soflabasser

Don't miss the forest for the trees.Enjoy bass fishing and understand that everyone has slow days in fishing. Relax and enjoy the outdoors.

You are welcome. I see you caught the bass on one of the lures I recommended you earlier(spinnerbait).The particular size you used to catch your first bass is a very good size for big bass,so don't be surprised if you catch a big bass on it soon.

Yes it felt extremely good to catch a 10.3 pound bass in a highly pressured public park and felt even better watching her swim away strong after I released her.Let me know when you come down to South Florida and I will show you some pictures of this bass and other big bass I have caught from land in South Florida.

Congratulations on catching your first bass!

Lots of good responses.I have caught plenty of quality sized black crappies on small jigs or Missouri minnows under a bobber.

I honestly haven't mounted a bass yet,but see nothing wrong with someone mounting a +6 pound bass from Louisiana,Texas,Florida, or even California if the catch means alot to the person who caught it.For me my 3rd biggest bass is the one I definitely plan on getting mounted soon,since it was the biggest bass to date that I caught from a public park from land where the fishing pressure is extremely high(caught her on a artifical lure).She is probably still swimming in that lake and releasing her was one of my proudest moments in all the years I have been bass fishing.

I love it when it rains heavily for a couple days in South Florida,the bass start moving around to some predictable areas and that's where I will be fishing for them.Another plus of heavy rain days is that it keeps most people away from the water and I can fish in peace.

September is known as a month of heavy rains,so it's best to plan ahead for it.I have had success catching gar with topwater poppers and jerkbaits.You can try live bait or even cut bait for gar as well.We do have yellow perch in Florida(there are reports of them being caught in Chipola river and dead lakes area), but they are small and don't fight much compared to our native fish and exotics such as the peacock bass.

Thank you for posting your homemade spinnerbaits.

There are many premade molds you can buy online and you can make your own molds to make soft plastics the exact shape and size you want.

Make sure to set the hook when the bass takes the frog under water.You don't have to set the hook like a Samurai, a firm hookset should suffice.Have caught several +8 pound bass and haven't had a single big bass break me off with 30lb powerpro while frogfishing,so make sure your knots are good and your drag isn't too tight.

Lots of good answers here.The truth is that you can have a decent frog rod for under $60 and one for +$400.Its based on you how much you want to spend on a frog rod and what makes you happy. As for me,my #1 frog rod is under $60 and I have caught plenty of +8 pound bass on it.

Make sure to always check your line for abrasion and retie knots often.

My better half is a Engineer. She loves her profession and she worked very hard to be where she is in life now.Nothing worth having in life is easy, so do the best of your ability to reach your goals in life.

Lol

Looks more like a roach than a rodent.

Congratulations on catching a +6 pound bass in your first year of bass fishing.It took me years before I was catching bass the size you caught your first year.You should get a replica of this bass if the memory means a lot to you.

Another fish that people consider a "junk fish " but fights well is the Bonita.Bonita fight much harder pound for pound than jack cravelle and are always willing biters when other fish aren't as willing to bite.They are extremely fun to catch on light tackle using lures.

Sounds like you had a good time doing some light tackle fishing in saltwater. Those bonita are pound for pound one of the strongest fish that swim in Florida and are always eager biters.Did you catch peacock bass during your trip in South Florida?

I have caught big bluegills on bread.

Thank you for sharing this story.I can only imagine the amount of happiness that man has catching a +16 pound bass from land.

Nice,I wouldn't mine catching a bunch of channel catfish that size.They are highly underated fish and fight much better than a bass of equal size.

I agree with the above members that fishing slow is a good idea this time of year.I caught a bass that was less than a ounce away from being a ten pounder a couple months ago bank fishing at night, so it's definitely a good time to bass fish in Florida during the summer.Make sure to watch out for alligators and other critters that come out at nighttime.

You are welcome. How much do you think it weighed?

Lol!Private waters sure do give up some big bass that's for sure.Bill has caught +14 pound bass from his private ponds,so he's definitely feeding them well.