Captain Phil

We are near the center of Florida about equidistant from both coasts. I believe we had a few 60 mph gusts, but mostly it was a rather blustery day. Rain wasn't as heavy as we expected. We never lost power and our trees are still upright. ☺️

I have lived in Florida all my life. Our fishing opportunities are endless. You can catch a 100 pound tarpon on fly. A sailfish in blue water. Bonefish on the flats and bass in every pond, lake and backyard canal. I've done it all. Every fish has something to offer. There is something about bass that makes them unique among fish. Every time I catch one, I feel like I have accomplished something worthwhile. There are easier fish to catch. There are harder fighting fish. When I catch a bass, a lifetime of memories comes back to me. I caught my first bass when I was about 12. I caught my last bass last week. Hopefully, I will catch many more. When and if I do, I will smile. ☺️

I fished without power poles for over 60 years. These days, it seems like every bass boat at the ramp has two. I have fished in numerous bass boats sporting power poles. I have never seen them used for anything other than holding a boat at the dock. You would think with Florida's shallow waters someone would use them when actually fishing? If you are salt water sight fishing, having some way to hold the boat in position would be an advantage. Bass fishing is different, at least where I fish. Have you ever tried to fish around two power poles from the back of a boat? Power poles are a great example of how marketing can influence buyers. What power poles do is announce to the other anglers that you are a serious fisherman even if you never use them. I would take the $4,000 you will spend on two power poles and buy something that actually helps you catch more fish.

Lots of folks probably think it doesn't get cold in Florida. I've got news for them! Back when I was fishing tournaments I fished on some brutal days, even seen some ice in my guides. Not only is it cold at times, it's also damp. I remember one tournament around Christmas time with temp in the thirties and rain dripping down the back on my rain suit. I got so chilled once running down the St. John's River that I had to huddle up in the bottom of the boat before I could fish. My hands were so cold, I couldn't turn the reel handle. I still have my snow suit hanging in a closet. It made me look like the Michelin Tyre Man. I only fish now on nice days. 50 degrees is about my limit.

I am not a wine snob. I buy what I like regardless of the label or the price. To me, dry white wines are like drinking paint remover. Sweet wines are like drinking candy. Pinot Grigio is just mild enough to be enjoyable without assaulting my stomach lining. If I'm going to drink red wine with a nice steak, I like Chateauneuf Du Pape. It has a dry smokey flavor that goes well with red meat. I never drink a lot of it, just enough to enhance the meal. My wife and I have "wine time" every evening about 5 PM. We sit and talk about everything that is on our minds. If you want a happy woman, spend a little time talking with her every day. Barefoot Pinot is our #1 choice. Funny story. My doctor once asked me if I drink alcohol. I told him I drink a glass of wine every day. He said "How big is your glass?" ☺️

I have been fortunate to fish with more than a few well known professional anglers. They don't fish that different than amateurs. They don't hold their rods differently than you. They don't count on some "secret lure" or technique to win. What they have over weekend anglers is time on the water. Most are experts in a wide range of techniques. One person was the best bed fisherman I ever saw. I could stand over a bedding fish for hours and all I did was waste my time. He would pitch in the bed and the fish would jump on his lure instantly. Another was known for fishing a jerkbait, but changed to flipping in a instant when the conditions called for it. Most did not fish. They sat in the back and asked questions while I fished. They weren't looking for spots, they wanted patterns. The biggest difference is being in the zone. When you spend that much time on the water, things come easier to you. Your timing is better, you make better decisions and you have more experience. Could you beat a Rick Clunn or Shaw Grigsby on your own lake? Once maybe.

Barefoot Pinot Grigio. $6 a bottle at my local store.

