Captain Phil

Being older myself, I have experienced the adverse effects of arthritis on my fishing. I am right handed. When using a spinning outfit, I cast and crank by holding the rod with my right hand. After some time my right hand gets fatigued and I start to get cramps. I do not experience this with a casting outfit because I change hands after each cast. I cast with my right hand then hold the rod with my left on the retrieve. This balances the pressure on both hands instead of one. Modern rods and reels are also much lighter which also helps. When you are young, you don't think about these things. Some day you will. ?

You should use what you are most comfortable with fishing. When I started fishing, casting reels were what everyone used. The Mitchell 300 changed that for me. Spinning reels allowed us to cast plastic worms, which where new at the time. This changed bass fishing forever. I never liked closed face spinning reels myself, but many people do. I think you would be better off with a modern open face spinning reel, but the choice is yours. The bass don't care what reel you use. The main difference between casting and spinning reels is in the line. This has changed somewhat with braided line. Formerly, spinning reels were limited to lighter line and casting reels could handle heavier line. The other difference is in the retrieve ratio. Generally, spinning reels are faster. This means they take up more line with each turn of the handle. I find it easier to fish slow with a casting reel than a spinning reel. In salt water fishing, spinning reels are preferred because the fish want a faster moving bait. Open face spinning reels cast lures farther and with more accuracy than a closed face reel. Casting reels are better at precision casting and power fishing.

Rattle Trap

Years ago, I used to fish a Musky Jitterbug at night in the Everglades. We could fish for hours without a bite, then all hell would break loose. Great memories. I think a black Whopper Plopper would be great bait, especially in summer. Good Luck! ?

Works great in Tannic water.

OMG! Standing on the side of the boat to pee is a recipe for disaster. It's not the alligators I'm worried about, it's getting wet and having to crawl back in the boat by myself. Thank God my Ranger came with a ladder on the back. So far I haven't had to use it. When you're fishing alone you have be be extra cautious. A good friend of mine fell off a dock and hit his head when no one was around. He would have drowned if his wife didn't happen to check on him at the right time. I need to hire a fishing assistant. ?

Buy one of these unisex urinals. They are available at most drug stores. The removable funnel attachment makes it work for males and females. I keep one in my boat. Can't fish without it. ?

It's been that way for as long as I can remember. Seems like every cold front comes in on Friday night.

When I first stated fishing, we didn't have money. The idea of buying a boat was totally out of the question. Lucky for me, I grew up in South Florida with canals and rock pits all around me. I had a paper route after school which gave me enough money to buy my first fishing reel. I put the reel on layaway at my local tackle shop until I could pay it off. My parents saw that I loved fishing, so they hooked me up with a man from church who fished. He had a 10 foot aluminum Jon Boat and taught me how to paddle from the front. I idolized that man and he sent me down the road to a lifetime of fishing. The reason I am telling you this is to state how important it is for you to take a kid fishing. A kid who loves fishing is less likely to turn out to be a gang member or criminal. Kids who do not have anyone to show them what a man is supposed to be will learn from people around them. Many times, that person is not of the best character or he doesn't know himself. Worse yet, he may have no one who cares. You have no idea the influence you may have on someone's future.

I love bass fishing. It's been a big part of my life since I was 13. In the early years it was about catching fish. In my twenties, it was about tournaments. In my fifties, it was about making money. As I grew older, my body slowed me down. Today, I am completely at peace with my fishing. I fish when I want and don't care much about catching a ton of fish. If I catch one nice decent fish, I'm satisfied. I enjoy sharing my experiences with other anglers. I recently agreed to work part time at a local tackle shop. We'll see how that goes. What do I dislike about bass fishing? For years, a few of us were the only boats on the Harris Chain. Twenty five years ago, this place was very tough to fish. There were fish to be had, but the fishing was much different than in Okeechobee or the Everglades. This taught me more than I realized at the time. If you always fish where fishing is easy, you will not learn all there is to know. Since our boat ramp parking lots are always full, I launch my boat in mid morning when everyone else is fishing. I never catch a fish earlier than 9 AM. I hate fishing in crowds, so I fish where others don't. Pontoon boats and cruisers don't bother me. We don't have water skiers, probably because we have large alligators. The most fun I have in fishing these days is talking with other anglers. Young anglers and people new to our area are hungry for information and I enjoy helping when I can. Everyone is looking for that secret that will allow them to catch all the fish they want. In the words of Roland Martin, "Go early, stay late". Learn from other anglers. There has never been an angler that didn't teach me something, even if it's what not to do.

My Mom died over twenty years ago and I still miss her. She was a teenager when she had me and I remember how beautiful she was. She had a tough life, but never let it get her down. As a child, she read Bible stories to me and always told me she was going to meet me in heaven. When I get there, she'll be the first person I look for. ?

Not yet. I'm living with it. I think what happened is the foot control is designed for someone with smaller feet than I have. My size 12s just don't fit. It's not a big deal, but it is annoying.

