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1). First of all go to the bait that you have confidence in the most. You will feel the bite only on a tight line or when its almost tight. 2).Use lines like floro or braid that give you a max feel of everything down below with your plastics. I use floro 90% of the time when Texas rigged, or wacky rigged. 3). Be a line watcher, the line will twitch and move way before you will feel it through the rod. I will twitch a bait and then give it some slack, a small sudden twitch I will take up slack and if I feel resistance or jerk, then set the hook. On tough days, bass often take the bait after a small movement and on slack line while sitting still. Slack line after a jerk or pull, will give a realistic movement to the bait with light weight. BE A LINE WATCHER!!!!!!!! 4). Be able to determine the difference between weeds, structure, and a bite. This comes with time on the water. Weeds and structure don't suddenly pull back or move. They are just there. 5).Always set the hook hard, that tick could be a double digit, or a yearling. You just never know! 6). I always believe a bass has taken notice of what I'm throwing, and moving in to take the bait. Be a believer, and have confidence in what your doing. Good luck and there is no substitute for time on the water.

Scumbags in action. Would love to catch them and introduce them to my little friend. Look on line for people selling stuff that match. Nothing lower than a thief!

If I am going to a new lake the prep starts at home. 1). I'll go on Google Earth and look at the lake looking for streams coming in, and water release points. Then look for visible vegetation, rip rap, boulders, down wood, docks, any standing timber, funnel points between grass islands. Look for free topo maps on line. U of Florida used to have them for all Florida lakes. 2).Then I will go to web and look for recent catch rates, and any talking points about the body of water. 3). upon arriving at the lake I will visually follow the lay of the land, steep banks usually mean deep water banks, flat banks usually mean shallow water. Talk to guys at the ramp if you can stir up a conversation. Always ask about danger points to avoid. They will give that info up, but not favorite fishing spots. 4). Look for visible vegetation. isolated clumps are often better then large expanses. Clumps will be magnets for the surrounding area. Expanses will have bass scatter throughout. Summer time, the greener the better, clumps with two types of veggies combined are better then just one type. 5). Look for bird activity, a dead giveaway for active feeding fish. Look for happy water, within casting distance. Don't run to happy water, the big motor will always disrupt and disturb, I learned that the hard way after wasting much fishing time. 6). Look for current, active bass will position in the eddies adjacent to current. If the wind is blowing it will cause current, especially between clumps of veggie islands, or between types of structure. These are a few things I do when going to new waters. Always fun trying to figure out a pattern on virgin waters. Good luck!

That's fishing for you, exhilarating and humbling rolled up all in one!

Great job FD, always enjoy watching your vids. Learn something new each time.

Location placement and technique are the two most important factor on using plastics. I try to figure out where they are hanging on a given day and hour. Then I will change techniques until I start to get bites. First a steady slow retrieve, then a stop and go. Then a snap off the bottom and long stop. Finally a slow pull with no jerks. If nothing works I will change size and color and go through the same series of retrieves. If that doesn’t work I will go trick worming. By then it’s time to pack up and try tomorrow.

After 70, I don’t consciously work on improving new techniques, but on consciously doing what I enjoy, and what makes me happy. I avoid everything else purposely! Joy and happiness are the only reward!

Over the years ,yes! Also while picking out a professional bird nest, while pulling in a mess of weeds, and while bringing in a tree branch. I have seen not it all, but a lot!

Slow most of the time especially this time of year. Summer faster and then slow down.

Happy holidays from my family to yours. I am blessed, and hope you have also had good fortune. Stay safe and enjoy family time.

The Head Surgeon for the heart transplant unit at Cleveland Clinic Florida, fly fishes from the bank almost everyday in the surrounding waters. This is his form of relaxation, although he only gets to do it for about an hour or two. An amazing man.

I too broke down with a tire failure. A guide pulled over on his way to the lake, and went to work changing the tire. He would not take any money, saying he had been in my situation several times and people stopped to help him. A guardian angel was sent that day!

