N Florida Mike

I can tell you about the fishing but not so much about the stocking or management. If I wanted to figure out what was in there I would : Catch some small bream and use live ones for bait with and without corks.If you have shiners they are better.When the bream or shiners die, use them for cut bait.With a float to suspend them off the bottom and without a float on the bottom. The feeders are a good idea but before you get them bait up ONE area by hand and focus there( dock area?)You can probably get the feed at. Feed or hardware store.Purchase a feeder or throw it out by hand several times a day and it will attract many of the fish so you can catch them easier and find out what all's in there. also use a stinky bait on bottom like dead shrimp or chicken livers.Also earthworms with a small hook.To catch little baitfish use a tiny hook no cork and a tiny breadball.( and 4 pound test line) While you're waiting for a bite.Fish search baits such as flukes or 4 inch senkos to find bass.To get an idea of bass populations, I would get some fat earthworms and fish aroun the pond with a small cork and #4 or 6 bronze hooks.Use the whole worm, hook it once in the band ( cast softly).You will get action ! Sometimes the bream will peck it off but sometimes the bass will get it first . Try the pond boss web site. Check with your state fish/game.They can help with stocking/ management. Mike

Got bit by a garter snake once.Even though I knew what kind it was it still messed me up in the mind a little.Thinking, but what if I'm wrong? Been bit by yellow jackets,yellow flies,deer flies,small black flies,chiggers,wasps, hornets, fleas , ticks,spiders,earwigs and lots of skeeters.Also fire ants and native black ants and 1 dog. Also been bit by a cooter turtle. Also been bit by the fishing bug Life's rough here in FL

Nice catch.I love shellcrackers.I caught around 30 0ne time in about 1/2 hr. In the st johns river.They were all caught under an old broken down dock.with worms.They pick up the worm and swim with it like a bass.Biggest one I ever caught was 11 1/2 inches long and 11 inches around.

Man, that red shad was my favorite bait nearly everywhere I fished back then.I won a tournament fishing with them in the 80s

I was wondering if anyone was tagging fish.I ordered a tagging kit and did it for about 20 fish.When I ran out I was going to order more but the prices had gone up a lot. One of my fish had been re- caught about 300 feet from where I first caught it. Does any one have a good homemade way to do it? Thanks

Great fish!!

Saw 2 tonite as I was casting by my dock.One I must have nearly stepped on barefoot but it was probably a banded water snake.Heard it plop into the water at my feet and saw it swim off.Got to be more careful !!

I use the red shad in stained water,black shad. Or motor oil in clear water,moccasin in tannic water and tequila in dusk or dawn.I use a 1 or 2/0 wide Angle hook and as little weight as poss. Caught 2 of my 10 biggest fish on the 7.5.I think one on black shad and one on red.

Real Purdy fish!!

Me and a friend did a total length tournament since we didn't have scales then.Just total every fish's length for the day.To make it fun, we divided the lake into 4 sections and switched every hour.I started at one end and him at the other.One interesting thing that happened was that right as we passed halfway down the lake he caught a 21.5 inch fish.He had just got out of sight and I caught one that was 21.5 on the other side of the lake!!.I ended up winning by 8 inches.I caught more but his were bigger overall. Loved the suspense of not knowing what he had caught until the end.But you could take abreak in the middle to compare results.

I went out offshore fishing with son and wife in his boat on Saturday.Haven't done that in a few years.I was skunked for the most part.He caught a 25-30 pound red snapper and my wife caught one 4-5 pounds.My biggest was a 3 pound or so amberjack.I had 3 fish break off 60 pound power pro.Kind of a humbling experience for me.But it was still fun to experience Gods creation with family.Got to see dolphins, sea turtles and big schools of spadefish on the wrecks.Not sure what the big fish were but I couldn't gain much line on them before it broke.

I fished a tournament on a lake I knew very well . I always caught a lot there And had a couple good patterns worked out.So on tournament day I'm super excited.No mechanical problems but that day the fish were not biting as good as usual.I missed every fish all day and had a hawg break me off under a dock.But I didn't quit and caught one(barely) keeper fish 5 minutes before the deadline at the boatramp.So at least I placed and got points toward angler of the year.So hang in there.

