Captain Phil

I was in South Florida last week visiting my son. They haven't had much rain this spring and the glades are dry. This pulls fish off the flats and concentrates them in the canals. It's nothing to catch 100 bass a day right now. Most are small but there are giants among them. Better hurry as the late June rains fill the canals quickly. The fishing gets tougher after July 4th. When the water is high, it can be the toughest fishing you will ever see. Finding current is the key.

I started having problems standing in my late 50s. I was a flipper and when standing in my boat I noticed my legs and hips felt like they weighed 500 pounds each. At first, I thought it was my weight, but it got progressively worse. In my 60s, I went to a doctor to see what was happening. They gave me an MRI and told me I had spinal stenosis which is caused by narrowing of your spinal canal. Some people are genetically disposed to this condition. In my case it was caused by arthritis. I sought out the best surgeon I could find and he told me to wait until I was ready. I tried drugs, shots and physical therapy and nothing helped. Three and a half years ago, I had major back surgery which included a fusion of four vertebrae. It was rough, but I can now stand and walk without pain. I am not suggesting anyone go under the knife to fix their back problems. In fact, I will tell you to only do it as a last resort. Getting old is not for wimps! 😈

As long as fishing doesn't cause a problem in your life, fish as much as you want. My son and I fished together for years. We left in the dark and came back in the dark. At my current age, I'm good for 3-4 hours max because my body won't let me fish longer. There was a time when I would fish in any weather. Today, it's often too hot, too cold or too something. I will say fishing can cause family problems. Winning tournaments takes a lot of time and effort. When you see a winning bag of fish, you don't see all the effort behind it. I once prefished 40 hours before a club tournament. I won that tournament with three fish, one I caught previously while prefishing. Don't let fishing take the place of your family. One day you may call home and no one will be there to answer.

I started fishing when I was 12 in about 1959. Living in Miami, I fished mostly canals and rock pits. My best friend and I would ride our bikes 10-30 miles or more to fish a new spot. From our homes in North Dade, the Everglades was to the west and the Atlantic to the east. We caught bass in fresh water and snook in the bays and brackish water. Land Locked tarpon were always a possibility. In the summer, my father would drive us to the pier on the ocean where we would spend the night fishing and sleeping on the pier. South Florida was a different place back then. I built my first boat in my parent's garage out of an 8' by 4' piece of plywood and some planks for the sides. My first real boat was a 15' aluminum car topper. My first bass boat was a 15' Terry bass with stick steering and a 50 Johnson. I later upgraded to a 16' Terry with a 75. I fished my first B.A.S.S. State Federation Tournament in that boat. When I got home, I bolted on a 135 Johnson. It wasn't much faster, but it looked like it. A Terry dealer sponsored me and I bought a red white and blue Terry American Bass Fisherman. Later, there were Hydrosports, Rangers, Skeeters, a Gambler and a 22' Storm I had custom built. As I went along, I owned a bunch of offshore and flats boats too. When I got older, I struggled with launching and loading a big boat, so I went with aluminum boats. My current Ranger RT 178 is my last boat and after that I will be back on the bank where I started. I get a ton of emails from people who ask about bank fishing. Luckily, there are still places here where you can fish from the bank and do reasonably well. Thanks for indulging my reminiscing on these pages. If you are just starting out, keep fishing and you will too some day.

I came across this photo on the web recently. It was suppose to have been taken in 1923. It brought back so many memories for me, I thought about posting it here. This is the way I started bass fishing. Back then, bass fishing was a poor man's sport. We weren't fishing for our dinner, but we fished without many things we take for granted today. Most bass boats were small back then. A 25 hp motor was huge. There were no pedestal seats, you sat on planks. Trolling motors did not exist, so we took turns at the paddle. Reels were like fishing with a boat winch with the handles turning on every cast. Lures were heavy chunks of wood or spoons made of metal. Lines were thick and black. Despite all this, some things were similar to today. A few people caught more bass than others. There were more fish back then and they were bigger. Boat ramps were dirt and never crowded like today. Like today, bass fishermen were an enthusiastic bunch. We bragged about our catch and competition among anglers was high. No one painted their name or sponsors on their boat. We knew who the real fishermen were. You will notice that there are no other boats in this photo. That's the way it was. Enjoy!

I tow my RT178 with a 2020 Ford Explorer with the standard 4 cylinder turbo. Tows like it's not there.

Orange Lake is on a comeback. Years ago, this lake was one of the best big bass lakes in Florida. It is spring fed and can go through periods of very low water levels. There is a huge hole in the bottom that has been filled numerous times. This dries out the bottom and has the positive effect of rejuvenating the bass population via a natural draw down.

