zachb34

8.76 pounds black Ol'Monster worm

For super flukes I use a 5/0 gamakatsu superline EWG

I just wrecked my truck. I swerved out of the way of somebody who had moved into my lane would have hit me. The road was wet and I spun out and hit a tree in front of that person who came into my lane. Not a single person stopped neither did 8 cops within 20 minutes. The tree I hit was on a church property and the priest walked out saw it and walked back in. I walked away unharmed, but people really don't care at all anymore.

I was on my bass raider type boat last week when a storm came rolling in fast. I decided I was closer to a bridge than I was to the where we put in at so I decided to get there before anything got close. We where fishing off shore trying new things. Once I got close to the bank my trolling motor some how got fried and I had no way of propulsion. Luckily I was able to cast and snag the bank with a lipless crankbait to pull us in. We sat in the storm under a strangers tree in their backyard for 3 hours. I've never been struck, nor do I know anybody that has, but I don't want to experience either. If I hadn't decided to get in early I would've been stuck in the middle of the lake with no motor during a very bad storm. I learned a few lessons. 1 don't trust pond prowler trolling motors 2. Account for mechanical failure 3. Bring a paddle in case of number 2.

Pretty much every marina has them. Even a shell gas station by my house on the way to lake O carries them. They're everywhere

It's not the issue of finding ponds because believe me there are tons. The issue is finding spots that you're allowed to fish. A lot of places have ponds in parking lots amd stuff or near shopping centers to drain the water from the comcrete. These places look at fishing as a liability or some times people leave their trash and ruin it for the rest. That being said I'm not in Orlando and don't know any specific spots. I used to play travel hockey and went there atleast once or twice a season and there's some nice little ponds near the RDV sportsplex. I never had a problem fishing there briefly but it's been a few years.

Just a curiosity question but, being a braid user, I don't feel many if any bites on the fall unless it's a weightless bait for water that's 5'+. I do however watch my line on the fall and sometimes detect a bite. How often do you guys detect a strike on slack line from being a line watcher?

They're just a common bait here and every dicks sporting goods and local shop has them. I don't really think there's another swimbait that could replace my EZ swimmers. Some of the places here that's one of the best/only thing you can fish. I like the Burner worms but don't really care if it's Gambler or zooms version. The ugly otter is a good flipping bait but other than that I don't use anything else that's Gambler. A lot of guys you see using them on social media are on their pro staff. They sponsor a lot of college teams too. Other than that they're cheap, easy to find, and effective.

Maybe you should take her out for chinese.

Gambler Big EZ on either June bug or Florida five-0 and a 3/8 Siebert brush jig with a rage craw on the back.

I'm a braid user 99% of the time. When I have used fluorocarbon lines it felt that the more dense qualities made a difference in sensitivity compared to less dense mono. Each strike will move line to some degree, and that heavier line that gets moved tends to give you that "heavier" tick. As an analogy it's like dropping a 1/8 oz weight on a scale versus a 1/4 weight. On impact the 1/4 oz weight will make the scale read a higher weight briefly than the lighter weight. The more dense lines seem to put more "impact" on the rods when the line is moved. The lower stretch lines usually feel more sensitive probably because they can transmit vibration better. Even if they aren't being stretched. I have zero scientific evidence for any of this information it's just a theory of mine.

I haven't fished an Avid but I do currently own an IMX and have had 2 LTB rods. I preferred the IMX over the LTB. The LTB was nice, but I just don't like the feel of the St.croix rods. My IMX is the previous model and feels like a magic wand it's the 843. My LTB rods where both 7'1" MH rods. I think my main issue with the LTB is the balance. It just didn't feel right when I held the rod with the tip up. I also know I'm in the minority of not liking them though, so take it with a grain of salt. As far as the IMX is concerned I like it more than my old GLX. I have heard the new ones just don't perform as great as the older model since Shimano bought them out. I have no experience with the new models besides I like the grips. The IMX rods look sweet with the curado gold accents and the rods have a green tint in the sun.

The Ol'Monster worm is my go to worm. Not my go to big worm it's the only size worm I throw besides senkos. My favorite color is black the bags are labeled "limited edition" and are getting harder to find in my area. The magnum Ol'Monster is also a good bait. Red shad is a solid producer along with their redbug color. Don't be intimidated by the size, I've caught plenty of dinks on them. The mag 2 is a lot smaller profile with a different tail also. I highly suggest the Magnum Ultravibe worms too.

Search up "boat dolly" on ebay. I don't have any experience with them but they get good reviews.

I was out on my friends skiff last week and hooked into a shark on a medium heavy veritas with 30# braid. All I can say is wow. The power of those fish on light tackle is pretty crazy. Its an entire different thing to see sharks in the wild while feeding. No video will ever capture it. These fish had their jaws coming over the edge of a 12 foot Carolina Skiff trying to steal a chum bag. Fascinating creatures but when they're feeding they truly are intimidating. Even more scary when unhooking them.

On tough days I think it becomes a mental game to catch fish. I find some shade, anchor, have lunch or a snack, rehydrate, retie new baits or simply relax and think up a new plan. Often times I'll grab a bait I don't have much confidence in or try a new technique. It forces me to refresh and forget about the tough fishing and hopefully be ready to start over without calling it a day. Worst case scenario you just have to fish painfully slow.

I've broken two rods in my life both where on the first big hook set on big fish but both where painted. I dont think the paint really helps protect the rod much. As DVT said if it breaks on an impact the paint won't be helping you much. I own two rods without paint and clear coat. A older loomis IMX and a ***. Both are for sure very sensitive rods and I think that may have something to do with it.

Welcome to the forums. That area is loaded with peas. You should try staying near I-95 as far as location goes literally all of the canals that far south in the area will hold them. They like to hang out near the bank bridges and docks any kind of structure near shallow water. Small xraps are pretty popular I use the 1/8 oz size. Crappie jigs and various small walk the dog style baits work well too. If you want to use shiners it becomes a lot easier. I suggest braided line and a spinning rod unless you can handle very light baits with a baitcaster. The peas seem to be more active this time of the year than the bass most days. You may even be able to walk the banks and sight fish them especially if they're spawning.

Most of the time in the Florida summer I've always been able to stay shallow in grass and catch fish. This year has been different. The only way I've been able to catch them consistently is finding deeper water and fishing painfully slow.

While the rage craw are one of my favorite baits, if they aren't hitting the brush hogs, the rage craw may not be your solution. Try it out, but be ready to change it up. I would fish something completely different than the two. Personally I would throw a big worm or a more subtle worm.

I don't see the point in ordering from there. Its not a JDM reel it's available all over the U.S market and is the same price as ordering one from TW which would give you free shirts and what not. If it matters to you, ordering from TW would also benefit an American company.

It's also hard to tell what color ot is it almost looks like the green on the G series curado. There might be a filter on that picture though.

So it looks like this will be on par with the previous citicas, while shimano again shuffles up their line up. Kinda like when they rebadged the curado as a chronarch, and lowered the price on the curado. My guess is they're trying to make a reel priced for everyone. For $119 I don't think it would be a composite frame atleast I would hope it's not.

Deffinetly a good deal on the jon in my area you couldn't find one for that with a bullet hole in it. The seats are also nice and it looks to be taken care of. Was there something wrong with the hull on the skiff?

That boat will not even be close to the Carolina Skiff in any aspect but it looks pretty nice. I have a tin myself and I'm sure it'll be a great boat for you but if you where just going to run an electric motor I would've put one on the carolina skiff. The stability should be fine to stand with just one person no problem