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Excellent point you bring up. Movement in the back of the boat has a tremendous effect on the guy up front trying to control the boat. Most back seaters have no idea how standing on one side effects the guy up front. Especially a big heavy guy.

I have had a bass boat for over 35 years. I fish almost every weekend and take some 90% of the time. For 20 years I had the same partner almost every trip and got to a place where he knew what I was thinking and I knew him. He passed away and I Now invite different people almost every trip. A few things I have learned after fishing with so many. A back seater should: 1). Take a max of three rods. 2). Don't take 100 pounds of tackle and use 4 Oz. of plastics all day 3). The back seater needs to watch what the captain is doing and don't cast in his waters. 4). With treble hooks let the other guy know your throwing them. Danger! 5). If the back seater is moving forward, say something first. 6).Bring your own water and food. 7). In the beginning throw something different until one of you find a good pattern. 8). Remember you are the guest not in control of the boat. 9). Three people all fishing, I would stay away from treble hooks. 10). The captain should always remember to give the backseater clean water to fish, and not just his scrapes! I never expect any money, I would be going anyway, and enjoy company to share the experience.

Even the same lake will have sections that are far different then other sections of the lake. Under the same conditions, a certain type of vegetation, a feeder stream, an underwater spring, a protected area from weather changes, a power plant discharge, will sometimes make fishing far different even in the same body of water, regardless of size. The variables are endless. It's the fisherman's job to figure it out, for that day, that hour, that minute.

There is a good article in the Sun Sentinel today (9/19/18) Page 11A, about the plight of Lake Okeechobee now and in the future. Worth the read, if you love fishing the lake know your friends and what needs to be done.

For those interested in the condition of Lake Okeechobee there is a good article in today's Sun Sentinel that will give insight into it;s condition and future. It is in today's paper (9/19/18) page 11A.

The Lake is a mess right now, and improvements may take a long time to improve. Its all about fertilizers used by big sugar, lawn runoff as far north as Orlando, and Big dairy waste north of the lake. They know what the have to do, but do everything they can to not do it. Very sad.

Years ago I was fishing a lake system right next to Cleveland Clinic, in Weston Florida. It was in the heavy grass by the shore, it looked like a tire in the grass stems. All of a sudden the tire started to move. It was a snake the size of my knee in thickness. This was before the python warnings, but apparently a pet some nit wit decided to release when it got too big. It disappeared into the depths. I walk carefully around these waters from that point on. I have not seen one since, but I'm sure people are missing pets somewhere along the miles of connected lakes.

The biggest thing is a seperate group of friends I would not have without this sport.

The answer to your question is Yes. In our shallow waters in South Florida, bass will hunker down in the thick vegetation, not deep. With water temps close to 90* the deep water is low in O2 with lots of dying derby, so the bass move into the shallows with thick green vegetation. The veggies pump out O2 all day and the bait fish and bass love that. Good time to go flipping the thick green stuff. The only exception to this rule will be if you can find a freshwater spring down deep in the lake bottom. The spring is pumping out 72* water with constant current. O2 will be good here, with a constant temp in summer, or during those extreme winter cold fronts too. You have just found a honey hole good all year during all extremes, they are hidden treasures usually well known by the old time locals. You will be catching when everyone else is struggling. Don't tell anyone!

Its all time on the water. You know how to do it, but its got to come automatic without thinking about it. When I feel a strike everything from that point on is totally on cruise control. There is no time to think about it. A jig because of the hook and no plastic to bury the hook requires a quicker hook set. With buried plastics you have a little more time for detection of the fish taking the bait. Take one step at a time and concentrate at keeping the elbow tight to your side, and then rock the hook set. Use braid or floro, it will help you detect the bite early. The more you do it it will eventually become automatic. Good luck.

