BassinLou

Started when I was kid, my dad was/is not a fisherman, took me out to a local canal and I was hooked ever since. Serious LMB fishing I started in the summer 1999, an old timer friend of mine took me under his wing and showed me the ropes.

I am with Snook, on this one. Leave the way it is. There are too few FWC on patrol for the amount of water we have. Most of us practice C&R however many do not and even with current limits people are walking away with many fish.

Sweet fish Tstone!!

Only place I can think of close to you is either sawgrass recreational camp, or holiday park off Griffin Rd.

Hey you found my secret weapon. Lol . Those worms are great to use when bass are finicky and they want finesse type profile. Fish them on a spinning outfit with a 1/32 or 1/8 oz weight (wind permitting) and you will be surprised what happens. Some of my biggest bass are on that bait.

Went out yesterday out of MM35 in the Everglades thinking that with the high wind (25mph+) and colder temps fishing was going to be slow. I was very wrong. The fish were waiting for us, from the the very first cast til our last cast at the end of the day it was either a strike or missed strike on almost every cast. I stopped using the fish counter after 58 catches. It was a top water bonanza. Frogs, flukes, swimbaits, and the biggest of the day I caught on the Koppers mouse. The fishing was crazy and the wind was crazier. Since I have an aluminum boat you can imagine maneuvering. We had to deploy 15lb anchor to hold on key positions and even with that we were being dragged. We came home exhausted but with smiles on our faces.

Do not underestimate the value of a great pair of sunglasses. If you have rods already that you like and you do not have a good pair of sunglasses, I would recommend the glasses if you are going to be out on the water for a long period of time. Trust me, your eyes will thank you. Costa's have my vote. I have my freshwater pair and my saltwater pair. Costly?? maybe, maybe not. Eye protection and vision enhancement is a must for me.

LMAO, good one, I can only imagine what my face really looked like.

Sorry to hear that. Good news you are getting them replaced.

Nice fish. Glad you broke in your new rod. I am jealous of that honey hole though, man that place produces some sweet fish.

X2 on the Carbonlite. It will suprise you.

I am a strength and conditioning coach as well as a part time H.S. coach.

By the look of this thread. Bait Monkey anonymous anyone?

It depends on what the application that setup is going to be used for. I would use if it was my set up, 12lb.-15lb Yozuri max.

Since you live in Cental FL, I know Orlando has a BPS, take the advice that many of the guys have provided you and go explore and try out the outfits recommended. You can ask to see the reels and connect it to one of the rods you are also interested in and see if the feel and weight works out for you. I do that all the time at BPS when I upgrade my reels and rods.

Oooooo mama mia. LOL. Congrats man. Enjoy.

I would save it until the next big thing comes around, like rod and reel. For example, I just commented on the bait monkey post and I remembered I have a $50 gift card from xmas plus rod and reel trade back program for the Spring classic and it has me thinking.

Mine is starting to stir. My water heater died today and while we had to clean up the room where we have it, we had to remove my fishing equipment and I looked over old reels and rods that I have not used for years and then I remembered the Spring classic is underway and and they have reel trades and rod trades coming up. Hmmmm.... I am thinking a sweet chronarch and a nice rod.... once the monkey starts stirring I can't control him.

Captain Shane touched on an really important topic. Find yourself a professional real estate agent and have them show you around town and give you ideas. As you can see many individuals so far have expressed their colorful opinions about MIA. I can understand where they are coming from being that I was born and raised in MIA. Miami or Dade County in general has many areas that are very nice and can accomodate the things you are looking for. West Broward is also very nice. However like any large metropolitan type of area its going to have its drawbacks. Are there many hispanics down here yes. So what? There are many other nationalities and cultures down here as well. Best of luck and I hope you find what you are looking for. You can always PM me if you want local feedback and information.

Enjoy the glasses, you will not be disappointed.

Those fish have some pretty color to them. Nice big fish.

Great fish. Congrats on your new PB.

You are on a roll Snook. Nice one. Like that fluke too.

I live in South Florida. Where you are mentioning is West Florida. The best advice I can give you is get very familiar with google earth and plan an excursion. Keep it simple, especially if you are only down here for a little while. Lastly, enjoy lake o and have great time.

Cool vid. I am still diggin that little boat.