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Stick baits will flat out catch fish of all sizes under a bunch of conditions. You don't need the expensive G/Y variety, stick-o and ace will work just as good. Use as little weight as possible for the weather conditions. 4 inch is my favorite size and they cast a mile.

I too had elbow problems from fishing 6 days a week. I messed with the pain using message and rubs for about three weeks before getting a good pressure band that goes just below the elbow. It has a small pad that you put over the most painful spot. The constant pressure made a big difference in my case, which was a mild to medium case. You can get a good pad at any good medical supply drug store. The restriction band is worth a try. Keep it tight while fishing. Still keep up with ice, message, and inflammatory. treatment. Good luck.

Nice job, that's a toad with or without eggs. That head and mouth says it all!!!!! I'm always amazed at the size of their bulging eyes.

There are certainly a lot of nuts in this world. Be prepared and be vigilant. Even the odds whenever possible.

Take the class and carry something to even the odds!

I have had a bass boat for over 35 years and always take people out with me if possible.. I have never had alcohol in the boat or had someone take it. I'm not opposed to having a cold one, but there is a time and place for everything, and its not ever in the boat.

Hit the rip rap with a square bill, chatterbait with a ragin craw trailor, or a swim bait gambler E-Z swimmer. Cool morning the rip rap holds heat.

Over the years I have caught loads of bass of all sizes under bridges with big concrete pilings and rip rap banks. The alley is a 50 mile stretch of super Highway that cuts right through the heart of the Everglades. There are big canals on both sides of the roadway which provided fill for the highway.. Every mile there are twin bridges along the entire route. If there is current under the bridges the fishing can be magical. Big bass will use the bridge for shade, and sit in ambush on the down side of the pilings, just waiting for food to flow by in the current. They will also hang near the rip rap in the early morning, and in the winter the rip rap will hold heat.. Current around the pilings is key The bridges are also a great place to hide if a storm blows in..

Square bills, rattle traps, chatterbaits, and swim jigs fished parallel. Up north, good on winter days with bright sun. Rocks hold heat in the afternoon.

No fizzing in Florida, lakes are not deep enough. At least where I fish. Salt water is another story.

Everything seemed back to normal. Saw about 10 on our outing. No close encounters and no one following the boat. Numbers were way down.

It all depends on how much faith and experience I have in the pattern. If its a new pattern I could be out of there before you know it.

Lou, congrats to both of you!

It seems like at least once a year this topic pops up. I believe in getting a fish back in the water as soon as possible. Yes holding a big fish up by just the jaw is not a good thing., But I have also caught fish with there jaw spit from the front to the back of the mouth and he was eating and doing fine. I know because I caught him two years in a row. Bass are tough creatures living in a tough environment. They can be dropped in the water, tossed back in, and as long as you know how to remove hooks, the catching process has little effect. I don't like leaving bass in a live well in real hot weather, and tournament rules may have to change under hot weather conditions. Bass are not that fragile a creatures, or they would not have succeeded the way they have.

Saturday 5/23/15, 7:00-noon, partly sunny, wind 10-12 east, water clear, w/t 86*, water levels steady. Picked up Dave (Canesfan), and we ran out west of the river to MM39 on Alligator Alley. This section of the Alley has some of the cleanest water along the 50 mile canal system. We ran from the ramps to the dead end and fished back to the west. We both struggled for the first 20 minutes, trying to find something they wanted to bite. I went to a jig head and a wacky trick worm that drew attention deep in the canal. Dave threw a Okeechobee stick-o catching a nice three pounder along the edge of the canal. The bite picked up and except for a few slow spots the bite was pretty steady. We finished the day with conservatively 50 bass and a big mudfish. The gar bite was a pain although all they did was tear up the baits and steal terminal tackle. We fished today with small and big jigs, stick-os, flukes, trick worms, wacky worms, centipedes, swim baits, and ragin craws. Bigger fish were caught on stick-os and wacky rigged trick worm jigs deep.. Is was another fun day on the alley, with lots of action, and good company.

I always check the wind before leaving the house and plan the trip accordingly. If the wind is below 12 MPH I don't consider it a problem and will fish where and how I want. 15 to 25 I will alter what I do so the wind will be a friend and not a constant pain in the ***. I will pick a spot that II can blow through with the wind to my back. I will always use a drift bag because I don't have power poles, and this inexpensive tool real reduces your forward drift speed. This makes casting a breeze, in clear water it keeps you in stealth mode, and with the help of the wind, long casts.. Very important when fishing is tough. Let the wind be your friend and don't fight it all day. With all this being said, I still don't like strong wind.

We can sometimes catch 6 or 8 in a row during low water levels. When things get tough I automatically slow down, so the casting rate drops way down. Most important thing is too keep your lure wet. Keep it where a fish can bite it.

Lots of good responses to the question already.. I usually have faith in the fact the brighter the sun hitting an area the tighter the fish will be to heavy cover, or shaded pockets. The cloudier the weather, the early and late low angles of the sun, and fish will loosen up and move away from tight cover. Winter fish will seek out sun early, and be more active on the sunny side. Whenever you think you have it all figured out Mother Nature will throw you a curve ball

My grown kids live in Roswell, and it has been hard to find a local spot. Fished the river with chocolate water, and no results. Would love a couple of catch and release spots in the area.

Thanks for the report.

FlStorm, a Winner Bass boat with a Yami 4 stroke. Were you fishing the North Side MM 39 west of the river? It was a nice morning until the weather moved in.

Just like people there are some that struggle, but overcome their deformities, and survive.

I too want to thank you for making that call. We have these stupid low life's in every state. You can cure cancer, fix broken bones, but you can't fix stupid! Thank God there are a lot more good people, then low life's.

Sunday 5/17/15, 7:00 - noon, mostly cloudy, wind 12 E., water clear, levels normal and steady, 84* w/t. Steve and I ran out west of the river to MM39. We had company today with 5 other boats in close proximity. We started catching right away, with bass hanging close to the drop off just outside the pad field. We started with plastics, and then switch to top water and H/B frogs. Both the top water and frog got some gar action but no bass. We went back to the plastics and the action was steady but controlled. With the threat of storms we finished before noon. We caught 46 bass, several mudfish, and the big catch of the day, a 15 pound turtle. Steve thought he had a gator, but the turtle put up a slow steady fight. We caught two 3's, a couple of 2's and a bunch of dinks. It was still a fun relaxing day. With the wind out of the east fishing was an easy task, with only minor adjustments from the T/M .

Welcome to BR, I also fish for relaxation like you, and fish Florida almost everyday. This is a great site with a lot of knowledgeable members willing to share information. I'm looking forward to fishing reports from your neck of the woods. Good luck and good fishing.