soflabasser

Some people are very greedy and do not care about giving people space. If they see you catching fish they will walk up next to you and fish next to you. These people can only do good by following the bent rod pattern. Best thing you can do is walk away and fish somewhere else.

One thing I have learn while fishing is googans will always be googans. Googans do not care if you are the only person fishing for several hundred yards, they will walk up and fish next to you since they are desperate to catch a fish. Googans also don't care how much mercury a fish has, how rare a 8 pound bass is and why it is best to let the bass go so someone else can catch it. Best thing you can do when encountering a googan is walk away from them and go to another spot you do well.

I like to fish with clear monofilament line and for braid I like using green braid.

Any time you get to go bass fishing is a good time to fish for bass. Focus more on finding where the bass are located in a body of water and what lures work best in the place you are fishing.

A peacock bass will hit almost any lure when they are in feeding mode. In fact I have caught many peacock bass on a bare hook when they are in a feeding frenzy so they are easy fish to catch. Peacock bass 6 pounds and up are not as easy to catch and a peacock bass that size will destroy the little jigs those overpriced hellgramittes are fished on. A good jerkbait is a much better lure if your goal is to catch peacock bass. You will also save more money in the long run with a jerk bait since they are much more durable than soft plastics. The Bass Pro Shops Hellgrammite is a very good lure for river smallmouth bass.

I have caught both smallmouth bass and largemouth bass in the same spot in a river so both species live close to each other. Smallmouth bass do seem to prefer rocky places with running water compared to largemouth bass. With that said I prefer catching peacock bass since they are pound for pound stronger and more beautiful than any black bass species.

Some places I can park the car and fish next to the car other places I have to walk miles to fish.

I have seen more people fishing this past year than any of the +20 years I have fished so far. A lot of those fisherman are rude and greedy. For example this past weekend I was fishing and had a group of people come up to me and fish next to me. I was the only person in that part of the canal for several hundred yards and they had to fish next to me. I calmly walked away and watched them for several minutes. None of them caught any fish while I was catching many fish. Goes to show you that you can fish in the right spot, copy someone, and it still won't guarantee you success.

Grabbing the line to land bass is ok for small to medium sized bass. Any bass over 7 pounds I either lip or use a landing net.

I jig fish with spinning reels and catch lots of fish that way. Others like bait casting reels for jig fishing. If you catching lots of fish on jigs you are doing it right so fish whichever way is productive for you.

I have expensive fishing gear since it is nice to fish but I do very well on cheap to moderately priced fishing gear. People put too much effort in purchasing expensive fishing gear and not enough effort into improving their bass fishing skills. Having fun should be the # 1 priority in fishing, followed by working on improving ones fishing skill. Beginners need to understand this and not worry so much about buying expensive gear and that buying expensive gear is not needed to have a good time bass fishing.

For years my favorite jerk bait combo was a 6 foot spinning rod with Shimano spinning reel. I caught hundreds of fish this way including many big fish. Goes to show you there are many ways you can be successful in bass fishing and you do not always have to follow the crowd.

How much are you willing to invest? Shimano and Penn make excellent spinning reels and you can easily find one over $300 if that is what you want. Lots of people like the Shimano Stella, Sustain, etc. I prefer a Shimano Stradic since it is a very nice reel and doesn't cost too much considering how good it is.

Reminds me of poison ivy. It is one of the few plants I dislike.

My favorite reel brands are Shimano and Penn. Both of these companies make excellent fishing reels.

I have noticed the same thing when I drive in rural areas. Have also seen some beautiful well kept houses in rural areas as well.

For over a decade my favorite bass combo was an Ugly Stik with a Shimano Spirex spinning reel. Many would look down on this combo but I caught hundreds of big bass on this combo. Lots of people like to brag about how much their fishing gear cost but all that bragging is just cheap talk since results is what matters most. The truth is a skilled bass fisherman will consistently catch more bass on cheap fishing tackle than someone that does not know how to bass fish well even if they own expensive fishing gear.

It is best to master a handful of techniques than several techniques without knowing them well.

Bass are much more aggressive than tilapia and bass grow larger than tilapia. This is what I learned from observing these fish in the wild and catching them. Observing pet fish in an aquarium is not the best way to learn about how fish behave in the wild.

Spend whatever amount you feel is best for your new fishing rod. Just remember that the fish do not care how much your tackle is worth they care how you present the lure.

Thank you for the recommendation. Is it more abrasion resistant than Berkley Big Game mono? From what I researched it is one of the best fluorocarbon lines.

I use monofilament leaders when needed since monofilament line has much better abrasion resistance.

I have caught a bunch of smallmouth bass on ned rigs while using straight braid.

Alligators are one of my favorite animals so I enjoy seeing them when I am fishing. I have dived in waters with American crocodiles and alligators. They are much more calm than the saltwater crocodiles in Australia.

I have seen bass and tilapia spawn at the same time in South Florida.