soflabasser

I use the uni to uni knot for attaching a monofilament leader to braid line.

I have several landing nets since it is one of the best investments a fisherman can make along with fish grippers.

I got Ugly Stiks that are +20 years old and they still catch me very nice fish. I have changed some of the guides which is expected from any rod that is fished often for over a decade. The blanks and everything else is in excellent condition.

I enjoy fishing in rural areas but would not enjoy living in these places. That is why I live in a big city where everything needed is a short drive away. I live less than 30 minutes from the Everglades, less than 45 minutes from the Ocean, less than 1.5 hours from the Keys, and I am surrounded by waters with very good fishing.

Welcome to the forum

Seems like this has been a much colder than normal Winter for many places and not so much for others. Good news is that Spring will be here soon.

^This^ I could care less for drone footage, B roll footage, what a YouTuber eats, or what company sponsors a Youtuber. I just want to see lots of fish caught with minimal talking. I agree with the OP and I am sure many here do as well. Smoking and drinking are not kid friendly to say the least.

I am more of a multi species fisherman than a bass fisherman. Have caught bass over 10 pounds, from land, in public waters without a guide. They don't fight much compared to a saltwater gamefish but the +8 pounders can be challenging fish to catch if you fish from land in public waters. With that said I find it boring to just fish for one species of fish just like others do not like multi species fishing. I much rather catch a new species for my Fishing Lifelist than another 10 pound bass. Nice smalllmouth bass you have caught.

Any smallmouth bass over 5 pounds is trophy at least that is what many Master Angler Programs say. Most would agree that any smallmouth bass over 6 pounds is a trophy similar to how most agree a largemouth bass 10 pounds or bigger is a trophy bass. With that said I much rather catch a new species of fish for my photo albums than another 10 pound bass.

I am fortunate to have been raised by my parents and grandparents so I can see how the newest generation is not raised as well. Yes there are many who do an excellent job at raising their children but that is not the case for many I see. When I was kid it was rare to see another kid say curse words now it is extremely common. The music they listen in the buses has gotten much worse compared to just 20-40 years ago. I am not going to name any of those ''musicians'' since their music is pure garbage and I am sure you can look it up if you want to. It seems parents these days let the internet raise their children more than they should. With that said the apple does not fall far from the tree so you can only expect so much from a parent if they themselves do not know how to show a good example.

Invest in a good fish gripper. It will make removing treble lures from fish much easier.

Good report thank you for posting it.

Well said! Lots of parents do not want to admit they are not raising their kids nowhere as good as they did over 50 years ago. These people will do all sorts of mental gymnastics to avoid the truth. Back then the family bond was much stronger than now that is a fact.

I have lost several expensive lures since I fish these lures in places many people are afraid to fish. These are places with heavy aquatic vegetation, rocky areas, and other places. It has paid off since I have caught bass over 10 pounds and many over 8 pounds. Many bass fishermen hire fishing guides to catch bass like the ones I mentioned so it is worth losing a lure every once in a while. Well said! The memory of catching a big bass is far more valuable to me than the price of a lure.

No need to be afraid of losing a lure either since you can always buy a new one. I catch lots of nice fish in places most people are afraid to cast in so it pays off to fish in these areas.

If you fish long enough you will eventually get hooked with treble hooks. It happens to the best of us so there is no reason to fear treble hooks. Make sure to learn how to remove a hook and teach someone you trust if case you need help removing the hook. Also invest in a good fish gripper since it will make removing lures with treble hooks much easier.

Winter is almost over so the weather is going to get warmer in the next couple of weeks. The Smoky Mountains is a beautiful place with good fishing.

This is a good Winter time subject. Some like to back reel, others don't. Do whatever you feel is best for you. Just don't try back reeling a fish that can truly give a hard fight like a big shark since you will learn why they call some reels ''knuckle busters''.

The flowers are always blooming in Florida and the trees are always green. That is why Ponce De Leon named Florida ''La Florida'' since the land is covered with flowers.

What part of Tennessee are you from? This Winter I have seen the most Tennessee license plates in all the Winters I have fished. You would think the weather must be bad in many parts of Tennessee for so many of them to make the +10 hour drive to be in South Florida this Winter. I read that many parts of Tennessee had one of the worst Winters in many years so you must live somewhere it did not snow as much.

It seems this Winter has been much colder compared to the Winters in the last 10 years at least in Florida and many other places in the country. It even snowed heavily in many parts of Texas which is impressive since those parts of Texas are known for +100 degree temperatures in the Summer.

It is hard to avoid catching bass since they are very aggressive fish that will hit almost any lure you use. For example there are times I am fishing for peacock bass and catch largemouth bass as bycatch. In Northern waters I caught largemouth bass as bycatch while fishing for smallmouth bass and other species of fish.

One way you can tell a YouTuber's lure recommendations might not be completely honest is if you see the words ''Includes Paid Promotion'' on the lower left part of the video. Youtube did a great thing to force these sponsored Youtubers to admit they are getting paid to endorse the fishing tackle they recommend. These Youtuber's videos feels like I am watching a fishing lure commercial which is not what I am looking for in a YouTube fishing video. I much rather see someone that does not talk much in their videos but shows lots of fish caught. Well said! Your grandson catches much bigger bass than many Youtubers I see. You taught him well.

Good subject. I have dived in waters with sharks, crocodiles, alligators, and other dangerous animals and I would not recommend kayaking in places with alligators, especially during alligator mating season.

A lot of Youtubers are fake people once you get to know them in person so it is best to not take the way they act in their videos seriously. The worst ones are the sponsored Youtubers whose videos look more like a fishing lure commercial than a real fishing video.