davecon

Florida only, and I'm now ancient, err, old enough, to where I don't need no stinking license anymore. Never fished outside the state.

Been fishing in Florida my entire life. NEVER had a problem with gators. Only time they are an issue is when they have been fed by people, which for some reason is a common practice with transplants. Never had a problem with snakes either and for years I coon hunted, I'm talking waste deep in swamp water at night. We never thought much about it, but then again I have no idea how to handle snow or drive on ice (and don't want to learn). Guess it's all in what you're used to.

The weird part is the old man waded barefoot with no waders. Wore a heavy jacket and a full length heavy raincoat, kinda like a trench coat, that somewhat floated on the surface. Kept towels and dry clothes in his truck and would change clothes. My buddy and I wore waders and heavy jackets and would freeze. The old man was fine. Glad this subject came up. Hadn't thought about it in years. Nowadays I limit my night fishing to snook in the warmer months even though I used to do quite well bass fishing with Musky Jitterbugs. Guess I just wimped out.

I'm almost 67 so 40 years ago seems like yesterday to me (at least when I can remember it). The sub freezing temperatures were air, not water temp (chamber of commerce doesn't like to talk about it but on occasion it does get pretty cold here). January/February are the optimum time for the larger bass to spawn hereabouts. The large numbers of smaller bass spawn somewhat later. I'm certain, due to the area's he was fishing, he was catching bass pre-spawn and probably some that were just settling in. The area is/was known as a premier bedding area. As far as the bass being aggressive, that's questionable (they were never aggressive for my buddy and I). If you could have seen how slow this guy fished it was amazing. I've actually seen him smoke a complete cigarette on one cast. He he took his secrets to the grave because he was well known and highly reguarded as a great fisherman but in typical Florida fashion he never said much to anybody as to how he caught that many large fish for literally decades. I agree that fish on the bed don't normally eat but will protect the nest but most of us have caught them from time to time by putting a lure in or near the nest and hooking the fish while she was moving the lure. Best wishes, Dave

It was bedding season, February/March when the old man did best and most of the fish were full of roe. Point being it is very possible to catch bedding fish at night !

Used to be an old man locally (40 plus years ago) that would wade at night, sometimes with the air temperatures below freezing. Used nothing but a 6 inch Creme worm in black with no weight whatsoever. This was before anybody even thought of catch and release plus the limit was 10 fish. I have personally seen him with stringers weighing over 70 pounds. He told me every once in a while he would get even larger stringers. He would fish only from moonrise to south moon over, would then go home. He was in his late seventies back then popping nitroglycerin tablets while wading and fished a lake with very little vegetation and no cover. He fished painfully slow, often deadsticking. Tried as my buddy and I might, it never worked for us, we simply marveled at old man Claude. Take it for what it's worth, but I saw it with my own eyes.

I fish from a boat and several years ago downsized from a full sized bass boat to a much smaller one enabling me to get to out of the way places. Carrying all my tackle was not an option so one weekend when the weather was bad I emptied my tackle boxes. Went thru each lure individually and thought about when the last time I caught a fish with it. Was quite a revelation. Now I carry only proven producers and am down to two over/under Planos. One for plastics, one for hardbaits. I think I now catch more fish due to this exercise. Keep in mind I fish for bass and panfish, snook, reds, tarpon, sea trout, and others all out of the two tackle boxes. There is no "magic" lure, it's what, when, and where. Felt good to get the tackle monkey off my back.

They work on snook. Haven't tried them for bass yet.

Interesting topic. According to Glenn Lau, creator of "Big Mouth" and "Big Mouth Forever" there are at least 6 different "sub-strains" of the Florida Strain LMB. He says the eggs can be pretty easily distinguished from one another, have differing growth rates, etc. Tha largest growing are extremely cannibalistic. This is from a man that has spent literally thousands and thousands of hours underwater studying and filming. Think I will go with what he says.

Rapala Flat Rap. Not shad rap, FLAT rap.

February for size, March for numbers. January probably best though.

As long as you're having fun ! Just to relay a similar story - many years ago here in central Florida I used to fish a power plant reservoir that was roughly 2000 acres, 20 hp limit, and only open 2 weekends per month to Florida residents only, no pro guides, limited to number of anglers per day. As you can imagine, the fishing was fantastic ! Expected to catch at least 20 on a slow day with at least 3 over 5. Honestly, that was a slow day. Many, many days of 100 plus. Bluegills were huge - averaging close to 1 pound. Crappie were enormous. 2 and a half pounders were so common they didn't raise an eyebrow with several pushing 4 pounds every year. Cat fish were ridiculous. You could fill a 48 quart cooler using a rattletrap in slightly over an hour. It was like paradise on earth. Oddly, for no obvious reason, there would be a shortage of a particular year class. We would go for a year without catching, for example, many 2 pounders. The next year, very few 3 pounders, etc. It was really weird as we could never come up with a cause and effect, not even the biologists had a reason other than "bad recruitment year" which to us meant he didn't know either. This happened several times. I only relay this as it may ease your suspicions that what you are seeing is not necessarily something you, pressure, familiar lures/techniques, etc has caused. It may very well be just the ebb and flow of natural cycles, something that none of us will fully understand and is a major component as to why enjoy this fantastic hobby so much. Enjoy yourself out there !

