Captain Phil

Things are somewhat different here in Florida. Fishing before a thunderstorm blows through can be good right before the storm hits. After the storm goes through, the fishing can get absolutely nuts. During the storm, you are wasting your time and putting yourself in danger. Most of our thunderstorms occur on summer afternoons. They can be exceptionally nasty. I have seen multiple water spouts (small tornadoes) coming across Lake Okeechobee many times. I once got blocked in when the wind filled the canal I was fishing with floating hyacinths. If you are lucky enough to be on the water after the storm passes just before dusk, you could witness some of the craziest bass fishing you will ever see.

The first Federation tournament I ever fished was on lake Okeechobee back in the early 70s. It was in July, the air temperature was near 100 degrees with no breeze and the lake was slick as glass. I couldn't buy a fish if my life depended upon it. When I got to the weigh-in, two guys had 20 plus pounds each and won easily. I had passed them all day as I rode around trying to find a fish. They were fishing a weed bed in 4 feet of water and had stayed there all day. How could this be? I didn't know about "flipping" in those days. We didn't even know the word. They didn't either, but they knew what to do.

Think about what a great world this would be if everyone did the same. ?

Roland Martin got it right when he said the secret to catching more bass was to go early and stay late. When you have fished as many tournaments as I have, you get used to hearing about "secret bait colors". The idea that a bass will hit a red flake worm over a green flake worm is in our heads. I have friends who swear they catch more bass on Red Shad worms. Tequila Sunrise was a trick color in years gone by. I've caught bass on some very strange colors. I once caught an 8 pound bass on a Merthiolate colored Zoom Trick worm in water so clear you could read a newspaper through it. What that bass thought my worm was is beyond me? I have driven 20 miles to buy some rare colored worms when I could have used what I had in my box already. I cleaned out my garage a few years back and threw out two huge boxes of plastic worms. All I use now is dark grape in stained water and watermelon green in clear. It's not the color of the flakes that makes the difference, it's the angler.

Here in Central Florida, it is common to catch bass in 90 degree plus water. The hottest I have noticed on my electronics has been 93 degrees. In Florida, I much prefer summer fishing over fishing in the dead of winter as the fish are much more active. Bass are all different. They don't all run to deep water when the temperature rises. Some of my biggest bass have come from 4 feet of water in August hunkered down in thick cover. Hydrilla mats are bass hotels. Any shade is also a plus. One hot weather structure that is commonly ignored are bridge pilings. Bass will lay under the bridge alongside the pilings. I once caught two seven pounders back to back flipping around the Howey Bridge on Big Lake Harris. This double digit bass was caught flipping shallow water in August.

I have fished top water with some of the best. I can tell you with certainty that a retrieve with short erratic jerks catches more fish. This action mimics a wounded bait fish and can draw fish from a wide area. A live critter swimming across the top of the water is not that unusual. A live wounded critter thrashing on top gets much more attention. If the fish are hitting everything, you won't notice the difference. If they are picky, it does. Tournament fishermen that specialize in top water lures fish much faster than you would think. Fishing like that is power fishing at it's best.

This is why I no longer get up early. ?

For many years I had a spot that produced 6 pound plus bass on a regular basis. It only produced if you fished it at the right time, which was a couple of hours in the middle of the day. Before 11 AM and after 2 PM, you couldn't buy a bite. Few people knew the right timing. Whenever I needed a kicker fish, I knew what to do and it saved me in many tournaments. To this day I have no idea why this occurred.

Good question. In my case it's all about confidence. If you have confidence in a color you will catch more fish on that color. This builds more confidence in that color and the cycle continues. When you get back to the ramp, someone who caught a bunch of fish will tell you they caught their fish on "Red Zombie with purple flakes and a white tail" worms. If you had fished the same place in the same way, you would have caught the same fish on whatever your confidence color is. I'm not at all sure bass care that much about color. What matters is you believe they do. You have to experiment to find your best color. If I'm fishing in a place where I have no history, I start out by matching the water color.

As you probably know, Zoom's June Bug Red is the same. It's June Bug with red and green flakes. Gambler calls it Xmas.

