The Commodore

If it's just you going out then I would get a kayak. Lighter and easier to control on the water. If you are on a budget just get the kayak and a roof rack and then save for the truck and bigger boat.

Save the money and get a 13 ft gheenoe or a Jon boat. If you are into working out then get a kayak or even a paddle board. I wouldn't do a inflatable. Do you have a pickup truck?

It's most likely in Florida. But also it's most likely a storm drain that leads to a retention pond that is probably right out of sight of the camera. Not a sewer like you would think of. The house looks "newer" and they newer subdivisions have extensive retention ponds with storm draining because of what happens here in Florida during the Summer, oh and hurricanes. Funny stuff though lol

I enjoy catching FISH. This includes Bass, Pickerel, Gar, and Mudfish. I would have to say that unhooking a gar is not easy and you better have pliers and a wet towel. They are very strong, even the little ones. Their mouth is nothing like a Bass or even a Pickerel. It is very bony. To save one of them I had to cut the barb and above off a treble hook cause I could not get it out of it's mouth. Some people really hate catching them, one guy actually told me that he breaks their bill off when he throws them back in so they die. Absolutely sickening. Oh and their teeth are sharp. Not trying to deter you from catching them cause they fight but be prepared for the release.

Buy the plain white cranks and then color them with sharpies! Sometimes I find pure white hard baits on clearance.

It's the same with a concealed weapons license.

Only lakes in central Florida with jet skis and skiers are the urban lakes in Orlando. And yeah the inlets in Florida on a weekend are a mess.

Unless it is a big or unusual fish, I like to put it right back in. I do not put fish on grass anymore or at least try to avoid it as much as possible. What I think is worse is the way some people hold large mouth by the mouth and take photos with them.

Flats fishing in the Keys is really spiritual and I do not like using that word for much things. If we are keeping it fresh water, then the St. Johns river. You really feel like you are in another world in some parts of that river. So much wildlife. Also Mosquito Lagoon is really awesome.

Once I hear thunder I'm gone. Although in Florida you can still get struck even if you never hear thunder. The fishing is good but in Florida, it is risky.

I have not experienced much more loss of fish with barbs pinched down. Releasing fish is so much easier especially when you pinch down treble hooks. Proper line tension is more important to fishing than the barbs on the hooks.

Yeah I try to remember to pinch my barbs all the time. Not because I have hooked myself past the barb (well when I was 7 or 8 I got very large hook into my leg while offshore fishing) but because my friend hooked a Florida soft shell turtle in the mouth with a red eye shad. I'm a animal lover lol, so I basically performed caveman surgery on this poor thing to get the treble out of his mouth as it would cause him to starve to death if I left it there. Won't go into details but a side cutter is essential in fishing and I did get it out of his mouth after about 15 minutes and the help of my other two friends (those turtle are d**n powerful and this one was about 25lbs). I know if those barbs were pinched down I would have gotten it out of the turtle in far less time. As long as you keep a tight line and fight the fish correctly then it should not come off the fish, especially treble hooks. Oh and to the OP, the glades are amazing. Those fish can be on fire some days. Not many places besides Big O where people can catch 50+ in one day (three hours for you, d**n). I have yet to get that golden day on the glades but look forward to experiencing it. Thanks for the post.

I had juvenile sea trout blow up on a weedless EZ swimmer multiple times. On some of them the EZ swimmer was almost half their length. The swim action is great and they do well in heavy vegetation when rigged weedless. I have not used the ones you mentioned. I guess its cause I am not used to using that big of a swimbait for LMB. I hear they catch big bass north of here though. I recommend the EZ line and the TZ for finesse situations. They are relatively cheap, decently durable and the swim action is great. The bigger EZ's weigh enough to launch it weedless and they do not need a belly weighted swimbait hook like some others I have used that start rolling if the weight is not present. Plus Gambler is a Florida company.

Where did you hear this? I was in their store just last week. I hope you are mistaken.

Whenever you approach a shoreline, search for gators first. Slowly approach and they will move if they are there. If you hear hissing then slowly back away. TBH every gator I have seen has been scared of me. Even 8 ft+ ones. The only time gators approach me on the shoreline is when I'm reeling in a fish. They sometimes try to steal it from you.

Good to go in my opinion. I have gotten great deals from them. Color selection sucks but then again that is expected with such a heavy discount.

I have use Airheads a lot lately. They are very versatile imo. The bass mainly hit it on the fall but if you cut the tail it make a swimming action that they like too. DOA and VMC make a special EWG hook with a very long neck specifically for the airheads. I highly recommend getting them because the regular necks on traditional EWGs are too short for the body and will rip the bait after the first strike.

Thanks guys for letting me know about Alley's, I have stayed away from tungsten because of the price but now I can find the price reasonable.

I have seen small schools (3 - 4 bass) follow herons and egrets in the shallows in Florida. When I see predatory wading birds that like to target frogs and bait fish, I throw a couple casts their way. I have only had it happen two or three times though, but hey that means it worked lol.

Thanks for the advice. I will report back.

Thanks Shaneus! Should I keep the worm shad color or switch to green pumpkin? Also will there be any tournaments are anything I should watch out for? Do not want to get tangled with a tournament when I'm trying to learn the lake. And thanks again.

Merry Christmas all! I will be heading to Rayburn tomorrow. This will be my first time on the lake during this time of the year. Honestly I am used to my Florida waters where the bass get really finicky when it drops below 50 degrees. I got lipless cranks, senkos, trick worms with shakey heads and might whip out the dropshot. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for this thread, learned a little something I didn't know for Rayburn.

It is a sport by media and entertainment standards when done in competition. Everything else is just opinion. We can get very technical about all the sports of the world.

I'm pretty sure they are Lunker Hunt frogs. I have one but in a different color. They have a great action.

How about a 13' Gheenoe?