N Florida Mike

My wife doesn’t drive much anymore, but she was good with all her vehicles. Never had a wreck that was her fault. She would have been perfect had she not run into the side of the house once…

Got several today in one of my favorite work route ponds , all on zoom super flukes . Lost a larger fish when I got bit inside one of the concrete drains. It had a rough edge that broke the line…?

Another interesting thing( to me anyway) , is that one of my first cousins on mom’s side has very similar dna to me, but took a different test. So that seems to give it more credibility for both of us…

That’s pretty cool. Here it is 400 years later and we have that connection!

Some of my dads people came in 1620 to Jamestown VA. One Great…. Uncle there was Alexander Whitaker, that baptized pocahontas. We thought they were English and Irish. They ended up in Tazewell county Va. Moms family was mostly Scots- Irish. They settled in SE N. Carolina in the 1700s eventually around and east of lumberton… My wife bought me a dna test that I took a few years ago. Results were 66% Scottish/ Irish ( Celtic) 21 % scandinavian ( which I knew nothing about) And some southern European/ Sw Asian. Which also was unknown to us. The weird thing is 0 % English, which I thought my dad was half of. As for wars, can’t find anything on the revolution, but many fought for the south in the civil war.Several fought in the world wars as well. As popeye would say “ I yam what I yam” ?

We spent 700 for 6 of us. I’ve cut way back on my own eating just to save money…

That’s reassuring… Got this one on a shiner. No, the fish was not gut hooked. Yes, it was released…

I will probably never retire unless I physically have to. If I did , I wouldn’t fish all the time… i’d just fish MORE.

We don’t have a lot of muddy water in my area. One lake near me does. It is the hardest lake I fish. I’ve only caught bass on root beer flukes and blue curly tail worms in that lake with any consistency..and not many of them… The weird thing is that it’s stocked and managed by FWC…

Did you notice the date on his post Chip.? I think you get the award for the oldest post resurrection…

Saw this pretty corn snake today. He was real aggressive and shaking his tail like a rattler…He was around 4 feet , which is the biggest one I’ve seen…

This was very interesting…

For me, it’s always been that way. College football doesn’t beat bass fishing either , but it’s a lot closer!!

Welcome to the forums. The Ocala forest is full of small lakes and ponds, also the ocklawaha river. You’d need a small boat or kayak on most of them, but many of them have good bass fishing.

?????

I grew up live bait fishing. I don’t find it boring at all, just different. Cheating ? As long as it’s legal it’s not cheating. In many cases it’s harder , especially if you catch your own bait, and have to keep it alive. And you must still present the bait in a way that doesn’t hinder it’s natural appearance. To me, artificials are easier. Just grab some and go…

Had a friend over for his first try at bass fishing. We went from 5:30 or so until dark. Near perfect temps in the low 80s, light breeze , partly cloudy. Started out near our island with no fish caught on several baits. Got to the south end of the island and got my first ( and biggest fish) on the UV speed worm in watermelon red. My friend had several bites with a super fluke but was having trouble hooking them. I had switched to the bama bug yum dinger and caught several more . Evan finally connected on the yum dinger. On the way home , I stopped at the deep hole on the way . As I was changing to an ol monster, Evan hooked another fish that seemed small , but it ended up being his best fish. We ended up with around 10 total… I think Evan enjoyed it, which was the goal. He’s asking me if we can go agin this thursday. Thinks he’s got the bug…

I carry one combo and usually just a few baits in my pockets. I don’t stand in one spot very long, and primarily use a T rig anyway, so I can change baits with it quickly anytime…

Culprit worms…

It’s calmed down now. The grumpy ol nieghbor finally started coming out again after 6 weeks. He doesn’t ever look my way or say anything. What’s weird is he’s told me he’s hard of hearing when I would speak with him across the 150 feet or so of lake between our houses. But he can hear a dog from the inside? The “bumpus dog” nieghbors have started being friendly again from across the canal… Meanwhile , elsewhere in the area… The last landowning family in the area has sold out. The 3 wooded areas are all being developed. Hundreds of apartments, condos, and cheap houses. I told my wife it’s just getting too crowded, and that I wish we could get away from it all. She said if I retire someday we could sell the house and get a trailer out in the country somewhere. Couldn’t take the lake with me though…?.

Without buying my favorite baits I could probably go a few years with what I have . That doesn’t include line, which I need now. I don’t even have enough left to line one reel now, except with line I don’t like. I have enough hooks to make it 2 years or so. Talking any bass hook, not my favorites ( wide gaps), which I’m almost out of… I’ve got enough combos to last the rest of my life…

I forgot about them. I have had great success with them,just not lately. The stores I got them at quit having them, and I’m not much of an on line shopper so…

That’s my number one also. #2 is zoom speed craws. I fish them with a #2 wide gap, and a bb shot just above the eye of the hook. I use it mostly for skipping close-up in laydowns, under docks, etc.

We were at the north side of bear Island…

Thanks for the reminder @Mobasser! I have never caught a bass over 5 pounds on one, but the average size fish tends to be generally bigger. I find that bass either are all over them or don’t bite them at all. I would say I’ve done fair with them overall. I have a point with eel grass that If swim a lizard by, I will usually get a fish or two on it. This is in low light conditions with June bug . If I throw one on a bed, it was usually get bit eventually, if not the first cast…