soflabasser

Fishing from the shore is much more difficult than fishing from a boat. That is why a good land based fisherman learns quickly how to fish on a boat and often outfish people who have fished on boats for a longer time. Well said @Catt. I fish public waters from the bank and have outfished boaters. Some of those boaters like to drive their boats less than 100 feet from you even though they can go anywhere they want with a boat.

The fish you are holding in your hand is a largemouth bass.

Welcome to the forum

Florida is favorite place to fish for bass followed by Georgia.

I catch big bass in the same places I catch big carp so I see these fish coexisting well together.

I have friends that have caught huge sharks from land and I have caught big sharks myself, we all agree that line capacity is extremely important for land based shark fishing. It is common to kayak a bait out several hundreds of yards from the shore in Florida. Have caught big sharks casting from the shore with spinning gear but it is much easier to use big conventional reels and kayak the bait out. Shark fishing from the shore is far more difficult than fishing from a boat. On a boat you can drive up to the shark to recover line, on the beach you just have to hope you can turn the shark around, even then there are sharks that cannot be stopped no matter what reel you have, or how good you think you are.

Lots of good responses. The more people buy fishing licenses the more money is invested into improving fishing opportunities which is a good thing. Some fishermen can be annoying, such as boaters who get within 100 feet of someone bank fishing, someone who fishes right next to you since they see you catching fish, etc in these instances I prefer to go to another one of my many spots I do well in. Consider it a compliment if people come up to you to see how you are fishing, it means you know something they do not. If they are kind people help them out, if they are not kind be nice to them anyways and go to another spot. Most important thing about fishing is to have fun and relax, catching fish is a bonus, and everything else is less important.

The Penn Senator 14/0 you posted has lots of potential to catch you a new personal best shark.

I fish with swimbaits often. They are great lures for bass and many other species of fish.

You are fishing the ''correct'' way the moment you are satisfied with what you are catching and you are having fun.

Make sure to get a heavy action inshore rod if you plan on catching +40'' inshore gamefish. You can also get a medium action inshore rod for casting smaller lures.

Nice smallmouth bass. For me nothing beats catching a big powerful gamefish on a topwater lure when it comes to rod and reel fishing.

+99% of the bass fishing I do is from the shore and I do well enough that I will never need to hire a guide for bass fishing. Like most things in life the harder you work for something the better the result you will get. This is true. Most of the new fishermen gained during the Pandemic started to fish because they were bored and not because they love to fish. Only those that truly love fishing can fish for decades and enjoy it more as time passes. Nice lake trout you caught recently. I know exactly where you caught it. lol There are many places you can fish where not many people fish you just have to find those places and not tell everyone about it. Even then it really doesn't matter much if there are people fishing in a particular spot you can always fish another spot and do well.

I like fishing with topwaters in the Winter in South Florida.

Dogs are like children, their behavior is based on who raises them. Some dog owners do a great job with their dogs, others not so much. The apple does not fall far from the tree so if you see a loud obnoxious dog chances are the owner is no better. It is best to let the authorities deal with these rude dog owners. Hope you catch lots of bass and enjoy your fishing trips in that lake.

I have fished long enough and opened enough reels to know to tell the difference between a well made reel and one that is cheaply made. I prefer fishing with well made reels on days I am targeting big powerful fish. There is a reason why so many experienced fishermen prefer Shimano and Diawa reels over the cheap stuff. I mostly fish with spinning reels and quality is very important for me since I use my spinning reels for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. One day I can be fishing for bass, another day I can be fishing for big powerful saltwater gamefish that will test the quality of any reel. My Shimano and Penn spinning reels easily handle fish that will destroy most bass baitcasters. There are times I fish with cheap reels when I am fishing for small fish but I never fish with cheaply made reels when I am specifically fishing for trophy fish.

Welcome to the forum

South Florida recently had a day that the temperature dropped to 58 degrees which is cold for this time of year compared to previous years. In less than a week South Florida had a high of 87 degrees. Right now the weather is very nice.

The movie Idiocracy reminds me of how some people have acted during the Pandemic.

Lol! I use the plastic ones every once in a while to have a little fun. Have caught +24 inch largemouth bass and much larger fish on Cuban YoYo's. They are good for camping trips since they easily fit in a backpack. With that said I enjoy fishing with my Shimano and Penn spinning reels so I mostly fish with them.

Welcome to the forum

Fly fishing for bass is fun but I much rather catch bass on spinning tackle with lures.

Good subject. The truth is a skilled bass fisherman can catch more bass on a Cuban YoYo reel from land than most bass fishermen with high end reels on a boat. With that said Shimano makes amazing spinning reels which are far superior to the other reel mentioned in this thread. For example the new Shimano Stradics are beautiful reels that can easily handle any black bass while being a good reel for inshore fishing for tarpon, snook, redfish, and many other powerful saltwater fish. Penn and Diawa also make great spinning reels. In the end what matters most is that you are happy with the reels you are fishing with so choose whatever makes you happy.

Sounds like a fun place to fish. Muskie are one of my favorite freshwater fish to catch.

Florida is the best place in the country for fishing. You can catch big bass, exotic fish, and some of the best saltwater fishing in the World.