geo g

Still have a Mitchell 300 I bought with my allowance money, saved up for months. Your post, makes me want to go find it, and put it on a spinning rod, and go fishing! It's been a long time.

I have done it a few times when I was in my 30's. Now I'm much older and wiser. Too many Skeeters, and ridiculous humidity, and a few nasty gator experiences in the bass boat. Have fun, I respect your perseverance.

What I always enjoy the most about fishing was your closeness to nature, and your friendships that are developed over the years. When out in the boat, 90% of the time I'm fishing the Everglades. My favorite spots are those away from the roads, and away from heavy boat traffic. Favorite experiences are those involving wildlife. I have been out at first light in the three pines area of L67, and fishing silently just as the sun broke the horizon. We were floating with a slow current and not saying a word. As we passed a spoil bank island a sudden scream from a large cat within 20 yards of where our boat was floating. We stayed quiet looking for the cat, and about two miles away further out in the swamp a return call from a future love interest. Although we didn't see the cat in the thick undergrowth, the calling continued for over 20 minutes, it was a deep call of a horney big boy. I'm sure he knew we were there, and did not care. a bit! His mind was on something else other than us. It was the coolest morning ever, and my teenage son was there to share it with me. I have been out in the swamp and had a big bull gator put on a show for us, as the boat drifted closer. Bellowing, thrusting his whole belly out of the water and vibrating a big circle around his body. Then a fake charge at the boat, turning sideways and slamming his tail on the side of the boat. We got his message and left the beast to his territory. I've seen wild otters, eagles, even once saw escaped Lemurs in the trees along US 41. We have pythons, snakeheads, peacock, just to name a few. The Everglades are still as wild as anywhere in the nation as long as we don't screw it up!

I always go with a plan that sometimes changes under certain conditions. First and most important, if fishing with someone else I will usually start with something opposite what my partner is throwing. If he is throwing plastics deep, I will be throwing top water. If he is going slow and deliberate, I will be jerking and cranking fast looking for a reaction bite. Whoever starts with a decent bite, we will adjust our approach. Although we may not throw the exact same bait, it will become similar in style. If he is throwing a worm slow, I may throw a wacky rig in a similar location, if he is throwing to thick cover, I may target a significant ledge close to that cover. This really helped my late partner of 30 years and I to find fish and stay on the bite. A real advantage to not fishing alone. It got to a point that we both knew what the other was going to do before he did it! Testing waters, testing levels, and testing methods, have made for many a happy day for both of us!

Most of my hook penetrations are not from fish putting them in me while lipping. It’s much more an idiot at work.. It‘s me trying to rip out a treble hook bait from the weeds using power and the strength of the rod bend. Stupidity at its finest! i finally learned my lesson!

If I think I have the makings of a good spot, I won’t leave until I try three levels of baits. Top water, mid range, and slow along the bottom. No action and I’m out of there!

Peacock are the worst because they don't stop violent struggles even when lipped. Just like lipping a pitbull!

A friend of mine, Bruce Cambell caught a 13+ at the Stick Marsh about 10 years ago. He has had a bunch of double digits besides the big girl!

Always a PITA when that deep. If the fish is still attached it takes it to a new level!

Another great piece of info by Glen. In south Florida it can be super frustrating this time of year, or a bonanza of fish. We have a strange situation going on right now. Okeechobee is super high right now which is opposite the norm for water management. Water is coming in the lake from the Kissimmee River but for some reason there not allowing it to flow south. I think there is just too much water to clean up, before it's release. All man made problems! The everglades right now are low, this puts a lot of fish in the canals and out of the drying up flats. Water temps are close to 90*. I agree with your bait selection for summer, especially the straight worms, plastic stickbaits, and I would include the zoom fluke. Our problem is you get bit almost every cast, but not by bass, but Rock Bass, Oscars, Mayans, Jaguars, Shell Crackers, Blue Gill, Shad, and Gar. If you can get past the bait fish, and exotics you may catch a bass deep and slow. The bass are there, but so full of eating smaller fish they're not willing to go chase baits. There are millions of smaller fish everywhere in these canals, chased out of the flats by dropping waters. Now things will change soon with the summer rains, when all this bass food moves back out into the thick flats, followed by the bass. You can catch hundreds of junk fish, but the bass bite has been tough, spotty, and short lived early and late. I do agree on your bait section, it's spot on for summer. Peacock are even harder to catch because their so full, although they do enjoy hitting baits even if they don't hold on to it for long. Thanks again Glen!

