soflabasser

I enjoyed watching some of his shows when I was a kid. He is definitely a talented freshwater fisherman in Northern waters but I would not consider him the best multi species angler around. There are anglers that have caught over 500 species of fish which is very impressive since most anglers have not even caught 100 species of fish in their lifetime. These multi species fishermen travel the world to catch fish most fishermen have not even heard of.

Any person that enjoys bass fishing should visit Georgia. The state has the most black bass species of anywhere in the world with some black bass species that you can only catch in Georgia. There are plenty of big largemouth bass for those looking for a new PB. Had a great time earlier this month fishing in Georgia and will definitely visit again.

Central Florida has many great bodies of water and many of them are loaded with trophy bass. Not uncommon for a bass fisherman in Central/Northern Florida to catch multiple bass over 8 pounds every year with a couple over 10.

Forgot to mention something earlier that I feel is very important about choosing where to fish. Make sure to travel for fishing as much as you can when you are still relatively young and in good health so you can fully enjoy your fishing adventures. You don't want to leave these fishing trips for when you are too old and not in the best of health. Save money but not at the expense of enjoying life. Find the balance that keeps you feeling satisfied and still saving money for retirement.

I would fish with my better half, family members, or close friends.

Welcome to the forum

I have done well using Berkeley Big Game mono for swimbait fishing.

Welcome to the forum

No fishing apps for me and I will never get them. I will stick to my old fashioned hand written journals and doing research for new locations I plan on fishing.

Have not heard that ''catch phrase'' in years. I caught a trophy bass last month that measured 25.25 inches long by 18 inches girth, along with other big bass this year. Not sure if that is considered ''crushing it'' but I think I did well for a person that mostly fishes for bass from the shore. Got a couple weeks left before this year ends hopefully I catch a couple more over 6 pounds, not interested in any bass smaller than that at this moment in time unless its a new species of fish which I am planning a couple trips for those next year.

Yes it is a pufferfish. They are very common in South Florida, especially in the Florida Keys. I have caught huge ones over 12 pounds on live blue crabs as bycatch while fishing for permit. I have caught a couple channel catfish on poppers and channel catfish, bullheads, and other types of exotic catfish on poppers, jerkbaits, crankbaits, swimbaits, and jigs.

You are correct that cold weather does not guarantee safe ice. There are reports every year of people who fall through the ice because they did not have enough patience to wait for the ice to be thick enough for ice fishing. I will only go ice fishing if the ice is thick enough to be safe and I will take ice fishing very serious just like I treat freedive spearfishing and other sports that I do.

Sounds good, Ugly Stick makes very durable rods so I hope their bookbags are of the same quality and durability the Ugly Stik brand is known for.

Shimano makes excellent reels and they are among my favorite reels to use. Also like Penn reels.

Walmart sells decent backpacks for under $30. I have one that is several years old and has done a great job keeping my tackle in good condition. You can always buy a fishing bookbag for much more money if you want but you should do just fine with a decent normal bookbag for land based fishing.

How did the peacock bass fishing trip go, any +5 pounders?

Hurricanes cannot be too bad since I am seeing more and more northerners living in South Florida more than ever. Have spoken to many of them and they all seem to agree that living up in the frozen north is far harder than living in South Florida with the occasional hurricane. You don't see many South Floridians moving up north that is for sure. I lived through Hurricane Andrew, Wilma, and countless other hurricanes they are not that bad if you prepare and live in a well built house. I still like fishing up north during the Spring and Fall on vacation but it does not compare to the South Florida paradise I live in since I like seeing green trees year round and enjoy fishing 365 days a year for trophy bass without leaving my home state. Almost everyone I have spoken with says that ice fishing is overrated but I would still like to try it out, especially ice fishing for muskies, pike, and lake trout. Have fished up north on several vacations now and liked it but came to the conclusion that the species of fish in South Florida are much more powerful and more interesting to catch.

This weekend I caught a couple quality sized peacock bass while fishing in a canal system in Broward. I caught them on topwater poppers and would recommend you try topwaters and the other lures I mentioned earlier. You can catch peacock bass during a cold front (have caught several peacock bass over 5 pounds during the South Florida ''winter'') but it would be best to fish for them on warm days between cold fronts and even better fishing during the Spring, Summer, and Fall.

So far 2018 has been one of my best fishing years with many personal best records beaten and new species of fish caught. I hope to improve my fishing techniques in 2019 and continue to achieve new personal best records and catch new species of fish to add to my list of species of fish caught.

Nothing wrong with creating your own content on YouTube for others to enjoy watching. The problem is when others steal other Youtubers content and use it for their own. I consider those ''content stealers'' to be lower than garbage, especially when they are trying to make money off another person's video. Have caught trout and catfish on various lures and I agree that both types of fish are agressive predators. I find catfish to be more aggressive than trout and I have caught catfish on topwaters, jerkbaits, crankbaits, swimbaits, and jigs. Largemouth bass will eat cut bait just like a catfish will. Have caught largemouth bass over 24 inches and well over 7 pounds as bycatch while fishing for channel catfish with cut bait. Have also caught bass with a bare hook, on bread, on hotdogs, on chewing gum, etc. I am sure there are elitist lure only bass fishermen that would hate knowing that I catch bass of this size on cut bait while they struggle with sub 5 pounders but it goes to show you bass are not the supreme fish many think they are.

I would be ice fishing if I was living in the frozen north. I like fishing every weekend if possible and it is rare for me to spend even 2 weeks without going fishing. Hard to imagine living in a place where there is hard water for 3-5 months of the year and more than half the year of cold weather. Blizzards, freezing rain, grey skies, and leafless plants are other things I would not like about life up north. Still like fishing up north during the Fall and Spring but fishing in South Florida or other tropical area is much more enjoyable for me.

So many places to fish so little time even if someone lives a long life. Best thing to do is be organized and write down the places you want to fish and when is the best time to fish these places. Study the biology of the fish you plan on fishing for, figure out what techniques works best for the fish you are targeting, fish wisely, and you should have many memorable fishing trips in your lifetime.

Topwater followed by whatever is working best on the day the I am fishing.

Welcome to the forum

It has been over a year since I posted this and I would not change a thing except adding that I did better in 2018 than I did in 2017. Last month I caught a bass that was 25.25 inches long with a 18 inch girth. Also caught other big bass in 2018 and my best 5 bass this year had a combined length of over 120 inches. Best 5 bass in one day had a combined length of over 115 inches. Best 5 bass in 1 month had a combined length of over 117 inches. Fished in 4 different states this year and caught both quality and quantity. Might post a end of the year report later on. I agree with you that some anglers are better than others and that is why I do not pay attention to negative fishing reports or reports I find useless such as reports of catching small bass in areas well known for big bass. A person should not compare their catches to other peoples catches and the best thing a person can do is focus on their own bass fishing game.