geo g

I fish from both the boat and at least 5 days a week from the bank. Bank fishing is perfect for a slow presentation with the wind blowing from your back, even if the wind is howling. I always check wind direction when I get to the lake. Let the wind be your friend instead of fighting with it. Because our banks are full of weed and pads, I use at least 15 lb. mono or floro, with a 1/32 bullet weight, Texas rigged. The 1/32 allows for a slow fall and more natural movement from the bait. I also throw a variety of plastics but my go to bait is the 4" senko type baits, any make will do. I catch bass everyday, and these Largemouth love this bait. Use a watermelon red, junebug, or Okeechobee color. Throw it out and let it fall through the water column. When it reaches the bottom I will make a short jerk and then let it sit. If that doesn't work I'll just drag it slow. If that doesn't work I'll then speed up the lift and fall technique. It works every day. Fishing slow is a lot easier from the bank then the boat, because you don't have to deal with boat drift. Very important to be a constant line watcher. The line will jump way before you can feel the bite. Take up any slack and then as soon as you feel the weight set the hook hard. If you get bit, go back for more, sometimes they stack up in a little wolf pack. Look for points, groups of two or more different vegetation together, and sudden drop offs . Bass will hang in these areas. The 4" senko is a killer all over the country. Good luck buddy and don't get frustrated, the more you do it the better you will get.

Fingers, the drift bags come in all different sizes. In thick vegetation you have to keep the bag on a short line so it stays on the top of the water column. We had it 5 feet behind the boat and it never got stuck one time. The size depends on size of the boat your using. It saved our day of fishing. I think the dam vultures have gone back to southern Illinois. I saw no signs of these pests.

Loxahatchee Federal Preserve, West Palm Beach County, 7-12:30, Partly sunny, Temp 88*, wind 15-25 ESE, water light stain. I went to Loxahatchee today Saturday 4/30/16, with Rick. We arrived at the ramps at 7:00 and stayed until 12:30. We fished the spoil bank wall on the north side, along the massive flat. I began casting a jigger craw and swimming it back. Rick worked his Hollow body frog walking it to perfection. He did stir up a few hit and misses, tight to the cover. Rick and I both turned to swim baits with a few hits but no takers. I turned to my old faithful the senko type bait and started bring in a few fish. We stayed with plastics the rest of the day. We finished with about 18 bass caught between the two of us, and loads of hits from baitfish, gar and pickerel. Fishing was not easy, but Rick did manage to catch some bass, and the big pickerel, where he had been skunked before, twice. We both missed some big bites in the thick vegetation. I actually hooked a real biggen, and had her for a short fight, until she became unbuttoned. I was happy for Rick, I think he enjoyed the Lox experience. The wind became a real problem around 10:00. It was supposed to be 7-10 and it turned out to be 15-25. We had to drag the sea anchor behind the boat or our fishing day would have ended quickly. As usual it worked like a charm slowing us way down, and allowing us to work our baits. In a four foot deep flat, with thick vegetation, it worked flawlessly, skimming right over the thick stuff. This is one of the best, inexpensive, fishing tools I ever bought. It has saved many gnarly day. Thanks Rick for making today so enjoyable.

Things will pick up. Keep your line wet and good things will happen. You will stay skunked unless you get to the lake! Try down sizing and fish slow.

The new beautiful ramps are on the west side of the canal. There is a large parking lot but it is not visible from the road. The last time I was there, broken auto glass was all over the place. Since I was by myself I decided to go to another ramp. To the south the canal dead ends in about 4 miles. To the north it goes into Indian property, and you need a reservation license. To me its not worth driving the extra miles. I have fished the Alley several times in the last two weeks. The water is dropping and the bite is a little better. If it keeps dropping things will really pick up quickly.

You are right, even the stick marsh is slow at times. I have fished it 4 times and had great days 3 out of the four. The one slow day the wind had blown hard for a week, and the place was super muddy. Another day my buddy, who lives next to the Marsh, had 5 fish between 7,5 and 9.7 pounds. I had a 6.7, 6.5, 6.0. and a couple of 5's.. We caught at least 40 bass total. The big one was not DD, but darn close. Bruce's personal best is over 13. The other decent days were not as big but plentiful. It is a super fishery and if you fished it regularly you would come across a DD soon. Even though it does have slow days from time to time, it is a super place to fish.

I believe those odds are right on, unless you are fishing those unique waters that hold an unusual amount of big bass. Places like the Stick Marsh in Florida where double digits are caught almost everyday by someone. Your odds can go way up if you fish those waters.

I have caught a peacock bass with a mepps spinner with a treble hook in its mouth, and many bass with single hooks in their mouth. It all depends on where they are hooked and if they can open their mouth. If they can feed, they will survive. Just a few week ago, I broke off on a bass on Loxahatchee, and several hours later caught it AGAIN in the same spot, with my #3 Gama hook still attached. The odds were like hitting the Lotto!

In lake Eden I saw one try to climb a sea wall to get at a dog behind a fence. Eden flows into Ida. If it wasn't breeding season there wouldn't be a problem. Let us know how you make out! Probably better chance of being struck by lightning. I don't stay out in lightning either.

If you come to South Florida don't eat them Mercury levels are high from farming and Big Sugar.

Some of the territorial gators have been shadowing our bass boats in the everglades. Getting within 5 feet of the boat and then following. I would not want to be at water level in a kayak.

