soflabasser

I have seem bass spawn sometime between November-April in the places I fish in South Florida.I haven't seen any nest this December ,but I am catching typical pre spawn females for the past 2 weeks.

Small bodies of water often have big fish so it's possible there might be some big bass or pike there.The people taking out the biggest fish are not helping that's for sure,but they are entitled to keep their catches as long as they have fishing licenses and are following fishing regulations. Just saw a couple videos of people catching big muskie while ice fishing with small ice fishing rods,looks fun.

Welcome to Bass Resource.

Maybe he caught one after you left.Its surprising how big of a fish can come out of a hole in the ice,especially since these holes look small in relation to the size of the fish.

I have seen videos of people catching big muskie,pike,lake trout, sturgeon and other big fish while ice fishing. Definitely a type of fishing I plan on doing in one of my next vacations.

Haven't tried this weighted hook either. Hopefully someone with extensive experience with dangle berry rigs chimes in.

I agree with the 2 members above. I don't see the advantage of this type of weighted hook over a traditional swimbait hook.There are swimbait hooks that are weighted as light as 1/8 ounce ,which are good for flukes, horny toads, small swimbaits, etc.

If I lived up North I would do ice fishing. Seems like a unique way to fish and you can definitely catch decent sized fish this way.

I agree with you,too many times people hold bass out of water way to long to take an excessive amount of pictures.No surprise that many of these bass die this way (either right after the release or short time after).Its best to take pictures quickly and release the bass ASAP.

Sounds a lot like the public parks I fish. Most people complain that the fishing isn't good,yet somehow I catch lots of quality to big sized bass in these parks.

Nice, how's the hiking in that area,do you have to hike up a hill or mountainside? South Florida is mostly flat so most of the hiking I do is in areas where there is no real road with trees growing everywhere in the path.

Where's the boonies?You mean places that are in the middle of nowhere?Those places can be quite good,especially when the bite is on.

Sounds like a good idea.

Haven't fished the jointed shad rap yet, but the regular jointed minnow is another of my favorite Rapalas. That guy must of been so salty after you out fished him! Lol

I honestly haven't fished much with chatterbaits, but my cousin in Lakeland does quite well with them so they are definitely a good lure to use in South Florida. I got Rapalas that are so beat up that they look like they got dragged behind a car, still fish these old Rapalas on special occasions. It's hard to only pick one type of Rapala as my favorite since they work so well, but the Rapala X-Rap is definitely in my top 5. They also work quite well for Saltwater fish down here,so it's a very good multi species lure to have.

^this^ Out of all the big bass I have caught the one that I am most proud of is a +10 pounder I caught from the shore in a extremely pressured body of water.This place gets hit hard by hundreds(if not thousands) of fishermen every year,so the big bass have learned to avoid most fishermen.This is a place where most think there's no big bass, so never underestimate the potential size of bass in public waters. Those who are willing to go the extra mile are usually the ones who are most consistent in bass fishing. I also go bass fishing to relax and not socialize with random fishermen on the water.The times I am fishing with someone else is most likely with my better half,family, and close friends.

Buzzbaits are awesome nightime lures to use,especially near aquatic vegetation, or anywhere bass are in relatively shallow water. I am very fond of Rapalas and have a big collection of them like you do as well.Most of them are missing paint (from all the fish that bit them),but I do have a couple Rapalas in unopened packages.

For spinnerbaits and buzzbaits I like using Booyah,Strike King and for jerkbaits I like using Rapala.

Thanks @Yeajray231. The lure recommendations you gave are good,I would add spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and buzzbaits to the list.

You are allowed to fish with bluegills that you catch on hook and line ( it's in the FWC guidelines).If you don't like using livebait you can use bluegill imitating swimbaits or other lures with similar color patterns.

Send me a PM at least 1 week in advance and if I am able to fish I will join you.

The weather seems to have been stable since the last coldfront we got,so I decided to fish for bass this weekend with my better half. Glad I went(and not saltwater fishing which I was planning to do) since I caught a 8.15 pound bass from the bank,which makes it the 5th biggest bass I caught in 2016.I think I need to take my better half fishing with me more often,since I seem to catch some memorable fish when she joins me

Thanks for recommending the Bomber 5A for smallmouth bass,might get a couple of these lures for the next time I go up North.

Hawaii seems to be the only place in the world where a person can catch a largemouth bass,peacock bass,and smallmouth bass in the same day.You are very fortunate to have such a unique fishery.I have caught a largemouth bass,peacock bass,and sunshine bass in the same day,but no smallmouth bass since it's too hot in South Florida for smallmouth bass.

Nice looking frog.