My mother suffered with depression all her life. She was institutionalized for a time. After she was released, I helped her regain her citizenship rights. Even while suffering from a seriously debilitating condition, she was an optimistic person. Each day was a new day for her. I inherited her optimism. What got my mother through was her faith. Faith has fallen out of favor in today's culture. Having faith does not mean you won't have problems or make mistakes. Without it, you are alone with no purpose and have nothing to fall back on. You live 80-90 some odd years, you die and it means nothing. My mother believed she had a better future and she was never alone.

Over the years I have seen a lot of animals while fishing. Most were common like alligators, otters, snakes, turtles and the usual water born critters. I have also seen my share of deer and a few bears. While fishing in Canada I have seen moose and even a mink. The coolest thing I saw was a death match between a large black snake and a great blue heron. The snake had wrapped itself around the bird's bill and I thought it would win. Not so fast! The bird calmly began to strike his bill on the ground until the snake went limp. Heron's are tough. The most amusing animals I ever saw were a family of raccoons walking down the bank in the Everglades. The Mama racoon was leading the group with three tiny baby raccoons following behind. The babies were jumping over one another playing as they walked along. It was precious!

I've owned bass boats since my first Terry Bass back in the late sixties, most of them were fiberglass. My last fiberglass bass boat was a 19' 2000 Skeeter. Before that, I had a few Rangers and Hydrosports, a 20' Gambler and a 22' custom built Storm. I switched to aluminum around 2010. It took me some time to get used to not having a flashy boat at the ramp. Kind of felt like I was starting all over again from scratch. After some time, I believe I have a handle on the differences. What you give up when you switch to aluminum is speed and ride. There are some great aluminum bass boats being made, but they just aren't the same as a big fiberglass boat. My 22' Storm was made to ride safely across Lake Okeechobee no matter what the weather. When you are tournament fishing, you must go where the fish are no matter what. On the other hand, It was like fishing off an aircraft carrier. My Gambler would run near 80 mph with two guys and all the tackle. If you are in no hurry, that's overkill. Today, I own a Ranger RT178 which I am very happy with. If looks more like a modern boat than a Tracker or a Lowe. The storage is more than I need, the ride is good for what it is and the quality is the best I have seen. Is it better than my fiberglass boat? No. It also didn't cost me a small fortune to buy and own.

I could fill this thread with scary fishing hook stories. I fished offshore for many years and have seen some truly horrible situations. Once saw a mate with a marlin gaff though his calf. The worst I have been hooked was when a bass hooked himself to my chest and my hand at the same time when I was by myself. Luckily, I had my side cutters with me. Never went fishing again without them. Most small fishing hooks can be removed easily with the string method. Google it. I was always removing hooks from my customers as long as the hook wasn't too deep or near something critical. I hooked my wife once in the head with a Hula Popper. Not a good day. ?

THIS ^^^^^

I would guess the most popular soft plastic bait color in Florida is June Bug which is dark purple with green flake. The second most popular color is watermelon with red flake. My favorite color is Zoom June Bug Red. If they won't hit that color, I go home. ?

I think this depends on local conditions. Years ago when flake worms came out they were all the rage. Anyone here remember Fleck worms? In time flake became standard, so it's kind of hard to find a worm without it these days. The most productive LM bass color for a plastic worm is solid black. Funny how no one ever throws them. I guess because they believe it's too simple? I have seen times when the color of the flake made a difference. Back when I was fishing tournaments, the secret color was Christmas or June Bug with red and green flakes. We bought Xmas Gambler craws 1,000 at a time. In dingy water, the flash of the flake helps the fish find the lure.

When you are talking finesse, line stretch is not such a bad thing. In fact, it might save you from losing a big fish. I use 8 pound Maxima mono on my spinning tackle and it has served me well. Mono lays on the reel well. It's supple and casts without jumping into coils. If your mono misbehaves, you probably aren't loading it right on the spool. Years ago, I learned to flip my bail over by hand. This action alone will stop big line tangles. I am not against new line technology, but I see no need to reinvent something that works.

