soflabasser

Most of my bass fishing reels are spinning reels in sizes 1000-4000, with size 4000 being my favorite spinning reel to use.A size 4000 spinning reel allows me to comfortably fish lures that are usually fished with baitcasters(spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, crankbaits, swimbaits,etc) and allows me to cast further than using a size 1000-2000 spinning reel.I use these size 4000 spinning reels for saltwater fishing as well,so reels of this size are great for a multi species fisherman.

Congratulations to the young man that caught that huge catfish! I have several old books that say blue catfish over 200 pounds use to be caught in the 1800's and sold in fish markets, so I do believe its possible there might be some blue catfish over 200 pounds at this moment in time.Divers commonly report seeing catfish bigger than the current world record, so I wont be surprised if someone catches one of these giant blue catfish in the near future.

What type of tomatoes are you currently growing in your garden?I like growing the Roma tomatoes and use them for making sauces.

Same here, but most South Florida residents are like Iguanas and they dont like anything colder than 60-65 degrees.

Haven't had a single uni to uni knot break on me,even on sharks that weigh several hundred pounds.

I mostly use 30 pound test braid for frog fishing/flipping/etc and have caught several +8 pound bass fishing this way.Also use 30 pound test braid for inshore saltwater fishing for fish much stronger than any bass.

Nice Muskie fishing video thank for you posting it.I caught my first Muskie(couple months ago on vacation) on a Ugly Stik and I can tell you from experience that these rods handle Muskies quite well.

You northern guys would get a good laugh at some of the people in South Florida that dress in layers whenever the temperate drops below 65 degrees.

Find the baitfish and the bass will be close.

I have several rods that are +20 years old and still use many of them often.

I prefer to listen to the sounds of nature around me when I am fishing and rarely listen to music.

Well said. The most important thing in bass fishing is to have fun when you are fishing and second is catching lots of big bass. Both of these can be done with a Ugly Stik or any decent quality rod, which there are many that cost less than $80.

I have caught all my double digit bass and 100's of bass over 5 pounds on Ugly Stiks, so it is safe to say that I like using these rods. Also use Ugly Stiks for Saltwater fishing and I have caught many big sharks, tarpon, snook, permit, dolphin, grouper, other saltwater gamefish without any of these rods breaking. These rods are extremely resistant to abuse and can last several decades with less maintenance than most ''high quality'' rods.

gamakatsu trebles are the ones I usually use to replace worn out trebles on my lures.

You can catch a bass any way you want as long as you catch the bass in a way that is considered legal, whether it's bed fishing, live bait fishing, using electronics to locate bass,etc.

Some lakes in Cuba and Honduras are known for having giant bass.Wont be surprised one bit if another +20 pound bass comes out from one of these places.

Haven't used Gulp Swimming Mullet yet, but it looks like it will make a good trailer for a spinnerbait or jig.

I often use saltwater lures for bass and freshwater lures for saltwater fish.For example,I have caught bass on saltwater jigs and caught inshore snook on spinnerbaits.

Its also a good idea to store the pictures you take both in photo albums and in memory chips for backup in case the pictures get lost.I have done this and I have albums filled with pictures of big bass I have caught throughout the years. Good choice. I always carry a Rebel Pop-R when I bass fish,along with other topwaters.

Thats odd that there's less people bass fishing North Florida now than 30-40 years ago since there's more people living in that area of the state compared to 30-40 years ago.I did some further research and found that 7 documented bass over 13 pounds (documented by FWC so these catches are official) have been caught this year in Central/North Florida,with the biggest one being the 15 pounder caught from a kayak in North Florida(these bass where caught from January-February).It is very possible that more people have caught +13 pounders this year,but these people have not sent this information to the state at this moment.

Interesting subject.I would say that bass are more pressured now than ever in the past,but there are more opportunities for people to catch trophy bass,especially if you are willing to travel for fishing.This year alone there has been more than 5 bass over 13 pounds documented in Florida,including a 15 pounder caught from a kayak( all from Central/North Florida).Other states have been having better than average bass fishing with many state records being broken in the past couple years.

Find the baitfish and the bass will be close.

Slow rolling is a good technique to use when fishing a spinnerbait and I have caught lots of big bass using this technique.

Many people target bowfin since they are a fun fish to catch and they can present a challenge, especially bowfins over 10 pounds. I target bowfin every once in a while and have caught several over 10 pounds each. Some of the most productive bowfin lures for me have been spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, and jigs.

I agree with you 100%. The peacock bass fishing has been great this whole year in South Florida, so I highly recommend anyone who wants to catch peacock bass to come down here for these fish. Lots of +5 pounders have been caught this year, with a couple +7 pounders.The peacock bass fishing will only get better as the year progresses, and these fish can be easily found in most bodies of freshwater in South Florida.