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I will take a Granola bar and an apple, at least 4 frozen water bottles, but never a banana. My all time fav is Cheese/peanut butter crackers, Kebler or Lance. I know they must be high on the healthy scale!!!!! LOL

Sorry to hear of your loss. I lost a fishing partner of 25 years, last year. I still think of Tom every time I hit the water, I know he is fishing somewhere. God bless your neighbor, and his family. Thanks for the post!

I will not eat bass, especially fish taken south of lake Okeechobee. The mercury levels are high enough that there were warning signs at all the South Florida Ramps several years ago. Fertilizers from the big sugar cane farmers was a big contributor. I don't mind if people take a few under size bass but I will warn them of the long term risk.

Lou left early, but I was at the ramp at a little after 1:00. Good luck, it was an interesting day.

11/15/14, Holey Land, sunny, wind NNE 7-15, water light stain, water temp down. Went out solo this morning. It seems everyone was tied up with either football or family obligations. I had the first hour totally to myself. I went with the chugbug and had a couple of swirls but no takers. I always return to my comfort bait the stick-o and the bites came fast and often. I hung around the east lake because I was waiting to meet up with Bassin Lou and bother in law. By 8:00 I already had 20 fish although there were a bunch of dinks. It was nice to meet up with Lou again. After a brief break Lou ran to the other end of the canal and I stayed out west. Catching remained consistent all morning with long stretches of constant fish. Most were tight to the bank. About 11:00 I ran in search of a bigger bite. I ran up the north canal and got into some bigger fish. Here the edge drops straight down 6 to 8 feet. Bigger fish were caught at the bottom of the drop off. To finish the day, I fished the huge rock shelf that is weed free, and only eight inches deep. Decent fish were moving around chasing smaller fish. With no clouds the water here was probably the warmest water anywhere. I caught 2 nice keepers here, and could not cast far enough to get to the others. I finished at 1:00 with about 60 caught, with 8 in the keeper size 2 to 3 pounds. It was a fun day, lots of sun, and lots of action. It was great to meet up with Lou again, and meet his partner. Lures used: Chug bug, Fluke, trick worm, wacky worm,stick-o, creature bait and u-vibe.

A spawn usually occurs several times during a calendar year. When conditions are right they will spawn regardless of the month. They don't care about months they care about conditions. Probably the most important condition is water levels. When the levels drop the fish become concentrated or they die. This is when a 200 fish day is a real possibility. This happens from late Feb. thru early May. Depending on weather conditions.

Glen, thanks for all you do!

Weld's, if you go further south to Lox Road there are a lot more possibilities for bank fishing. You can walk the levee to the west and you will come to a flood gate about a half mile out. If there is water flowing you may hit the gold mine. I would wear leather boots in case you run across any critters on the walk. There is a dirt road on top of the levee, and it is an easy walk. Good luck if you go.

Sam, great piece of advice. This is exactly how I learned 90% of what I do now. It has been a 40 year process, and I'm still learning.

Loxahatchee Preserve 11/11/14, 8:00-1:00, bluebird skies, wind 15-20, water light stain, water temp 70*, water levels up. Went out this morning with Steve Johnson. When we arrived the wind was already ripping from the west. We ran out west and let the wind blow us back east on the flats side of the spoil bank. I started with a Hollow Body and Steve with a buzzbait. After 20 minutes we switched to plastics. I soon had two bass on the stick-o. Then it stopped. I switched to a swimbait. Back to back bass, then nothing. Steve hook the fish of the day and brought her to 3 feet from the boat, and she became unbuttoned. She looked in a least the 5 pound range. We went to trick worms and centipedes and caught a few more dinks but it was action. We finished the day with 9 fish and we lost another 5 in the thick weeds. It was not a stellar day for catching, but it was nice to get out in this pristine fishery. There is always a shot at a 10 pounder at the Lox. If you haven't been out there for a while, you will be amazed at all the changes to the area. Subdivisions, road work, and canal bank improvements. Lox is a special place!

light braid will dig in. Go to much thicker braid. I use 65 pound on flippen, pitchen, and frog rod. No problem digging in.

I agree with some of the posters. Use whatever cast is good for you and the guy your fishing with that day. You should have a whole repertoire of different casts for different situations. I overhead cast quite often, but I also roll cast side arm if that side of the boat is open. It is very smooth, effortless, casting method, and much easier on the old body parts. From the bank I roll cast a lot with overhead branches in the area. I occasionally back cast and pitch. Whatever is good for that particular situation is what I use. I would never tell someone they have to fish a certain way to be in my boat. That just sounds un-American, and not very friendly! The secret is to go out and have fun for the day, without a lot of restrictions.