Went to the Alley Sunday morning. The water is dropping and if it continues the fish in the flats will head for deeper water in the canals. Then the fishing will get crazy out there. If mother nature cooperates, 100 fish days will be the norm again.

If your coming down now with a kayak be aware its breeding season and the bull gators get territorial. Ida and the entire chain have a health population of decent size gators. Ida/Osbourne chain is a great choice for Peacock bass.

In south Florida with all the heavy vegetation we have some huge carp. I have foul hooked two over the years and the big one was quite a thrill. It took me on a ride, pulling drag for what seemed like minutes. Since it was foul hooked control was a problem.

I know there is a good Cuban restaurant, and a good southern barbecue in Clewiston. Many times I have eaten at Lightsey's in Okeechobee, just north of the river. I agree with the post above, the catfish is excellent.

Don't over complicate a simple technique. All of the above info is sound. You will develop your own favorite methods. I fish a variety of Texas rigged baits because of the thick vegetation in Florida. I follow a few simple self imposed rules. 1). I seldom peg the weight and let it slide free. 2). I use as little weight as possible for the conditions. Often a 1/32 bullet weight. This allows the bait to wiggle and slide on the way down. The bullet weight also protects the nose of the bait in the thick cover. No wind I will go weightless. Heavy wind I will increase the weight. 3). I use EWG Gama thin wire hooks for senkos and flukes and go through the plastic and only skin hook the barb. The thin wire provides max penetration on the set. Only use heavy wire hooks while flipping with heavy braid. The more you do it, you should develop your own style, for your conditions, amount of vegetation, and fishing ability. There is not just one correct method regardless what people say. There will be one correct way that you eventually develop!!!!

From clewston to hard rock, take 27 south to 595 east to 441 south. Great roads and the quickest way.

Be a line watcher and you will see it jump before you can ever feel the line. Vegetation, stumps, laydowns, and rocks don't pull back when you hit them. They also will not make the line jump. Time on the water will fix all your problems with hook sets. You will get better and focus on the line.

A lot of quality facts about mental toughness, fortitude, and being able to block out negative factors. I watch a video of KVD on day three of a big tournament. He missed a big quality bass at the boat and you would never know it from his actions. He never said a word, no screaming fit, cursing, or breaking rods. He reeled in the line and immediately made another cast at the same rate as the one before. He never said a word or change a single thing he was doing. He is one of the toughest competitors because of his mental discipline. Nothing is going to effect his level of concentration. He is not the flashiest competitor, but just the best of all times because of his ability to overcome adversity. Its not equipment, time on the water, or who your sponsors are. Success lies between the ears, when you get to that level of competition, week after week, all over the country, year after year!

For catching bass you should be asking where the bait fish like to be. Bass will follow the bait wherever they go. Food is key to where bass spend most of their time. During the spawn they like hard bottom, especially sandy bottom, rock bottom. They will move into these areas when the mood suits them. Guys that spend a lot of time on a particular body of water, know the movements according to that time of year, and the weather. Except for bedding, follow the bait.

When it comes to catching large mouth, they are not the smartest animals alive. I have caught many bass off the same structure one after another. While schooling I have caught two off the same crank bait or rapala as they both faught for the same bait and on back to back casts. Catching one doesn't seem to effect the group very much. When they are hungry they just want a meal regardless of what is going on around them. It's not thinking, it's all reacting!

We should have a lot more reports from Florida then we do. There are a lot of people fishing down here, and a lot of great bodies of water to fish. I think the Florida Group doesn't because, if Florida had a state posting sight, it would increase dramatically. The regional posting site is just too broad, and the guys all post on another State Specific Site. I can tell you the water levels are finally starting to drop in the Everglades and the fishing is improving. It was the wettest winter in history down here and high water effected the fishing. The Stick Marsh north of Vero is also improving with a lot of double digits being caught. Lake Jackson bye Tally has finally come up, and is producing big fish after years of low water. Kissimmee has been producing big fish on a regular basis. The Florida guys need to include fishing posts from this great state on a more frequent level. We are under represented! Creating individual state sites would help!

Here in South Florida we have a problem with Mercury levels in the bass south of Lake Okeechobee. This problem was created by Big Sugar and the Dairy Industry around the lake. They have dumped everything in our waters for the last 50 years. For the last 10 years there are warning signs at boat ramps warning about eating bass from these waters. It has done more for Catch and Release in South Florida then any other promo could do. We still have some canepolers that eat everything they catch, but bass fisherman I know release everything. Eat these fish frequently and you may start glowing in the dark! I understand the intent of the post, but down here its just not healthy.

In South Florida, south of Okeechobee, the bass have higher levels of mercury from all the Agricultural runoff around the lake. Sugar Cane and Dairy Farms have politically control the the environment for all of modern times. They control water releases, and the polution pumped south and dumped back into the lake. The last few years we have seen a few changes with some possible solution's to the problem. Catch and release is not as big a problem here, as it is in other parts of the country. If you eat a lot of South Florida Bass you may start glowing in the dark. Cancer may follow! It has done more for Catch and Release then anything advertising could do!

With the Blue Bird sky and sun over head the fish should be tight to cover seeking shade from the intense sun. Throw that senko in the thick stuff and just wiggle it and then sit, or pull out a swimbait like a Gambler E-Z swimmer and crank it through the pads. They are not wearing sunglasses so the best cover is pads, docks, weeds. Once the sun gets low I would hit the crankbaits along the weed lines.