N Florida Mike

Another time I was training a co- worker and we were way out back of a house that was on a big creek off the st johns river.SHE got to the dock ahead of me and suddenly let out a scream.There on the dock was the biggest cottonmouth I had ever seen.We watched it for a few minutes and it never moved so I think its dead so I go up and prod it.No movement. Then I realize it looks a little weird and then I realized it was a "scareduck" a fake snake to keep ducks from pooping on the dock!!

I used to do a very hard,nearly straight up hookset.I lost a lot of fish because it would usually pull the fish toward you and he would take off and get slack(as you're frantically reeling to catch up).Years ago I started doing a"sweep set"where you set the hook in a wide sweep horizontally and back.I rarely lose many that way and when I do they're usually Dink's.I use that wide angle hook and get great results .One reason is because I make sure the hook protrudes slightly out of the bait.And I like the dropping the rod thing too.I do that but never really thought about it.

When I used to fish tournaments we had one on the ocklawaha river and my partner draw was a BIG UN .In fact, he was and still is the biggest dude I've ever known.500 pounds. 6 ft 8 or 9.My poor little boat wouldn't hardly go.So we're fishing.Wild river,with current.Twists and turns.Cypress trees with moss.Huge hornet nests in the trees.Y'all get the picture.So we drift up into a Matt of debris mostly a bunch of roots that had come loose from a dead tree.I think"perfect place for a cottonmouth " and I look and there's one all entangled in the roots.My policy then was to either shoot or knock em out with the oar.So I tell big un I'm going to knock out the snake.I said it kind of casual like and he said huh?And when I said it again I got to the word Snake and he suddenly hollered SNAKE!!!, got up, and started RUNNING towards me in the boat with his arms outstretched. Since it was only a 14 foot boat,it didn't take him long to get there.The whole boat stood on end like a seesaw and water starts pouring in the back I'm yelling at him to stop and go back and he keeps hollering.Nesting birds were all flying out of the trees.I promised Big un we wouldn't bother the snake and would leave if he would just sit down and shut up.Later on that day he said"There's something wrong with my seat " He was so big that he had cracked the tube that the pedestal seat was on.Unrepairable.And we did NOT win the tournament.

I probably had a chew in when I caught my best fish but I quit a few years later.I've caught several that were almost as big without it.I've probably caught 80% of my bass without it now.Tried Copenhagen once and nearly barffed.And I chewed red man,Levi garret and beechnut,even whitemule.But quit when I was 25.I catch a lot more fish in general now than I did then but I think its just that I've learnt how to fish better!

I have a bait box holder that carries 4 individual containers chocked full of baits.One is a Zoom box,and a culprit box.Another is a miscellaneous plastics box,and the other is all the cranks,topwaters,jerkbaits etc.Then I have a small bucket with important stuff,scale,ruler, knife,sinkers,pliers etc..Also in the bucket are my top baits for that day based on where I'm going.These will usually always include senkos,flukes,worms of some kind.Then I have a few tackle boxes full of old stuff in my fishing room in the garage.I could probably fish for at least 10 years on what I have and not run out.

I was about to say no,then I thought of a couple things.I usually pray before a trip.And wear my blue bass pro t shirt.The main reason I wear it is because I don't think the bass can see me as good.I don't believe in luck.That's why when people ask me have I had any luck I say NO, because luck has nothing to do with it

Welcome.Interesting name there.

Watermelon red is a great color around here esp. on a sunny day.I've caught more bass on red- shad worms In natural rivers and lakes than anything else.I caught so many fish on them that it was my main bait for years.I fish watermelon colors a lot now.In low lite I fish black or black grape mostly.It seems like the red hooks work better but not much better.

I throw back every bass over 3, unless they die on me.Im a big fish eater so I'll keep some smaller bass, mainly to cull out some of the smaller fish on the home lake.I prefer catfish and bream but small fileted bass are good too.

The spring runs are good this time of year usually but I haven't heard any reports...

At Rodman try shiners in the old river channel near heavy cover.The fish are easier to find there than the river.I honestly haven't fished the river for years but I used to do well with black producto tournament worms and red shad culprit worms.I fished the part between Jacksonville and Lake George.It has a tidal influence so I'd fish Cypress trees and the inside of grass beds on high tide and the outside of grass beds on low tide.Low slung docks are good too if you can skip the bait under there.I can't speak to deep water fish there .I've never done that there.