#1 bait would be a #9 or #11 Rapala Stickbait. gold or silver #2 Small spinnerbait white and yellow #3 small rattletrap fire tiger #4 - 100, live bait, live bait, live bait!!! Lures you can't work them fast enough, at high noon on a sunny day.

Sorry to hear about the kidney. Mother in law had them and said it was worse then child birth. Have you been out there before? Sometimes they turn on the big pumps and the bass go nuts with the sudden current. Sorry we didn't get a chance to talk. Maybe next time!

Unless your punching mats, use the lightest weight you can get away with for the conditions. In Florida I'm using 1/32 & 1/16 most of the time. The reason is our lakes are very shallow, and I want a slow fall, and I use a lot of 4" baits that don't require a heavier weight. Experiment and figure out what is best for you, and your conditions. I always take an assortment of different weights just incase the wind starts howling.

Small ponds can very well support a few big fish as long as there is a good supply of food. Sounds like you have been catching the food, instead of the big ones.

I agree with the two above. Go to something more appropriate for the conditions. Make fishing easy, not difficult.

11/8/14, Holey Land, 6:00 - Noon, Front came through, blue bird skies, no wind, full moon, water light stain, water levels up about 6". Went out this morning with Dave(Canesfan), at first light. For three hours we had the entire place to ourselves. We ran to the east canal where the bite had been so good for weeks. It was apparent early that they weren't as willing to come out and play. We had a week cold front come through, a full moon, no cloud cover, and not a drop of wind all morning. All these add up to tough conditions. We did get some bites on a very shallow bite but almost all of these were dinks. Since I'm not fishing a tournament, a bite is always better then no bite. So we entertained ourselves with a bunch of shallow bites. At the first pump station I hooked into a nice chunk deep. There were several more chunks but they were far and few. After a few hours we ran to the big lake. Dave mounted a comeback fishing the shallow edge. We left early because Dave had other commitments. We missed some good prime areas on the west side of the lake, but they will be there for another day. We finished with about 40 fish, and at least three chunks in the 2 pound range. it was a beautiful day for the beach, but not so much for catching. Cant wait to go again Tuesday.

I use it from time to time especially under the bridges. Sometimes a back cast is the only way to get the job done.. With no overhead clearance a sidearm cast is sometimes only way. One tip is don't snap the wrist. Use the arm is a smooth side arm movement, backward. This prevents overruns. It just takes a little practice.

Great job, I'm proud of you guys! What lures are you using for the peas? Believe it or not, I have been getting hit by peas with a 4" senko in the pads. I have caught a bunch recently. I usually use a #9 rapala stick bait in gold when I'm targeting them.

Some quality fish, congrats to all you guys. I really hope you guys are releasing those peacocks. They are a treasure, and we are so lucky to have them down here. It is a very limited environment. They need to be released quickly so they can continue to grow and breed. They are coming back and they will be stronger then the previous generation in handling the cooler weather. The strong will survive and flourish, its natures way. We need to do everything we can to help mother nature.

Way to go buddy. A good rod is very important in feeling the bite. You will get to a point where you can feel the bottom make up, rock, muck, sand, weeds. You will also get to the point where you know the type of bite it is, bait fish, bass, gar, or mudfish. You will also know when they really have the bait. The more time on the water the better you'll get.To me the baitcaster is the way to go. More control, when to back off the brakes, when to tighten the brakes. Soon you will control things with you thumb and less with the internal braking. It hard to beat a good rod and reel that fit the conditions. You made a giant leap by switching to the new reel. Get some good line spray and use it often, it will help. Until you get comfortable keep a strong wind to your back if you can. Soon you be able to handle all conditions, just with the thumb. It just takes time and even if your not catching, you are learning a lot. Good luck! George

So. Florida Bass addict is 100% correct go south young man, the further the better for peacocks. Spend the bucks and get a good guide. Okeechobee has been good recently, hire a guide if you go.

When they are schooled up like that I always throw a rattle trap, zoom fluke, or a shallow crankbait. Try to match the hatch color wise. I usually always have a zoom fluke in watermelon red on the deck ready to go, just in case action breaks out.

I don't fish tournaments, so in Florida if its sleeting, I open the windows wide, put another quilt on the bed, roll over, and go back to sleep, and it feels so good after six months of 90* weather!