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It doesn't happen very often, but it has happened. I will start practicing the accuracies of my casting. Can I hit that opening way back in the pad field. Can I hit that cypress knee under the tree with the bird nest. Can I hit the break in the weed line with this wind. I try to find the most difficult, distant, targets to reach. It becomes a game of darts, or target practice, and usually the skunk suddenly disappears. If I reach my target it is like a personnel accomplishment, go for the impossible, have FUN, forget about the lack of bites! I go to a range because it's fun, same thing with a lure, hit the target!

Local Walmarts here always have Zoom products cheap! Love floro for my plastics. Not all floro the same, Tylene Professional grade my fav. Hate rude, thoughtless people on the water.

Many lures are designed to catch fisherman, not so much fish! The helicopter lure, Roland pumped up those sales! Lol

I started over 60 years ago. I was at a boy scout camp and a group of scouts spent the day fishing a mountain lake and I was hooked. Got my first Mitchell 300, and fished both freshwater and inland salt water. Moved to South Florida in 1973, one reason was the opportunities to fish. Got my first bass boat in 1987 and targeted the Everglades, Okeechobee, and other local lakes. I am blessed to be surrounded by seven man made lakes within a mile from the house. These are deep clear water lakes with an abundance of aquodic vegetation. They all have ample Florida strain bass, peacocks, snake heads, Clown Knife Fish, Oscars, and a few land locked freshwater snook. If not out in the boat, I fish from the shore at one of the local lakes. Still fish at least 6 days a week, and all year round because of the weather here. It is a fisherman's paradise, and my form of relaxation.

once a fish is pulled off a bed it would not be long until baitfish feast on the eggs. This just defeats the purpose why we love to fish. That is the reason I don’t target bedding fish.

The answer is NO! I don’t target fish if I see them on a bed. Just my belief, I don’t fault those that do.

Gators won’t bother you in a boat except, big males during breading season, and females when guarding a nest. Then it could get scratchy! Don’t want to be in a kayak! Most important thing in getting bites is placement of bait regardless of color, size, line used. Cold water slow everything down big time!

1). Bend the hooks up a little. Not enough to o grab weeds, but the slightest compression the hooks will stick. 2). Don’t set until you feel weight of fish. Then nail it hard. 3). Use at least 50 pound braid and up to 65 pound. 4). I use hi- vis braid because I’m throwing in and around heavy junk. nothing better then a HB frog bite!

You are a lucky man. I don’t wade in Florida for two reasons. Gators and snakes! I have been close to both many times just fishing from the bank. One time a seven footer quietly moved up behind me to within 6 feet before I turned and spotted him. They can be very stealth!

I have seen guys netting them in the Everglades and filling the bottom of a big John boat. When questioned they sell to Asian markets for some soup they make. Armored catch fish are prolific in some areas. There are many recipes on line for these fish.

Like everything else, we have them here. Dumped by some in the Asian food markets for a cheap local supply.

Love bananas but avoid on fishing trips. May give them a try again, thanks for the insight!

Hawk, What a refreshing post. You seldom see guys sharing spots they fish on a regular basis. We should take note and share more. It grows the sport we love. Thanks again and may a DD bass find your lure! Just 13 years in the making! I just noticed. I hope Hawk is still with us!

i could not agree with you more. I don’t agree with fishing like your a blind man. You use all your senses, not just feel. I often walk a fluke or Senko along the bottom through the bottom grasses. This require slack line after a jerk. My line will move before I feel it through the rod. Too feel it you need tension on the line and this technique will not work without slack in the line. Learning to walk a fluke on bottom catches me a lot of bass. Especially during cold front conditions.

Competition is a good thing. Provide first class service, a good product line, and dependability, and the future is bright!

Here in south Florida there are always bass present, but not always willing to bite. I will target peacock, and snakeheads, with fast moving spinners, and top water. Just fun to catch, and much meaner than black bass.

Great, I love my Costas!

I have been fishing everyday since the xmas break. Florida bass are more sensitive to cold fronts then their northern cousins. So the key has been to slow way down. Using plastics like senkos, flukes, and u-vibes, the bite has come while the bait has been sitting still. Weightless or with a 1/32 bullet for a slow realistic drop. A few small jerks, a slow pull, and then a long sit. This has created a slow constant bite, with usually 6 to 8 bites per hour. Anything faster has produced nothing, and I have tried it. Patience is the key!

Hollow body frogs, and swimbaits with a #5 gama swimbait hook. There are plenty of big old girls living there, if the grass doesn't go crazy, and they don't spray the place to death. The place can get dangerous on a real windy day. Wished I lived there!

Yes I agree they exist together and one depends on the other. But when out on the water grasses and weeds that are visible to the naked eye they can key you in on the other, and give you valuable information that you can use to catch fish. I have been doing this as long as you have and don't need any lessons on their differences. I supplied information to help others, take it or leave it, its as simple as that!

with regard to your response, 1,3,4,6 were all focusing on the grasses and not on the structure. Certain grasses matriculate in certain bottom types. While fishing look for these signals. When I talked about edges, I’m talking about defined weed edges. I know the difference between the two. Look at the grasses and the signals they give and your odds increase.

On the topic of grasses and pads. 1). I always look for areas with two or more grasses combined, rather then just one type. 2). The greener the grass the better especially during summer. 3). During cooler times I will look for edges. Sharp edges usually mean a significant bottom change, often with a ledge. Bass will often move deeper to the bottom of a ledge because water is constantly seeping through from the Aquafer at a constant 72*. They will still stay close to the veggies for hunting and ambush. 4). On flats an isolated clump of vegetation is better then a large mass of weeds. The isolated clump will draw bass from a surrounding area to it. The large mass will have bass scattered throughout and not concentrated in any one area. 5). Always look for any sudden movement in the emerged weeds or grasses that are not caused by normal conditions. Often a grass moving against the wind, or a sudden motion means something is alive there. In Florida beside fish, gators, turtles, and snakes will be easily detected when the grass moves. 6). Sudden changes in the type of cover often means a change in bottom type. This often happens on lakes like Okeechobee. that will go from rock bottom, to muck, to pure white sand bottom. Different bottoms, different grasses. Good luck and I hope this helps a little.

Far south Florida peacock are showing up especially in the glades. Top water is key, especially on sunny days. Florida strain bass are hitting slow moving plastics deep as the water drops and bass are forced back in the canals.

Alligator Alley just west of naples. Peacock are out in full force. Top water and small crank baits will do the trick!

Over 50 years of bass fishing I have had hooks buried in me on 5 instances. 2 required ER, and three were in a hand or arm. The ones in the hand were easy, keep pushing the barb through until exposed and then cut the barb off, and then back it out. I learned the hard way you need a good set of wire cutters, sharp and strong enough to cut the heavier wire hooks. They are with my first aid kit all the time, and have kept the rest of trip from coming to a halt! I have tried the string and jerk method and that crap just didn't work for me and my partner.