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Riviera Maya? Do you mean the Yucatan Costa Rica area?

Only use older reels, all 70's era Ambassadeurs. Actually went out today with 2 new spinning reels and hated it. Gave them to my future son in law. Rods are another story, they dont last very long stomping through mangrove jungle so they get tossed and replaced often.

Its a BCX turned SX with a minor face lift. Wal-Mart always has a couple 'exclusive' models from Pure Fishing. They often change minor cosmetic touches and since they buy in massive bulk, get them cheaper. With the C series Ambassadeurs there is very little difference in quality such as the Wal Mart CS Rocket series. Its just spec'ed with older style 2 pin brakes and an ugly handle. But..... the china made BCX, S, SX, are mechanically inferior in all respects. Avoid at all costs.

Merry Christmas Bill, God bless you and enjoy all that nice new stuff when you can.

The show is fake, the people are not. They knew from the beginning that in their words, "Fame and money are fleeting". Frankly I'm glad you and many others think its stupid and ignorant. That just proves he or those that share his beliefs are right. And I'm glad you don't understand why.

A & E has always been more about providing viewers a inside look at the emotional struggles of horders and close up shots of plastified faces and chests of old Miami barbie dolls anyway. They probably wont be at any loss since the majority of viewers were those type of viewers, not folks that felt an interest or kinship to the truer side of the Robertson family. Phil's Pastor son recently left his pulpit to take on a bigger role on the show. Hopefully the Outdoor or Sportsman Channel will pick them back up and start off where "The Duckmen of Louisiana" show left off.

Of course in todays world, no one is likely to say its an o.k. thing. Before all of todays electronics we were doing it without any person or authority thinking anything about it. And that was as kids. True Gladesmen spent weeks and months out alone making a living for their families. I'm north of the glades but still camp in state buffer preserve salt flats and do it alone. Nothing as remote of course but never do I feel as susceptible as I do in the city. People fear me much more than the occasional hog, wandering pitbull or snake.

Geez I thought The Land Between the Lakes was very scenic. Tons more so than concrete Florida. Paris seems like the small town I'd like to be part of and I found the bank fishing incredible the few weeks Ive been there exploring. I can only imagine the fishing would be better from a boat and roaming that river. Spent time east of Chattanooga/Cleveland area too. Scenic for sure but I never heard anything positive about the fishing in the Copperhill and Lake Blue Ridge waters. Just century old heavy metal pollution and tiny stocked trout.

Geez Snook, thinking like that could throw the tackle industry into a deeper economic down swing.

A custom 70's 4600C w/6 b.b.'s on a first rendition Cumara 7'2" MH for throwing horny toads and big worms.

Snook thats because after buying a color matched outfit and ultra pretty japanese domestic market lure, they dont have $ left to buy a GoPro. But.... I agree with the other guy, the prices are getting stupid. But so is the price of everything else in the world. And we are at fault of that because we keep on voting for the guys responsible for it.

Caught one in Charlotte Harbor which is saltwater while I was Snook fishing. It was 3lbs. and didn't look at all affected by the salt.

Those are the only knobs I like! There are a lot of reels I wont buy because of their grips. I melt shimano's septon and eva grips don't handle bushwaking all that well.

No they don't slip off. To the point they leave permanent marks on Shimano septon when you take them off.

You can have it.

I've been visiting the area just east of you looking for a new home. Went last July/August and the humidity wasn't nothing like home. By 6pm it was pleasant, here its still in the 80's through the whole night and windows don't get opened till January. They close by the end of March.

All I use are 4500/4600's. 3/8oz is about standard. 1/4oz is ok if you don't put to much english into your cast and the lure is not wind resistant. 1/4oz. balsa bait or spinnerbait can be a birdnest maker. That size spoon or jig, no problem.

Amen

In summer when the water hits the upper 80s the bass are add hard to catch as they are up in those frozen lakes. and our summers are 8 months long.

Miami must be cooler than the s.w. coast is, its 240pm and 89 degrees. This is the hottest Dec in memory each year it gets hotter. They are catching bonefish here and in 55 years here they had never been north of the keys/biscayne bay.

Don't come too far south like so many folks do. 7am this morning it was 72 with 100% humidity. 84 by 9am. High of 90 yesterday will be the same today. Summer is much worse and its only fishable before 9am each day. Even then you are soaked to the bone with sweat. At least you guys can put more clothes on, I cant take more off without going to jail! West Tn. is my wish, maybe north Al.

Big Game has always served me well enough even up to 20#. Memory from sitting on the reel usually works out after a few casts using a reaction type of bait. Maxima is the best mono I've ever come across but is extremely hard to find in my part of the country. Sufix Elite is fine but Seige seems no different than Big Game to me.

Not me. If I'm using spinning which is like nearly never i put the rear grip under my forearm and make the rod an extension of my arm. Even for snook tarpon and jacks. My saltwater bank fishing is either true jungle boar hogging my way thru mangrove forest or urban jungle under bridges and between barges and such. Long grips are pretty useless there too.

There have been some kayak specific rods in the recent past. Okuma thought kayak rods needed even longer rear grips and double foregrips to prevent high sticking. Maybe they work for So. Ca. yakkers jigging kelp beds but not anyone else. Quantum tried it too but you never found them on a rack anywhere. American Rodsmith's did a yakkers series a few years back that really fit the bill with shorter rear grips and pre drilled holes in the real seats to attach a leash to. No retailers around here carried them except Bass Pro, but only for a year. St. Croix has been quoted in magazines as stating there is no market to support kayak specific rods. Kayaking is slowing down a lot here. Everyone is jumping on the SUP bandwagon. Standing so there is no need for special rods any more. And that seems to suit the yak shops, now they only stock ultra high end St Croix and Loomis rods in cater to the high dollar customer. SUP's just doesn't fit bass fishing in waters stuffed with gators though.

Matching color hue has always been important to me. I've found success with it and doing so gives me confidence. Most commercial colors don't imitate the strange exotic forage found in south Fl. Like tilapia, sand bream and cichlids. If I jig fish its almost always a hair jig that i tie myself in color combos imitating them using EP or Congo hair, sometimes mixed with Steve Farrer and bucktail. I'll do the same mixing different rubber skirt material. I think you should always have the colors that give you confidence. Its natural to always fish better or a little harder when you do.