The most important question is this - Are you having fun out there ? After all, they are just fish. I know that sounds like heresy, but the older I get the more important that aspect of fishing becomes ! Just sayin.

I'm in central Florida. Going down in to the 30's tonight but back to the 70's by the end of the weekend. We just aren't used to this crap and hope we don't have to get used to it. Supposed to fish in shorts/t-shirts/flip flops all year !

I just buy mine in packages of 50 from the local BPS right down the road from the house. In addition to bass I fish for snook, reds, and tarpon with the same lures. They tear em up pretty fast. Have a 3700 box full of different sizes/styles/material and check the hooks on each lure used after every trip. It's rare that I don't replace at least one hook after every outing.

Haven't fished that chain in close to twenty years but I did stumble on to an unusual pattern that worked consistently. Feel sure it would be overlooked by most. Send me a PM and I'll try to help. Don't have time right now but should be able to respond later this weekend.

Cuban. The original Tampa style - fresh Cuban bread, sliced ham, sliced roast pork, salami, cheese, mayo and mustard.

I think in Florida if they can go deep they do (deep is a relative term here), burrow in to the thickest cover near them, or just sulk. On on occasion I have found them on deep ledges that I know can be good but it usually takes repetitive casts to get them to bite. Sometimes 15 or 20 casts to get the first bite. They then seem to get in to a small feeding mood but this is very tedious as it takes a lot of patience to make 20 casts to the same spot without a strike. Then to top it off, they may not be there to begin with. I guess that is why they call it fishing and not catching.

Lived in Florida my entire life. Caught my first bass 60 years ago (man I'm getting old) and started getting serious about it 49 years ago. Florida weather is consistently inconsistent. Real simple, if you don't like the weather, wait three days cause it usually changes. Air temperature is not the key, it's water temperature. People say the fish are messed up by this. Not so. The fish are fine, it's us fishermen that are messed up ! Through trial and error and a LOT of time on the water you "might" be able to find them. Once you do, hammer them, cause they will move a little bit over a few weeks time. It's not that I'm a real good fisherman, I just catch quite a few because I limit my fishing to only a hanfull of waters that I know really well and have been doing it a long time. I also shy away from the well known locations and stick to small, unheralded waters. Not saying that a lot of really big fish/bags don't come out of the well known lakes/rivers, it's just that I'm a grumpy old man and don't want anyone near me. My best bass fishing is when it has been really cold (that's Florida cold, by the way), the water temp drops for a week or so, then the water temp bumps up a few degrees. That combined with a full or new moon is when the big girls go shallow. In early spring ,late March, April, the females come up en-mass but they are usually the smaller ones. One other thing worth mentioning - all bodies of water do not turn on at the same time and it is not always that those in the central part of the state turn on earlier than those in the northern part of the state. This I have never been able to figure - I just go with it. It usually holds true year to year. Go figure.

Rapala ! Hands down my favorite lures. They seem to have better action with a slower rise on the pause. Don't get me wrong, I use other brands as well but my "go to" lures are usually made by Rapala. Not necessarily the latest and greatest but they have stood the test of time for a reason - they work !

I have had some of my best days when the water was cold. In 2010 when it was terribly cold my buddy and I fished the same small lake (several thousand acres) from February thru May almost every Saturday and every Sunday. Water temp was in the 50's, air temp was as low as the 20's. That year the local temps in February never got above 50. That is very unusual for us. During that 4 month time span we got at least one bass of 7 pounds or more every trip. It was fantastic. We looked like the Michelin Man, but boy was the fishing great. As I recall, we had 4 over ten with the largest 13.5. So - if you know where to find them, the cold will NOT shut them down (it may shut you down, but not the fish). Biggest impetus to Florida fishing is the cold fronts that come thru. Unless they are locked on the beds, they pretty much quit biting and it gets real tough for about three days.

