BCline

I have been buying "Senko" type seconds from Bridgemaster on FL-60 in Lake Wales for $5/pound. They seem to work no differently than the name brand lures. I do like the added casting distance a bullet weight gives me, but will try weightless or maybe a 1/16 oz for a while and see how it works. Are you still Texas rigged if you remove the slip weight? I have seen the term "Weightless Texas-Rigged" but isn't that just a hook and a lure? Am I missing something?

We have about 6 different locations that we rotate through so I am fishing the same water now that I was earlier this year with the same tackle and techniques. I have found that as the temperature rises the bass seem to want a faster retrieve. I will remove the slip weight and see what happens. My personal best at 7-4 was caught on a 4" Senko.

Caught two more little guys today. I am in a competition with one of my colleagues so I need to keep the numbers up. We count total fish not weight. Last year I beat him by one fish, right now I am down 6 fish. I will play around with some different lures and presentations. Are the big girls still in shallows this time of year or have they gone deep?

Tyler, I live just up the road from you in Loxahatchee and drive by Southern and Forest hill everyday during my commute to Deerfield Beach. Let me know if you ever have an empty seat in your boat, I will gladly fill it. Do you know a good, local outboard mechanic? I am trying to nurse a 1984 16' Bayliner trophy with a 85 HP force back to life and need someone with more knowledge and tools than I have. Thanks, - Bruce -

Greetings Bass Fishing Community, I live in Loxahatchee, FL and work in Deerfield Beach. Everyday during my lunch hour I bank fish for large mouth bass near my office. My go to setup is a Texas-rigged 4" Senko with a 3/16 oz bullet weight on 15 lb mono line. During the first quarter of 2017 I landed 110 bass with 15 (13.6%) being over 1 pound. The largest was 7-4. So far in the second quarter of this year I have landed 78 bass, but only 5 (6.4%) have been over a pound. The largest was just under 3 pounds. The last 41 fish I have caught have ALL been under one pound. This is the first year I have maintained a fishing log and paid attention to the number and size of fish I am catching, so my question to all of the south Floridians is what is going on? Is this a normal pattern or do I need to adjust my techniques to catch large bass now that its getting hot here? My catch rate has stayed consistent at slightly better than 2 fish / hour but the fish quality has plummeted. Advise and insight is greatly appreciated.

After Day 1 I have two in the top 10 (Cherry and Faircloth) and two in the bottom 10 (Klein and Horton). That's balance!

I can not agree more. I caught number 170 for the year today using this setup and pattern. Fish so slow it hurts, then slow down.

And....there off! I have Faircloth, Cherry, Horton, Klein and Lucas. Go Team

I grew up saltwater fishing with my father. I joined the boy scouts in 1976 and one of the requirements for the fishing merit badge was to catch a freshwater fish on an artificial lure. One nasty, rainy morning we head out to a public pond in Savannah, GA and I throw a fly rod for hours until a 6" large mouth bass finally hits the fly. I land and identify the fish. Dad and I looked at each other and said well that sucked, we won't be doing that again and head home. Fast forward 37 years to 2013 and I find myself in-between jobs in Saint Marys, GA and a short walk away from a community pond. While waiting for replies to my resumes, I kept myself sane by float fishing for blue gills. After catching hundred of pan fish out of that pond, I tried something different and tied on a top water buzz bait. The first time I saw the water boil under that lure I was hooked. I walked that same bank, throwing that same lure for hours everyday until I rejoined the work force. I caught dozens of bass out of that pond with a few 3 pounders included. I now live in the bass fishing capital of the world (South Florida) and bass fish everyday during my lunch hour and frequently on the weekends. I have caught many hundreds of bass since living here with my PB being 7-4 (the one in my profile pic).

I guess it could be worse. I almost put Dean Rojas on my team.

According to Basstrakk, KVD is the only guy I have in the top 50. GO TEAM!!

I had recently moved from Georgia to Florida and was discovering the amazing bass fishing south Florida has to offer. I was also learning the often vague and confusing signs posted near water in this state such as "Private Property" and "No Fishing beyond this Point". I mean really what does a Private Property sign mean? It doesn't say No Trespassing, doesn't say no fishing just that someone owns the land, good for them. The No Fishing Beyond this point sign really confused me, I mean how do you know which side of the sign is legal and which is not. It all depends on where you approach the sign from. So I found a very productive canal with one of these "No Fishing Beyond this Point" signs and am slaying them. Caught 10 in less than an hour with several 2 - 4 pounders included. I always catch and release. I am fighting fish number 11 when a F-150 pulls up next to me. The officer tells me I am not supposed to be there. I explain my confusion regarding the "No Fishing beyond this Point" sign, but he was not sympathetic. He asked for my license and I explain that I just moved from GA and have not changed over to FL. I asked if GA and FL reciprocate and was quickly informed that they do not. He then asked for my GA license which I did not have on me. He lets me go with a warning and I ran to the tag office and purchased a FL drivers and fishing license. I have not left my house without one on me since.

It is a little ways from West Palm Beach but if you drive West on Southern Blvd (80), about one mile past Lion Country Safari there is a water preserve on the left. You have to walk a ways to find fish-able water but I have caught some nice ones out there. Keep an eye open for gators!! I have seen some big ones.

That sounds like fun.

These numbers are all bass, I have not caught a sunfish or a snake head yet this year.

Outstanding!!

I am current restoring a 1984 Bayliner Trophy 1710, but am limited to bank fishing until I get her seaworthy again. Let me know anytime you have an empty seat in your boat, I will gladly put my butt in it!

I have the great fortune to live in Loxahatchee, FL and work in Deerfield Beach. Between noon and 1 PM nearly every week day I fish one of the dozen bodies of water within 10 minutes of my office which hold fish. On the weekends I bank fish around Loxahatchee. This year I have been using 4" - 6" Senkos, Texas-rigged with a 3/16 oz lead bullet weight and 12 lb mono. Nearly every fish caught this year has been landed with that set up. This breakdown for the fish caught so far follows: Under 1 lb - 91 fish 1 - 2 lbs - 9 fish 2 - 3 lbs - 1 fish 3 - 4 lbs - 1 fish 4 - 5 lbs - 1 fish 6 - 7 lbs - 0 fish 7 - 8 lbs - 1 fish (7 lb 4 oz my PB) 8+ lbs - 0 fish This represents 52 days, fishing 1 hour each day. If this catch rate continues, it is going to be a great year! How many have you caught? - Bruce -

My two cents is that I have never been skunked on a day with a first cast fish, I have been skunked plenty of days when I didn't catch a fish on the first cast. Regardless of the rest of the day, catching one of the first cast is always a good thing.

Well I guess someone has to be last in this group. I plan on making a comeback at the Classic!

I set a goal of catching 300 bass this year. So far I have 72.

Buying a digital scale was an illuminating experience. I was stunned to see how many of the 4 - 5 pounders I was catching suddenly became 2 - 3 pounders. I now weigh everything over a pound and log every fish I catch. A fish on the end of a line is a marvel of science. It is the only object that weighs more in water than it does on land. Ask anyone who has ever had a big one throw a hook.

I am a long time lurker but the 7 pounder I caught a few days ago inspired me to join this group. I fish nearly every day during my lunch hour in Deerfield Beach, FL and around Loxahatchee on the weekends. I am in the process of rebuilding a 1984 Bayliner but am limited to bank fishing until I get her running. I look forward to the South Florida fishing reports every day. thanks to everyone for the wealth of information shared on this forum. - Bruce -

or South Florida