Lowes are good boats. I had mine for ten years. There aren't any bad boats made these days, the competition is stiff and the market won't allow it. The main difference in aluminum bass boats is in hardware, cosmetics, utility and ride. You pay more for a quality name upfront, but you will get more when you sell it. Many people buy things without thinking about selling them. You will some day and the time to think about it is before you own it. Aluminum boats make noise, especially in rough water. Some more than others. The floor in my Lowe Roughneck flexed some. I only paid $12K for that boat, motor and trailer, so I expected that. The more you pay, the more you will get. My little Ranger has more dry storage than I will ever need. All the compartments are carpeted. It doesn't flex, make noise or pound. I paid $27K in the middle of Covid for that boat, so it wasn't a bargain. It came with a 24 volt Minn Kota, onboard three bank charger, two GPS/Sonar Lowrance units, a 75 HP Mercury Four Stroke, a Ranger Trailer with spare and an eight year motor warranty. You can buy a Tracker for about $5K less. The Tracker will catch fish just as well, so it's up to you. Somewhere between 18K and 28K is what you can expect to spend. More if you add two power poles and fancy electronics. My buddy just bought a full rigged 20 foot Skeeter for $70K. The last time I was at Bass Pro, they had an $80K bass boat on the floor. I'm sure you could find a bass boat for over $100K. It's your choice.

I don't live in NC, but our lakes are similar in size. I've had every type of bass boat imaginable. If you are not going to fish tournaments, aluminum is a great choice. What you will give up is speed and the ability to ride comfortably in rough water. If it's too rough to fish, you are not going out or you will stay in sheltered water. A good aluminum boat will run near 40 mph. That's not blisteringly fast, but fast enough to cover big water. Price is less than half the cost of fiberglass. You won't use as much fuel and you won't need an expensive tow vehicle. My Ranger RT178 does everything my 20' Gambler did, except run 75 mph and make me look great at the ramp. Most men like the image of backing down the ramp with an $80K bass boat. They feel like showing up with an 18' aluminum boat doesn't have the same "Panache". The fish don't care.

I first started noticing my problem when I was fishing standing up. I was in my fifties and had never had any health issues. I had never been in a hospital since I had my tonsils taken out at three years old. My pain was in my backside and down my legs. It wasn't a sharp pain. I felt as if I was carrying 1,000 pounds and it would come and go. It progressed to the point where I had to sit down to fish. Eventually, I couldn't stand for more than 15 minutes. What happened in my case was arthritis in my spine was pinching the nerves to my legs. This narrowing is called spinal stenosis. You can make this better with Ibuprofen. I took so much of it I caused an ulcer in my stomach. Spinal injections did not work for me. Neither did chiropractors or physical therapists. Losing weight did help some. Not everyone is going to need the amount of surgery I had. You may be able to live with your problem.

Every person and circumstance is different. In my case, I was looking at being in a wheel chair for the rest of my life. This didn't appeal to me, so I did what I had to do. Some people, including many doctors, will tell you not to have back surgery. All surgery is risky, back surgery is more so. Your pain may not get better or it may return. Many people have back surgery when they are older. I was first diagnosed in my sixties and waited until I was in my seventies. Back surgery did alleviate my pain, it did not make me young again. Back surgery is a huge cash cow. TV, Internet, print and bill board ads will promise to fix your back with a laser in one afternoon. Don't do that! Before you do anything, find the best surgeon you can and get an MRI. Then find two more. If the surgeon is any good, it may take you 6 months to get an appointment. Only have surgery as a last resort. I would do it again if I had to, but I was out of options.

I wish him well. Two and a half years ago I had major back surgery myself. Due to severe spinal stenosis, they fused L3, L4, L5 and S1. I was not able to fish for a year. Today, I am able to fish by myself, although I am much slower than I was. Balance is a major issue. If you force yourself and take your time, it's surprising what you can do. You will never be the same as before your surgery, but you can do a lot.

I fish some spots that I fished forty years ago and they still hold fish. That said, there are factors that can relocate fish. Thirty years ago, the Harris Chain was almost totally stripped of aquatic vegetation. Local officials that had no idea what they were doing decided to totally eliminate hydrilla from the lakes. After the chemical purge, the only way to catch fish was to run back into the canals where chemicals did not reach. The main lake water was so turbid, flipping was the only option. Today, hydrilla is being managed by the Florida Wildlife Commission and fishing has greatly improved. There are still fish on the same shallow cover spots, but the number of fish has increased making offshore fishing productive. When you are fishing off the bank your options are limited. I would stay with what works.

I have never caught a bass on a drop shot. I have never been ice fishing either. When the drop shot came out, I tried it. It was so boring, more like bottom fishing for catfish than bass fishing. I can see how it would work for kids or beginners. I suppose if you fish in a gin clear deep water Northern lake, it may be an option. If I did, I would fish for big pike instead.