hawgenvy

I enjoy fishing with my friends. But there is someone special that none of them know about, a partner who is already there waiting for me when I go bank fishing in the evening. He doesn't say much but he has a sixth sense that lets him know where the fish are, and points them out to help me catch more. And I aways reward him with a healthy meal.

Back when we were dating my wife seemed to enjoy fishing with me. After we were married she admitted she never did like fishing, that it's boring until you catch a fish -- and then it's disgusting. Obviously, she doesn't go anymore. I don't mind, really.

If you just stand there opened-mouthed watching the acrobatic spectacle the fish is going to shake the hook. I've had quite a bit of luck sweeping the rod sideways rather like a sweepset with the rod tip close to the water during the jump. I start this at the moment just before the jump, when I feel or see the fish rise to the surface. I'll start reeling fast and point the rod towards the fish right before the jump to enhance the effectiveness of the subsequent lateral sweep. As long as there is enough lateral pressure the jump is largely controlled and doesn't give the fish enough slack to shake the hook. I have aborted or attenuated so many jumps that way, or at least kept the hook pinned. A fast reel helps.

4-0 EWG for me is by far the most versatile hook and can be used with almost all plastics. However, I do prefer 5-0 round bend worm hooks for big worms and snelled straight shank for punching. I get too many gut hooks with 3-0 or smaller. I like Trokar hooks if I'm not using braided line.

BPS Stick-o, Yama Senko, and SK Ocho all have 7" models. Haven't tried those yet, but surely will.

Florida fishing can be tough in the summer. Nevertheless, I managed to nail a few good ones tonight using an old favorite, the big, fat 7" Yum Dinger, Texas-rigged weightless and fished slow. Unfortunately, the 7" has been unavailable for 4 or 5 years, discontinued due to poor sales. But it was a darn good bait to entice big sluggish bass in summer. I managed to save an old bag of the baits in watermelon green, and put two of them to good use tonight. I sure wish Yum would reintroduce these monster stick baits.

Club event in the Everglades yesterday, just three boats. It was hot, naturally, but thankfully moderated by cloud cover and a breeze. We met some success in a north-south canal that had a gentle current from the north. Water temp was 82 deg. The fishing was fairly slow, and there were no markings on sonar except bottom. The ticket was topwater all day, with my buddy getting a nice limit on an Eeliminator [sic], and I eventually lucked out with the SK Sexy Dawg, which, along with my fingers, was pretty scratched up by the end of the day (and I had crampy forearms from walking that Dawg for hours!). We pulled the boat out 30 seconds before the skies opened in a downpour. All-in-all a fun day.

Awesome job, man! Looking forward to the details.

I fish club tournaments monthly on Okeechobee and in the Everglades, but I always catch bigger bass bank fishing, mostly on private golf course ponds. (I am blessed to have friends that live in such places and let me in.) This beast was around 9 or 10 pounds, on a jig and trailer. Sadly, my weighing scale was dead.

I am so sorry, Tom. As a doctor I can just about imagine what you, your son, and the rest of your family are going through. I hope for you and your family that your struggles are successful and that your prayers are answered.

I like company. I think it's more fun. Probably safer, too. And having a witness makes my big fish stories believable. Also, I like when someone's there to take a photo of me when I'm holding up a good one. And it's great to take a photo of my companion with a big fish they've caught, especially if it's a kid or novice, so they can relive the excitement.

My fairly expensive current active Florida freshwater/saltwater/snook license expires in February 2020, about 3 weeks before I turn 65, at which point I will no longer need a license. I'm already debating with myself whether to renew then or take my chances. I've had a valid state fishing license for over 45 years and no one has ever asked to see it.

Guys, I think Bassman knows how to rig a bait and set a hook. I just think he means some days you lose more fish on the way back to the boat than on other days. For me, those frustrating days make me feel like I'm doing something wrong, even if it's just that the fish are not biting down as aggressively. We've all been there, I think.

FWC is theoretically a protector of wildlife and an advocate for healthy ecosystems and for recreational fishing. I can see why they might want to reduce harmful invasive species and perhaps assist in clearing choked waterways. But that they perpetrate harmful indiscriminate destruction is news to me. If true, it is horrible and must be addressed. What in the world is motivating the FWC to do this?

I've heard the bass LL can sense between 1 and 80 Hertz. And it can give precise information about current direction. As far as terminology, US black bass, including largemouth and small mouth varieties, aren't even true bass, and rather are in the "sunfish" family. The term "bass" is thrown about casually and no longer has much meaning. Whatever black bass there are in New Guinea may be more honestly bassy than are our North American bass wannabes. And in Louisiana largemouth bass are called green trout. Obviously, they are not trout either. Well, maybe we should stick to the awkward taxonomic species' names. But even the latin name for largemouth bass, "Micropterus salmoides," seems misleading, bringing to mind salmonidae (trout and salmon), which are clearly unrelated.

