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Terry most fish will survive ok unless gut hooked or gills effected. I fish almost every day when home and seldom see bass floating. I often fish the same lakes and with all the pressure floating fish would be evident. Live bait fisherman have a higher rate of fish morality. With plastics and good technique the rate is very low. Fishing technique has a lot to do with it.

I agree with the others that said let it go. Pretty childish of him to post them and claim them as his. Just let it go, move on with your life and pick better friends next time.

If your bank fishing around the lake make sure you have leather boots. Lots of snakes in the longer grass.

Wow, we got you hooked now. You will not be able to stay away for long now. It's additive!!!!

Obviously you are a little over the top with your super sensitive remarks. I don't live anywhere close to you, if I did I would have help with your request for information. Something I do all the time with people requesting info in my area. My intent was to explain why you were getting little response to your request. End of story!

I don't like fishing when the wind gusts above 25. But I try to make it work for me. First I get a plan , check the direction and plan my attack. I will run into the wind and drift back making long effortless casts. This keeps me off the trolling motor and in stealth mode in the shallow flats. Second I put out a drift bag or sea anchor and reduce my drift speed greatly. This allows me to work the bait without big bows in the line. Drift bags are also good in shallow weedy areas. I have done it for years. Third I look for funnel points where winds blows into the funnel. I like to fish the back side of the funnel in the sheltered spots. Fish often sit in these spots ambushing baitfish that come through the funnel with the current. Lastly, don't fight the wind, let it work for you.

Guys cherish their little honey holes. A pond can change quick if people take the fish. The word spreads fast!

Over the years I have experimented with about every type of line out on the market. They have strong and weak points and are appropriated for certain conditions. A few points I have found: 1). In real clear water I love floro line and not just floro leader. Floro is super sensitive and great for plastics because in sinks. I can feel the bottom and whats down there, and feel the subtle bites. It doesn't spook fish. Not all floro acts or feels the same. My personal fav is Tylene 100% professional Grade. I have used it for many years and although it is expensive, I think its worth it. 2). Top water Mono! Berkley Big Game. It holds up, performs well, its cheap and always on sale,and it floats. 3). Reel heavy Junk, I love 65 lb braid, any braid will do. It cuts through grass and pad stems. You could pull a truck with it. Visibility is not a problem, mostly reaction bites. It is very sensitive! So does line make a difference. I am convinced that it most certainly does. Just use the right line for the right situation.

Never throw them in the water. Many plastics will swell up and kill a fish. It must be a slow torturous death. Lots of good ideas about what to do like the water bottle. Find someone that makes his own plastic baits and give them too be melted down. Never throw them in the water, fish will find them.

I'm not a superstitious guy but I will not eat or take a banana with me the morning of a trip. I also do not like catching a fish on the first cast. Over the years, Too many trips have been a gone south after that! Did I say I'm not superstitious.

They are all connected to the system through culvert pipes and flood gates. When they turn on those giant pumps all waters are connected, except small private ponds. Markup park has several outlets that connect.

There are many ramp and rest areas along the alley in which you can fish. That's the good news. The bad news is that with these water levels fishing is about dead right now. It will stay like this until the levels drop. It will be at least several months. They keep dumping water from the O. This is the worst I've seen in 30 years. Winter weather was crazy this year.

Lou, great job finding some fish. You made a good decision to not beat yourself up on the outer edge. You might as well be heading for the gulf stream. Dragging the anchor made working the area possible. The wind can leave you high and dry, or beat you to death. That's the Big O for you! Good job guys!

From a boat or the bank?

I fish with a guy that uses a small black jig and a black trick worm. He has caught quite a few bass on this rig. There are a few worms that float. They stand up while the jig is on the bottom. Been around a long time.

Roadwarrior, hit the needle on the head. If the kids are little, don't fish yourself. Let the kids tell you when fishing is over for the day. The key is to have fun.

