bassinhole

If you're going to be in south Florida I'd recommend a trip to Lake Okeechobee. A decent guide should be able to put you onto some good fish! To ensure an enjoyable time on the water; Expect and be prepared spend at least $200 more than the guide fee in cash. This will include bait, tackle resupply and tips. As long as you enter into the arrangement with this mindset you will not be surprised, shocked, or upset when you have to make these additional expenditures. Make sure you schedule a trip with your guide at least a month or two ahead of time. When scheduling make sure you know the cost of the guide service, the cancellation policy and the deadline for deposits. Guides make their money by being on the water, they will not hold a spot for free. Prices may rise as the dates get closer and availability shrinks as well. Scheduling a trip for a week day is recommended as boater traffic and fishing pressure is generally lower. Call and speak directly with the guide you will be on the water with a week before you arrive. This call will set the tone for your trip. Discuss the current fishing conditions, your fishing experience, and comfort with casting/spinning tackle. You should discuss what you expect out of the trip. Ensure you know what to bring vs what the guide will provide for you and your guests. Most guides will suggest using live shiners and fishing for trophy bass. Live bait is the responsibility of the Guest and will set you back around $20 a dozen or large wild shiners. It is not uncommon to use 3-5 dozen shiners on a good day. If you would rather use artificial lures make your wish clear over the phone. I would personally suggest hedging your bets with a combination of the two. Fishing artificial is wonderful and great fish can be caught, but the percentages go up exponentially when trolling a wild shiner behind you as you fish. Call your guide again the day before the trip and ensure every thing is a go. Sometimes weather or other issues may cause the guide to suggest delaying your outing for a better time. Trust the guide! Fishing is their livelihood. They are usually right and would not cancel a trip without cause. While on the boat observe all of the rules the guide puts in place. This may include things like allowing him to remove hooks form fish, or only peeing off the port side of the boat. The guide will have his reasons for his rule no matter how silly they may seem. Be social and enjoy the experience! The more you commiserate the better the day will be. Listen to any instruction or pointers the guide offers. Remember, he know his boat and equipment better than you. His way is very likely better than yours. It's okay to disagree, but nothing ruins a good day on the water like picking a fight with the guy driving the boat. Cattails don't grow on the drivers side... just saying.... Keep in mind guides generally own all of the gear used in a trip and are tasked with maintenance. Boat, Trailer, Tow Vehicle, Fuel, Oil, Rods, Reels, Line, Terminal Tackle, and artificials all add up quick. If you lose lures, or consume a lot of soft plastics it's polite to offer to help resupply. If you break rods or other expensive items; offer to replace them. After your trip if you enjoyed yourself be generous with your tip. Guides typically work out of a marina and are forced to split the booking rate with the owners.

I'll have to give that a try. Thanks for the Tip!

Costas are great glasses and the company has a wonderful group of loyal consumers who's personal and political views should align well with most of the folks on this forum. But, me being on a tight budget; I'd take the money used for the Costas and put it towards something more useful. Functionally any pair of Polarized glasses are identical to the next. I've owned costas and sold them after realizing this little fact. The Important things to consider when picking glasses are Fit, Weight, and lens color. However, if you are trying to make a statement, earn points with the cool kids, and support the initiatives Costa is pursuing; go for it! Costa is a respectable company who supports conservation. They sponsor many fishing tournaments and other outdoor events. Not a bad group of folks to slide a few extra bucks towards when you have them to spare. Here's a video of an honest opinion and side by side comparison of Costas vs $5 box store specials

