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I'm just like the original poster. 80% of the time I'm throwing comfort baits I have confidence in. I know these baits will catch them anywhere, any season. The reason I know that, I've been doing this 5 days a week, for over 50 years. My comfort baits are a variety of plastics, rigged several different ways, and presented various ways. The other 20% of the time I will throw a top water, crankbait, or jig. These baits I find fun to throw and work, but I would not consider any of these my comfort baits. My catch rate with these baits, is not at the level of my comfort baits. I am for the most part, a methodical fisherman, targeting spots hard to hit, and overlooked by many. It has become a game of darts for me most of the day!

You were fishing his dead water. If you kept a safe distance, you did everything right and nothing wrong. It’s hard to fix stupid, and he fits the bill.

We may know as much as a pro on our home waters, or waters that resemble the water we usually fish. Pros on the other hand, must fish all types of waters, from shallow weedy bowl lakes, to deep reservoirs, to rivers with running water, and big northern smallmouth lakes. So much respect for the guys that have some success under all these conditions and always in contention to succeed! These guys are in the zone, and in another level then your local weekend guy! The cream always rises to the top!

A lot of big bass caught around noon if you look at people response.

You never know when they will be biting until you wet your lure. Staying home because you think its going to be tough is not an option. My personal best was caught on blue bird skies, with no wind, and no catches until the big one hit at noon, just minutes before I was going to call the trip. What a day it turned out to be!

I don’t experiment enough. I stick with baits I have faith in, and fish areas that have held fish in the past.

Always pack it out, cut up the line in small pieces before trashing it. Make sure empty water bottles are not left to fly out of the boat while traveling. Pick up any fishing trash I see. Leave the lake cleaner then when I got there.

Those things happen once in a while. Throw it back and if it doesn’t make it, it feeds the food chain. It won’t go to waste!

In November, at Noon, bright sunny day, little wind, and tough fishing all morning. 11.4, Loxahatchee Florida.

Hotter months the veggies goes wild and make it very difficult on both lakes.

As a guy that fishes limestone man made lakes with lots of weeds 5 days a week, and then the boat on weekends. I know your pain. Over the years I have made several changes to help solve the problem. As ATA suggested, with Texas rigged plastics, go as light as you can. I go weightless most of the time. To get deep, I just fish slower with pauses. When you feel resistance but no tick or movement, it is rock or vegetation on the other end. don't keep pulling but give some slack then with the rod high snap it up off the bottom. The slack first, allows the bait to get away from the obstruction before the small quick snap to free it. This often get it free from rock edges. These sharp drop offs usually cause most of my snags. Keeping constant pressure on the line after feeling the restriction, only guarantees getting caught on rocky ledges. Good luck, weightless is the way to go.

If the weather conditions allow always weightless, for max erratic movement. You can actually get a walk the dog movement along the bottom if you jerk and slack line with a rhythm. I often get bit while the bait is at rest after some erratic movements. I Texas rig most of the time with a #3 EWG thin wire hook. Thin wire makes the sticking so much easier.

If I were you I would also feel the same way. 99% of all gators are no problem and very respectful. But during low water levels, and breeding time I have had several experiences with a big male, and a female who was guarding a nest in another area. One charged the boat, and bumped the trolling motor hard with her nose. Another day the big male came up along side the boat and slapped it's tail against the hull so hard it shook the entire boat. 40 years of fishing the glades and that's it. No big deal unless your in a KAYAK!

Don't give up, those could be big bites. If it's running hard just increase the weight to get it down in the water column. At the big bend you can cross over and fish the side away from the road. Also at the big microwave towers there are some clear areas and you can fish a much smaller canal. L 27.

Were you fishing Alligator Alley, or US 41? Don't give up, those could be big bites. If it's running hard just increase the weight to get it down in the water column. Off US 41, At the big bend, you can cross over and fish the side away from the road. Also at the big microwave towers off 41, there are some clear areas and you can fish a much smaller canal. L 27.

Look for the areas with water flow. Like culvert pipes, small bridges, anywhere you see water movement. Concentrate on those areas. Water flows pretty good after rains. Wear proper footwear, snakes are in the area. On the Naples side, you have smaller canals in some really isolated areas.

41 as lots of spots for bank fishing. Flukes, senkos, trick worms, I often throw. Big bass there, peas, and some snook. Go for it!

Beautiful lake, I’d say you had a great day!

Here in Florida if we stopped fishing after rains we would never fish in the summer. Light rain helps the situation, heavy rain often shuts them down. Heavy rain can mess up the PH of the water, and bring up poor O2 water from the depths on the canals. Find areas with current after heavy rain. Any day on the water is still better than sitting at home.

Good PH of the water. Good balance of bass, baitfish. Crayfish, turtles, and all other natural forage. If you find one without a lot of pressure, keep it quiet! These can hold some big fish.

Lots of knowledgeable fisherman here willing to participate in discussions. No politics allowed, it’s a place to escape all the BS! Keep doing what your doing, it works!

Years ago before the electronic age, I used to see tin foil wrapped around sawgrass stems in the canals in the glades. This was the old time GPS markers. Usually not right on the honey holes but close bye. Simpler, cheaper times back then. But they worked!

In south Florida, and Okeechobee you are always fishing in thick grass, and shallow waters. If you don’t get a bass head up and out of the junk quickly you will get wrapped quickly. We use sturdy line like 20 pound floro, or even up to 65 pound braid. A lose drag is a path to failure. Your environment will often tell you what you need to do, and have the right equipment to get the job done. Don’t take a knife to a gun fight!

I fish canals from the boat at least 75% of the time. With canals in the Everglades, boats are always trolling past you, or running wide open past you. I ones that truly tick me off are the ones at half speed putting out a mega wake. If your going to slow down, troll past! I have a friend that loves when they troll bye because he swears it helps the fishing. The small waves increase bait fish activity that stimulate the bass into a eating pattern. It just stirs up all activity! Bass are not effected that much, especially if their used to that kind of activity. I do hate when they troll past and then start fishing 40 yards in front of you, going the same way you are going. This just makes me more determined to catch bass in waters they have already fished. How sweet it is when you do. I go IKE and hoop and laugh and soon they move off!

Without a doubt my favorite topics are fishing reports. Especially reports that give the conditions, equipment used, and some techniques. I don't care where in the world they are, I love reading this stuff. I even go onto others sites in far away locations like New Zealand, Australia, Amazon, and South Africa, and follow their local fishing adventures. Love reading this stuff!