Over the years, I have had both single and dual axle trailers. Unless your boat is large or heavy, I would go with a single axle. As others have stated, single axle trailers are much easier to maneuver. Dual axle trailers are harder to turn sharply. Some people think having a double axle trailer reduces the need for a spare tire. This is definitely not true. Then there are the tolls. If the roads where you fish have tolls, you will pay more for a double axle trailer. As far as the material, unless you are planning to fish salt water, a steel trailer is fine. My Ranger trailer came painted with what looks like truck bed liner paint. I have had my boat for two years and the trailer still looks like new. Today's aluminum boats are nothing like they were twenty years ago.

The Jitterbug in my photo is an antique that has never been fished. This is the way they were made when I started fishing 60 years ago. Mine is made of wood. I believe they are all plastic now. I was not aware that the hook positions have been changed, but I wouldn't be surprised. The major difference is the size of the bait. Sixty years ago, casting reels were not free spool and lures were much heavier. I am not sure if the hooks are internally wired. We never had a bass pull them out, but a large musky might. What I do remember quite well was the night we both got splashed with water when a large bass hit right at the side of the boat. Pretty exciting for a youngster.

I started fishing with my grandfather while sitting on the bank. My parents didn't fish, but they found a male friend from church that did. He was a Navy Chief that I thought was the greatest bass fisherman in the world. I was only 12, but he took me fishing with him at night in the everglades. He fished while I rowed and we would switch every hour or so. All he every used at night was a Musky Jitterbug. We tried all colors, but all black was the best. I still remember the sound they made in the dark. We caught many big bass on that lure. Some years ago, I found a NOS wood Musky Jitterbug for my collection. When I look at it, it reminds me of those early fishing trips.

My wife has been my fishing partner since we were teenagers. We even fished together before and after school. She fished a lot of He & She tournaments with me in the early days. When I started fishing tournaments, I needed a full timer. It took me a while, but I finally found the right one. In order for this to work, you both need to be on the same page. Mutual respect helps. Sometimes you will catch all the fish. Other times your partner will. As long as someone is catching, it works. All my fishing partners are long gone. It's hard when you get up in age as I don't go fishing as often. I start out with good intentions, but I run out of motivation often. A boat ramp is especially difficult to maneuver alone. Launching the boat is the easy part. I use a long rope and let the boat slide off. Loading the boat is much harder by yourself. My son, who is in his 50s, fishes with me once a month. Those are great days!

I applaud your willingness to experiment. It's the only way you are going to discover anything new. Sounds like you need a stiffer rod for this type of fishing. Braid will help you as well, use a fluorocarbon leader. The biggest problem I have with jigs is they don't fall through Florida cover as easily as pure plastics. I can't speak for others, but it's the fall that triggers a strike here in Florida. With a soft plastic bait, the weight is where these adjustments are made. When fishing underwater weeds, the thinner the cover, the less weight you can use. Here on the Harris Chain, we can get away with 5/16 oz. when flipping shoreline cover. Thick hydrilla requires much heavier weights. Don't get too heavy. You will get more bites with a lighter weight. If the water where you are fishing is clear, you need to make longer pitches and keep noise to a minimum. Try to use your trolling motor sparingly and never let the prop hit anything hard. If the water is murky, you can stand right over the fish. Good luck!

Here's the jig I throw. Guaranteed not to catch dinks! 😊

Use a fluorocarbon leader. If you do, you can use tow cable for line and it won't matter.

In all my years of bass fishing in Florida, I have only caught one bass on a jig. It was in a winter tournament in Kissimmee. The temperature was in the 30s and I had tried everything else. The bite was so soft, I didn't know I had a fish. I've tried jigs many times. I've bought dozens of them. I even had a box of them in my boat with all colors and trailers, no dice. I know they work, just not here. This is where someone posts how crazy I am because jigs are all they use. Fine with me, because I'm not a bass. Stick with what works for you and leave the rest to others.

In 50 years of bass fishing in Florida, I have yet to catch a bass on a spinnerbait with orange blades. I once had a customer from Michigan who pull one out of his tackle. I remember making some foolish statement like "Florida bass won't eat that". He proceeded to make me a liar. There are times when chartreuse blades work better than any other color. I learned about this in a national tournament on Okeechobee. I was standing in line to use the phone (no cell phones in those days), when I heard one of the top pros tell his wife to buy all she could find. I found two Chartreuse bladed Lindy's Spins at a local tackle shop. They got me a nice check in that tournament. They seem to work well on rainy and/or dark days. I suspect they do because they stand out against the background. The craziest color that ever won a tournament was a spinnerbait with chartreuse blades and a chartreuse and bright orange grub for a trailer. It was in Kissimmee on a day where it rained all day. Black with chartreuse blades works well in those conditions as well. As I no longer fish in bad weather, I use gold blades almost exclusively these days.