Thanks for the report. Most bass that I have caught recently in the man made lakes were deep, or in thick cover. You had to fish slow to consistently be on any bite. I have caught a few in thick cover, especially on those bright sunny days. The cover is like sunglasses, and also holds the heat while the north wind blows, like a blanket.

You did a great job on your lake variables. Like you, I go through a check list before deciding where and how to fish an area. One thing I would add is not all strains of bass behave the same to these variables. Florida bass are notorious for completely shutting down when a sudden front moves through. They are much more sensitive then their northern cousins to sudden changes. Things can get very difficult with clear skies and a north wind once the front comes through.

Colors for plastics, watermelon/red, junebug, black, Okeechobee, and morning dawn. These all work well and have caught thousands of bass. The 4 inch stick-o, trick worms, u tails, flukes, and finesse worms and all been working well. Fish slow when bank fishing. If your fishing for peacock its a different story, in-line spinner Texas rigged with a single hook and grub, Rapala 9 stickbait, small spinnerbait, and always live bait.

I live in Florida and the u of Florida has a web site with over 100 topo maps of our most popular lakes for free. The maps are pretty good. I print them out and then laminate the ones I plan on visiting. Try UT, other big universities, and the state fish and game for the same type of site.

Gotfishyfingers, Thanks for the tip on trying to keep them off the truck. I was so ticked when I got back to the ramp. Believe it or not, I caught the big one on a black trick worm in the very shallow water. It has worked before for me. I believe any plastic in the same area would work. She hit it as soon as it landed.

Thanks for volunteering again to post. You and Lou are the best!

I know some people that have fished it and talk about off shore wood and brush piles. Some have been dropped by people.. They keep those piles top secret.

Saturday 2/13/16, Loxahatchee Preserve, 7:00-noon, wind WNW 6 to 20 MPH, water stained, levels high, partly sunny. Went out in the morning with friend Steve Johnson. We were one of the first at the ramp and ran west for several miles until we hit the cuts and grass islands. The morning bite was tough for the first hour. It was a cool night and morning and it took the sun a while to warm up the flats. We started throwing a Hollow body and buzzbait but they were not chasing stuff. I switched to a horney todad and Steve to a Beaver. When I went to a Stick-o, the bite started . The wind was low out of the west and we drifted a mile along the spoil bank in stealth mode off the trolling motor. We caught bass all along this path. Around 10:00 the wind changed to a north wind and went up to a steady 20. We put out the wind sock and slowed the drift to a fishable level. The bite got tougher as the cloud cover moved in. We ended up catching 25 with the big fish being over 8 pounds. All were caught on the flat and along the spoil bank. We could not get a bite in deeper water. It was a fun day of fishing and above expectations for the amount of water in the swamp. Everything went without a hitch until we made it back to the ramp. Then I found out my truck was attacked by a flock of turkey vultures that make a habit of tearing up peoples rubber molding off the wiper, windows and doors. This is a learned behavior they do all the time. Some people have had considerable damage from these birds. They didn't tear up anything except one wiper blade, but they did scratch the hood and crapped on every inch of the body. There must have been a lot of birds. A 22 would be a perfect answer to the problem, but I don't think the FWL officer would agree. Great fishing but the danger of damage might not be worth it.

Go to Turkey Lake right next to Universal Studios. You can rent a tracker for 4 hours for 25 dollars and the lake is loaded with big bass. They will also rent you rods and reels if needed. I have done it at least 6 times and always catch bass, and have caught bass up to 6.5 pounds. There is a topo map of the lake on line. Have done well with trick worms, snapping them off the bottom about 4 feet, and letting them fall back. This works great in the deep pad fields. Throw Senkos in the shallows, in the buggy whips. Flukes casted in the inflow on the north side of the lake and then worked out. Chugbugs at the cut between the north and south section of lake. Rattle traps in the deeper water close to the drop off. This is the best deal around anywhere. This is part of the Orlando Park System, and the boats are donated by BPS. If I stay in Orlando I fish Turkey Lake. You need a reservation for the boat rental. Good luck, you will need a license.