soflabasser

Same here. For mono I use Big Game.

There was a thread earlier this year where most members agreed that jet skiers are the worst of the worst of all boaters.

I agree cedar is a good wood for lure building.

Welcome to the forum. I mostly use spinning gear for most of my bass fishing, both for land based fishing and fishing on a boat. The only time I use freshwater baitcasters is when I am fishing with swimbaits. I have caught hundreds of bass over 6 pounds, and a couple bass over 10 pounds , so spinning gear is more than enough to catch a big bass( even in the weedy bodies of waters I fish in).In the ocean I use spinning tackle to catch sharks that weigh several hundreds of pounds on size 8000 or bigger spinning reels. I do use Penn Senators and other saltwater bait casters when fishing deep water for groupers, big snappers, and reef/wreck fish.

Welcome to the forum

I say go for it Mike and make a trip down here to catch a couple peacock bass. They are beautiful fish that fight much harder than a largemouth bass of equal size. I was fishing in the Florida panhandle and I plan on going back there soon. Fishing was very good this past Saturday, ended up catching another mixed bag of peacock bass and largemouth bass for a total of 11 bass. Biggest 2 where a thick 21'' largemouth bass and a 19'' peacock bass. Looking towards to the winter.

Sounds like you need to make a road trip to South Florida to catch some peacock bass. Its only a couple of hours away and you will still be in Florida. Earlier this year I made a road trip with my better half to Northern Florida for some bass fishing. We did quite well and we will be going again to Northern Florida for more bass fishing soon.

I recently purchased a Frabill collapsible net while on vacation and it has served its purpose very well. It fits in my luggage or the back of my car and has helped me land several big bass with ease.

Uni knot for hooks and lures uni to uni knot for leaders

Last year I caught a 26.5'' by +17'' girth bass that was under 10 pounds according to my scale. Most people would call that bass a +10 pounder, even a +12 pounder, but I prefer to stick to what my scale says. Have caught several double digit bass, so I knew the scale was right on this particular bass. Not enough girth for its length. Nice smallmouth bass. A couple weeks ago on vacation I fished while it was snowing and caught a couple smallmouth bass. It was cold and windy that whole day, but it was nowhere near the worst weather I have fished in. Have fished several times in +6-8 foot seas in small 20-22 foot boats...now that is some ruff fishing weather. Luckily for me my friend is a master boat captain since most people would of capsized a boat in those types of conditions.

You are welcome @N Florida Mike. Been fishing for peacock bass for over 20 years now, so let me know if you need any help with this species. They fight much harder than a largemouth bass of equal size and they can be caught on a wide variety of techniques. Poppers, prop baits, jerk baits, lipped and lipless crank baits are good lure choices for peacock bass.

My report is from South Florida, which is somewhat far from you, but still in the same state. I caught 17 bass this morning, 4 where largemouth bass and the other 13 where peacock bass. Have done good this whole month and the fishing will only get better as winter approaches.

Thank you for posting this. #6 is one many in South Florida do not follow since many boaters down here feel like they own the water and don't respect land based fishermen. I tend to outfish these boaters that drive fast where I fish, so in the end I am winning. I agree with you 100%. A person who holds another mans fish and claims it as his own to others is not a honorable fisherman.

Fished this morning for 2 hours and caught 17 bass, 4 where largemouth bass and 13 where peacock bass.

Welcome to the forum

I often fish Thanksgiving morning as well and enjoy it since there is less people on the water.

The winters of Michigan and other northern states are less than ideal to say the least, but you guys do have good muskie and smallmouth bass fishing which makes it more bearable. As for dealing with the summer heat, its easy, all you have to do is stay hydrated, dress light, seek shade when you feel hot, and fish low light periods such as dawn, dusk, cloudy days, at night,etc. I found that is far easier to deal with the high heat than the bitter cold, but that is me and everyone is different. The heat can't be too bad down here in South Florida since I always see license plates from New York, New Jersey, The Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and California when driving in South Florida.

Well said @Hyrule Bass. I know many fishermen who frown upon Ugly sticks yet not many of them have +10 pound bass PB's. I do know of several bass fishermen who have +10 pound bass PB's who enjoy using these rods, including a man in Georgia who caught over 1000 double digit bass in his lifetime on Ugly Stick/ Ambassador bait caster combos.You said it best when you said ''sensitivity is all in your own hands'', this true since no rod in this world( no matter how expensive it is or what ''pro'' advertises it) can replace the experience a highly skilled angler has.

Looks like a new artificial reef for the bass to hide in

Fished a location close to Lox recently and caught lots of quality sized bass with a few big ones. Fishing will only get better the next couple months.

This month alone I met 2 fishermen that recently moved to South Florida from Michigan and Illinois. They both mentioned to me how they went on vacation for years in Florida before moving down here and how much they hated the bitter cold winters of the north. Have spoken with many other snow birds that moved down here and they all share the same feeling. Our summers can be very hot and humid, but that is far better than the bitter cold winters of the north. At least we have green grass year round and we don't have to spray paint the grass green like they do in areas with severe droughts.

Welcome to the forum

Sounds like my type of fishing, since the reward can be a trophy bass.

The weather in South Florida is very good now. High 70's to mid 80's and the bass fishing is on fire.

You would think you died and went to Heaven if you fished the glades when the conditions are just right....I have caught up to 4-8 bass a minute and +100 bass in less than 6 hours while fishing in the glades from land. Heard of reports of people catching +200 bass in a single day in a boat. These bass will hit almost anything, including a bare hook worked quickly. Yes, South Florida is a fisherman's paradise and the best place in the U.S.A for a multi species fisherman.