Back in the seventies I fished a national tournament out of Taylor Creek in Okeechobee. I drew an angler who claimed to have caught 100 bass over ten pounds. I spent all day fishing with this fellow and asked him to give me some advice. He told me the secret to catching big bass consistently was to fish where they live. Doug Hannon, The Bass Professor, was also known for locating special Ocala Forest lakes with giant bass. The largest bass are not caught out of well publicized fishing holes. Some of the largest bass I have seen came out of orange grove ponds of just a few acres. There are private lakes in my area with gigantic bass swimming around. No one ever fishes them, so they grow to enormous size. The guy in this article is dedicated no doubt. He is also probably single, although the article talks about his wife. If I fished every night like he does, I know I would be. ☺️

The most surprising thing about the Ranger RT178 is the ride. My Lowe Roughneck rode rough. The Ranger rides like a much bigger boat. In most cases, you get what you pay for. What many people ignore is the total cost of ownership. Everything you ever buy will eventually be sold. What you sell it for is as significant as what you buy it for.

It's never been easy to catch big bass. Tons of small fish. Some of the most remarkable bass fishing I have ever seen was in the Glades during low water. One time years ago the Game Commission removed the limits on Everglades bass to save those that could make it through the drought. We held a night bass tournament and it took over 100 pounds to win.

So glad to hear the Everglades is still producing great bass fishing. I fished there as a youth before Holiday Park and Sawgrass Camps were built. Moved to Central Florida in 1997 and would love to go back to fish some day. Back then, we fished musky jitterbugs at night. Six to eight pound bass were plentiful. I never caught one over ten until I came to Central Florida. You are right about giants at night if you can stand the mosquitoes. ☺️

I have owned just about every brand of bass boat made. I no longer fish tournaments, so there are other things more important to me than speed. Before I purchased my current boat, I looked at all the aluminum bass boats I could find. I wanted an aluminum boat because they are light, easy to load and tow and less costly than a fiberglass bass boat. I had previously owned a Lowe Roughneck that I used for Salt Water back country fishing and it was a good experience. I went to Bass Pro Shop and they only had one boat on the floor that they wouldn't sell. Trackers are better boats now than they used to be. When I went to a Ranger dealer, I found my perfect bass boat. It's a RT178 with a 75 Mercury 4 stroke. I tow it with a Ford Explorer and I don't know it's back there. It will run almost 40 mph loaded, but I don't need to go that fast. My boat has a 24 volt Minn Kota, front and rear electronics with Sonar and GPS. The whole rig with an eight year factory warranty cost about 28K. I was ready to pay cash, but they offered me a ridiculously low financing rate. I think the whole thing with monthly covered boat storage costs me about $250 a month. When I or my kids sell it, they will make back half the money. The 4 stroke engine practically uses no gas. Can you buy a used boat, restore it and use it for $250 a month? Think about it.

Around the year 2000 I went fishing at Sam Rayburn Reservoir with a buddy. I had just sold my bass boat and we towed my friends Skeeter across I-10. At that time, I had not planed on buying another bass boat. While we were in Jasper Texas, I opened a newspaper and found Skeeter was having a boat clearance sale. This was just after B.A.S.S. removed the 150 HP motor size limit. Skeeter had a huge parking lot full of new Skeeters with 150s to sell. We drove to the dealer in Beaumont to see what they had. I ended up buying a 2000 Skeeter ZX 185 with a Yamaha 150 Vmax. That boat was fully rigged with a dual console, bow mount trolling motor, front and rear depth finders and a dual axle trailer for $20K brand new. They delivered the boat to me in Orlando for $300. I fished out of that boat for 10 years and sold it locally for $13,500. It was the greatest bass boat I have ever owned. No wood anywhere and the motor never gave new 10 cents worth of trouble. If you can find one like that, buy it.