On sportsmanship, I always try to stay 100 yards away from another fisherman, but I have had a few pull up 25 yards in front of where I’ve been fishing. It really doesn’t bother me. I will follow them and when I am catching I make sure they see it. Nothing better then catching from an area they have fished through already. Have confidence, and do what you do best. There are plenty of fish in those waters.

I feel for you guys with limited fishing, I moved to south Florida just because of the fishing. Traditionally we have some bedding bass this time of year, and if the dry season shows up as expected, there will 100 bass days to come for months. These are our bonanza months!

Good for you, stay after them and slow down! Numbers will go up!

There is little thinking going on in a bass mind. Not capable! It's all reaction to what is going on in its environment, programmed!

I too fish Weston often!

Why were they on edge with the weapons? Strange behavior!

I fish almost everyday from the bank and weekends in the boat. I seldom come back with fewer then 6 bass in an hour. That's with both black bass, and many peacocks. Probably at least, 10 over 7 pounds this past six months. It might be just the waters you fish, or the techniques you use. Use flukes, U vibes, trick worms, or stick baits in any watermelon color, and when the bite tough, SLOW DOWN. Many bass picked up while the bait is sitting still. In low water levels, 100 fish days are not unusual in the everglades. I have fished all over the east coast from Maine to Florida, and Florida is by far the best. I live here only for the fishing!!!!!!!

An Abu Garcia rod and a Mitchell 300 reel. I still have the reel after 55 years.

Don’t worry about fishing, you will have many years of pain free fishing after the surgery. Get it done as soon as it fits your schedule. Put this thing behind you or it will get worse. Remember the physical therapy is as important as the surgery itself, and it will not be fun, but effective. Good luck!

My house is surrounded by a bunch of man made lakes with a good population of bass and peacock bass. I fish these lakes at least 5 days a week from the bank, and often see people fishing. One old man comes with a chair and a fly rod and does quite well, pulling in bass of various size. Few fish with a fly rod so he stands out among the masses. He always shows up around 5 in the afternoon and fishes for an hour or two. One day I was in the same area and started a conversation with him. He told me he grew up on a country farm and learned to fly fish as a child with his older brother. I told him I have a bass boat and if he would like to go out in the Everglades, he would clean-up on peacock and black bass out there. He said that would be great, but he works 7 days a week, and only does this to relax from work when he can. I was shocked because I'm 70 and he looked older then me, but is actually younger. So I said, your still working? What do you do? He said, I'm a HEART SURGEON, and head of the Heart Transplant Unit at Cleveland Clinic, Florida. I was floored that someone like him relaxes by bank fishing just like me. He said he has an ocean boat, but he is selling it because every time he takes it out he gets beeped, and has to turn around and bring it back. He is always on call, when a heart becomes available his team must respond. When I got home I went on line and found out he has personally done over 1500 heart transplants over his career, not bad for a young man that began working his parents cattle ranch in rural Northwest Florida, went to Florida State, then Duke Medical School. An amazing man, an amazing career, and down to earth talking about bass fishing, with little time to do anything else except fish our local lakes. Everyday is life and death in his world. I hope we have an opportunity to fish the glades together, the stories he must have to tell, and a chance for him to relax catching. It is an amazing day for me just talking bass with him, he truly loves our sport!

Never doubt your ability just because the fishing has been super tough for a while. It's just fishing, and it will pass, enjoy the moment! Also learned location and presentation is much more important then what your throwing. Doesn’t matter if it’s a jig, a worm, a stickbait, or creature bait. Throw it in the strike zone and she will come to investigate! They eat all kinds of stuff daily!

After 50 years of fishing for bass I would never use the word expert describing any of my techniques. I still learn something new almost every trip. One thing I stick too and believe as gospel, is you can't catch them, if you don't keep your lure wet! I don't run around after a plan has been formed.

That time of year could be a real crazy catching time in the glades. It all depends on the water levels whether the big girls are in the canals. The lower the water the better. Right now the peacock bite is good but many are on the small size with many caught on rapala jerk baits #9 & #11, and hair jigs swimming fast along the rock walls of the canals. You have almost endless amounts of canal to fish on the east side, west side, and the Miami River north and south. I'll give you an update when you get closer to your date.