Captain Phil

A good friend that lives in Ft. Myers got her power back yesterday.

In order for EVs to become mainstream, we need cheaper better batteries. This will happen, but it will take some time. Elon Musk is working hard on this right now. If anyone can, he can. Today's batteries are made using exotic expensive materials that are in short supply. If you Google rubber tires before WWII and after, you will see how this played out. Synthetic rubber changed an entire industry and the fortunes many countries.

My wife sold Central Florida lakefront Real Estate for twenty years. She retired two years ago, but still works at it part time. When we moved here in 1997, we were offered a Harris Chain lakefront lot for $125K. That lot today would cost at least $400K if you can find one. A small handyman special true lakefront home starts in the $400s. The average direct lakefront home on the Harris Chain is about $600-$800 with many over a million. Even a mobile home on the water is $300K. The problem isn't money, it's availability of inventory. It sometimes takes her a year or more to even find one for sale. Canal homes with a dock leading into the Chain are in the $300K-500K range. A better deal for most people is to buy a home near the lake and either keep your boat in a marina or trailer it. Our home has most of the advantages of a lakefront home without the cost. I choose to trailer my boat because I can fish more than one place. The Eustis public boat ramp is 2 blocks away. This area is a wonderful place to retire. It's close to the things you want but far enough not to be a hassle.

Depends on the lure. Spinnerbaits work better for me on a slow retrieve. Rattle Traps work better faster. I fish top water lures and frogs faster than most.

I live in Central Florida about 40 miles northwest of Orlando. Our hot weather starts around July and lasts through September. Fishing from dawn until 10 AM is comfortable. After that, you would hate it. In the afternoons, we have thunderstorms that cool it off. Fishing after the storms is good. Our best fishing weather is from October until June. We get cold fronts in the winter, but they don't last long. I have seen a tiny bit of snow fall on my back porch a few times in my life. Not even enough to see on the floor. You could fish 365 days a year in Florida. When I was younger, I often did.

Send me a message. I love Lake Griffin!

Florida is not for everyone. My wife and I have lived here all our lives and we have seen our share of growth. Our big Cities are good places to make money, not so great places to retire. Traffic is terrible and people are in too much hurry. The summers are hot and humid. The winters are wonderful. The cost of living is low and there is no State income tax. Florida is a very diverse State. If you are considering moving here, I would suggest renting a house before you buy.

I am currently retired and spend a lot of my time fishing. I could have lived anywhere in retirement and I chose this place. The Harris Chain is in my back yard. We moved here in 1997 and couldn't be happier. It's not only the lakes that are great, it's the people too. Most of them are from middle America. They are friendly when you want them to be and not in your business when you don't. These are small towns. Our area is on the outskirts of Orlando, so you have access to hospitals and all the things the big City offers. Fishing is everywhere. The St. John's River is 35 minutes east. Rodman Reservoir is 45 minutes north. The Kissimmee Chain is an hour south. We are in the geographical center of the State away from tidal surge and major storm damage. The area is high and dry. True lakefront property is financially out of the reach for most people, but boat ramps are free and numerous. There are literally thousands of small lakes around here, all of them contain bass. I wouldn't live anywhere else.

BINGO!!

I started experimenting with braid when flipping a few months ago. Fifty pound Power Pro seems like cable to me, so I went to 30. I rarely flip heavy hydrilla mats. I have on Lake Toho and 25 pound Big Game was never a problem. Most of our local cover is Kissimmee grass and pads. Braided line is so much more sensitive than mono. Snelling the hook made a huge difference in my hookup ratio. I don't believe I've missed a fish since snelling braid. It's amazing how many fish have the bait in their mouth and I don't realize it until I lift the rod. I understand anglers who wish to stay with mono. It took me years to even try braid. It's all about what you have confidence in.

Lac Seul Canada about 30 years ago. I have an 11 pound bass on my wall mounted by Archie Phillips that was caught in the 80s. I don't mount my fish anymore. ☺️ I have never broken 25 pound Big Game mono.

We have a species of small pike called Chain Pickerel. The largest of those I have caught was about 4 pounds. They love spinnerbaits and will bite though mono like nothing. Fortunately, they aren't too numerous where I fish. I have fished for large pike in Canada. I have one mounted on my office wall that weighted 25 pounds. I used steel leader when fishing there. Florida is not Canada. In the summer, I often wish it was. ?

