soflabasser

I caught several new PB's throughout this year along with several new species of fish I added to my fishing lifelist so you can say I got my Christmas gifts early this year. There are a couple weeks left in the year so I plan on fishing some more.

Congratulations on your new personal best bass.

Most of the time I only carry 1 to 3 rods with me and that is usually enough. Lure selection is based on several factors such as where I am fishing and what I am fishing for. For example I enjoy fishing with topwaters so I tend to bring at least 1 topwater rod on most of my bass fishing trips.

You can do quite well with a decent sub $100 bass rod if you know what you are doing. Others struggle to catch lunker bass and they own several custom rods. What matters most is that you put in the time needed to improve your bass fishing game and everything else comes after.

That sounds like the place you should be fishing if you want a new PB bass. Use time proven big bass techniques, fish during high percentage times, have patience, and you will have a very good chance at catching a new PB. Make sure your line is in good condition and replace it when needed. Use sharp, strong hooks. Bring a landing net to net the bass since big bass are experts at shaking the hook off when you are about to lip them.

Rapala X-raps and Rapala Husky jerks are good for bass and many other species.

The invasive Alabama spotted bass is far worse than any exotic fish species in South Florida. Alabama bass are spawning with redeye bass, shoal bass, smallmouth bass and they are ruining the pure genetics of many black bass species in many Southern states. These Alabama spotted bass where introduced by careless tournament fishermen and other people who wanted to catch these fish in waters these fish are not native to. Good thing Alabama spotted bass do not do well in South Florida since I enjoy catching pure strain Florida largemouth bass.

Go somewhere new where you can catch a new species of fish or go somewhere where you have a good chance of catching a new PB bass.

Welcome to the forum

Thank you for posting this @Looking for the big one. Zoom is known for making good lures so I will consider getting a packet of Zoom Zlinky the next time I see them.

Hard to choose just 1 lure as the biggest achievement in bass fishing in the past Century but I would say soft plastic lures are probably number one. Lots of good soft plastics to choose from such as Ned rig, Trick worm, Super Fluke, and other types of soft plastics.

Have not fished the new Terminator S-1 spinnerbait yet but it should be a good option. My favorite spinnerbaits are from Booyah and Strike King.

Welcome to the forum

Welcome to the forum

I have caught lots of trout on inline spinners.

Yes the heat can be brutal that time of year but the fishing is very good for many species of fish. Best to fish early or late in the day and make sure to stay hydrated.

It is not bad if you are used to that type of weather. I would imagine a Southerner would have a hard time adjusting to that type of Winter weather just like northerners tend to have a hard time adjusting to +90 degree heat and +85% humidity which is common Summer weather in South Florida.

Rebel Pop R's are relatively cheap and you can catch dozens of bass on one of these lures.

Most bass fishermen use baitcasters when fishing crankbaits. I prefer using spinning reels and have caught lots of big fish that way. Choose the reel you feel most comfortable with.

Looks like a ''bomb cyclone'' of frigid weather is expected to hit many states in the next couple days. Some predictions say it will bring 100 mph winds to some states and many states will experience +30 mph winds+snow. The first official day of Winter is December 21, so it seems like it will be a very long winter.

Not often you see a smallmouth bass over 25 inches in length. Does he have a picture of this smallmouth bass on a fish ruler? Congratulations to Brian for catching a beautiful smallmouth bass.

I think catching any fish while ice fishing is more fun than not fishing at all for several months. Current temperature at this moment in time in South Florida is 70 degrees. Average lows around mid 60's and average highs in the low 80's for this week. Might get ''cold'' next week with low temperatures in the 50's. Good weather for fishing and running.

I have fished most of my life and feel just as happy catching a bass now than I did when I was a kid. I see myself fishing for the rest of my life.

A spinnerbait would be a good choice for a beginner bass fisherman as well as a advanced bass fisherman. They are one of my favorite lures for many situations such as fishing near aquatic vegetation, near manmade structure, in creeks, etc.

I have had that happen to me as well on fishing trips I wasn't trying yet I caught memorable fish. Other fishing trips I do my best and the bass are much harder to catch. That is the type of bass people pay fishing guides hundreds of dollars to catch and even then they are not guaranteed one of that size. What makes it a truly awesome catch is that you caught it from land. I see you live in Georgia, that is one of my favorite states to fish since it has the most black bass species of any state.