soflabasser

Welcome to the forum

That bass was probably in the 4.0-4.5 pound range which is a nice fish to catch anywhere in the country.

I have done well fishing with topwaters in the late afternoon after it rains.

Nice smallmouth bass.

It really depends on how the bass is built. I have caught 20 inch bass that barely weighed 3 pounds and other 20 inch bass that where over 5 pounds. That is why it is best to weigh a bass with a good quality scale. The following formula gives a good estimate for how much a bass weighs; Length X Length X Girth / 1200 = Estimated weight in pounds

It is up to you if you want to catch a bass off a nest or not. For many it is the only way they catch PB's. I prefer to catch free range bass since it is more challenging but people can bed fish as long as it is legal where they are fishing.

Congratulations on your new personal best bass.

Saltwater fishermen are known for boiling thick monofilament leaders to make them more supple. I think it is a waste of time to boil monofilament line but people can do whatever they feel helps them.

Bass in Florida like to in and around heavy aquatic vegetation so it is no surprise that many 5 pound or better bass are caught in these areas.

Bass bite in shallow warm water as well. I have caught +8 pound bass in water less than 5 feet deep during warm weather. These bass where in areas with heavy aquatic vegetation so you need a rod with a good backbone to pull them out.

When using tieable wire leaders I like to use a uni to uni knot for main line to leader connection and uni knot for leader to lure connection.

My favorite lure to use for summer is topwater but I will use whatever lure needed to catch bass.

Caught my first bass this year on January 1 and since then I have caught several nice bass and other species of fish. With what's going on now we all should be very grateful for every day we get to go fishing.

Weather has been unusual for this time of year in many places in the USA. It snowed today in some Northern states while it was +90 degrees Fahrenheit where I was fishing today in South Florida.

Topwaters, swimbaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits, jigs, spinnerbaits, soft plastics, other lures.

Watermelon seed is a very popular soft plastic color in Florida.

I use Gamakatsu hooks for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. They are excellent hooks.

Get the spook you feel will work best in the place you fish. Bass will hit a saltwater spook and other saltwater lures.

Welcome to the forum

Congratulations on your new personal best bass.

Throughout the years I have shared many good fishing spots to those who asked but I am careful to not give spots that cannot take a large amount of people fishing it. It is understandable to keep these sensitive waters under the radar but you should not tell another person to not share his reports if he wants to. A lot of people post Youtube videos of what they catch so that is a another way to find out good places to fish.

Find structure and fish near it.

Vermillion is a good lake from what I read, lots of big muskies there. ^ This ^ It seems the best muskie fishermen and big bass fishermen I have met are very patient fishermen. It is no surprise they catch nice fish on a consistent basis.

There are plenty of rods that cost less than $100 that can be used for frog fishing. For over 2 decades I have used Ugly Stiks for frog fishing and I have caught lots of big bass with these rods.

Most bass fishermen tend to prefer baitcasting reels but you can do very well with spinning reels if that is what you want to fish with.