Saturday 9/15/18 6:30-noon Temp Hot as hell/Humid as hell W/T 86.5* Current running east Water stained Wind light Went out Saturday with good friend Steve Johnson. We but in at first light and ran west to the Indian Properties. Fished the south side first, and started with a topwater frog. The frog had a couple of interested fish but they swiped at it and missed twice. Soon I was throwing a U-Vibe and getting some action. As soon as the sun rose, you had to find the shadows tucked in close to the cover. It didn't take long for them to tighten up to any shade. I hooked into a heavy big old girl which I brought across the canal and she suddenly went airborne and freed herself of the hook. Steve and I both got a good look at her massive body. We sat in silence for a minute. Ten minutes later I had a nice 2 pounder in the boat. Things got real hard about 9:00, and we moved to the north canal. It was just as tough here, so we made another move to the weir to the east. There is a major depth change here, with a canal depth of 28 feet, to a weir depth of 3 feet. This increases the current speed in the area greatly. Steve caught a nice bass right away. Soon I had another at the boat. The action continued all the way down to the east. I caught the biggest catch of the day, a nice 4 pounder along this bank. Bye now the heat was unbearable, so we called it at noon. Even with the heat, it was better then sitting home.

When things are real tough I down size plastics, slow way down, look for the greenest, thickest, vegetation I can find, amd fish early or late. It happens to everyone once in a while, just enjoy being out there and practice your casting placement.

As a fisherman I leave a dock if the home owner gets upset, just showing respect for their property. From the Home Owner perspective, if you are constantly pulling line from your dock, line and hooks tangled in your boat prop and upholstery, and if you swim off your dock, hooks in the wood supports, I can see why they get ticked off. Not all of us are perfect at lure placement, and skipping under docks and boats. But even the novice think their on the tour without the skills. I may have the right to fish a dock, but an overwhelming respect for the home owners.

Hit google earth and start searching for water with some access. Look for flood gates in the canals, current can make them magical. Get a good pair of boots for the creepy crawlies, I never leave home without them.

I usually never get a professional overrun. They usually come when I hit something on the backcast, like a tree branch, or a back seaters rod sticking too far forward. Sometimes you just know its beyond hope and you just break out the scissors. I hate it when it's expensive floro, or high priced braid.

It's not worth the hassle. There are too many of these low-life jerks carrying heat these days, and far from responsible individuals. Just stay a safe distance and keep catching bass, while they are fanning the water without any success. That is revenge at it's best!

There is nothing to be said. When you caught those fish after being cut off, it ate them up all day. Nothing better could have happened then that! I would have gone Ike a few times while catching just to rub it in.

Thanks Glenn, a lot of great information in that one.

Texas rig worm or senko bait. I do it a few times a week from the bank. It will go through thick shore weeds. climb vertical walls, or just drag the depths.

Nature always finds a way to adjust and survive. The masses always get thinned out but a few survive to be monsters.

Any time there is a chance of lightning go to the Alley you have 12 bridges to tie up under and sit out a storm. You are safe as you can be under them.

Good luck Anthony, let us know how you do.

Great article and it shows both sides of the issue. I'm right on with Bob Lusk, bass are not smart, memory does not last long, and they are instinctive, and programed to a number of conditions If you drop a bait close to their strike zone, you stand a good chance at a reaction either from hunger, or anger. Location, location, location that day, that hour, that minute are key. There not much learning going on in a bass mind. Instinct and programed reactions are the key factors, passed on through the genes. Thank you for this post.

Remember this guys job is to do what he can to help promote company products. A bass is not going to remember what happened an hour ago, a day ago, or a week ago. A bass in the wild on normal size body of water may see a bait once a week, if that. Brain capacity just is not there to remember much, and not for long. All instincts., and programed behaviors. That's my opinion, your welcome to yours.

I do things I'm comfortable with, and if I don't like something I don't do it. If he is flipping thick cover, I would be working a big worm through the pad fields, working a frog slowly through the thick stuff, of working a chatterbait along the weed line edges. A tournament is not the time to learn a new technique.