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Your not in touch with what your bait is doing. You may have slack in your line, not watching your line, or using the wrong line for sensitivity. Knowing what your bait is doing is important.

Super long casts are important especially under certain conditions. Super clear water I love long casts in clear water and like the wind to my back which makes super long casts easy, but I also use quality floro in clear water not braid. Floro is sensitive and I can tell exactly what is down there by the feel. Plastics in clear water require long casts unless there is thick cover. Very important to stay off the trolling motor and drift slowly through these waters and stay in stealth mode. A drift bag will slow your drift and keep you in touch with your bait. Long casts are also important with deep crankbaits. It takes 5 or 6 cranks to get it down to depth and then working it. When the bite is tough I will make long casts and cover ground.

Under normal times of the year, find the bait fish and you will find bass. When in the boat I will use electronics to find bait fish and a depth. When bank fishing I will use a senko type bait to find bass. This bait can be fished shallow, in weeds, and wood. Slow down, and fish ledges, and drop-offs. Looks for big boulders off shore, and clumps of vegetation. I learned a long time ago that an isolated clump of veggies,in a flat, is always better then a massive expanse of green stuff. The isolated clump will draw fish from a flat to that small shaded area, especially when the sun starts to get high in the sky. Back to the stickbait, You can fish it slow, fast, you can walk it along the bottom with the right cadence, and jerk it up off the bottom and let it flutter back down. Weightless it can be a topwater lure, especially when in the thick stuff. A very versatile search bait. Keep changing techniques until you find some fish. Don't call it a pattern until you catch at least three with the same action. This is what I do to find fish without the boat. The senko type baits are a confidence bait for me. I have caught nice bass, largemouth, smallmouth, and Peacocks with this bait from Canada to South Florida. It is a flat out killer bait for me. I use lots of other baits from jigs, frogs, spinners, but this tool is where I go when searching. Good luck!

I know several friends that have sold their boat and equipment and just left the sport behind. These are guys that were die hard fisherman at one time. Health issues are the #1 reason for their decision. As we get older something is going to get you eventually. Hopefully it's later than sooner. Several of these guys just didn't have confidence to do all the things you need to handle the boat, load and unload. Bank fishing was not their thing. Sad but everyone has to make their own decisions. Enjoy every minute on the water, because you just never know what tomorrow will bring!

Thanks for the tip, but I'm not that organized!

Yes I agree, catch and release quickly probably has little effect. But catch, put in a live well, and haul it miles away probably does. TX bed fishing can’t help the conservation efforts on a body of water.

Free will is only when it doesn't have a negative effect on the rest of us. You have hunting seasons all over this country that limit your free will for a good reason. You have thousands of laws that control your free will for the good of the rest of us. You have traffic laws that affect your free will, so we don't have chaos. If everyone had true free will, this would be one uncivilized cesspool to live in. Laws are here for a purpose, to make this a sustainable world to live in! Protecting our natural resources is important if you truly love our wildlife.

There are certainly big bass in the everglades. My personal best was an 11.4 over 20 years ago. One thing to consider when taking about the everglades is the million of acres goes through flood to drought periods. The bass love to go into the thick flats that are full of frogs, bugs, snakes, little gators, nesting birds with young to eat. During drought periods some don't get out of the shallows and become gator and turtle food. This culls the size of some big ones that don't make it to pools, and canals with deep water. This also sets up a bonanza of fishing where 200-300 bass a day is clearly possible over a wide range of deep water pools, and canals. We haven't had a real drought period for several years because of winter rains, and the draining of Lake Okeechobee by the Corp. Catching can be beyond belief, during low water levels.

Up the odds for survival by protecting the guards, and let mother nature do what's been programmed over a million of years. This practice only helps the sport we love. Don't harass the nest!

Any bait slow dragged on the bottom will occasionally catch bass. I'm sure a frog included. My fav is a senko type bait, or a worm texas rigged.

Your not the only one with those same feelings. When you catch the guard the bait fish attack the nest. Tournaments should be banned during the spawn for this very reason.

Yes they will.

Stop worrying about what other throw. Throw what makes you happy, what you have confidence in, and what catches fish for you. Most lures are made and promoted to catch fisherman, and not so much fish.

On a lake like Okeechobee that is not only big but physically changes from year to year. Places you were good last year will often look totally different from water levels, blown floating vegetation, and spraying. it never looks the same if you have been off the lake for a while. I would hire a decent guide to show a novice the latest spots. The lake can also be dangerous during low water levels with rock walls and showls. If you going with a group, paying a guide for a half day is worth it.

I live in south Florida so you know it’s warm almost all year. I use the thin Frog Toggs and love them. They make several thicknesses but the thin one breath, never hot, and reasonably cheap. Bi can buy a new set every few years and still save money in the long run. I always buy the pants and jacket bigger then I normally wear so I can layer underneath. If your in a warm state make sure you buy the thin variety. I would go with just the pants and jacket. The jacket is plenty long to cover you and your cell phone. They will keep you dry and cool.

You got to be kidding!

All the comment are good helps. Biggest thing is how the line was put on in the first place. Usually if you lay the spool of line on the ground with the label face up it will go on correctly. Some baits will cause line twist if not rigged correctly. Good luck, we have all experienced this at least once.

!).To me it's as much about casting to targets like a game of darts. 2).Looking for targets to cast to, and any settle movements like happy water, movement of vegetation, or small bait scattering, and finding structure. 3).Playing the wind to hit targets, while keeping the line free. 4). Changing bait movements until you figure out what they want that day. Moving fast, dead sticking,snapping off the bottom, walking along the bottom, slow steady pull, ect. 5).Trying different water column levels to see where they are hanging that day, that hour. 6). Tuning the equipment to get optimal performance. These are just some of the things that give me joy, and make me happy as well as the actual catching. When your in the zone, it's all good, when your not it stinks.

I have often heard if the cows are lying down in the field fishing is going to be tough that morning. It has been right on more times then I can imagine.

Thanks my friend!

When I use super glue the super glue tip almost always get locked up quickly and frustrates me. Is one brand of glue better then another, and are you able to use it week after week?

Bass are not fragile animals. They live in à violent world where they race through thick vegetation, rocks, and timber to eat other fish and avoid predators. Yes try to preserve the the coating and do what you can to get them back in the water quickly, but they are far from fragile. I have caught bass many times with a lip totally torn and a gill plate detached on one side and the fish was doing fine all from an old injury. They can survive more than we can imagine. Keep following the guidelines but these animals are tough survivors !

Not all snowbirds are bad, and disrespectful, but many that come down are just like the rude guys in the original post about Lake Erie! Rudeness is not limited to any one body of water unfortunately!

We say the same thing about the northerners that come down every winter to the Stick Marsh with no respect for anyone, or anything. It's an epidemic! Lol?

I too like the trick worm better then a stickbait wacky. There is a lot action from a T/W with a slight rod move.