Sad to hear whenever these things happen. The guide I'm sure knew the coming conditions and possible dangers. Should of had everyone wearing proper wear for the conditions. A fun day can take a turn quickly.

Fun tactics I have tried! 1).Hard jerkbaits, I will change treble hooks to bigger ones.. 2). If they have three, I will remove the middle one, and just use the two big trebles. 3}. In very weedy areas I have removed all trebles and changed to a #4 WGH with a weed guard. No trebles! 4. With tubes and a Carolina Rig, I pack the hollow body tube with styrofoam. Then Texas rig through the styrofoam and tube. Floats nice and high behind the big weight. Will dance in place with the slightest shake. 5).Plastics I bite a chunk off the original to get a clean head when it's torn up, or just to down size the bait. 6). A floating broken back rapala, I have taken the back half off and replaced the back half with a texas rigged grub, no treble hooks. Great top water in matted vegetation. 7).Ran out of Zoom Flukes, noses all torn up. Wacky rigged them and the bite was back strong! 8). I have put a Clouse Fly Jig a foot behind a floating rapala. I have caught bass on the Jig. 9). Ran out of bullet weights, so I hit the wife's sewing kit and found beads of all different colors, and the catch was good, saved the day. Add a little color! 10). Sometimes experimenting is just a blast!!!!!!!!!

I have caught them here up to 7.5 lbs. when hooked you would bet it was a big snook on your line. The pit bulls of fresh water!

In south Florida we have hundreds of miles of canal cut out of limestone rock to control the flow of water from okeechobee south to the ocean. These cut canals leave lots of large boulders especially close to the banks. These boulders have always provided ambush areas for large black bass, but the last twenty years it is a favorite hiding place for peacock. They love large standing boulders and a group will hang out looking for bait fish to swim bye. When I see this structure, I start an irratic fast motion with whatever I’m throwing to pick off some real beauties! A female, and a male!

When I go to a new body of water, I study the water for a set of criteria. Being Florida I look for varied types of cover. I look for isolated cover clumps. I look for structure changes, ledges, rock piles, extended points, bridge pilings, and dock pilings. Find cover close to significant structure and you could hit the honey hole. A deep ledge with heavy cover on top, is one of my fav starting points. Another fav is finding CURRENT. Current will position bass, whether it's gravity feed current, or wind driven current. Structure or cover with current flowing is a great ambush spot. If I find an area with some or most of these key observations, I will forget moving around, and pick it apart. I know it will hold quality bass.

Thanks Glen, another excellent vid!

Thanks, although we couldn’t find any big girls, it’s still a fav place to go if you want to get close to nature without the noise of civilization!

5/25/24 Miami River north as far as you can go. 6:00AM-11:00 AM Sunny and Hot 90*+ W/T 88* Wind NE 5-10 Clarity light stain A good friend of 30 years just got a new boat, a Ranger 521c, and wanted me to experience the ride. We headed out before first light and found half the ramps along Alligator Alley are closed because of low water and poor ramp conditions. We searched for an open ramp and found one at MM35. We decided to head up the Miami River and fish the north cuts. First and every cast we were experiencing constant exotic hits from Oscars, Jaguars, and Mayans. We had to go heavier and deeper to get to some largemouth action. The canal was full of gators with ten or more at every cut. This section of canal is 6 miles from the closest road so there is lots of wildlife on the surrounding Islands. No sounds of civilization and no other boats. .In the past I have heard bobcats calling in the morning, eagles, hawks, river otters playing along the bank, hogs, and a variety of song birds doing their thing. We even once saw licensed python hunters up on the island looking for snakes. Although it was hot we had lots of shade from the big tree canopy. We ended up catching over 30 rock bass, a bunch of Jaguars and Mayans. Once we figured out the bass bite deep, we caught 20+ with the largest just over 2 lbs. The big old girls didn't come out to play. The canal is full of fish but not necessarily the ones you want. It was a pleasant day, on a big comfortable bass boat, with a good friend, and lots of action. I even caught a camouflaged Gator in a pad field. I thanks to him for breaking the 15 lb floro. We had several big gators come within two feet of the boat, and it's breeding season. A fun day in the wilderness, and thanks Steve for the invite!

