soflabasser

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Throughout the years I have fished with some very talented fishermen that have no need of hiring a guide. They have an amazing ability to catch fish in places most people complain is not good. I learned a lot of them which has helped me become good enough that I also have no need to hire a guide for bass fishing. With that said there are some very fishy people that I would never fish with even if they paid me.

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You still have to put in your time wisely if your goal is to catch 8 pound and bigger bass. Use proven big bass techniques. Put your time on the water. Learn from each fishing trip. I have been very fortunate in bass fishing and have caught several bass over 8 pounds, they are not as hard to catch as some people make them to be if you work towards your goal. I catch these bass in South Florida from land in public waters which is nowhere as good for big bass as Central and Northern Florida. My cousin is in High School and he has caught more 8 pound and bigger largemouth bass than most men that have fished for +40 years. I taught him what I am teaching you in this thread and it seems to be working well for him. He lives in Central Florida which is a fishing paradise for largemouth bass fishing and I won't be surprised if he catches a 13 pound or bigger bass in the next couple of years.

@TitanBeats Canada has amazing muskie and northern pike fishing which makes up for its less than ideal largemouth bass fishing. Every place has advantages and disadvantages when it comes to fishing. With that said I prefer multi species fishing over bass fishing so Florida is my favorite place to fish in all the places I traveled so far. I would like to visit Canada since it has awesome fishing for northern species of fish.

Nice catch @Dwight Hottle. That is a beautiful Northern pike with silver blue coloration. From what I researched silver pike are northern pike that have a unique genetic mutation that allows them to have a silver blue color. Some people feel that silver pike deserve to be named as a different species since there are some anatomical differences between a silver pike and Northern pike. There are reports of blue walleye caught in some parts of Canada, these are also normal walleye with a unique coloration. There was a type of walleye called blue walleye it has been extinct for several decades now. I am sure there are people still alive that have caught these blue walleyes.

This might be an old thread but it is interesting. There are documented cases were people have caught chain pickerel with blue coloration around the mouth and fins. Northern pike are also known to sometimes have a rare coloration that makes them appear blue or silver. These northern pike are known as ''blue pike'' or ''silver pike''.

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I read all the responses on this thread and it reminds me how fortunate I am living in Florida. The places I fish has a very healthy population of 4-8 pound bass and there is always a good chance at catching a 8 pound or better bass. I catch these bass from land in public waters so you can do very well from land in Florida if you know what you are doing.

The states around the Great Lakes has the best river fishing for smallmouth bass.

Fish with lures you are most comfortable with and then use other lures if needed.

I found muskie and most northern freshwater fish to be much easier to catch than many of the fish I often catch in Florida. If a person wants a real challenge they can try catching a tarpon, permit, or +8 pound largemouth bass from public waters from land without a guide. With that said muskies are fun to catch so I can see why many people enjoy fishing for them.

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Lol! Guess I am very fortunate since I was able to catch several muskies while on vacation.

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Sharp hooks are much more important than having an exaggerated hookset.

Hard to only pick 1 when so many topwaters are productive lures for me.

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One of my favorite lures for bass fishing in Florida is a Live Target hollow belly frog. It works great around heavy aquatic vegetation were big bass like be in.

Sounds like the people that trashed the rooms are scumbags that only care about themselves. These type of people are very common these days. Best piece of advice I can give you is enforce the rules and hope that they learn.

In life hard work pays off. If you want to catch a 8 pound or better bass you have to work for it. Orlando and surrounding areas is one of the best places in Florida to catch big bass but you still have to put in the time on the water. You can always hire a fishing guide if this sounds too hard for you. With that said use techniques proven for big bass, put your time on the water, and learn from each fishing trip.

Bucktails are one of the best lures you can use for shore fishing in the ocean.

Orlando and surrounding areas has amazing bank fishing. You still have to put in the work if you want to do well in bass fishing, just like anything else in life. With the said Central and Northern Florida is the best place in Florida to catch a 8 pound or bigger bass so you should be able to catch lots of big bass.

Lake Apopka is well known for giant bass catches in the past. There are stories of bass bigger than the State Record caught here and other lakes in Central/Northern Florida but the fishermen that catch these fish do not care for submitting records. It is understandable since they most likely enjoy catching big bass in a relaxing place away from tournament fishing and other boaters.

In 2009 a 25.5 pound largemouth bass was caught in a net by a commercial fisherman in Japan. This bass is proof that there are bass bigger than the ones mentioned in this thread. It is possible that one day a person will catch a new World Record bass but until then George Perry and Manabu Kurita hold the official World Record for the heaviest largemouth bass caught.