One thing worth mentioning here. Traditionally Florida fishermen are TIGHTLIPPED ! When I say tightlipped I am serious. Most guys I know wouldn't tell you about their catches if their life depended on it (include me in that group). Other than my long time fishing buddy of 15 plus years, who passed away recently, I have not taken anyone fishing other than family members in decades. Don't talk much about it either. This behavior is simply a Florida tradition which has been going on for generations and has become more severe with the influx of new residents plus winter visitors. It's pretty simple, you take somebody or tell somebody and within weeks, the good spot that you had is overrun with guys. I'll tell somebody when, how, on what, but NEVER where. With this in mind, imagine how many catches of really big fish go unreported ! I am certain it is a significant number.- (Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) Dec. 14, 2017 Suggested Tweet: TrophyCatch celebrates 5 successful seasons and the new Champion! @MyFWC: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/1cc4098 #Florida FWC’s TrophyCatch program celebrates 5 successful seasons The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) TrophyCatch program celebrated five years of bass conservation at its annual Hall of Fame ceremony held at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Orlando. In the past five seasons, TrophyCatch has awarded prizes for the catch and release of more than 6,868 largemouth bass. “We want to thank all of our partners and anglers for their commitment to conservation,” said Tom Champeau, FWC’s Director of the Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management. “We now have 47 Hall of Fame anglers in the TrophyCatch program, and this event honors their skill in catching a bass of a lifetime and submitting their data to the FWC to assist in the management of our trophy bass fisheries.” Top row from left: Sy Simms, Dominic Montalto, Geoffrey Wells, Thomas Korinis. Bottom row from left: Mark Harris, Jean Wilson, Mark Lemieux, Bradley Powell. FWC photo. Sixteen Hall of Fame anglers were recognized for their catch and release of a largemouth bass weighing 13 pounds or heavier in Florida. The Hall of Fame anglers each received Bass Pro Shops gift cards, Spiderwire merchandise, a custom fiberglass replica mount made by New Wave Taxidermy and a plaque from American Registry commemorating their catch. The Season 5 Champion, Dominic Montalto, received the TrophyCatch trophy for catching and releasing the heaviest bass of the season at 16 pounds, 12 ounces, caught in a neighborhood pond in Lee County. Dominic Montalto and family. FWC photo. The TrophyCatch “Big Bag Prize” was awarded to Arthur Jackson for his catch and release of the most bass with the heaviest combined weight in Season 5. He caught and released 16 bass with a total combined weight of 141.625 pounds. Jackson received a Shimano prize pack, along with a Lake County Tourism prize pack of a three-day, two-night stay in Lake County with a guided fishing trip with professional angler Tim Frederick. From left: Tim Fredericks (Fishing League Worldwide and Lake County Tourism Pro angler), Arthur "AJ" Jackson and Tom Champeau. FWC photo. TrophyCatch is a partnership between FWC biologists, anglers and fishing industry leaders such as Bass Pro Shops, that rewards the catch, documentation and release of largemouth bass weighing 8 pounds or heavier in Florida. In order to be eligible for prizes, anglers are required to submit photos or videos of their catch to TrophyCatch.com, showing the fish’s weight on a scale, before releasing it back into the water. FWC biologists use TrophyCatch data for bass research, to make informed decisions about the management of Florida bass fisheries and to promote the catch and release of trophy bass. TrophyCatch is supported by many generous partners, such as Bass Pro Shops. The FWC encourages anglers to join TrophyCatch as citizen-scientists that assist in fisheries management and the conservation of Florida’s lakes and rivers. A new TrophyCatch mobile app is available for download on both Apple and Android devices. For more information about the TrophyCatch program, email Amber Nabors at Amber.Nabors@MyFWC.com. QUESTIONS? Contact the FWC STAY CONNECTED: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Subscriber Preferences: Add/remove subscriptions, modify your password or email address. Use your email address to log in. Localize your news: Go to Subscriber Preferences, click "Questions" and select your region(s) of interest. Unsubscribe: Removes your email from the system. Help: For assistance with your login or subscription service. This email was sent to dconnatser@aol.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission · 620 S. Meridian Street · Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600 · (850) 488-4676

Quite a few, but then again, I was born and raised in Florida. Used to catch at least 3 every winter but lately (the last 30 years) have been afflicted with Snook and fish only the spawn for bass. Usually still manage 2 or 3 per year. Plan on going next month on the full and new moons. Been doing this a long time so have a pretty good idea as to when/where/how. I fish public waters and release them all. Largest released was 13.5. Did have a 14 + mounted back when I was a kid. Nothing you couldn't do if you lived where I do. I'm just blessed to live in central Florida.

Friend of mine lives on a brackish river and keeps pinfish alive in one of those plastic 55 gallon drums. Pumps water directly from the river into the barrel with the overflow going back into the river. Not exactly sure of the details on the specifics but it may be something you want to consider. Admittedly pinfish are probably more hardy than Shad but it might work on em.

Do not, I repeat, do not try a Shimano C14 !!! I made that mistake and am now not happy with the other spinning reels I have. The 3000 series that I have handles Snook, reds, and small tarpon (up to 60 lbs so far) and bass are a piece of cake in comparison. It is amazingly smooth, light, and the drag is silky smooth. Once you try try one you will become addicted. You've been warned !