soflabasser

Use small hooks if you are targeting small fish.

Lots of good information here.One of my favorite ways to catch catfish is to use fresh cutbait on a size 2/0 hook with no weight.Cast this bait in areas where the water gets deep close to the shore and wait for that big catfish to take the bait.

Time on the water and applying what you learned well is the best teacher any bass fisherman can have.

I have seen a lot of poor fishing etiquette throughout the years.Some of the worst offenders are the poorly skilled fishermen who will cast over where I am fishing since they saw me catch a fish.They usually don't catch anything decent while casting over me,yet I often cast again and catch another decent fish with ease.Another example of poor fishing etiquette I see too often is the desperate boaters who drive their boats less than 50 feet away where I am bank fishing since they saw me catch something(they always leave angry when they see me catch another fish while they can't catch anything to compare to my land based catches).None of these people come up to talk to me,they just rudely start fishing where I am fishing, but it doesn't surprise me anymore since some people are very desperate to catch a fish.

Both places I mentioned are public bodies of water that you are allowed to fish with a Florida freshwater license.Parking is easy to find in both places,just find where you are allowed to park and walk a short distance to the water.You should be able to have a good time catching largemouth bass and peacock bass(along with other exotic fish ) in these spots.

My favorite way to catch a bass is on a topwater lure.

Some are calling this natural disaster in Louisiana the "1,000 year rain" since some experts say there was a 0.1% chance of this occurring on any year.It rained over 24 inches in many locations,some locations had over 26 inches of rainfall.

Muskies are on my list of fish to catch and I will definitely make the trip up north to catch them. They remind me of our barracudas which are also a decent sized fish that give a good fight for its size.

It is a extremely rare day that I will cancel one of my bass fishing trips because of the weather. I have fished in +96 degree heat with + 80% humidity, sub 40 degree temperatures (very cold for South Florida),+30 mph winds, and pouring rain,with decent success.I do try to avoid fishing during thunderstorms and hurricane like conditions.

^ This! I won't go into detail but let's just say being a strong swimmer has saved my life on more than one occasion.Like someone else said,a life experience will change your outlook on things, and that is a lesson you learn in person, not on the Internet.

Nice Muskies.Don't worry about blurring the background of the pictures, many of us would do the same to protect small bodies of water that can get fished out easily.

Rebel Pop-R

Go back tomorrow 15-30 minutes before the sun comes up and wait for the sun to come out.Fish that whole area as quiet as possible. Wear natural colored clothes.Big bass like that are smart so you have to fish smart to get them.

You all want to know how hot it is in South Florida right now?It's hot enough that I found a completely melted Crayon on the floor today.Even with this heat I am still having success catching decent sized bass,so you can definitely catch bass in warm water.

That's why I mentioned that anyone that spends time on the water (boat,kayak,jetski,etc) needs to have a PFD and be a strong swimmer.We have lots of drowning deaths in our state and many of those deaths could of been prevented if the person knew how to swim well. Solely relying on the PFD and not knowing how to swim is not the solution since non swimmers tend to panic easily in deep water while most strong swimmers don't panic easily.Having confidence in the water is very valuable when one is forced to swim back to the boat (or kayak,jetski,etc) or swim back to the shore if needed.

Wearing a PFD is important as well as being a strong swimmer when spending time on the water.Everyone who spends time on the water needs to be a strong swimmer,there are no exceptions.Take some swimming classes if you don't know how to swim,it might save your life one day if you fall off your boat without a life vest on.

I have read reports of people catching +10 pounders here, so it's a place that's definitely worth a try.

These are some retrieves you can use with a Rapala jerkbait (Rapala X-Rap,Rapala Minnow,etc) from the shore; 1.Steady retrieve at slow pace 2.Steady retrieve at moderate pace 3.Steady retrieve at fast pace 4.Steady retrieve mixed in with occasional pauses 5.Typical jerkbait retrieve

Here's a list of lures I recommend a shore angler to have; Rebel Pop-R Live Target hollow body frog Spinnerbait Bill Lewis Rat-L Trap Rapala jerkbait Senko Zoom super fluke Zoom speed worm Zoom trick worm

I have a couple old Norman crankbaits in my lure collection.They are great lures that can outfish a lot of the new lures in today's market.

A Rebel Pop-R is a good lure to use from the shore.

Thank you,I truly enjoy bass fishing and do whatever is necessary to succeed in it.Its super hot during the day right now (+90 degrees with +80% humidity ) so fishing during low light periods is best(sunrise,cloudy/rainy days, sunset, nighttime).I always keep an eye out for snakes and alligators to be safe,and fish a couple feet away from the shore.

The amount of rods and tackle I bring with me depends on where I am going to fish, what I am going to target, and for how many hours I will be fishing.Most of the time I carry 2 rods,a backpack with 2 Plano boxes filled with lures, couple meal replacement bars,and a couple bottles of water.

One my favorite lakes to fish is Lake Okeechobee. Have caught plenty of big bass here and my favorite technique to use is topwater lures.

I strongly suggest you consider bass fishing at nighttime during this time of year.That's how I been mostly bass fishing this summer and I have caught many +5 pounders this way.