Onvacation

They have cracked down on the fishing since the alligator incident a few months back. There used to be "no" areas, very few "yes" areas, such as some parts in Fort Wilderness, and a lot of, do it until someone tells you not to areas. Now it is mostly don't go near the water. There is hope though. Orlando is my favorite destination spot for fishing.....I'm headed back in February. There are tons of bodies of water to fish and the Orlando Parks department does a stellar job of working with the state to manage many of them. There is also this little lake known as Toho that you might have heard of. Shoot me a PM if you need a guide suggestion. Also check the south forums. Myself and many others have posted specific Orlando info. I should have mentioned, Disney does have guides, but I assume you were looking at heading out on your own.

It would be a good addition for them. The 130 is a heavy bait but I rarely throw my 90s because ANYTHING will bite the 130. I've caught catfish and small bluegill on the 130 but there is no way I have found yet to gently land it on the water. 110 might give me some hope.

I haven't caught a fish on topwater since the end of September. Fish a frog in some dying pads today and got four good blowups, but none of them grab it. Very slow topwater month for me.

Welcome to the forums. How far outside of STL are you?

Welcome to the forums

Double ditto

I have a 7'1" MHF *** black rod that I use as a travel rod. It would be my primary Florida trip baitcasting rod, so it gets a workout. I also use it locally on occasion. If you shop, sometimes you can find them at bargain prices. Tough to find here though without literally reading between the *** ****

My 3000 size Stradic jumps between my two piece travel rod, a 7' MF BPS Carbonlite, and a 7'1" MLXF company that can't be mentioned My wife's Pflueger Supreme XT is on a 6'10" MLXF St. Croix Mojo Bass. Out of the three rods, this one is my favorite.

Thanks for the heads up. I will find out on Saturday. I did hit some white flukes. They look phenomenal. I did it in the garage. My wife walked out, smelled the JJs and said, "What in the hell are you eating?"

Maybe I have a bad bottle, but my JJs at best gives me a hint of chartreuse on anything green pumpkin or darker. No way I could ever come remotely close to matching the ready to use baits shown above.

I just don't like fluorocarbon but in some instances, it works well. With that in mind, a change to Seagur Invisx has solved most of my issues. I still prefer braid and a leader. I also learned that thumb pressure more on top of the reel instead of at the back of the reel gives you more surface area to feel what's going on with the spool. This will allow you to lighten your pressure for longer casts, but still have the feel required to know when the spool is hitting the fine line between perfect long cast and horrendous backlash. Give that a shot and see if it works for you.

I know they make mounts for kayaks, but this thread shows what I use on a rental Jon boat

A MH fast rod in the 7 foot range with a 6.3:1 to 7.1:1 gear ratio reel will suffice for most of what you are looking to do. However, it won't excel at all you are looking to do and in the case of baits such as crankbaits for example, could be a hindrance. You said spin cast, but did you mean spinning? If not, a spinning outfit might be a better choice for the next step up. I throw t-rigs, c-rigs, spinners and obviously finesse baits all the time on a spinning set up. It's all my wife uses and she has thrown light topwater, chatterbaits and square bills. I think a spinning setup with plastics is also a great way to learn how to feel bites which in my opinion, is one place a lot of people have problems with when it comes to catching bass.

That Symetre is a great reel at a very good price. I have several Shimano spinning reels but also really like my wife's Pflueger Supreme XT.

You have just inadvertently started the debate on size of laser, color of laser, and speed of laser movement.

Good video Glen. Just making my way into club tournament fishing, I am always the co-angler. Details are the only way I can be successful so it is great to hear the reinforcement and reminder.

Winter is coming here as well. That's why I just booked a trip to Toho in February.

Not familiar with the event but you sound excited so have fun.

It's a good case. And, it's inexpensive which is my favorite part.

Another thing to remember is if the manufacturer of the rod requires you to register it, make sure,you do so. Helps to expedite any warranty work.

I use this one. http://t.basspro.com/White-River-Spinning-Rod-and-Reel-Case/product/10205722/ i fit a 6'10" two,piece in it. The largest guide is tight, but it holds the rod stable. I only have to loosen the reel handle. It has been stepped on and has held up well.

Having flown Royal Jordanian many, many times out of Amman, Jordan, to O'Hare, I was probably only two more flights away from spending whatever it would take to be in that mans position.

They are only going to catch small bass until a big bass decides she wants to bite it. I've caught more sub one pound bass this year on 10" worms than I care to count. I've also caught a four pounder in Missouri, which to us, is a good size fish, on a Ned rig in a pond. I looked back at some of my spring fishing and have a couple out of ponds on a red pond crasher in the 3 pound range. Point is, big baits might catch big fish, but if they don't want a big bait at that particular time, they simply will ignore it. However sometimes a quick appetizer type meal is just the ticket for them.

I used them in early spring in some ponds and did quite well. You are correct, they do not sink much, but the bass were shallow anyway. At that time, on that water, red was a very good color for me and I caught quite a few fish on it. And I hate throwing spinnerbaits so that's saying something about how effective this little lure was.

To confuse matters more, take Shimano as an example. My 2500 Stradic and my 3000 Stradic are the same size frame, but the 3000 has a different spool with more capacity and a higher IPT. Both are 6.0:1 gear ratio. The 2500 holds 8/140 the 3000 holds 8/170. 2500 is 34 IPT and 3000 is 35 IPT. Not a massive difference, but it shows you the effect of a slightly larger spool capacity. Take some line off of the 3000 and it will be the same IPT as the 2500.