N Florida Mike

I caught 1 4 lbder on a watermelon candy brush hog.It was under an isolated algae patch.Thats the only fish I've ever caught on one. Now,baby brush hogs are a whole different story.Its actually in what I call my "circle of trust " baits,Which are my best 5 go- to baits.Watermelon red or seed.

I caught my pb on Dec.31,1979. It was a very windy day and warm for Dec.That fish was the only bite that morning.I caught it in late morning.I had made a perfect cast just to the left side of a cattail bed right up against the bank.The water there was a couple feet deeper than usual for the shoreline.I caught it on a pinched off 10 inch Mann's grape jelly worm with 12 pound stren.The fish got about 1/2 of it's body out of the water when it jumped. It ran back and forth 3-4 times as I worked it closer and lipped it.I hooked it in the roof of the mouth about1/2 inch from the lip.It weighed app.9 pounds.24 1/2 inch.The fish was an early bedding fish .Its belly was sagging with eggs.I caught it about 250 yards from where I live right now.

Exactly what I have.Love it!! for my 12 ft JB.

We were in Cades cove Tenn.one time.And all of a sudden there was a"bar" over thar.It was funny to watch 50 adults running AFTER the bear.My wife being one of them.All trying to get a picture of it.The bear was trying his best to get away.

No,but I've surprised nutrias before.They swim away in the water but they'll hiss at you if they feel threatened.

I was a manager for 9 years.Some things I learned that may help : 1. If you have a problem with a worker,handle it with him alone.Take him into an office . 2.Be slow to judgement .Hear the whole matter before you jump to conclusions. 3.Handle small things yourself.With serious concerns,ask your boss.But don't run to them with every little problem.Thats what they hired you for. 4.Ask workers to do something as much as possible.Instead of telling them.(You can tell them later if they don't do what you ask.) 5.If you need to apologize,do it.Its not a sign of weakness,actually it's a strength. 6.Serve them,and they'll serve you. 7.Be very accessible to them.You will need to stop what you're doing to help them OFTEN. 8.Swallow your pride.Your men will get rewarded for doing a good job.You will get reprimanded if they do a bad job.Thats middle management!

A friend and me were fishing the home lake when we were 17-18.All of a sudden, rocks began to land around us.A couple even in the boat.I saw a younger kid,maybe 14, heaving the rocks while trying to stay hidden.What he didn't know was that I was one of the best rock throwers in the county having played pitcher on my baseball teams.I immediately threw the rocks back and hit him with at least one of them.He ran in the house crying. I think if you lived on my lake in the 70s through the 90s you had to have passed a test confirming mental illness.There were a lot of crazy people here then.Its settled down some since .

Just recently I set the hook on a bass near my dock area.He was a tiny 6 incher.He flew through the air and bonked off my kayak.When I went to release him he was already dead.So I threw him back.Immediately,a catfish swam up and started eating him.A dead fish in the water never goes to waste. I usually eat gut hooked bass.I carry a cooler and use it like a live well,since I mainly fish out of a 12 foot Jon boat.I watch a possibly injured fish for awhile.If they look OK I eventually release them.If they die they get filleted.As my dad used to say"Waste makes want"

Our boat broke down way up a wild river one evening and we paddled all the way back to the ramp against the current.It took us 4 hours. On the way dozens of barred owls began hooting.lve heard them a lot but never like this.You couldn't tell when one started or when it ended.

Thanks for the help.

Anyone know something good to fix a tiny crack in a kayak? I tried some kind of marine bondo but the bondo kept sticking to the knife more than the crack. Thanks,Mike

You get my vote for best story of the month. Did I say month?I meant year.

Exactly.

I'm on board for rib eyes too.You buying???

Gearing up for squirrels already.My woods truck was broke down last year and I couldn't go.This year I'm already chompin at the bit to go. I hunt N Florida,mostly at Guana river.Theres a big oak hammock in there that offers fair to good squirrel hunting.Lots if hogs too. I love hunting in general,but with my limited schedule I can throw a squirrel trip together pretty quick. and it's hard to beat fried squirrel!! Anyone else like squirrel hunting???

