Captain Phil

This reminds me of a joke I heard back in the seventies. Some of you may not get it. A man is dying of cancer, so he calls a company to have his body frozen in liquid nitrogen. He gives them instructions to thaw out his body when they find a cure. Before he dies he transfers all his money to his broker and tells him his plan. He dies a week later and they put him on ice. In thirty years, they thaw him out. When he wakes up, he runs down the hall and calls his broker on a pay phone (Google it). The son of the broker answers the phone. The son tells the man, "You are in great shape. We invested your money in stocks and they are now worth ten times more. Then we invested your money in gold and that tripled. Finally, we bought real estate and you are now a multi millionaire. "That's Great", the man says. Before he could say anything else the phone operator cuts in and says "Please deposit $16,570 for the next three minutes!"

The only music I want to hear on my boat is when I hear my fishing partner say "Holy Crap, that's a 12 pounder!" ?

The funniest thing that ever happen to me in this regard was when my buddy and I were fishing a tournament. We were fishing a boat dock when an older lady came out of her house and started hollering at us for catching her "pet" bass. When we ignored her, she turned on her garden hose and proceeded to wet us both down. We left the dock laughing so hard we could hardly fish. ?

I am not an economist, but I have been around long enough to make a few observations. I believe the current labor shortage is due to so many people leaving the workforce. During COVID, many workers discovered they could stay home instead of commuting to a job 40 minutes away. This was especially true of women who were paying out most of their salary in child care. Technology allowed workers to work at home and workers like it. This allowed many skilled workers to go free lance where they made more money than they did previously. The biggest driver was when the baby boomers retired. We grew up and worked in the greatest economic times America ever had. Many of them had substantial savings, two career families and two social security checks. COVID pushed them over the edge and they moved to Florida. The Federal reserve held down interest rates for too long. They said it was to allow lower paid workers to catch up. This was actually a tax on savers. It also jacked up the stock market as there was no where else to put your money. COVID hit and the government sent everyone checks even if they didn't need the money. We gave our checks to the church. Many people just banked them because they couldn't buy the things they wanted. In the middle of this, some people decided that oil was a bad thing. Their actions drove up the price of fuel which increased the price of shipping which increased the price of everything else. Whatever you think about fossil fuels, you have to believe we need them until there is a viable alternative? Now that we have inflation, the same people who held interest rates down for too long jacked them up too fast. Banks who had invested in long term CDs are in trouble and a $15 breakfast now costs $32. It doesn't bother me that a bass boat costs $100K because I'm not buying one this week. The way to get out of this is to concentrate on your own finances. If you don't like paying $32 for breakfast in a restaurant, don't. At this point, I wouldn't make any major purchases. Above all, don't run up your credit cards. If you are not happy with your job, find another. If you can't get hired, learn to do something where you can. This is a great time to go out on your own. If you look back in history, you will find many great companies started in bad times. I have weathered many recessions, some minor and some great. The sun will rise tomorrow morning and the news will always be bad. You will be OK.

I ran my own business for thirty years. I realize costs go up, but not as much as I'm seeing now. As long as people are willing to pay, they will go higher. Sooner or later buyers go on strike. I believe we're almost there.

Kind of a lazy day yesterday, so my wife and I decided to drive to the Orlando Bass Pro Shop. I needed a few things and my local tackle shop was closed for the Easter weekend. The BP parking lot was full as usual. Lots of Dads dragging their wives and kids along with them. The last time I was there was during COVID when I tried to buy a new boat. At that time, they only had one boat on the floor they wouldn't sell me. I was told there was a two month waiting period for a new boat. Yesterday, the store floor was covered with new boats. I walked up to a shiny new bass boat and looked at the price. The price was $84,000! Granted it was a top of the line boat with a 300 Merc, but who buys these things? Even their rigged aluminum Tracker bass boats where more than I paid for my 17' Ranger RT178 two years ago. I already have a boat, so I passed them by. I didn't see anyone else buying one either. They were out of stock on what I needed, but at least I got to look at the bass in the tank On Tuesday, I took my wife to breakfast at a small local restaurant where we have been eating for years. I had eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast and coffee. My wife had an omelet. When the bill came it was $32. I asked the waitress if they had given me someone else's check? She said no, my check was correct. I left a $5 tip which meant our breakfast cost us nearly $40. Even if they are paying the cook $100K a year, I don't see how that can be? I am starting to believe people are jacking up prices just because they can!

