davecon

Several years ago my son and I hit the jackpot. Central Florida, July, hotter than he&% ! Fished the early AM and got quite a few then tried an offshore ledge about 3/4 of a mile from shore about 11:00 am. Drops from 12 feet to 18 feet which is pretty deep for around here. My son caught 17 in 17 casts while I caught 25 on 25 casts, missed one then caught another 15 on the next 15 casts. That was 40 in 41 casts. Hasn't happened since and probably never will but I'll never forget it. None of the fish were very big, I think 3 of them were about 5 each with the rest between 2.5 and 3. This is central Florida so "big" is a relative term and a 5 lbr is not considered very big here. It was fun though.

12 inch plastic worm. So slow one cast should takes a minimum of 3 minutes. Fish any faster you might as well go home. Believe me, been fishing Florida for 59 years. listen to all the advice from out of state guys and newcomers you want. They mean well but this ain't Kansas !

On your way north you might want to stop in Dunnellon. From the public ramp downtown you can go a few miles downriver to lake Rousseau. Lots of huge bass in the old river channel and vegetation. You can also go upriver from the public ramp about a mile and enter the Rainbow River. It is literally crystal clear and absolutely gorgeous. The fishing can be tough due to the clear water and you must use light line. Expect to catch a lot a small fish but it is so beautiful it is worth a day. I fish there 2 or 3 times per year, up until the last 2 years due to some health issues, but I have caught a dozen or so between 8 and 11. It is definitely worth the trip. For sure old school Florida.

One other suggestions - wear sweat bands on your wrists, the same ones used by athletes. Get several pair. They keep the rainwater from running "up" your arms and then to your torso when casting. A lot more comfortable.

Congratulations and good luck next year. What I admire most is your attitude. Keep it fun and don't ever lose sight of the fact that it's just fishing, not life or death or the end of the world if you do poorly. Enjoy the journey and best wishes in the future.

I use small light lures. Use a 3000 series reel and St. Croix 7' ml premier rod. Works great on snook, reds, trout, bass, and juvi tarpon up to 40 lbs. St. Croix makes more expensive rods and I have several but prefer the action of the premier even though it is one of their less expensive rods.

Vegetation ! Snaps and swivels are magnets for the stuff.

Except when I have the grandkids out I avoid them if at all possible. Might as well go down to the highway and snag the rear bumpers of passing VWs. Takes so little skill to catch them, if you can find them you can hook up. To me they are a nuisance, same as lady fish. The kids love them and so do guides with tourists.

Tilapia beds.

A warning about starting kids out. When my son was about 5 or 6 and could barely cast I decided it was time to take him out. I usually fish for bass but kept checking a few areas where I knew the panfish bedded. Sure enough, 2 weeks later they were really bedding. I took my son the next weekend and in about 4 hours or less using beetle spins he caught about 75 panfish. The next weekend was about the same. Tried 2 weeks later and they had finished spawning for the most part. Managed to catch about 20 but he was bored catching that few. He's 36 years old now and still doesn't care much for fishing. He goes with me from time to time but it's not his thing. Have often wondered if I had started him out differently would things have turned out ditterent. I'll never know, but be careful how you start them out.

Have you ever tried the magnum trick worm (I think that's what they call it) ? Seems to catch larger bass, not that the ones pictured are dinks. Talked to Doug Hannon on several occasion , we lived within 40 miles of each other, and with all the big bass he caught on artificials, a straight tailed 8 inch worm on a 1/16th slip sinker Texas rigged was the most productive. I use that setup often. I don't understand why it works but it really does.

Nice ! Have the big girls started showing up along the beaches yet ?

Only absolute in fishing is that there are no absolutes !

Posted this in another topic but I only use two lures at night, a black 12 inch worm and a black musky jitterbug. I usually go whenever I can but if I had my druthers it would be moonrise until the moon is directly overhead or moon set followed by south moon under ( when the moon is directly under the earth ). That doesn't mean you won't catch any at other times but those always seemed best for me. I used to fish at night twice a week during breaks in college (many years ago). You don't catch quantity but the quality is there. Would rarely not get at least one over 5. Caught hundreds between 5 and 9.5 this way.

Go at night, use a black 12 inch worm or a black muskie jitterbug.

As stated above, any day on the water is a good day . That being said, anything less than 15 is a slow day. Usually have two or three days per year with between 50 and 75/100. I only fish for bass December through April, then it's snook and juvi tarpon which is very tide dependent so it's kind of a crap shoot.

Do you have a boat ?

Nowadays use live bait only when taking the grandchildren out. In freshwater use shiners, minnows, worms, and crawfish when I can get them. In saltwater use live shrimp.

Lived my entire 65 years in Tampa. Been bass fishing since I was 6. Couple of questions for you guys. What size boats do you have (if you don't have one can't help you much). Where do you Iive and how far are you willing to travel ? Are you averse to the brackish/saltwater ? Believe me, it's not as simple as 'I'm in Florida so I will catch lots of big bass !' You gotta work d**n hard at it to get good. Let me know the above and I might be able to point you in the right direction. You will come to learn that most folks around here are pretty tight lipped. You will learn why.

Just rig it as you usually do. I'm in Florida and use 12" worms most of the time. I catch a lot of 10 " bass on 12 " worms.

Try Ray's canoe launch on the Manatee river east of Bradenton. He rents canoes. Suggest you try black or watermelon worms with a very light sinker or weightless wacky worms. Small original rapala's in gold also work. Suggest you try upriver from Ray's. Go as far as the dam if you have time. The log jams in the bends can be very good. Don't be surprised if you stumble on some snook. One other suggestion, on the worms use anise oil. Don't know why but those fish love the stuff. Be warned, there are some big ones in there - I'm talking teens. Good luck with your season. Dave ps - I'm one of those nasty but necessary local umpires doing mostly high schools and older youth leagues. Love the game.

Most people in that area go a little ways west to Charlotte Harbor for tarpon, snook, reds, trout, etc. There are plenty of bass in those rivers, just further east. There are some HUGE snook further up river mixed in with bass and tarpon. These are tidal rivers and take some getting used to and it's easier to run to the bay and soak live bait. If you are a bass fisherman DO NOT FISH FOR SNOOK !!! Bass will never be the same.

I tried the kayak thing once. Too much work for a lazy old fat man. I fish from a Gheenoe. It's not, but looks like, a flat backed canoe. Floats and runs in literally inches of water, has a 25 hp Merc, electric start, power tilt n trim, stick steering, 55 lb foot controlled tm, lights, bilge, depth finder, swivel seats, runs 32 mph and will go almost anywhere and is amazingly stable. After getting this rig I realized I had used my traditional bass boat, 18 ft, 150 hp, only twice the entire year because I was always out in the Gheenoe so l sold it. Have been catching more and larger fish since. I usually fish for bass mostly this time of year while they are spawning, then it's back to snook and juvi tarpon and my Gheenoe is the absolute best option for the ares's I prefer to fish. Nothing against kayaks and traditional boats though, I like em all.

If you have a kayak there are many options. Personnaly I don't have one as I understand why God invented outboard motors and trolling motors. Plus my boat with a 25 hp motor will run almost as shallow as a kayak. I just don't get all that paddling crap. That being said, check out 3 websites - capmel.com, the online fisherman.com, and myfwc.com. The first 2 have forums for kayakers, the 3rd has a list of boat ramps by county. There are several kayak clubs around but they seem to favor saltwater. I can point you in the right direction for a few freshwater spots if needed. Whatever you do, do NOT try snook fishing ! You may never want to catch another bass as long as you live !

Do you have a kayak ?