BassinLou

The braid of my choice is Power Pro. Reason being: its really affordable, especially in Walmart. It casts very well and it's easy to manage. I am sure the other braids mentioned are probably really good, but with PP so readily accessible to me and i have such a good track record using it, i really don't see the need to change brands.

When it comes to those two knots practice is your friend. Take 2 old spools of different pound lines and practice joining them. I prefer the alberto knot personally. Its a bit more compact than the double uni. When you tie the lines together make sure you lube with spit before you begin cinching. If your lines still slip then something is not being done correctly. Look at your illustration or video and try again. With 40lb or 50lb braid the minimum pound test I would tie on is 12lb. Remember braid has 0 shock. If your leader is too light you will snap it by the knot if you set the hook too hard.

Great catch... regardless of the weight the fish is beautiful pig.

Auggie based on that pic its hard to really say. At least for me. You are big guy so that can change how the fish looks compared if i held it. I am 6ft tall 195lbs. If you asked me if the fish looks like a 10.5lb fish i will say no. But its a big nice fish nonetheless. Speedbead has the best signature, it reads the scale never lies. Invest in a scale so when you come across a beautiful catch like the one you caught you have a precise measurement vs that of a formula. Many swear by them. But seeing your catch on the scale will confirm it. Congrats again on a great catch. WTG!!

Mine has a strap on the back, but walking in thick muck you run the chance of losing it. I know I did once. Lol....

At 23" inches long that thing was a football to hit the 10lb mark. Either way congrats. Nice fish!!

Nice report George. Yeah, full moon and incoming front can make the fishing challenging. None the less in Big G fashion you managed to coax some of the fish to play. The constant shots of duck hunters can be nerve wrecking. Last week out of 27, me, my son and BIL were fishing off of 27 and couple or few people decided to shoot several guns of different calibers by the big antenna. That was scary because we were fishing the area and I don't know the direction they were facing. With my son in the boat it made the situation even more nerve wrecking. We decided to run 3 finger channels away to be safe. Fortunately no bullets ever whizzed by us, ( that can be scary...trust me).

Yes, unfortunately without a boat you will be presented with several challenges. However, like you mentioned if you can move around and hit the outskirts of those pads or less dense patches working the frog can be pretty effective. 65lb braid is pretty darn tough, and taking a few frogs will not be a bad idea just in case you get hung up pretty good. Best of luck.

Out of the pro's and con's of crocs here are the con's. And i have been wearing crocs since they came out. As far as traction and durability they rank low in my opinion. I will dare to say that not many shoes could endure algae covered ramps or flat algae surfaces, at least not the ramps that i have seen. As for durability if you wear them often such as myself, then replacement i will venture to say is about once a year. As far as looks i don't care. They are comfortable and i wear them all day during the weekends and or when fishing.

I am assuming you will be fishing that using a boat. Frogs can be very effective lures in pads, however if the pads get really thick, such as that concentration posted in the pic, the frog can be ineffective. Imho, here's why. Although frogs can be weedless, they are not 100% weedless. In thick concentrations of pads frogs can get hung up in them pretty good. Also, if you do manage to coax a bass to hit, if it has any size to it landing it in that thickness can present challenges. If you are fishing from a boat, i hope you have a strong TM to meet the fish half way or the entire way if it gets hung up under some unforeseen structure. The other option is pitching with a punch rig as previously mentioned. The frog will be effective like someone mentioned earlier, on the outside areas of the thickest concentration. If there are pockets of open water inside those pads, that will also be good area to focus on. 50lb braid (min) on a heavy rod and strong reel would be my recommendation in that concentration of vegetation. Goodluck this upcoming summer.

Nice little chunk. Looks like its been eating well. Just like the majority have said, under 2.5lbs, length can't tell in the pic the fish is being held to low. But a 2-2.5lb fish will run any where from 15-17". Either way, fun catch.

Crocs. Best shoes for this situation. Just rinse them off and your good to go.

Brown/black and black. I will throw these colors at different times of the day.

No I was not fishing shad colored frogs. I only fish with 2 colors and shad is not one of them.

Yes, I do. I don't anything about bass fishing in Indiana. However our climate in South FL is a little different. The majority of my bass fishing is done in the Everglades which is a unique ecosystem. So if the conditions are right I will frog fish the entire year.

Down here in my neck of the woods. A while back I would have thrown a chug bug, now I just throw frogs.

Your title says it all. Unfortunately Monacan H.S. became so laser focused on attempting to block, that they failed to remember the basic rules of the game. I am sure the Coach was going ape s?>@ !! If he was celebrating with them then you know where the problem is. When I coached high school i always told my players, the fundamentals can/will win or lose you a game.

My most versatile rod (s) would be my 2 St. Croix's A 7ft Avid MH and a 7 ft MH LTB.

The TTpro is very nice reel. Enjoy!!

That's the exact line I have been using for a little while now for spinnerbaiting. I experimented with braid for a while, and now I am throwing Yozuri 12lb. Given the 2 options I will stay with the yozuri for spinnerbaiting. These have been my personal observations with the 2 lines. During the time that i threw spinnerbaits with braid, i caught plenty of fish however i noticed that I went through about 5-6 spinnerbaits of a particular brand within 6 months. My record was 2 SB in one day!! The SB's were literally breaking in half. So i decided to switch to Yozuri to see if the pattern would continue. It hasn't. i have lost 0 SB's of the same brand i used with the braid. Granted, after a nice fish on a SB you have to bend and tune the bait again, but with copoly line I have not had any SB's breaking. Utilizing both lines I have seen both pro's and con's but not losing baits, especially while fighting a beautiful fish has lead me to stick with Yozuri. Hope this info helps.

My brand new Black Friday Ch50E was delivered today. Can't wait to fish with it.

Welcome SRQ. Sarasota is a beautiful place. We vacation there every summer with the kids. I enjoy seeing the influx of younger anglers on the forums. You will learn more than you can imagine participating on here.

I second the 40lb braid and leader suggestion. Get get hold of Power Pro and some Youzuri Hybrid. Both lines are very good and very economical.

Dwight, that is a gorgeous fish!!

Yeah snakeheads can be found in areas of Broward County. The snakehead that I know of, has not been reported in Dade County or in the Everglades. Since you mentioned in your scenario Everglades, that counts the Snakehead out, but the bowfin its cousin is very prevalent and native fish for the area.