This is a bigger problem than you would think. All of my fishing buddies are either dead or too weak or old to fish. It's hard to find someone who wants to fish like I do. Most old guys like me are riding around in pontoon boats. I can launch my boat and fish as well as I ever did. What I have a problem with is loading the boat by myself. Climbing in and out of a boat at the ramp is risky. I have steps on my trailer, but it is difficult at times. Lately my wife meets me at the ramp and drives me out. Some day I guess I'll have to hire a fishing assistant? ?

Except for a short time in the beginning of my career, I have always been self employed as I could never get my head around working to make someone else rich. I retired twice. The first time was in my fifties when I sold a business I started in my twenties. My wife worked in my business as well, so she retired with me. We both missed having something worthwhile to do. I got involved in tournament fishing practically full time. To help with expenses, I got my Captain's license and started guiding. That is the worst way to make a living I ever attempted. I could write a book on that experience alone. At the same time, my wife got her real estate license and started selling houses. One day, a buyer asked her about lakes and she invited me to sit in to answer questions. I had fished every lake and coastline in Florida, which evidently made me somewhat of a local authority. She closed her first lakefront home for $1.4 million dollars. After that, I worked with her on every waterfront property prospect she had. After 15 years and 250 homes, we retired again. Be careful what you wish for. Doing nothing may not be what you want. Retirement is a great chance to reevaluate what you are doing with your life. You are never too old to have dreams and you are mostly likely better able to make them a reality.

During KOVIN it seems everyone in Florida bought a boat. That coupled with 1,000 people a day moving to Florida, plus TV coverage and tournaments, means the Harris Chain is getting pounded. The only way to get away from the crowds is to fish where they don't or how they won't.

"Soak" is not what you are after. When flipping and pitching, it's the fall of the bait that trigger's the strike. The more falls you make, the more bites you will get. Keep in mind that the strike zone under tough conditions can be very small. How hard is it to hit a hole in one in golf? The strike zone can be that small. Hopefully you won't be 400 yards from the fish. ? One of the biggest mistakes you can make when vertical fishing cover is to use the rod to drop the bait. What you want is the bait to drop under it's own weight and pin ball through the cover down to the bottom. Always lift the bait slightly after it hits bottom. It is common for a bass to have the bait in it's mouth and you don't know it. If you feel any resistance, take up the slack and set the hook.

You don't know high fishing pressure until you fish Florida public lakes during the "Snow Bird" season. Our lakes are inundated with tournament after tournament. Boat ramp parking lots are maxed out and our lakes look like a major expressway at 5 PM. What happens under these conditions is a fish's strike zone shrinks. During the week it could be a few feet or more. On the weekend or when fishing pressure is great, it can be inches. Power fishing can work if you have the stamina to keep it up. Ripping a rattle trap has won tournaments for me. It also creates sore muscles, tendons and joints. Spinnerbaiting heavy cover like pads is another way to trigger a reaction strike. Nothing works better than vertical fishing under tough conditions. While finesse anglers are boating small fish, the fish you catch flipping are quality fish. Flipping is boring and tedious at first. Once you have some sucess, it can be very exciting. If you are happy catching a limit of small bass, finesse is the way to go. If you want to catch larger bass, learn to flip.

Aluminum boats are lighter than fiberglass boats, thus they are affected more by wind. The higher the sides, the more wind can push them around. I'm 76 years old and in good health. Two years ago, I had major back surgery that severely limits what I can do. Launching and operating a fiberglass bass boat is out of the question. I sold my Skeeter and bought a 17' Ranger RT178. My previous experience with aluminum boats was less than optimal. They seemed somewhat clunky and rough riding. My little Ranger is a completely different experience. It rides like a much bigger boat, the floor doesn't flex and the quality and construction are top notch. The sides are low and I have no problems with the wind. I have a 24 volt Minn Kota on this boat and it's more than adequate. My 75 4 stroke Merc pushes the boat to just under 40 mph. Take a look at the Ranger and I think you will be impressed.

This fish was caught in Lake Saunders, a small private residential lake of about 300 acres. I believe the angler had it mounted. I have released all my bass since the 1980s. Everyone I know releases their fish these days.

Years ago they used to sell live crayfish at our local bait stores. Big bass love them.

Most people tend to overestimate bass weight. If I had a dollar for every 14 pound bass I have seen that actually weighed 7 pounds, I would be rich. Because of this tendency, I tend to underestimate the weight of bass. Bass proportions vary as well. A long slim bass may weigh more than a short stocky fish and vice versa. I once caught a bass in the Harris Chain that was too long to fit in my Skeeter's live well. I didn't have my scale with me at the time, but I estimated the fish to weigh about 9 pounds. The photo below is of a fish caught locally about twenty years ago. I saw this fish and it looked like a world record to me at the time. It actually weighed about 13 1/4 pounds.