We don't have rock ledges in Florida. The heaviest cover I flip here in Florida are hydrilla mats. I have never used a sinker heavier than 3/4 oz. when flipping for bass. A little wiggle and a 3/4 oz. sinker drops right in. I see no reason to use any weight heavier than 1 oz. in Florida. I always use the lightest weight I can get away with. For Kissimmee grass I use 5/16 or 3/8 oz. weights. I have flipped with 1/8 oz weights in pads. The lighter the weight, the more bites you will get. Up until recently, I always used 25 pound Big Game mono for flipping. I have never lost a bass flipping due to broken line and have caught many double digit bass flipping. If 25 pound mono works, 30 pound braid will as well. The idea that you need heavy line and big weights to catch bass must be a macho thing? In my opinion, bigger is not always better. ☺️

Over the last six months, I have begun to experiment more with braided line. Previously, I only used it when frog fishing. Here are some of my observations. Vibrating lures like Rattle Traps have more vibration with braid than mono. Hook sets are firmer and I get more fish in the boat with braid. Braid is a big advantage when flipping. I often catch fish that I don't even know are on the line until I pull out the bait. More of these fish were lost with mono. Braid does hang up on cover more. This is offset by it's ability to cut through cover. I think tying leaders to braid is wishful thinking. 20 pound braid is thin enough with no leader. I see no reason to use braid over 30 pound test when bass fishing. I doubt I would use braid for open water worm fishing in clear water. This may be a confidence thing with me, but that's the way I feel. Fluorocarbon line is a waste of money unless you are fishing in very clear water. Knots are not a problem with braid as long as you tie the right knot. If you use a standard clinch knot with braid, you are almost guaranteed to lose a fish. I don't use standard knots when flipping with braid, I snell my hooks. Overall, my experience with braid has been good. So far, all I have used has been Power Pro. It's works fine for me.

Cheating was common in fishing derbies for at least a hundred years. This was one of the main factors that made Ray Scott's tournaments so successful. You can read about it in Ray's book "Bass Boss". In the early years, other people attempted to duplicate B.A.S.S. success. I fished many of those tournaments. One cheating scandal brought down their entire organization. Our own bass club has been the victim of cheating when two guys put sinkers in their fish. They were caught and prosecuted. It's sad that someone would cheat in a club bass tournament. If you need money that bad, you have bigger problems.

Lure size makes more difference than brand or style. Sometimes bass want a large bait with lots of vibration. Other times you can get more bites with a finesse worm. Weight size is a close second.

One of the advantages of being retired is you can sleep all you want. Unless you are addicted to TV news, your mind is not cluttered with stuff you can't control. I like to go to bed early and get up early. I head toward the bed around 9 PM and get up around 6 AM. My wife reads in bed until 10 PM and gets up at 7 AM. Sleep is very important to your overall health. If you aren't getting enough, you should find out why.

Here in Florida, pads are by far the best LM cover. This is true on the St. John's River and in all the lakes. Pad fish average larger than any other cover.

My wife feeds the squirrels on our back porch every morning. I'll tell her what you said. I think I know what her reaction will be. ?

Rapala Minnow or Heddon Tiny Torpedo on 6-8 pound mono.

Bass don't care that much about the line. Most bass water does not have enough visibility for the line to make a difference. Up until a few years ago, I used all mono for bass fishing. When fluorocarbon line came out, we used it for leader material when fishing offshore with live bait. In that situation, the water is extremely clear and it did make a difference. There are some things I like about braid. It's thinner diameter and zero stretch are the main points. I get more tangles with braid and knots don't hold as well, but I can deal with that. I am not a fan of the heavy braid some people use these days. Unless you are frog fishing or similar, I see no need for 50 pound plus braid unless you need anchor rope. ?

Just got home and all is OK in Eustis. We had lots of wind, but never lost power. The Florida Turnpike was closed northbound in Orlando due to the road being under water. We detoured and it took us 6 hours to drive what would normally take 3 1/2. SW Florida is a mess. Mike L is right in the heart of the landfall. Flooding in that area was extensive with many homes under water or completely gone. Ft. Myers Beach and Sanibel Island are history. Trailer parks were destroyed. The line of service trucks heading south was impressive.

The City of Eustis water system is pretty good. We haven't lost the water since we moved here in 1997. Growing up in Miami, we lost power at our house once for two weeks. My parents had a well and no generator. When you have no water, you flush the toilets with a bucket. I had to take a shower at my girl friend's house. I was working for a grocery store at the time and was paid time overtime to sleep at the store in case there were problems. My boss had a XKE Jaguar parked in the back of the store and I slept in the seat. Pretty good gig. ☺️

My wife and I have lived in Florida all our lives and have been through many hurricanes. The biggest danger is from storm surge and flooding. We live in the center of the State 100 miles from both coasts. Our house is 60 feet above sea level, so that's not a problem for us. Falling trees are our biggest safety concern. We can have small tornadoes as well. The most inconvenient problem is power outages. You don't want to be here this time of year without air conditioning. Water can be a problem if you don't have City water. We are leaving in the morning to stay with our son in South Florida for a few days. Everything is tied down. All you can do is hope for the best.

The thing I miss most from Bassmaster magazine were the Harry and Charlie articles. Hilarious!!