Definitely and old school tech novice. I seldom look at my electronics except depth, water temp, and looking for structure changes. Everything else are my personal observations using my eyes and ears. Old school for sure!

Isolated cover, or isolated structure although totally different have the same attractive properties. They are a change from the surroundings. They provide bass with something the surrounding territory does not. An example would be it provides an ambush point, a concealment spot, or even just some shade. 1.A rock pile on a big flat may have several bass of similar size holding. They will come from the featureless surrounding of the flat to this structure. Early morning, late afternoon it provides shade, and ambush points. 2). A ledge provides depth change, water temp change, and shade depending on the angle of the sun. A ledge close to cover often provides a resting area close to a hunting ground. 3). Cover, I always look for isolated cover for the same reason I look for isolated structure. They are magnets that draw from featureless surroundings. If I see a hundred yards of thick pad field, and a Isolated clump separate from the main body I'm always fishing that clump hard first. That isolated clump may hold more than one bass of similar size. The large expanse of weeds they could be anywhere. Bass are not loners all the time, and hang with others. 4).Cover with structure can be a gold mine for bass. Thick weeds close to a drop off is a hunting grounds for bass. They will move up and down the depth change for just temp changes, and more important the bait will too. In an early winter they can move down for warmth, and in summer for cooler waters. In florida we have a aquafer that provides 72* water while the surface may be 90* in summer, and in winter 72* water while the surface temps may be 50*. Fish will take advantage of these temps! They will also go where the bait fish go. These ledges close to cover are a serious feeding grounds. 5). If the O2 levels of the water becomes unacceptable to bass they will move into the thick cover that provide O2 to the water from the photosynthesis of the plant life. This sometime happens in the blazing heat of summer in south Florida. Bass will seek the shade and O2 exchange. For me this is flipping time! Just a few observations of bass fishing for 50 years, and what I look for on any new body of water.

Catch and release and plenty of bait fish, things should be good for the future! Congrats on your monster bass!

I fish the Florida Everglades and the surrounding canals,and man made lakes. When bank fishing I see snakes almost every trip. You are 100% correct, only a small number you have to worry about.. We have cottonmouths, pigmy rattlers, coral snakes, and pythons. Most of the snakes I see are harmless water snakes. But a 6 foot water snake in the weed line where you are fishing, will send alarms through your senses, until you see it's head. At least once a month I will see a cottonmouth. Thank God snakes including cottonmouths, are a big part of a gator's diet, and gators are like cockroaches in our waters.

Something you never do twice!

I once watched a guy unstrap his boat and back down a steep ramp in the everglades. The boat slid off the trailer and layed on the ramp well before coming close to the water. It took a bunch of guys to help drag it down the dry ramp and into the water. I learned a valuable lesson that day from watching this guy. I never unstrap the wench hook until the stern is floating in the water.

When fishing from the boat everything is in play for that day, that minute. 1). I love top water in heavy cover with frogs, 2). Outside weed lines with rapalas, zara spooks, chug bugs, and weightless U-Vibes. 3). Ledges with Texas rigged plastics, swim jigs, crank baits. When bank Fishing: All our bodies of water have heavy cover surrounding the banks. Even deep water have bottom veggies growing up from the rocky bottom. They have jagged limestone wall that catch treble hooks easily. So when bank fishing I stick with Texas rigged plastics, weightless or with a very light 1/32 bullet weight. Heavy weight will snag on the rocky bottom and walls. I use Texas rigged Flukes, Trick worms, Senkos, Zoom Centipedes, U-Vibes, plastic swim baits, and Creature Baits. I will rig a wacky rig with a special hook with a weed guard, and very light weight. Absolutely nothing with a treble hook from the bank, you have ten to twenty feet of pads surrounding the deep water ledges. It's a jungle out there!