Captain Phil

My grandfather was an Italian immigrant in the late 1800s. I am relatively light skinned until I get in the sun. I tan easily and people would ask me if I ever worked or just played golf? I told them I fish. My wife is a very light skinned Irish girl. She is always at the dermatologists. I kid her by saying she's so light you can see right through her skin. I never thought someone like me would have a problem with skin cancer. I was wrong. A routine checkup turned into a quick trip to the surgeon. Wear a hat!!

What sells outboard motors is availability of service. I'll keep my Mercury.

I believe I fished my first traditional style spinnerbait in the early 70s? They were a complete bust for me. It was so bad my son and I called them "Christmas Trees". Later I learned I was fishing them all wrong. I was throwing them out in the open and pulling them too fast. Even when I did get a bite, I often missed the fish. Today, I fish one about 70% of the time. The bass I catch on a spinnerbait average bigger than on T-rigged worms. Since I started using a trailer hook, I can't remember when I lost a fish.

50 years of fishing in both fresh and salt water. Yes, you can use a freshwater reel and rod in salt water. You will be shortening it's life, but there are precautions you can take. As others have said, wash them down with fresh water when you return. Do not use high pressure or you will drive the salt deeper into the reel. What's best is a fine spray. The biggest problem with rods is the guides. Make sure you rinse them thoroughly. I like to coat everything with WD-40 before storing them.

The birth of your first child is one of the greatest events you will have in your life. My son was born in 1966, I still remember it like it was yesterday. For the first year or two, your son will be a baby. These years are very important to his development. He will need lots of love and discipline too. Don't think he won't remember you in those years. As a baby, I was raised by my grandfather and I still think of him often. When he is old enough to hold a fishing rod, take him fishing with you. My son was my fishing buddy in his youth and I missed him terribly when he left home to start his own family. My son turned out to be everything I had hoped. Your little boy will too if you do the same. Congratulations!

Amazing.....

Florida probably has more golf courses and fishing opportunities than any other State. From my experience you can do both, but you can only be great at only one at a time. ?

Windy! Seriously, Florida bass bite better when a storm is approaching. Fishing may remain good for the first day. The calm after the storm passes, can be very tough especially if the water remains high. I have fished in 30-40 mph winds. Try to find a sheltered bay or the leeward side of the lake. Canal and river fishing is a lot easier. Fishing in any wind greater than that is best avoided.

A brick will "punch" through hydrilla. However, there is a point where the sinker's weight will turn fish off. I find the maximum weight to be 3/4 or 1 oz at the most. What I do is look for small holes in the hydrilla that I can pitch to. Light will stream down those holes where bass often wait in ambush. Sometimes you have to jiggle the bait to get it to drop through. I find this works much better than trying to crash through hydrilla with a big weight.

There have been more bass caught on a straight tail worm than all other bass baits put together. My first bass was caught on a Creme Scoundrel when I was 13 years old. My first double digit bass was caught on the same bait. There is no way to fish these baits that won't catch fish. On the top, on the bottom, weighted, non weighted, kinked, flipped, even fished like a jerk bait. The Zoom Trick worm is the same as the Scoundrel only it comes in more colors and is easier to find.

When modern spinnerbaits first came out, there weren't many options and usable information was scarce. The Zorro Aggravator was the one I remember most. There was a time when I wondered if I would ever catch a bass on one. I would make cast after cast and nothing happened. One spring day my wife and I were in Pelican Bay (Okeechobee) at the right time. Bass were everywhere chasing shad. We caught some nice fish that day and my spinnerbait confidence grew. The problem was days like that don't happen often. One day I was fishing along a long line of pads when an idea hit me. Instead of casting perpendicular to the pads, maybe I should try casting down them? I pulled my boat to the edge and started down the pad line pulling my bait as close to the edge as possible. A few casts later I caught an 8 pound bass. I took the same tactic to a canal bank and scored again. That's when I realized spinnerbaits must be pulled close to cover. If the fish are biting everything you throw, you can catch bass out in the open. If not, the closer you fish the more fish you will catch.

I'm with you brother. My biggest challenge these days is motivation. When I was younger, nothing would stop me from going fishing. It was never too cold or hot to fish. It didn't matter if the fish were biting. I could fish for days without a bite and cast until my arm ached. Today, it's all I can do to launch my boat without some drama. I should consider selling my boat, but I can't stand the idea of not owning one.

