before, and I hope this May will be different. I'm hoping to grab a Florida State Fishing License and give some canals in that region a try for Peacock, Largemouth and if I get lucky maybe some Snook. Anybody from South Florida know if canal fishing in May in this region is any good? Would it be like fishing a pond or river up here in Summer where I could throw a buzz bait or plastic worm and catch myself some bass? What type of preparation would I need? Would I be better off getting a guide for a day? I'm well aware that even decent bass in Summertime Ohio are quite different than South Florida bass. That's what makes the adventure so exciting! Thanks 8-)

I'm Mike, from Northern Ohio. I enjoy fishing for bass (Large and Smallmouths) during the spring-fall months, and I often try for Steelhead during the winter months. For bass I typically use either buzz baits or plastic worms, with either Texas rig or "wacky worming" techniques.