soflabasser

What is your definition of a big game fishing rod and what's the maximum size fish you plan on fishing for?

Congratulations on catching your first bass.

Nice catches!

I have had success catching fish in the conditions you mentioned with bait caster setups ,but prefer using spinning gear setups.

You are going to get a lot of different answers since reel/rod selection is mostly personal preference. Both spinning and casting setups will get the job done so choose which one you like best.With that said, I am pretty good at fishing with bait casting gear (I can cast a Penn Senator 4/0 which is much harder to cast than a bass baitcaster) but I mostly use spinning gear for most of my bank fishing.

One of the most exciting things I have done in my life is jumping off a plane(skydiving).

Make sure to carry as light as possible so you can have space for water bottles and meal replacement bars,sandwiches, etc.

The Senko is a good lure to use when fishing a highly pressured body of water.You can also fish with lures that people rarely use(think outside the box).

Yes it is quite fun to catch a big saltwater fish on a topwater,especially saltwater fish that make long drag peeling runs with several acrobatic jumps.

Nice catches.

Nice bluegills.

Lol

Lots of good responses . Our South Florida waters are a bass fisherman's paradise and pretty much any body of freshwater holds decent bass.Most of the public parks down here offer good bass fishing from the bank ,so it would be a good idea to fish these parks.

Any bass guide that I would hire would know in advance my expectations of the trip and based on his responses I will hire him for a trip or not.I understand that most guides can't guarantee a trophy bass,but small bass are very easy to catch(at least down here),especially on a boat with a decent fish finder. All guides offer different packages,so it's up to you to research which guide you like best(and yes there are plenty of guides that guarantee you will catch bass).

I add a soft plastic trailer to a spinnerbait when I am targeting quality sized or bigger bass. I do not use trailer hooks since I have a good hookup rate with the spinnerbait hook.

I have only hired 1 bass fishing guide to date and he was extremely knowledgeable when it comes to bass fishing.He was a young man going through college who was more professional as a guide than most who have been guiding for years.This bass fishing guide taught me that a truly good guide can offer a 100% money back guarantee because he knows he can deliver results to his client when others fall short of results.No point in wasting hard earned money in a guide who can't guarantee anything when there are so many guides who can and do deliver results for their clients,especially for a easy to catch game fish such as bass(which anyone can catch). This is so true.Some of the best guides are not very well known since they are new to the business, or they barely do guiding. The best guides are the ones that are polite,knowledgeable, and have the ability to consistently put their clients on good fish.

It was a nice day today and the weekend is looking good.

Find the baitfish and the bass will be close. Look for areas where there is a transition of murky/clear water. Use loud colored lures that create commotion, such as buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, etc.

I agree with you 100%.Every single species of fish can present a challenge to a fisherman.Most people would say that bluegill fishing is too easy , yet not many +2 pound bluegill are caught.Muskie are known as "The Fish Of 10,000 Cast " and there are hard core bass fisherman up north who haven't caught a Muskie,let alone a +40" Muskie.In Saltwater fishing the Snook can be one of the easiest inshore fish to catch, or one of the hardest since they can be very finicky.Being a multi species fisherman has greatly helped me in bass fishing and the tactics I learned in bass fishing has made me a better fisherman when targeting other species of fish.

I am very fond of bass fishing, but I spend most of my fishing time targeting other species of fish.I have a open mind as a fisherman,and feel that every type of fishing has something to offer for everyone.

Make sure to choose a guide that gives you a 100% money back guarantee that you are going to catch bass.No point paying a guide hundreds of dollars if he can't put you on a couple bass.

Well said!I am very grateful for all the men and women that have served in the Military to protect our country.Our country is truly blessed to say the least.

I will let you know how it works as soon as I get the impulse mayfly lure. Do they sell them in BPS or Walmart?I do a lot of light tackle fishing for fun with small spinning reels,so I am use to dealing with fishing with light line and small baits. A decent sized bass fights very well once you target them with light gear compared to the overkill tackle most bass fishermen use.

Interesting technique,I might give it a try when I am targeting bluegill.I have had success using small crappie jigs,beetle spins, and bread balls for bluegill fishing.

Congratulations on a successful season of bass fishing.