Single blade Colorado and double blade willow spinnerbaits are completely different baits. Each produces it's own unique action. Single blade baits produce thumping vibrations. Tandem baits produce more of a monotone hum. My favorite spinnerbait has a small front Colorado blade and a larger rear willow. Upsizing and downsizing the blades affects the depth and speed of the bait. Varying line size can also produce these changes. I use single blade baits more for vertical fishing off drops and weed edges. I once fished with a guy that flipped a single blade spinnerbait with good results. Tandems work best when cast back into cover or when you wish to cover water. I know of no better search bait. Bass caught on spinnerbaits tend to be larger fish. Catching your PB is more about being at the right place at the right time.

For sure. Paddletail worms are some of the best flipping baits. Bouncing them off the bottom in cover attracts a lot of attention. I use them around pier and bridge pilings.

Most salt water game fish have teeth or sharp gill plates. They are also bigger and stronger. In most cases, this makes using a leader mandatory. The gill plates of a large snook or tarpon will cut off your main line like it's butter. In addition, most offshore waters are ultra clear making fluorocarbon leaders more productive. Everyone has their favorite knots. What may work for bass won't work for Marlin. Salt water fishing requires the use of numerous knots each having it's own purpose. The Bimini Twist knot is a shock absorbing knot that creates a double line. Often that is enough to hold a large fish like a sailfish. A blood knot is used to join two similar diameter lines. The Albright knot is used to attach wire leaders directly to the running line. Whatever knots you choose, retying them often is best way to assure you won't loose a fish due to a bad knot.

I fished the Everglades for over 40 years. You could use dock line for fishing line and it wouldn't matter. ?

50# is as heavy as I ever use and that's for flipping and frog fishing in heavy cover.

Changing colors helps you maintain your confidence level and keeps your line in the water. That is 90% of bass fishing.

One thing I should mention that's never talked about. When you are young, you want to sleep with your spouse. If your spouse snores or breathes heavily when sleeping, this can keep you from getting a good night's sleep. There is nothing negative about sleeping apart. It's doesn't mean you don't love each other or are too old for intimacy. There is plenty if time for that when you are awake.

Good advice. I took Advil PM to help me sleep for ten years and it gave me an ulcer. I went to a sleep doctor and had a sleep study done. It's an interesting process that requires an overnight stay. Turned out I had a marginal case of sleep apnea. This meant my insurance would pay for CPAP if I wanted it. I tried the machine and it was horrible. I can't imagine anyone getting used to that thing. I discovered there are drugs that can cause sleeplessness. Alcohol also keeps me up at night as does eating large meals before bedtime. I stopped drinking alcohol and I eat lightly in the evening. I also take a 30 minute nap in the afternoon. Any more than 30 minutes and I will be up all night. I'm in bed a 9:30 PM and up at 6 AM feeling refreshed. Are you under stress? If so, exercise will help. Get a hobby that gives you enjoyment. That way you have something nice to think about instead of mulling over the bad.

I remember when Pot was first cool. It was around the late 60s or early 70s. We sat around listening to Cheech and Chong records. Dark Side of the Moon was a favorite. Every party had a back room for the stoners. When something is illegal, it's exciting. When it's not, it loses much of it's appeal. I think there may be less Pot smoking today than back then.

The one thing that gets my wife's eyes rolling is when I say "I have an idea!" ?

The most significant factor in choosing a marine motor is the availability of service. No matter how well any outboard is built, eventually something will break. When it does, where will you have it fixed? I have never owned a Suzuki outboard, so I can't comment on their reliability. I have owned a number of Yamaha outboards and they were great engines. However, the closest Yamaha dealer to me was 50 miles away and I'm not sure they are still in business. I am surrounded by Mercury dealers, so that's what I own. If I could buy an outboard motor that was 100% guaranteed to never break, I would buy it.

The most depressing thing you can do in life is hang around people who seemingly have a lot more money than you do. I have known billionaires, millionaires, regular folks and people with nothing. I have always been happier with the last two. When we lived in Miami, it seemed everyone was on a hamster wheel trying to keep up with someone else. Mercedes, BMWs and Cadillacs where everywhere you looked. I had so many bills, I had a full time bookkeeper just to keep up with them all. Even a casual drive was stressful. When we moved to Central Florida in 1996, we noticed an immediate change. Some people have money, but no one cares. Perhaps a move is in the cards for you? It worked for me.

Cedar Key is seven miles down a tiny road in the middle of nowhere. It's a fun day trip for tourists and it does have some decent fishing. No one builds on Cedar Key without being fully aware of what's going to happen. It's only been a few years since it was flooded the last time. While that is not any consolation for those who do, it's not downtown Tampa.