Went bank fishing tonight with my friend Mike. The Florida summer pattern was in full swing with fish widely scattered and mostly in deeper areas. We caught a few, including this healthy 4 1/2 pounder that inhaled my Gambler 13" black ribbon-tail worm. She pulled so hard I thought I was battling a 10 pounder, but in the end I wasn't disappointed when this robust specimen emerged.

I was able to eke out first place from the rear deck yesterday in a casual club tournament at Lake Okeechobee north end. The lake itself was ridiculously shallow and muddy, so we fished the lower section of the Kissimmee River. Surface temps were as high as 88 degrees in shallow areas. Fishing was slow. Most of the fish were off the bank on the bottom in 10 FOW. The ticket was Gambler's gigantic 13" ribbon tail worm in black, behind a 1/2 oz bullet weight, resulting in a handful of 2-3 pounders and a win with a 12.5 bag. No one else reached the 5 fish limit and a couple of the guys were skunked. The key, I think, was that big worm.

I don't think anyone has pointed out that hook size also makes a difference. I have found that gut hooking occurs much more often with a 2-0 or 3-0 than with a 4-0 hook. I hardly ever use 3-0 hooks for that reason. Also, practically any plastic bait is large enough to accommodate a 4-0 hook.

Some interesting info on tilapia stocking in ponds to enhance the bass fishery and to control filamentous algae: http://sepond.com/fish-stocking/tilapia https://www.solitudelakemanagement.com/blog/should-stock-tilapia-this-summer

I have seen an explosion of blue tilapia in south Florida in the past few years. They are on average 1 or 2 pounds in size, with some quite larger. Blue tilapia are considered herbivorous, though I have caught several of them while bass fishing with moving soft plastic lures. I cannot discern whether their motivation was nutritional or defensive. They create large, round, very clean beds for spawning and hide eggs and fry in their mouths to protect them. I don't know to what degree, if any, they prey on bass eggs or fry. I am reasonably certain that bass consume small and intermediate size blue tilapia in south Florida, and anecdotally it appears that bass are bigger in lakes and ponds with abundant tilapia. The overall effect seems to be enhancement of the bass population, though I have no knowledge what might be the overall ecological impact of tilapia. If any readers have additional information about the effects of tilapia, or about whether they have been introduced accidentally or deliberately, or whether they are now being introduced for plant and algae control, I'd like to hear from you on these pages.

I bank fish lots of Florida ponds down in Palm Beach County. Some are spectacular. Some have dinks only. All have bass. Some are small, featureless ponds that miraculously have huge bass. Lately I have had the best luck in lakes with tilapia. You'll see their huge well-groomed beds that are 3 to 5 feet across. Apparently, those meaty cichlids can really fatten up bass. Don't overlook ponds in industrial parks -- they are nice and empty on weekends. The best ponds are often those in golf course communities, as they are well stocked and maintained and nobody ever fishes them --- except you. You just have to get chummy with a resident that will put you on the guest list. However, some communities don't allow fishing by anyone. As far as types of baits, they all work well in Florida.

The very first time I used Tatsu I had a backlash so bad I had to cut it all out. It was my fault: new line, probably overfilled the spool, probably wasn't paying attention. But it kind of freaked me out and I decided not to use the stuff ever again because it is so expensive. It just gives you something to worry about when you're out there besides catching fish. I'm happy with InvsX as well as AbrazX, though I never go below #10. Another issue is stretch. People keep saying that fluorocarbon has less stretch than mono. Are we sure that's the case? Are there testing statistics that back up that claim? Personally, I can't tell the difference (as far as stretch).

It's amazing how subtle the bite from a big bass can be. If I'm thinking my bait's got stopped by some vegetation but I'm not really sure it's not a fish, I'll ever so gently apply a bit of pressure and study the rod tip closely for a couple of seconds. Even a big old lazy she-bass will impart some little movement to the rod tip. If it moves, I know for sure I'm dealing with a live animal and I'll drop the rod, reel the slack and set the mother -- and then I know if I've got a big kahuna on the line cause all hell brakes loose. In my experience, that gentle exploratory pressure does not cause the bass to spit out the bait; rather I think it makes her hold on tighter because she thinks she's got a delectable feisty critter in her bony jaws. Sometimes a big bass will slam a bait like a freight train and nearly jerk the rod outta your hands. Especially, it seems, when you're using a jig. I believe that happens when there are other bass around. She'll go zooming off to keep her food to herself. Guess the last laugh's on her when her friends realize what a stupid thing she ate!

I used to think going fast was to reach the fishing spot sooner during tournaments. Now that I've been fishing tournaments with a local club (as a co-angler) I realize it's to get back to the ramp on time! On the other hand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eeyG2WUS5Y&t=124s

Summer is beastly hot in Florida and Texas (90-100). I won't fish July, August, or September in Florida except at sunset, and then only if there's a significant breeze. I'd go to California or Mexico if you want a chance for a summer giant without frying quite as badly. If you don't mind 100 degrees go to Texas. If you don't mind 95 degrees with humidity, gnats, and mosquitos go to Florida, Georgia, or Alabama