My friend caught a cowboy boot once.It was his FIRST CAST ever bass fishing.I nearly fell out of the boat laughing at the suddenly dejected look on his face.I told him"Quick cast over there again and maybe you'll catch the other one!!"

I cast a cast net once in a saltwater Creek trying to get bait.When I pulled it in there was a Big redfish in it.The weird thing was that it was the head and skeleton only.

When I was 15 or so We had a great bank fishing spot on our local lake.One day these 2 kids( 12-13 years old?) kept going back and forth in a boat making waves.We knew they were doing it on purpose because they were looking at us ,laughing, and they kept going back and forth only where we were.We were looking for something to throw at them but couldn't find any thing. When we were at the boiling point they came by and were so busy laughing at us they ran right into a dock! The kid in front was thrown out but wasn't hurt.All I can say is you reap what you sow!!!

I've got a lot of stories for this thread! Strangely enough,most are in saltwater. 1 involves surf fishing.Once a few years ago,we got on the beach right as the sun came up.It was my son and me,and a friend.Had the whole beach to ourselves.We immediately caught a couple whiting.Suddenly I hear voices and 3 surfers come over the dunes.And immediately plunged in right where we were fishing.One in front of each of us.I swear it was like we didn't exist to them or they were trying to tick us off.The fish immediately quit biting.My surfer went into my line and it got hung somehow on his fin.He starts spooling all the line off the reel .I'm yelling and he either doesn't care or can't hear me.I didn't want to hook him,but didn't want to lose all my line either.I finally see the rig plop over his board and it miraculously doesn't hook him.He never acknowledged any attempts to get his attention or the near hooking.When he came up I told him to move up the beach.He did,but not his friends.We were about ready to throw down on them,but we just left.All we wanted was a peaceful day fishing not strife.But 20 years before things would have been very different!!!

Florida/Georgia. Florida counties I've caught bass in:Nassau,Duval,St John's,Flagler,Lake,putnam,Clay,Baker,bradford,Alachua,marion,union,Gilchrist,Columbia,Suwanee,Leon,Wakulla, Gadsden .And possibly Osceola. Hey,When it's this good,why travel?

3-3 1/2 pounds

A friend that I played baseball with lived on the lake I now live on.He taught me all the basics of bass fishing.The first time we went out he caught 6.I had some good bites but didn't know how to set the hook right so I got skunked. But I got the fever from seeing his fish.I learned quickly enough that when Him and me fished a tournament later on he caught 8 and I caught 7 and we came in first! But my dad taught me FISHING. Have met a couple friends on the forum I am learning from also.

In my 20s I worked on a farm.I could work hard all day with temps in the 90s doing all kinds of hard labor such as lifting 50 lb bags of fertilizer,land clearing,Shoveling soil mix,cutting trees down etc.Once the owner told me to dig a drainage ditch for 250-300 feet.It had to be 2-3 feet deep and angled slightly so it would drain right.Did it in about 6 hours if I remember correctly.Tools were. a mattock ,axe,and shovel.Went home slept good.Got up in the morning not tired or sore. Fast forward 30 years.Now if I do some light tree work I'm sore for 2-3 days.Dumped the water out of a jboat. and my back hurt for a week so bad.I was throwing football with some kids at church.And my arm hurt for A YEAR. My mind says I can ,but my body says no you can't!

^^Good. Also Try zoom super flukes t-rigged. Start by letting it sink to the bottom.Wait 10-20 seconds.You can then jerk,let it sink,repeat a few times and cast again.They will sometimes nail it when you just reel it in.Try different retrieves. Buy at least 2 totally different colors to find what they want in your water. A good place to start is watermelon or green pumpkin.

Got 3 and missed one ( the biggest one!) the other day.on a zman frog.