bassinhole

The short truth is nothing beats time on the water. But, if you can spend time on the water with someone who is already an above average angler you will learn more in a single outing than you will in a dozen by yourself. Even on the slow days there are plenty of things to be learned.

Here's a little recap of @Ridi620 and my trip to Lake Toho.

don't forget a pair of heavy socks, and some footwear as well. You can get away with some neoprene booties like scuba divers wear that fold flat. I keep an emergency set of cloths in my boat sealed in a vacuum bag. Takes up very little room, and can save your life. Cold can be a risk even in Florida.

Out on Toho today was a very tough bite. We managed to get 3 in the boat, but no pattern emerged. Water temps were in the 60's starting at 61 this morning and topping out at 67 in the warmest water we could find. We were competing with 100+ other boats all stacked up on the same high percentage areas. Saw tons of beds, but no fish on them. Lots of cruisers though. Anyone know what the water temps were leading up to the Cold front?

TAB cola and cheese crackers come with me on nearly every trip. I'ts more for nostalgia than anything else. That was the lunch of choice every time my dad and I would go. Sometimes its coffee ham sandwiches and bananas when I'm thinking about my grandpa.

Or maybe a bit of both. My grampa guided on Lake O until he was in his late 80's. When his clients would ask how old he was he would always just respond over 60... When you've got the bug it's a lifelong addiction...

I'll be on Toho tomorrow as well. Plan to punch whatever vegetation I can find. even on slow days there is something new to learn... It's all going to depend on the water temps and the sky. You can expect clear jay bird skys, and water temps in the low 60s to upper 50s. so top water may not be the best bet unless you find some stained water that's a little warmer.

The Yak Attack Visipole is a little spendy, but well worth it when you consider what not having it could cost you! It has a flag as well as a light, and fastens into most rod holders. http://www.yakattack.us/V2FM_FPG_p/v2fm-fpg.htm

I've used EWG hooks for at least 15 years, and never had an issue loosing fish. Then again my co-anglers look at me strange when they watch me set the hook hard enough to send a 2 pounder flying... Coincidence? likely not... Don't be afraid to hit them hard enough to cross their eyes, especially with heavy gauge hooks. Just make sure your line isn't frayed and don't let your rods sit in the sun while your boat is parked days on end otherwise you'll end up breaking off due to the weakened line...

I love to fly fish for bass! It is often productive when other methods are not. Especially in the middle of the day when the sun is bright and the wind is dead calm... A popper chugged across the top like a bug can be deadly! I have had bass literally jump out of the water to grab a fly as it was making it's approach. That is one of the most amazing things you'll ever see. I never knew you could catch fish before your bait was wet until I witnessed it first hand.

Are you using it on the Bow or at the console? Either way I'd save your money till you can afford something a little larger. 3.5" is very small and will make picking out any details your hopping to see on the down scan very difficult. At the Bow GPS is only good for way points marking structure you fish. At the console the GPS is great for navigation, and marking way points you pass at low speed. The average depth of the water you fish should be factored into your decision as well.

This has been a fun thread, thank you all for the advice. When I initially posted this it was more to see how everyone else would react to the conversation and get a gauge for how lucky a man I really am. My lady honestly has no interest in Valentines day and would not play games with me regarding fishing. She knows the result of that. After all she is the same woman that did this for me for Christmas. But I digress. The weekend went pretty spectacularly. I treated her to a nice dinner Friday night. I went fishing on Saturday and through a calamity of errors all of my own creation I had one of the worse days on the water I've experienced in recent history. Leaving the lake I got home just in time to join her to a backyard chicken class she was interested in. We then met up with another couple we know for dinner and spent the rest of the evening enjoying the company of friends. On Sunday we slept in then made breakfast and hung out with our friends for a bit longer before heading home. On the way back to the house we stopped by Academy Sports and shopped around a bit (Nice place! I wish I had one Close to home). Then we drove through a couple of WMAs scouting potential hunting areas and generally just enjoying nature and each others company. Once home we cleaned up and then went to grab a bite to eat at one of our local favorites, and then to see Deadpool. All in all it was a great weekend. While I didn't go fishing on Sunday that was my decision. While my action was greatly appreciated I know had I gone fishing I would have met no ire over the choice.

Good call! I like knowing the local fish and game folks too. They often hang out around here in street cloths near the spillway hotpots when the water is running and the snook fishermen line the shores. I've seen more than a couple of anglers get a nasty surprise when they didn't measure their fish.

That's exactly what I had in mind when I made this post...

Not the wisest choice to turn an unknown fish into cut bait. If you happen to get approached by a game warden while hacking up a protected species you'll be heading to the slammer regardless of if you knew or not...

Good call! I like the way you think!

So I was discussing our complete lack of plans for this weekend with my lady. She isn't typically the valentines day type and gets rather indigent when presented with gifts on that particular day. She tells me I should go fishing on V-day and she can sleep in... Is it a trap? Should I go? Should I do the exact opposite? I'm so confused...

the FG knot is the way to go! It takes some practice to get it tied, but once you get the hang of it you will never want anything else for going Braid to Mono/Fluro. It is hands down the slimmest knot you can tie. It pretty much amounts to a Chinese finger-trap holding the two lines together. The harder you pull the tighter the knot gets.

Unless your driving around with your trolling motor deployed why would you want to do this?

1996 Viper Cobra 201 DC. Just finished a re-power with a 1996 225 Evenrude Vemenator, 10" Atlas, with Blinker Trim and Tilt.

I'd stay away from the Lew's American Hero. I picked one up from a local tackle shop just to help them pay the bills and used it a couple of times. My impression is that it's garbage. The frame of the reel is Plastic and bends when you set the hook. It feels like it's going to pop out of the reel seat and puts an uncomfortable torque on the rod. Horrible combo especially for the marked up tackle shop price I paid. Unfortunately that is the only combo I have experiance with in this price range. I have heard good things about the Diawa, and Abu offerings though.

@herefishy See my post about hiring guides. The advice there will make planning your trip easier.

Many drive\dash cameras are equipped this way.not sure of the models though.

I used to be that guy. I'ts a hard habit to break. However, storing my boat away from the house and needing to unload/reload all of my valuables every trip has taught me the benefits of keeping up with organization.

Florida Fly into PBA in West Palm, Southwest has very inexpensive flights there Rent a car PM me for a discount code with National Stay on the East coast and catch the sunrise on the beach and get a charter from Capt. Matt Bohn He will set you up on any number of salt water species. Spend a 2 days fishing with Matt on the east coast. http://www.fishingheadquarters.net/mattbohn.html Take the rental Car to Clewiston Florida Stay at Roland and Mary Ann Martain's Marina Try and book a trip with Scott Martin, he is the son of Roland Martain and knows the 720 sq miles of Lake Okeechobee better than most Spend a day or two with Scott and catch a new PB Largemouth http://www.rolandmartinmarina.com/ Drive to Ft Myers FL on the West Coast of FL Watch the Sun Set in the west from Captiva or Sanibel Island. Book an evening Deep Sea Trip with Capt. Tony, http://capttonys.com/ Fly home form Ft Myers and call it an awesome vacation. You get to see the sun rise on the coast east and set on the west coast. Catch a plethora of various species and maybe bump up your PB. Also the drive from East Coast to west coast can be done in under 3 hours, so more of your time is spent on the water, and enjoying yourself than in the car. Good Luck and Tight lines!