N Florida Mike

I used to set the hook straight up very hard. I realized I have more fish come off with that approach, so as time has gone by I dropped to 3/4 , then to a sweep set. With a straight up set , you are pulling the fish into a jump, basically, which leads to more lost fish. You have much better control of the fish with a sweep set keeping them from jumping… I still set the hook hard but not like the old days. Im talking about soft plastics primarily here. With moving baits like a spinnerbait, the rod just loads up and I just sweep set in the other direction, but not a hard set, if that makes any sense…

@TnRiver46 I thought you’d enjoy this.

I don’t know what bass from cold clear water tastes like, but our algae water bass are pretty good…?

I’ve noticed fish in clearer water can be dark if they spend a lot of time under cover. My lake is between clear and stained, but the “under cover “ fish are dark…

Thanks! We have a lot of dark colored fish here , due to all the cypress tannic stained waters. Actually, many are quite a bit darker than these …

They’re biting! Got 8 this evening. 6 on a watermelon red UV Speed worm, and 2 on a June bug red ol monster …The bigger fish were on laydowns by our island… They did not want the zoom lizard. I also tried a strike king bitsy minnow micro crankbait with no action…

The fishing is just getting good here again. The main thing that keeps me from freshwater fishing this time of year is saltwater fishing, and the occasional hunting trip… Most of our “bad” cold fronts come in January/February. But it usually warms back up in 2-3 days… The bass sometimes start bedding here in late december!

Man, it was chilly last night- 58 .?

Praying!

Haha. Thanks! I’m sure I’ll be a “fish out of water”? Thanks A-jay. My son was talking about getting a great lakes guide , and tbh it didn’t appeal to me. I’ll check these guys out…

My son lives near Grand Rapids. Going up there for a few days around thanksgiving. He has been there less than a year, but has caught a few bass here and there. He doesn’t have a boat yet… I’ve never fished in michigan, but want to give it a try , especially for smallmouth. ( I’ve never caught one). Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

FLORIDA IS IN THE HOUSE !!!! WE don’t have smallmouths , wall eyes or muskies, but other than that, WE GOOD…

The wave action carry- over never carries over very long with me. Pretty much just walking around loading the boat for a few minutes. It’s never been a factor when I’m driving… And as far as tiredness, I always go with a friend if it’s more than 45 minutes away , so we keep each other alert and awake.

I’ll wear my pretty one next time just for you!!?

I don’t know about that… With your catches you need to do the mentoring !

Got a couple nice chunks on a wat. red baby brush hog in the eel grass field out back…

Wondering if anyone has fished these recently? I used to do well there, esp. in Rowell. Im planning a trip there in November…

I heard this statement today and it made an impact on me. ” Humble people don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less” What’s yours?

I haven’t been carrying any cash lately. Not that I have much to carry anyway. No credit cards. Lately, just using the debit card or gift cards that I get for hitting goals at work…

This ^^^

I take what others say and then apply my experiences. Ive fished on my home lake for 48 years now. I’ve caught thousands of bass in there and and released the majority of them. I lipped nearly every one of them, including the bigger ones for pics. Ive laid some down on the ground too. I can’t remember ever seeing a dead bass other than the one fish kill we had, or ones that were injured by the hook and didn’t make it. My conclusion: It doesn’t hurt the fish. If you want to do it differently, more power to you…

I found this video. I think they said it was in Arcadia. Usually videos don’t do justice to how it really is. This one does…

Haha there was a roadside bbq restaurant back in the day that a friend used to always go to. One day he went out back of the building they were in front of and they were back there skinning coons out , lol. for the grill… Ive never been desperate enough to eat one but one friend would always want me to bring him one back when I went hunting. I had another friend that would eat anything he could kill , catch, or grow… He ate a woodpecker once and said it was tough…but his mom cooked the best gator tail I ever had.

Venison, hog, squirrels , froglegs, gator, from around here. Also had buffalo, antelope , and even kangaroo ( it was tough). I made a funny mistake my first day at my newest job. I was telling someone in the office I loved to fish and eat fish, then said it was about time for squirrel season. One of the girls had been very smiley and friendly up to that point. She said coldly “ You SHOOT SQUIRRELS” ? Couldn’t back out of that one. Turns out she has a pet squirrel named” Nibbles” ?

@Mike L Relieved to hear you’re safe. I’m beyond impressed with that house of yours…