Mainly because my dad took me.When I was 4 I caught some kind of little fish while fishing at Ft Fisher NC.When I was 8 or so I caught a good size black drum while surf fishing at ocean isle beach in NC.Then I was hooked and wanted to go all the time( when I wasn't playing baseball).I started bass fishing when I was 14-15.And its consistently been my favorite although I love all kinds of fishing.I do it now for fellowship with friends and family and God,sometimes for food( although we usually eat more saltwater and other freshwater fish than bass.) And just because they're really interesting and fun to catch.I think they're really cool fish.The adrenaline rush when a fish picks up the worm..Enjoying time on the water but seeing the lights on at home down the lake...Feeling that nice little breeze as you make your way up the lake..Seeing the G-kids excitement in catching even a small fish...The shock of a fish nailing a top water bait when you least expected it...Seeing bass bedding around the full moon when you were expecting they would...And on and on And on.....

A 5/0 hook helps too.I use a lot of Zoom z hogs too which is like a frog but your catch rate is very good.But you can use them with the 3/0 wide angle hooks.

4-5 pounds

I cut chunks of bream up but don't use the heads for anything but chum.If there's a catfish around he'll eat it.Don't have problems hooking them-they hook themselves.

Love that lake.Used to fish it a lot.

Carp.

Now that's dedication man.

This is the one about my friends one that got away ( and the tournament with it) Our club had its monthly tournament at lakes Sampson and Rowell in Bradford county FL.We fished Rowell mostly and had a good bag going.I had Just picked off several good fish and my friend hooked at least a 4 pounder.Well, he was a net guy so he's yelling for me to get the net.But its buried under rod and reels.I get it out about the time the fish jumps and bonks into the boat and...gets off.Its like 15 minutes before weigh in.We came in 2nd by a pound or so.

My word.

Yeah I love blue side of the mountain by the steeldrivers

I was thinking how good all my fishing trips had gone for a long time now.I've got a system now, and as long as I stick to it, things usually go well. Enter my new(used) kayak.Somehow it keeps filling up with water.I thought it was the lack of a plug.So I used a large pencil type bobber to plug the hole.I had about 2 hours when the wife and mom went out.So I hastily get everything together and at the last minute decide to take my cell phone just in case.So I find a ziplock bag and make sure ( twice) that its sealed.I head out and get to my first spot. I keep checking where the phone is to MAKE SURE its staying dry.I probably checked 10 times and its high and dry.So in the meantime I get a large fish that followed my baby brush hog.It engulfed it and swims off.So I swing and the fish pulls off.Dang!So I fish a little more, look over, and now my phone is lying in water and it somehow seeped into the bag.So I paddle all the way back home with the yak full of water( again)In going as fast as I can to dry the phone iut( usually sticking it in a bag filled with rice will save it.So I get home and there's only 1 small bag of rice so I supplement it with some garlic mash potatoe mix.So now the phone smells like garlic and still doesn't work. So I regroup during the afternoon and find a couple small holes and patch them.zHeaded back out in late evening and caught 5 or 6.But I missed10 Including 2 big fish.Can't seem to get the hang of setting the hook in a kayak.Yak leaked a little but not as bad.I think In going back to my familiar Jon boat.And I'm almost back on track with this NEW phone.

I'm lazy sometimes and use a small one.Not that I use weight much at all.I feel like a bait sinking slower gets bit more.I mainly use a split shot when I fish a light bait , such as a baby brush hog around downed trees esp.Also in deeper water.

I don't fish a lot of traditional topwater baits, but I fish senkos a lot on top at dusk.Usually black.Nearly any T- rigged plastic across matted cover also.I used to miss more because I'd react too fast, but I've gotten better at it through the years.Had one the other night that came completely through a weed mat and flipped over so his tail was up.Not completely sure if he hit it coming up or going down but he just blew up on it.