I had a similar issue for a while. My bass boat has to be stored about 20 minute form my house at a self storage facility with no available power. So keeping my tackle and batteries in it is not an option. When I take the bassboat out I usually pick it up the night before a trip and install the batteries and get my tackle organized so it can be loaded quickly the next morning. My situation makes it very difficult to plan for an evening trip after work. In order to spend more time on the water I did some thinking. The solution I came up with was to be prepared. Similar to the way A preper keeps a bug-out bag; I keep a tackle bag stocked with a few of my confidence baits. I always have rods rigged and ready for the drop of a dime. I picked up a Kayak and suspended it form the ceiling of the garage. Now when I want to take an evening trip or find myself with a couple of free hours on a weekend I didn't initially intend to fish all I have to do is back up the truck, lower the kayak and go. Making preparations to go on an outing every time you get back from an outing makes it easier next time. If you can analyze the the time you take to prepare for a trip and figure out where the inefficiency lies, solutions become very clear. Things that helped me were: -Organizing tackle storage -Rod holders -Mounting the Kayak on the Ceiling (Gets it out of the way when not in use too!) -Keeping a bag ready -Knowing my options (Keep looking for bodies of water nearby friendly to fishing)

Watch out for beavers, they can be rather ornery at times. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/04/11/newser-beaver-kills-man/2074145/

My grampa always told me the best time to fish is... "When you get a chance" And I have yet to find any evidence to the contrary. The chances present themselves frequently. I take steps to capitalize on them as often as possible. I keep at least one rod in my truck at all times. If I'm driving without a deadline I'll often stop at nearby ponds and make a few casts here and there. Going fishing doesn't have to be a date on the calendar or an extravagant trip. It should never feel like an imposition. The more time you spend fishing, the more time you will want to spend fishing. If it's important to you, you'll find a way to make it happen. Otherwise you'll find an excuse why it didn't.

I'll cast to the movement if it sounds right and have landed some pretty nice fish that way. But where I'm at lots of invasive species bust the surface. Trying to chase every movement would end in disappointment! Movements I will always investigate are: -Cattails, Tulies, Pads, or stickups moving rapidly as though something just swam by it chasing bait -The same vegetation moving rhythmically as though a fish is resting against them -Large fish busting through matted vegitation

You may find more success if you consider the following: Do the fish know you're there? Bass are easily spooked by the presence of large moving bodies above the water. -Try not to cast a shadow over the areas you want to fish -Wear muted colors that blend with the surroundings, green, or camouflage work well -Walk softly the Bass can feel your movement the same way they can feel a Lipless crank bait's vibrations through their lateral line -If you're moving along a focus most of your casts in the direction of your movement, not behind you. How many other people fish this spot? Pressured fish are more critical on presentation, and line visibility -Try to avoid making large splashes when presenting a bait to cover pitch or flip when possible -Downsize your line most ponds can be fished effectively with 8lb mono -Try something that they may not have seen; try a Neko rig with a high flotation worm Do the conditions match your technique? Fish tend to key in on particular colors or presentations during various conditions -Note the water Clarity use more natural colors in clearer water -How is the lighting/light penetration? If the water is shaded or it's overcast try darker colors which create a better silhouette in contrast to the sky -What's the wind doing? if the wind is not blowing or blowing lightly try top water, if your fishing a storm or heavy winds up-size weights and fish submerged or bottom -Cast into the wind or against the current fish will typically align themselves to swim into the current/wind and hide behind any current breaks that are available -Wind also effects the positioning of bait-fish as it churns the water on the windblown banks and increase oxygen and food supply in those areas What were you doing when you caught your fish? Developing a pattern is a great way to find more fish! -Where was your bait in relation to cover? -How fast were you fishing? -How deep? How did the fish react to your presentation? Observation of hook placement gives you clues about the fishes attitude towards your bait -How did the fish react? Was it a hard hit or did he just pick it up? -Was the fish hooked deep in the mouth? Good sign the bait your using is being treated as food, or you waited too long to set the hook. -Just barely on the lip? The fish may have been attempting to move your bait off a bed, or kill and not eat it. -Foul hooked? Maybe try a different presentation, bait, or add a trailer hook. Wow this ended up being a lot longer than I planed. Hope it helps!