bostonsox2904

Nailed a snakehead this weekend on the fly! Fished topwater for the entire morning, but didn't get much action. Saw a bunch of fish guarding fry balls in one of the canals, so I switched over to a subsurface EP bluegill fly. Put it in front of a nice sized fish and it examined my fly really carefully before sucking it down. Hookset right in the upper lip so there was no chance I was losing that fish. Covered 7 miles in the 96 degree weather so I'll be glad to take a break from the bank beating. Had a great time and ecstatic to land my first snake on the fly.

Hahah wow guess it takes some time to pass a 4/0 hook! Interestingly enough, even with a few casts that felt perfect, they just followed my fly and really examined it before turning away. I didn't pass inspection lol. I think you get those really aggressive strikes when it's territorial or annoyed, which is why things like ribbit frogs and spinnerbaits get hammered. I'm going to try some topwater next time like a small bass popper aggressively retrieved. BTW, this presentation by the FWC below has some awesome pics of prey species they found in the snakehead's stomach. https://bugwoodcloud.org/CDN/floridainvasives/Southwest/03FFWCCs_approach_to_Nonnative_fish.pdf

Do you keep your snakeheads to eat? I'm curious what kinds of stomach contents people are finding. I made the trip today and saw a bunch in Coral Springs but couldn't tempt any to bite. Got a nice pea tho!!

LOL I think I see football season right around the corner!

Wanted to share my recent success with you guys. I've been targeting grass carp recently but noticed some bedding bluegill and some huge bass lurking a little deeper. I switched to an EP Bluegill fly on the 7wt and got a couple big girls to take. I know that bluegill generally spawn in the spring after largemouth bass, but I learned that in the south bluegill spawn throughout the summer. Strangely enough the best fishing has been during lunch, and the fishing dies after about 5pm. Hope this helps someone else in their quest for bass on the fly rod!

Hahah I will make sure to avoid Margate. I'm sure you've got a good grasp on where to go. I know canals around shopping centers, businesses, and industrial areas are typically good for stretches of fishable water. Apartments can be great too, and the only thing I avoid are boat ramps and residential houses. There's tons of youtube videos of guys fishing golf course ponds, so you're right I think that's your ticket. And thankfully we get a lot of rain these days. Post up some pics next time you catch!

Do you day trip down there? Sounds like I need to skip the lagoon one weekend and hit the canals again. I used to live in Boca and the canal fishing that way can't be beat. I had the best snakehead action around western Coral Springs. Been a fly fishermen for the past few years so I want to stick one on the fly next

I dont know a whole lot about Ross Barnett, but consider going down to Calling Panther Lake. There's some serious fish in that lake

Leave it to the Florida resident to bring up exotics and saltwater fish species ? You just need to mention sharks and /thread

Bass? Trying going for peacock bass in Davie or snakehead in Coral Springs!!

Snakeheads fight dirty so you need some backbone. Your standard frogging rod will be perfect. Something like a 7' MH or H with some thick braid. I had a snakehead slice through my 30lb braid, and I think a lot of guys go up to 65+, since casting distance isn't an issue with them against the bank. Good luck, they're a really fun fight

On a breezy day, the Thermacell repellent will be carried away with the wind. It essentially creates a little stream of bug-repellent smoke (gas?) like a tiny incense. I'll have to give it another try when night fishing. Hope it works on noseeums!

Dont recommend doing this. Great way to break a rod

Head west. There's hundred of spots within 30 mins of you

Hit and run!

Catt - what do you do differently than other people that fish your waters that are not catching these large bass?

I feel like people get intimidated by fly fishing before ever picking up a rod. A couple days of practice and anyone can cast 25 yards. I think 6wt is a great choice. Might be a little light for fishing around weeds, but it should get the job done. Get out there while the fish are in the prespawn / spawning phases. Should make for some great fly fishing! I see you're in Central MS. The fish in my profile pic is from Calling Panther. Junebug all day! I'll have to check out the furled leader. I hear that polyleaders are slowly starting to replace sinking line, and could be something to look into for waters deeper than a few feet. I know Calling Panther has some deep spots so maybe conventional tackle is best, but there's some nice coves where fly fishing would be sweet.

I've been using a 7wt outfit - 7'11" St Croix Mojo Bass rod. It's much more manageable than the standard 9ft rod, and it has enough backbone to wrestle bass out of the florida weeds. Fighting any fish on a fly rod is a blast. I definitely recommend taking the plunge!

Anyone get out there fly fishing for bass? It's a great complement to conventional tackle and works well in highly pressured waters. My go-to fly has been the clouser minnow, which can be swam or jigged on the bottom in shallow waters. Seems like a good technique for spawning fish while the big girls are in the shallows. Feel free to share your pics of fly rod bass.

Howd you do on the New this weekend?

People with fish tanks can attest. Fish will at least nibble on anything that floats through the water column. If it doesn't taste appetizing, they'll just spit it out. It's a reaction strike. Lots of people catch huge fish on worms too, but if you've ever fished with night crawlers, they wiggle and squirm into a ball, nothing like how a senko falls.

Do bass spawn around lily pads? I know pads generally grow in mucky bottoms, which in theory wouldn't be good for spawning. But they also grow in shallow, calm parts of the lake. Just wondering what yalls experience is with it.

Check out the spillway at the intersection of 43rd and 20th street in Vero Beach. The end of Oslo road has some nice wading for trout and whatever else may be in the area. There's also some nice structure off the beach, which you can reach at low tide north of the golf course. If you can find bait, there's definitely fun to be had in the surf. Good luck and post some pics!

You're more likely to find jacks and other saltwater fish in that area. I only started catching bass once I was above the spillways. South florida has some really excellent shore fishing if you're into it. Probably the most accessible anywhere. Hopefully someone can chime in on tips for boating.

That's because of your drag. It's hard for them to pull drag and go airborne heading away from you. I bet if you had the drag set really light, you'd see bass jumping while running away from you.