Nice fish.Looks like you had fun.

When you start hearing the croakin!

My friends go to bait is the wr senko and I've seen him catch fish that way so I know its possible.No,T- rig has always been the thing here.(friend is from WVirginia.

I do real well t- rigging a senko but I have no success wacky rigging.What am I doing wrong?

I was out working on the dock this afternoon and heard a spoosh.Big fish just ate abream.So I caught a little bream and threw him out free lining and I got to watch as the bass ate the bream and swam off.so I got him too .Same size as the one this morning.

Thanks.I was fishing my home lake and went to a spot where Ive caught a lot of good fish.I usually start there if I'm fishing early in the day.I fished until mid morning and lost another good fish .The overall bite was just fair.A water main broke out on the road the other day and a lot of it ended up in the lake.So it was real high and dingier than normal.Only caught 8 total.But I'm seeing a lot of activity with the little bucks in shallow water.The big mamas are about to move in!! I'm sure this fish was on a bed because they bed there every year.(Although I didn't see it)

I fished it once and caught a few dinks.I'd use 8 pound test .The lake used to be gin clear.I heard someone caught one around 15 out of there last year.Sight fishing beds.Google it and it'll come up.

Make that two of us!Can't play guitar but can do Scruggs style banjo.Been playing for 25 years + .

Welcome .I'm from jax.born and raised.

Yeah my two sons still fish.The older ones good at it but doesn't go much. My middle son would fish 24/7 if he could.( He often does because he does some commercial fishing in saltwater.)He's real good at bassin but he prefers saltwater.My dad got me started when I was 4.Now at least 4 generations of my family have fished a lot.I'm thankful for all the good memories with them.The pic is my older son with his fifth bass that day.

I can't add much to what's been said,except that I fish when I have taken my kids and g- kids out.There's a lot to be gained by this as long as you keep it about them.If they're having a hard time hooking fish you can sneakily hook one and ask them to " check your bait while you tie your boots or something.You can also have little mini- tournaments when they get bigger.My grandson nearly beat me in a bream tournament off the dock when he was 9.It was 29-28.Sorry,I'm still a little competitive. The other thing is to occasionally do a brand new type of fishing with them.That keeps them from being bored which is the main thing it seems like for kids.I'm going to post a pic of my G- daughter with her first fish caught while surf-fishing recently.She is actually pretty good at bass fishing for 10 years old.She can do everything including taking the fish off the hook and helping clean fish.

We had just launched our boat and were getting ready to head out and here comes a loud group launching a ski boat.4 drunks.They had took the straps off and began trying to launch but they tried several times and couldn't get it straight.We stayed to watch the show.It was one of the few ramps for miles and had been in a very remote area( picture Swamp people show but in Florida)Development was starting to come in and the area was changing.Instead of local backwoods fishermen and hunters more and more suburban out of staters were there.So there were all us good old boys watching these suburbanites trying to launch.And it was funner than fishing there for awhile.So they got more and more frustrated and faster each time and finally the driver came roaring down the ramp and actually got it straight but he slammed on the brakes and the boat slid off the trailer perfectly!The problem was it landed on the ramp instead of the water!It looked like a brand new boat and now a big scrape and hole in the outside shell .We helped them get the boat back on the trailer and they took off.Don't drink and boat!( or drive)About the same time a drunk couple went off the same ramp and drowned.If you go there now there's a restaurant and suburbia has gone by and is into the next county.And more and more bad drivers and boat launchers( and drunks)

I was fishing Rodman in a tournament in the stump field and there was one lone stump way out by itself.I made a long cast and the worm fell right up against it.I felt a tap,set the hook, and the fish did not turn to me in the least.Instead,it turned away and swam off.The line snapped like a pistol shot.I was using 14 pound stren.I'm pretty sure the fish would have been in the teens.Another time I was speckled perch fishing and catching a few on minnows.All of a sudden, my cork just disappeared and I knew it was a catfish.I only had 6 pound test and could not do anything with this fish.I had no net and was out in the middle of the small lake.I tried to keep the fish close while I tried to figure out what to do.I decided to try to pull up the anchor and slowly work him toward the bank but he immediately swam into the anchor line and broke off.I have caught a 22 pound cat on 8 pound test before and this fish was much bigger.Channel cat for sure in this lake.5 minutes the same thing again.Maybe the same fish.About bass though,I've lost 5 or so really big fish that I remember every detail of.Any of those fish would have been a PB.