Weld's Largemouth

Is it okay if the fluoro to braid knot goes through my guides as I cast? I like to have a very long leader. It makes a quiet tick sometimes as it goes through the microguides on my spinning rod. Will this damage the guides? Thanks Welds

He was very great! And I hope to do a trip with you one day

Anybody have any experience with the Castaway Invicta HG 40 Casting Rod? Looking into getting one. I really love the grip style too! Im looking at the 1/4-1oz lure wt heavy rod to throw jigs and frogs and also as an all around rod

Dang nice! Love that backdrop! Im curious how you rig that toad.. I have had bad luck hooking up using similar frogs like stanley ribbit on a 4/0 ewg hook. Any tips shane?

Both are equals to me. I just like lews' innovation

Took a guide trip in the everglades with Captain Thadeus Ragan. We fished all along alligator alley for 8 hours and caught 70+ bass. First time fishing the glades, and first time from a bass boat. Very very cool day! Check out the video:

Find some wide canals on google earth and walk the banks and fish for peacocks using topwater poppers and spooks

Yea, that reel is ALWAYS on sale at TW

Got into some decent peacocks today ranging from 1.5lbs to 2lbs These guys fight like animals! Fished with jmoose, a fellow BR member, as well: And my peacock's:

Nice!!!!

This makes sense. You just gave me some hope. The low water levels are also probably making it harder for the bass.

I fished the past two summers and the fish were not skinny and were very active. However, this summer the water level is lower so the oxygen levels are probably low and the water heats up fast. I really hope its just a summer thing, florida needs some more rain soon.

Thanks. So does it seem like the bass in my ponds will just slowly die off? I wonder what made this happen this summer ... the ponds have been well for the past 2 summers..

I hope things turn around with time

Very possible. I just don't understand why it wouldnt affect the mayan cichlids.

Down in South Florida for a week and I'm fishing the golf course ponds that I always do when im down here. The bass have been plentiful and healthy, up until now. Day 1. Fishing a pond that has produced lots of bass with the biggest being upwards of 5 lbs. Most have been usually chunky and healthy. However, today the bass were absent and didn't bite anything except a few dinks on senkos and a surprising 22"er on a senko. This 22" bass was the first sign that something was wrong. 22" long and only... 3lb 9oz. With the head of a 6lber I knew this fish was not healthy. A few other things I noticed were the abundance of the invasive mayan cichlid and the lack of bluegills. I believe the over population of cichlids has created competition with the bass and bluegills. Most of the cichlids are too large for the bass to eat and I fear the bass lack food. Not sure why there is a lack of food. Later that day I went to another pond and couldnt buy a bite on anything... and this lake usually produces many many fish with the biggest being 6.5 lbs, with four 6 lbers having been caught there. Nothing was there except a TON of cichlids. Went to another pond and this pond has produced my PB of 7lb 6oz and many 4-6 lbers, and the fish in this pond have been some of the chunkiest, healthiest bass I have ever seen. I would see giant bluegills and tons of them that allowed these bass to grow so large. Today there were only a few bluegills and mainly mayan cichlids. I flipped a senko into a weed mat and pulled out this fish: Measured 21" and weighed 3lb 11oz I have caught multiple 21" fish at this pond and they weighed 5+ lbs. My pb of 7lb 6oz measured 22 inches.... Now I realized something terribly wrong was occurring in my ponds. Day 2 Went to another pond that usually produces nice healthy fish. Nothing was biting except a lot of cichlids.. and one bass.. Measured 19.25" weighed 3lb 2oz... skinny fish.... All of this is quite depressing, these ponds are dying. This is what I believe -The mayan cichlids overpopulated and have competed with the bluegills and now the bluegills have struggled to find food since the cichlids are better predators and eat all the food. I still don't understand why the cichlids are over populating and why it is occuring in all my ponds. Looking for feedback!!!

lack of fishing spots...

In the northeast walmart carries barely any fishing stuff. The walmarts here on Long Island don't carry anything except a few combo rods. You need to go down south to Florida walmarts to get some lures.

Great fish! Got a weight on that bass? Looks like a solid 4! Nice! EDIT: didnt see 5lber in the title

uhh. 5" senko orange w/ black flake 1/2 oz black and blue jig with black and blue rage craw Chartreuse squarebill You're good to go.

are you kidding me? that "stuff" is nothing, no problem for any line

They do not need a pattern on the bottom. I prefer solid white. Also, the Jawbone frogs work:

Great fish, and thanks for this report! It really inspired me to catch some quality fish at a new lake ....until I remembered that I lived on Long Island

Here on Long Island NY the fluke limit is 18", and we have plenty of good sized fluke in the LI sound and its harbors.