Some years ago I was a member of a group of people who paid to fish a private Central Florida rock pit. This rock pit was where much of the rock used to fill Disney World was mined. The group was limited to 6 people who paid an annual fee. The fishing in this pit was amazing with an average bass over 5 pounds each. Eventually, the owners reopened the mine as rock was more profitable than fish and we lost touch. It was an amazing experience. Wish I could find another like that.

For years the Harris Chain was the poster child for turbid water. After the hydrilla purge in the late nineties, the water in the entire chain looked like a latte. When you fish water like that, you get used to it. In those conditions bass go shallow and hold close to cover. The strike zone shrinks to inches. These are prime conditions for the flipping technique. Also a good time to hunt for new spots. Break the lake down into sections and fish the entire parameter. You will find bass in spots you never thought held fish. Be patient. Learning new things takes time.

Any bait you can comfortably fish fast to cover water can be a search bait. Traditional search baits are Rattle Traps and spinnerbaits. I have known some anglers who use buzz baits to find fish. Here in Florida, most of our bass are hunkered down in cover. Some people flip fast with the trolling motor running, hitting a spot about every 6 feet. If they catch a fish, they stop and work the area. Once you know an area well enough, you don't need to search for fish.

Welcome. When I was a kid growing up in Florida, bank fishing was what we did. Opportunities were everywhere. When they drained the Everglades, it created thousands of miles of canals, housing density was low and you could fish just about everywhere. Over the past 60 years, the majority of waterfront lots have been built on, which cut off access. Even our small lakes have multi million dollar homes sitting on them. If you want to fish from shore, you may find better opportunities in salt water where fishing off piers, seawalls and the beach can be productive. The Harris Chain has a number of piers where you can fish. Downtown Eustis has a waterfront park where fishing is allowed. Some nice bass have been caught off that seawall. To fish most bass in Florida, you need a boat of some kind. You can buy a basic used Kayak or Jon boat for under $1,000. You don't need a fancy boat to catch bass, but you need to get off the bank.

What you want are locally caught native golden shiners about 6"-8" long. I have used shiners up to 12", but you won't get as many bites. Those small commercial silver shiners they sell in some bait shops are worthless because they won't live long on a hook. Golden shiners are sometimes hard to find because guides have them reserved in advance. They are netted by commercial bait fishermen and weather is a factor. They are also expensive. It is common for guides to drive many miles to find good shiners during the season. Small balloons are the best float because they will slide on the line and not get hung in the grass. Tie the balloon directly to the line about 3-4 feet above the bait. You may have to make some adjustments for local conditions. In Rodman, they let the shiner swim back under the cover and use heavy tackle to haul the bass out. Fishing with large golden shiners is the easiest way to catch a large Florida bass, just put her back in the water after the photo. One would think all you need to do is throw out a shiner and wait for a ten pounder. This is a false assumption. You must fish where there are fish to be caught. Good guides know where the fish are. Be sure to communicate your expectations in advance. Not all guides are experts on every type of fishing.

When salt water fishing in Florida, live bait is a must. We spend as much time or more catching the bait as we do the fish we are after.

Super Bowl of Bass Fishing? Can't wait for the halftime show! ?

This whole "you can't get out of the boat thing" started years ago in a Kissimmee Bass Tournament. A big cold cold front blew through during the tournament shutting down the fishing. Two guys had previously used chain saws to clear a path to a tiny lake connected to the chain. This enabled them to fish that lake where they caught a limit each day. A ruckus started because some competitors claimed they had gotten out of the boat. After much discussion they allowed the win to stand, but they clarified the rule.

Compared to what your wife is spending at the grocery store these days, it probably was small. ?

I have fished a few local bass tournaments where live bait was allowed. Artificial lure fishermen always out fished them by a good margin. Live bait fishing removes the angler's skill level from the equation. This is why guides prefer them. Most times, a guide is being paid to produce fish. It's very frustrating when you know you are on fish and the angler is not capable of catching them. There have been times when I had to pick up a rod, hang a fish and hand the rod to the angler just to show them there are fish where we are fishing. Anyone can catch bass on live bait if you put them on fish. Finding fish is the hard part. I hated shiner fishing, but I did what I had to do. Living bait fishing kills too many bass.