N Florida Mike

I routinely fish- it don’t get much more complicated than that with me...

I know we discussed this awhile back, but does anyone understand the structure of MLF? I mean they have all these different “ rounds” and I can’t figure out if someone loses a round are they out for good or do they get to fish later again etc.There are rankings too, how does that matter? Obviously there are differences in rounds like “ sudden death “ etc. I need help to understand the format of it all. Another thing is they show reruns and that throws another curve into it all .Seems like a hot mess to me... I follow certain anglers and would like to know when they’ll be on again, for example I follow Terry Scroggins. He took 6th in the sudden death round last week. When does he fish again ? Kind of like rooting for your team in the playoffs but you aren’t sure when they play again. maybe it’s just me...?

Yesterday was actually cold here( to me) High temp was 50- wind 20+. Got down in the high 30’s last night. Snow was a gas tank away to the north.

Now the pythons are a problem down there. Have you ever seen one? I hope it’s too cold for them up here.

I live 15 miles from the ocean. We have gotten different kinds of seafood out of it( mostly fish, shrimp and crabs) all my life. We have done oysters a little, but the laws around here about them are somewhat confusing, esp. about where you can harvest, when , etc. It’s a very productive area, you could live on it if you had too. Ive done everything from offshore to inshore fishing. I taught my middle son, and he knows it probably better than me now. We primarily fish with live and dead bait in salt water, because our goal is a seafood dinner, along with the fun and fellowship that leads up to it. The whole experience is enjoyable to us, from the planning of the trip all the way to the dinner plate.

Here’s the picture of the 11 1/4 ft diamond back rattler killed in 1919 in what is now West palm beach fl.

^^ 7 . Here’s another war song

My wife taught me what an “ oxy- moron “ was- because someone had called me that and I thought it meant ultra- moron and thought they were insulting me !!? This is what you are asking. A lure you love but hate. I dont love any lure that doesn’t work, however,there are some I love the APPEARANCE of, but not the nature of ( that it doesn’t catch fish.) Its like the good- looking girl in high school all the guys are drooling over. But once you get past the outward appearance, you find that there isn’t much to desire in her head or heart! Lures like that are the live target sunfish ( it may be called bluegill).Its a good likeness of the fish, but floats on it’s side. I have never had a fish sniff at it. I also have some pretty crankbaits that I have never caught a fish on. Another is the “ Christy critter” It looks like the bass would love it, but I have never had a bite with one. Also , a zoom magnum finesse worm- nothing. The list goes on...

Welcome from N. Florida!

We have people here that often take pictures of snakes that are done in a way to make them look much bigger than they really are. The picture I have is somewhere in a Florida wildlife magazine I have. Since it was done so long ago, no tricks were used. I’ll be looking for it and post it.

We have a fair amount of banded water snakes in my lake. Have never seen a moccasin there in 40+ years. The st Johns river system has a lot of moccasins though.We used to kill them on sight. A friend made belts and hat bands out of them. They are common in most of the waterways in my region, just not the cold springs areas like the itchetucknee River. Diamondback rattlers aren’t as common as they once were due to all the development around here. They love areas of piney woods with palmettos., because that’s where their primary food source is. I have a legit picture somewhere of an 11 1/2 footer that Was killed in south Florida in 1923. Did not get recorded as a state record though. 4 grown men are holding it up sideways for the pic. I’ll post it later if I can find it. The last diamondback I saw in the wild was several years ago while hunting. It was lying across the road- between 2 palmetto thickets. 3-4 feet. Ground rattlers( Pygmy rattlers ) are fairly common still in the rural areas. My adopted granma lived on a dirt road way out in the country and got bit by one when she was 13 running around barefoot and survived after .a 3 week struggle to survive. Lastly, I saw a strange snake on our church farm road. Got pictures but it took me a while to identify it. It was a copperhead, and they obviously haven’t read the book either, which limits them to northwest Florida and further north. There are MANY other snakes here, it’s part of Florida.

It’s been a warm winter, even for here. We haven’t even had a freeze yet.?

I went out back for a couple hours before the rain. Slight breeze, overcast, temps in the seventies. Felt like a fluke day. About the third cast I got this one. Breeze stopped and it got calm. Decided to pull out the zoom magnum lizard. Caught a couple and the bite slowed. Was fishing over the top of eelgrass, and clear pockets near shore. Found a nice bed but couldn’t see the fish. Decided to come back on the way home. Pulled out 5-6 more on the watermelon seed super fluke. Most were tight to the bank, probably bedding or about to. Saw a couple more beds coming home, but nobody home. Tried the first bed on the way back but same result. I am officially in a big fish slump, since I caught a 7 1/2 last summer.

Man, that’s dedication! I think the coldest weather I ever fished was 25-28 degrees. A catfish pulled a rod off the dock that night and I went in after it ( and got it) The water felt warm compared to the air. When I got out though... I had to walk home ( about 600 feet) I think that’s the coldest I’ve ever been. Have not liked fishing in the cold since ( Not that we have much !! )

Maybe the Scottish games are in town and I just didn’t hear about it yet...??‍♂️

Just saw “ In harms way “ the other day. I don’t like how he becomes a villain in it. At least he dies in a blaze of glory.

Hit me up - maybe we can go - I’m in the Jax area.

I nearly lost a friend who bought a small sailboat and went out with his girlfriend to an 800 acre lake to try it out. They were out in the middle of the lake and decided to jump in for a swim. Did not anchor , the wind picked up , and they were in big trouble, as the sailboat drifted away, and they couldn’t catch it. She was a stronger swimmer than him and was able to get him back up several times as he would go under. Miraculously, a lone fisherman saw their plight and got there just in time. Me and my girlfriend at the time showed up with my bass boat literally minutes later and saw the fear and shock they had of their close call. Somehow,in the struggle they lost a tackle box with their car keys in it. The lake is app. 40 miles from town out in the woods.His dad had to come all that way to bring the extra key , and hear the story of the very close call.

One of the views from work today... No, I’ve eaten a lot of things but not otters! My daughter just said suppers ready: Hot dogs , lol?

Dead otter tonite . Crossing the road to our lake!! Daughter saw him crossing this morning. Someone didn’t see him and ran over him in the same spot crossing this evening. Hopefully he didn’t pick off too many of our catfish before his end.

?

She must have been a pretty one....

I love a palamar knot for braided line. Easy to tie and I’ve never had one slip out.

That’s in my home range. I like 6 mile better. It’s got less boat traffic, goes further, has deeper holes, and is more remote. The big local ramp is at Trout, so it gets more attention. Lots of pads to fish, and 6 mile especially has some big cypress trees , which usually hold some fish. I do best in that area on large dark worms fished real slow. Live Shiners would be best though.

It’s ok to want to preserve bass. I just don’t want any more new laws to make it happen.