I have the same problem with my Minn Kota Edge foot pedal. I thought it was me? They need to get rid of the large ridge on the rear of the pedal and make it flat.

The zoom fluke is one of the most effective bass baits ever created. I agree what you are probably experiencing are small fish. Good size fish generally inhale the bait. If you ever get into schooling bass, try a zoom fluke with a treble hook buried in the nose.

FYI In April 2022, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) stocked hybrid striped bass (also known as hybrids or sunshine bass) in Lakes Harris and Eustis. The FWC stocked 116,132 hybrids in Lake Harris and 52,390 hybrids in Lake Eustis. Hybrids are stocked in the Harris Chain to provide an additional sport fish option for anglers to target and they are known for their hard fighting ability and good table fare. Past studies have shown hybrids are a fast-growing fish, reaching catchable size (12-14 inches) in one year and only live to 5-6 years old due to high summer water temperatures.

All my casting reels are Shimano. Their quality is far superior to every other reel brand I have tried. For the money, I prefer the Chronarch 150MGL. I can afford a Metanium, but I don't feel there is enough difference to justify the price. Personally, I don't care for DC reels. I don't change lure sizes and weights. I use a different outfit for each technique.

It's rated to 1 1/2 oz. I have have never had the need to flip or pitch with anything heavier. I started flipping with an 8' Dee Thomas Flipping Stick. It was as stiff as a pool cue and I thought the extra length was an advantage. I discovered you don't need a long heavy rod to effectively flip and pitch. What you need is a sensitive light weight heavy action rod you can fish comfortably for long periods of time. Shimano Carbon Monocoque rods are a miracle in light weight and sensitivity. As far as I am concerned, the ZDC72MH-GA is as good as it gets. The good news is we have so many great rods to choose from.

Take a look at the Shimano Zodias ZDC72MH-GA. Weight is an important consideration in a flipping pitching rod as you will be holding it for long periods of time. These rods are as sensitive as they come.

As you might expect, Florida has many fishing opportunities. So many that it's often a challenge to choose one over another. These days it's not which lake is the closest, it's which lake has the least aggravation. Our population has exploded to the point where everything is crowded. Our boats ramps are maxed out even on weekdays. The Harris Chain has been beaten up so badly by tournaments that it's hard to find a fish that hasn't seen a hook. Lately, I find myself fishing in smaller lakes closer to home. Most of them are pretty good.

My favorite bass reel of all time is the Shimano Chronarch 100. Until recently, I bought like new reels on EBay for $100-$150. I still use them.

Zoom. Because they catch fish.

I never fish where someone else is fishing. I have no problem with fishing their spot when they are not there. My reason has nothing to do with courtesy or ethics. I hate fishing with anglers around me. I fish for the solitude of being in nature by myself. Even though the lakes I fish are large, this gets harder every year. The worst is when some person fishes with boat music so loud I can hear them. Music and bass fishing don't mix. All I want to hear is birds, animals and the splash of a bass taking my bait. Since Covid, our boat ramps are full even on week days and all the well known spots have three boats on them. This means I have to fish where others don't. Surprisingly enough, I have found fish that I didn't know about before. Every cloud has a silver lining. ?

I often fish a small Ocala National Forest lake north of our home. This lake is one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever fished. It has a small dirt ramp and the fishing pressure is light. It's a typical dish pan Florida lake without much bottom cover. On a few occasions, I noticed a boat parked out in deep water away from anything that I could see. This is not common in Florida. One summer day I decided to check this out. I couldn't see much on my electronics but I decided to make a few casts with a Carolina Rig. What I discovered was a huge shell bed in 12 feet of water loaded with hungry bass. The weather that day was hot with the temperature in the nineties. The water in that lake is stained almost black. As I sat there sweating in the heat, I caught and released bass after bass for well over an hour. It was crazy fishing. I have been back many times and that spot always produces. I have never showed that spot to anyone and I'm not going to. ?

The Harris Chain is about a 40 minute drive from Orlando. The Chain has numerous public piers, seawalls and docks where you can fish. One of the best is from the waterfront park in downtown Eustis. You can fish from shore or from the concrete walkway. I have caught some nice fish around the pool seawall and from the park itself. I catch my fish on a Texas rigged plastic worm fished on the bottom. If you go, try to fish on the weekdays as it gets pretty crowded on weekends.

Sorry to hear of your hip problem. From my experience, you are receiving good advice. My back issues were diagnosed ten years ago. I was told to hold off on surgery to see if I could live with my problem. As it turned out I got progressively worse, so I opted for surgery two years ago. Surgery can fix many things, it can't roll back the clock. Too many people these days think surgery is the answer to everything. This includes both physical as well as psychological pain. What happens is not what they think. Often you end up trading one pain for another. There is no such thing as a 100% pain free life. Your body will tell you when it's time.