You are only young for a short period of time. If you live a long life, you will be old a lot longer than you are young. Being old has some advantages. You will be wiser and will have time to reflect on your life. You will see that you made some mistakes, everyone does. You will also see that most of them worked out for the better. If I was to give one piece of advice, it would be to do everything on your bucket list while you can. Don't wait until you are too old and sick. More money is easy to get, time is not. ☺️

I have restored a number of old fiberglass boats. The biggest hull issues are wood rot. Older boats used wood in their construction. Over time, water can seep into the wood causing structural failures. I have seen floors so bad they move up and down when you walk on them. I have actually seen transoms fall off. These are not easy fixes as all the rotten wood needs to be replaced. Look for cracks in the transom and in the corners. Starting around the year 2000, many boat manufacturers stopping using wood for those reasons. I had a 2000 Skeeter bass boat with no wood and I'm sure it's still running today. Old outboard motors are problems. Unless you have access to a great outboard mechanic and a fat wallet, you are better off buying a new engine. I'm fairly sure you don't want to hear that, but I am speaking from experience. The newer four stroke engines are wonderful. By the time you get done, you may wish you bought a newer boat. You could sink more money into restoring an old boat than what it's worth. I would have no trouble buying a used aluminum bass boat. Their construction makes it easy to see any flaws. Be careful about buying a freshly painted boat. Paint can hide a bunch of things, most of them are bad.

Before he died my grandfather told me everyone he ever knew was gone. I didn't understand it at the time. I do now.

You can get shingles at any age. The older you are the harder it is for your body to fight it off. My business partner got it on his face in his 40s. I had it in my 50s on my back.

I had shingles a number of years ago. Mine was a mild case compared to most, but it was very uncomfortable. Nerve pain from shingles can last years longer than the rash. Trust me, it's not something you want. Get the vaccine.

All species of Florida Snakehead are illegal to possess live in the state of Florida. Possession of live Snakehead is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine or 60 days in jail. Florida law also makes it a crime for anyone to release any exotic fish into state waters.

Agree. A double digit bass can be caught anywhere in Florida. They are not common, but they exist in just about every body of fresh water. You don't have to flip to catch big bass. I have seen huge bass caught with crappie jigs on a cane pole. I caught my first double digit bass in Lake Okeechobee on a 6 inch Creme worm. Right place right time. It wasn't until I started flipping that I began to catch them in numbers. Flipping consistently puts the bait in the right place at the right time. I can go for days without a big bite. That kind of fishing is not for everyone as it's boring as heck most of the time. It's the 1 in 10,000 fish that gets me excited. ☺️

Catching an 8 pound plus bass in Florida is a number's game. If you want the best chance, use large wild shiners. Your best chance fishing artificial bait is flipping heavy cover. I have caught double digit bass on everything from 4" worms to 3/4 oz. Rattle Traps. It wasn't until I started flipping that I had any consistency. Flipping is tedious, but it produces what you are looking for. I know good fishermen who have never caught a double digit bass, so consider that. Get a guide. Your chances of catching a giant bass on your own is minimal. If I had one Florida lake to fish and my goal was a giant, I would shiner fish Rodman in February or March.

Currently, I'm about 95% casting and 5% spinning. I prefer catching larger bass, so the lures and techniques I use work better with casting tackle. Back when I was fishing tournaments, it was more like 50/50. In those days, few tournament competitors used spinning tackle which gave me an advantage There are things you can do with light line on a spinning rod that you can't with 20 on a casting outfit.

They seem to be doing a better job of hydrilla management on the Chain, which is one reason bass fishing has improved. Much better than the scorched Earth methods used when Mosquito Control had the job. Back in the nineties I never thought the lakes would look like they do now. Lake Yale is a mess. It's almost totally topped out with hydrilla.

The proposed hydrilla treatment for the Harris Chain was delayed due to the hurricane. Here is the latest schedule. https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/FLFFWCC/2022/11/01/file_attachments/2316872/Harris Chain Hydrilla Treatments.pdf

This post is spot on. Today's media is all about attracting as many eye balls as possible. Eye balls on the page are money, pure and simple. News is not news anymore, it's reported to grab your attention then spun to keep the faithful engaged. A good example is the recent story of the attack on Mr. Pelosi. Watch the story on CNN then watch it on FOX. One side says the attacker was a right wing MAGA extremist. The other side says he was a nudist illegal immigrant hippie who should have been deported but he wasn't because San Francisco is a sanctuary city. Same story, different reporting. The good news is most American citizens are not far right or far left. The problem is they don't have a TV channel.