soflabasser

Another vote for the spinnerbait as a good search bait.Will add the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap to the list of good search baits.

Lots of good responses.What has helped me the most is being extremely determined and persistent in improving my ability to find big bass and catch them on a consistent basis.I have caught double digit bass from land in local parks,which is extremely difficult to do since these bass get hit hard by hundreds of fishermen every year.I am one of those who has absolutely no interest in professional bass fishing and see bass fishing as a fun hobby.When bass fishing stops being fun is when I will stop, but I doubt it since I truly enjoy catching these fish!

Yes I have caught several bass with another lure still attached to it.My favorite instance was when I caught a decent(+20") bass with one of my topwaters still hanging from its mouth(lost this bass a couple days ago before I finally caught it).I removed both topwaters from its mouth and the bass swam off strong when I released it.

Congratulations,that is a big bass no matter where it was caught.Yes I get that feeling you mentioned often when I land a +8lb bass,or catch a large saltwater gamefish.I also get what's called "runners high" when doing long distance runs, powerlifting,or other sports that I do.It must be the inner athlete in all of us that make us push ourselves so hard to beat our past accomplishments!

Time on the water is very important ,but it is not what truly separates a highly successful fisherman from a average fishermen. The attributes that help the most is being a highly persistent and determined fisherman that never stops to improve their ability to catch bass.

Bass don't have eyelids so I would assume they wouldn't enjoy being in direct sunlight in shallow water,even less in the summertime.Yes bluegill and other exotic fish spawn often in South Florida, that's one of the many reasons why our native Florida strain largemouth bass are so abundant in our freshwater bodies of water.

Congratulations!Catching big totals like that is one of my favorite aspects of bass fishing.

Yes,bass seek aquatic vegetation because of oxygen content, it shields their eyes from the sunlight,and it's where baitfish are often located. We got buegill and exotic fish spawning right now in many parts of South Florida.

Bass are cold blooded animals,so their metabolism increases as the water temperature increases.They have to eat to stay alive,so they will bite a well presented lure, either in the daytime or during periods of low light (sunset,nighttime,sunrise,cloudy/rainy days).

Ohio is very different from Florida, but I would assume that the bass and catfish can coexist if there is enough food for them to eat.Also there can only be so many predator species per acre of water,too many predators in small pond is not good.

It's a small lake,but it's deep with certain spots over 30 feet in depth .The lake has a healthy population of bluegills of all sizes and other exotic fish that the largemouth bass and channel catfish eat.Yes the bluegills and spotted tilapias are constantly spawning in this lake,so the predator fish have more than enough food to grow fat and happy.

One of my favorite small bodies of water has +10 pound bass and +20 pound channel catfish in it,so they can definitely coexist together if there is enough food for them to eat.

The water level is high, but the bass fishing has been excellent in South Florida this whole summer.

Congratulations!Hard to tell how much a bass weighs in a picture, but I would say the bass is in the 5 pound range.

This way of fishing is extremely effective for picky channel catfish,which is what most big channel catfish are in South Florida.Flathead catfish is on my bucketlist of fish to catch and I plan on making a trip up North to catch these fish.

Everyone had their own methods of fishing that work for them.For me less is more.So far it has worked well for me and I have caught hundreds of bass over 5lbs,with several in the +10lbs category (all from the shore).BRB going fishing now and I am only going to take 1 rod/reel combo with me and a Plano box of lures.

Try microfishing

The best lure is the lure you have the most confidence in.

I have caught a lot of strange fish while fishing in South Florida.One of those is the bigmouth sleeper.

Its not very efficient to carry excessive tackle when fishing from the bank. I have over 15 rod/reel combos and hundreds of dollars worth of lures,but prefer to fish with as little equipment possible when fishing for long periods of time from the bank.The less equipment you take with you while bank fishing the better it will be,especially if you plan on fishing for +6 hours in the summer (which I often do).Fishing on a boat is much easier to carry more equipment , so you can take +10 rod/reel combos, ,lay it next to your chair, ,and sit on your behind for hours while fishing.I don't tie knots the day before fishing and tie all my knots minutes before I start fishing(no matter how many rods I am fishing with).

Well let the little baby bait monkey cry himself to sleep,since you only really need 1 rod/reel combo and a Plano tackle box filled with proven lures to have a great fishing trip.Its a highly efficient way to fish,especially if you are fishing for hours in +90 degree heat.

All you really need for a good bass fishing trip is 1 rod/reel combo and a plano box filled with lures.

I have lures that I haven't used since I buy them for my fishing lure collection.

Then why is it that every article I read says the Delta Smelt is a Endangered species of fish?I have fished California before,it is a unique place that I plan on going again,but something needs to be done to protect the native wildlife.

From what I have read the Delta Smelt are a endangered species that are being eaten by bass.Lets see what happens.