ccummins

If still in production fish 'em. The one that I am hesitant to use is my Luhr Jensen Woodchopper. Only comes out in very special occasions for peacock bass.

The only problem I have with bucket hats is getting them large enough to fit. I do like them because they do offer some shade all around but I definitely prefer a longer billed ball cap that the underside of the bill is dark colored to cut down on reflection. I typically have to have them almost all the way open to fit.

Greetings from a "two county" guy. Live in west Miami-Dade about 2 miles from the Miccossukee casino and work in Hollywood about 2 miles from the Seminole Hard Rock. Lot's of good info here and if you have any questions feel free to contact me. If I have an answer I'll give it to you; if I don't I'm honest enough to say, "I don't know..."

I also print up several copies from the online site and put them in ziploc bags in each of my tackle boxes and bags as well as my truck just in case I need to produce one in a hurry....

I got one new at BPS because I really like my Devil's Horses and treasure the only Luhr Jensen Wooodchopper that I have. On the packaging it recommends a fast retrieve unlike what you do with a Devil's Horse..... Guess you just got to experiment and see what works for the fish in your area.

Nothing quite like going after the mayan cichlids on light tackle. IMHO they have 3x the fight of bluegills ounce for ounce / inch for inch.

I am completely bilingual in English and Spanish (speak, listen, read and write at a professional level). Use both languages all the time in my job. I can read and understand some Portuguese (such as getting the main idea from a newspaper story) due to the similarity to Spanish. I can understand some (main ideas only) of oral Portuguese if the speaker speaks VERY slowly. Do not even ask me to try either speaking or writing it! I have also studied French, Italian, Latin and Swahili. If I had stuck with studying Italian I am sure that I could have become trilingual but due to time constraints in grad school I could not continue studying it. I picked up a little conversational Bri-Bri during my 3 years in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica but have forgotten everything except how to greet people.

I highly recommend Suffix Siege 20 lb mono as the backing. For all of the reasons previously stated above.

With my health I go year to year and am happy when I can buy a new one....

Florida now let's you upgrade to a "credit card" style (hard plastic) license for an additional $4.00. Sure beats the thermal printed one I got last year that had faded beyong readability in under a month.

Stay safe.

24" and btw 8 to 9 lbs

I thank God that I made it there and back safely. Drivers here in south Florida are the worst in the USA. Throw away at least one yard sized bag of trash that I picked up in the last 15 to 30 minutes I spent at the fishing spot. I put my tackle away. Look for a cold adult malted barley and hop based beverage in the fridge. Open and enjoy # 4 above. Repeat process until thirst is gone or mellowness ensues. Think about what I will cook for supper and ask the family for suggestions. (I get to fish every Sunday with no grief from my wife if I cook supper that night and do the dishes afterward).

I would stay with the Rapala and get at least the orange one of these. Used them for years and they work great! They can even be used on serrated knives. http://www.theedgemaker.com/knifesharpeners.htm

Absolutely does not affect them at all AFTER it dries well; say 2-3 hours.

The definition of "trailer trash"...

I always take some yard sized garbage bags with me and when I am done fishing put on some leather gloves and take about 15 to 20 minutes picking up trash that others leave behind. Every little bit that anybody does helps in the long run. A very good organization is Recycled Fish ( http://www.recycledfish.org/ ) the person in charge of it was selected one month last year as one of Field and Streams "Heroes of Consevation". They have partnered up a lot with Dick's Sporting Goods and B.A.S.S. On Facebook they are https://www.facebook.com/RecycledFish . I highly recommend visiting their website; very informative about fishing and the environment.

Another thing is lead soldering wire from say a Radio Shack. Comes in different gauges / thicknesses so you can get a thin one and add it on as needed. Also might want to go up 1 hook size before doing this; added weight from the larger hook might do the trick but if not you have more space on the shank to wrap the wire.

If you live up north and fish in the winter microguides will freeze up faster than normal guides.

I maybe use too little but put in an arbor knot and get the center of the spool covered completely 5 or 6 times. That way I am sure to have enough braid to cut out a horrible backlash and continue fishing. Too much backing and you might run out of line at the lake is my opinion.

Suffix Seige 20 lb mono as backing for braid or flourocarbon on a baitcaster but on my spinning reels and Zebco 33 it is all mono anyway so no need for it.

Sharpie typically won't write permanately on metal. If you have them stored in a Plano type container designed for spinnerbaits you could label that if you put them back in the same slots you removed them from.

I would go medium to medium heavy but with flourocarbon to get deep. Also some people will put a weight a couple of feet out in front of the crankbait (almost like a Carolina rig) to help it get down and stay down.

You definitely need it! Justify it to yourself by putting a different type or size of line on it than the other 7.1 you have! Then once you have it spooled up then worry about what to use it for.... LOL... Thinking like that is maybe why I was able to claim Johnny Morris as a dependent on my taxes last year... LOL

I always use Suffix Siege 20 lb mono as a backer on my baitcasters; doesn't matter if its braid or mono.