A few thoughts come to mind. The scariest night bass fishing I have done was fishing Lake Okeechobee. Just being on that huge lake at night is frightening. Having the entire lake to yourself is an experience. Looking over your shoulder in the dark at 40 miles of black water is intimidating to say the least. That was nothing like when we used to get up at 2 AM to catch live bait on the reefs off Miami. You are running through a narrow ocean cut in the dark. You can hear the waves crashing, but you have no idea how big they are. Are they 3 feet tall or 30!! Bimini at night is an experience. Try coming into the Cat Cay Harbor not knowing where the rocks start and end! Enough reminiscing, I'm going back to bed. 😊

I enjoyed your post. It brought back a lot of memories for me. I started night fishing the Glades when I was 12. I have written about this many times on this forum. A few thoughts from an old man. Night fishing is for young fit anglers. Even then, they shouldn't fish alone. The smallest things can quickly turn into a nasty problem. I fished the Everglades alone in the dark and never had a problem. I was lucky and foolish. I have passed more than one dead body laying on the ramp. It's normally someone who fished alone. Two good friends of mine fishing a night tournament on the Harris Chain hit something in the water running at night. It broke a huge hole in their boat and they were lucky to make it back to the ramp. You could fall out of the boat. You could hook yourself to a big bass. You could have a stroke or a heart attack. Be careful out there!

My first double digit bass (11.25) was caught in Lake Okeechobee on a 6" Creme Scoundrel. I was at the right place at the right time. I moved to Central Florida in 1996 when the Harris Chain was supposedly dead and the water looked like coffee with too much cream. All my double digit bass since then have been caught flipping heavy cover including the bass in the photo above. I have never owned a live scope, forward facing sonar or any of the electronic gadgets anglers use today. My boat does not have power poles or sponsor placards. What does this prove? Absolutely nothing! 😃

It's due to climate change! 😅

Here's a story that might help you in your quest. If nothing else, it may amuse you. When I was a youngster, I dreamed of catch a big bass. I lived in South Florida, so there were big bass available to me. I tried and tried and the biggest bass I caught was 6 1/4 pounds. Back in the 70s, there was a big plastic worm called a Hawg Hunter. To say it was huge would be an understatement. It sounded like a whip on the cast. It was 13" long, at least 3/4" wide and 1/4" thick with two hooks impeded into it. I decided to fish for nothing except big fish. One day I was running down L67 canal in the Everglades. The bottom of those canals is as flat as a plate. My flasher showed something big on the bottom, which was unusual. I stopped and casted out a black Hawg Hunter. I immediately caught a big mudfish (bowfin). I unhooked the fish and cast again. Another giant mudfish took my worm. That was fun, so I cast back out and got another hit. This fish was different. Instead of rolling on the line, it came to the surface. You guessed it, a 8 1/2 pound largemouth was on my line. I had that fish mounted and hung it on the wall for a long time. Once I broke the ice, my luck improved. I won't bore you with more fishing stories, but I have caught at least a dozen double digit bass since then. Here's my advice. You can get lucky and catch a big bass anywhere and at any time. To up your chances keep this in mind, Big bass eat big food and they don't eat often. It takes patience, but you can do it. Most truely large bass never get caught, they die of old age.

Of course you could get lucky. Here's an 11.5 caught flipping near my boat dock in Lake Eustis. This was when I had hair!

I grew up in Florida. Big fish were much more common back then. For years my biggest bass was 6 1/4. It wasn't until I started fishing differently, that I broke that curse. There are still many double digit bass in Florida, but the chances you will catch one are slim. Here's your plan. Book an experienced guide in North Florida where there is less fishing pressure. Rodman is a good place to start. Even better is a private lake with no fishing pressure. Tell him what you want. Fish with large wild native shiners. Fish where and how he says. Be patient. It may take you a few trips, but you will easily exceed your current PB. You can do the same thing in your local lake, but you will be competing with a hoard of anglers who are dreaming your same dream.

Retirement is not for everyone. If you love your work, retirement can leave you feeling depressed. I retired twice. Once when I sold my company in 2001 when I was 54. I was too young to enjoy doing nothing. I got my Captains license and started a guide business. Wrong answer! Luckily my wife's real estate business took off and I became a Realtor. We sold lakefront homes and lots for 15 years. I discovered my fishing experience and knowledge of the lakes was in high demand. We both retired five years ago and we are enjoying it this time. Here is some advice I learned from first hand experience. When you turn 65 and get Medicare, buy the best supplemental health insurance you can find. You want to be able to go to any doctor you want. You do not want to pay for anything out of pocket. It's going to be expensive DO IT! I may not be here when this happens. If I am, you'll thank me later.

They are targeting big fish because that's what wins tournaments. Personally, I don't fish bass on beds. I also do not handle bass or bring them into the boat unless it can't be avoided.