Captain Phil

I remember when real bass fishermen fished with broomsticks. A worm rod was a long heavy thing with zero action. We needed those rods because the hooks we used were so bad. Setting the hook was a martial art. We reeled down as we stretched toward the fish and put our backs into each hook set. One of my biggest problems back then was elbow pain. Once you get it, it can take a long time to recover. Modern hooks changed all that. Today's hooks hook most fish from weight alone. I resisted buying new rods for a long time. About six months ago, I purchased a 6' 6" MH Shimano Zodias rod. The lightness and sensitivity is amazing. I use it to throw weightless worms, flukes and Senkos. I liked it so much, I bought a 7' 2" MH Zodias. There is a significant between these two rods. Both are as light as any rod I have ever used. The longer rod is much larger in diameter. I have been experimenting by using the longer rod as a flipping stick. My old flipping stick was a collapsible 7' 6" Bass Pro Shop graphite rod. Not only is the Zodias lighter, but it seems to catch more fish. With my old rod, I would sometimes miss a fish as I lifted the bait. Not so with my Zodias. It's so sensitive, I feel the strike immediately. $200 is a lot of money for a fishing rod, especially in these times. These rods are worth the price.

Flipping, pitching, punching...whatever you wish to call it, are all basically the same technique below the waterline. A hundred years ago, this same technique was called "Doodle Socking" and "Tullie Dipping" and there's nothing new about it. I'm an old fisherman. I'm not crusty. I'm not a grammar Nazi. I don't eat bran muffins. I listen to everyone both young and old because I don't want to miss anything. I have never met anyone who didn't teach me something even if it was something not to do.

Amen Brother.....

Modern baitcasting reels come in ratios from 3/1 to 8/1. What is significant is the amount of line taken up with each handle rotation. Back in the day, 3/1 casting reels were standard. In the late sixties 5/1 was considered high speed. Today, I suspect the average angler uses a 7/1 reel. So far, I have not tried an 8/1. I prefer 5/1 for spinnerbaits and 7/1 for rattle traps. I have a 3/1 reel that I use in the winter when I want to slow everything down. It is possible to overpower the action of a lure by retrieving it too fast. Every fishing lure has a retrieve speed where it works best. What works for me may not work for everyone in all situations.

The advantage of a bait casting reel is you can use heavier line and the rods tend to have heavier action. Casting rods and reels are also more accurate. In the past these reels were the standard in bass fishing. Modern braided lines have changed some of this. The disadvantage is there is a learning curve with a casting reel. I use both because there are times when one works better than the other. I wouldn't judge all bait casting reels by your first experience. Higher quality (costly) reels are a lot easier to learn and use. If you are serious about bass fishing, take your time and learn all there is to know. Learning new things is a big part of the fun.

You don't need expensive tackle for flipping. The reel does nothing but hold the line and the rod is a lever. At one time I owned a Dee Thomas 8' 6" flipping stick. It let me reach farther back in the grass, but it was heavy. Today, I prefer a shorter lighter rod that I can fish all day without cramps and elbow pains. Pitching requires better tackle. Lately, I have been experimenting with newer options. I am currently using a Shimano Zodias 7' 2" MH with a Shimano Chronach MGL reel loaded with 30 pound Power Pro Black braid. This combo is unbelievably light and sensitive and I can feel more bites. I don't fish a lot of heavy hydrilla mats or I would go to heavier line and weights. In the Kissimmee grass that surrounds the Harris Chain, lighter seems to work better.

There is no visible color in the dark of night, everything looks to be a shade somewhere between black and white. Back when I first started night fishing, we used Jitterbug top water lures. As a test, my fishing buddy and I alternated between all black and all white. The black lures always caught more fish. Would a green, purple or chartreuse lure work? Sure. Black lures silhouette better against the night sky. The question is, how does a bass find a 9" black plastic worm in 20 feet of water at night? The same way it does in the day time, by it's vibration.

Warmouth are pesky little critters and full of fight. They have a habit of biting plastic worms that are too big for them to eat. If you get bites that never seem to hook up, it's probably a warmouth messing with your bait.

When you fished tournaments like I did, you had no choice but to deal with the elements. In the summer, this means heat and sweat. Sometimes it gets so hot it seems you can't breath. Fish don't have this problem as they can move to where they are most comfortable. You can catch bass in 100 degree weather if you fish where they are. Here in Florida, our bass are parked in heavy cover or sitting under docks in the summer heat of day. How you dress has a huge effect on how comfortable you are when fishing in heat. Years ago, I would throw on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. Today, I fish in long sleeved shirts and shorts. What you want is a shirt designed for hot weather. The material is thin and air blows in and around you. Shirts designed for fishing are one of the best new things to come along. The hat I use makes me look dorky. It's not fancy or stylish. It doesn't have tournament or sponsor patches. It absorbs sweat, covers my head, ears and neck and has holes so air can flow through. I remember a summer tournament we had where everyone was fishing close together out in the middle of the lake. It was as hot as I can remember with no breeze. One of our members was fishing alone. As I watched him fish, he fell over in the boat and passed out. We got to him fast and he had heat stroke. Luckily we got to him quickly or it would have been much worse. Drink a lot of water and be aware that you may not be as strong as you think.

Your question brought back a bunch of memories for me. I night fished for years both in salt water and fresh. Your first concern should be safety. Are you fit enough to swim in the dark? Will you be able to get back in your kayak if you fall over? Don't even think about fishing without a quality life vest. Better yet, fish with another kayak close by just in case. Light is not as big of a problem as you may think. As flyfisher said, your eyes will adjust. A good place to start night fishing for bass is in a canal. You won't have boats running over you and you will be very close to the shore. A full moon is also helpful. It's best to use weedless lures at night. Large black Texas Rigged worms and spinnerbaits were my favorite. Summer is the best time to fish at night. From my experience, the best night time bass bite is normally after 12 midnight. At least you won't have to deal with alligators. I fished the everglades alone many a night in a bass boat. Would I do it in a kayak? NO WAY!

Find a friend with some room and take him/her fishing.

Do all the things you dream about when you are young enough to enjoy them. Too many people wait until retirement to check off their bucket list. By that time most people are spending all their free time at the doctor's office.

I started fishing with my grandfather when I was twelve. I'm seventy five now. Fishing has been a huge influence in my life. I traveled the world chasing fish. I even sold our home and moved to the the Keys for two years. I had some business success, but was always motivated by my fishing dreams. I retired in my fifties and moved to Central Florida where I could be closer to big fish. Back then, competition motivated me. I fished every bass tournament I could find, got my Captain's license and did my best to help other anglers along the way. These days, my fishing is not as intense. the Harris Chain boat ramp is at the end of my street and I can go out any time I feel like it. At this age fishing hurts. My back, arms and wrists ache. I have carpal tunnel in my right hand from all the casting I have done. When I'm on the water, all my memories come back to me. Every shoreline reminds me of something that happened years ago. I can't drive down the road next to a canal without looking for pads. All I want when I go fishing now is to catch one decent bass. I haven't been skunked in years. After I have caught that fish, I head back home with a smile on my face. It's all been great!

When we moved to Central Florida, I had never fished truly muddy water. Back then, the Harris Chain water looked like coffee with heavy cream. You could not see a spinnerbait down more than 6" deep. I thought I was a decent angler having had some success in Lake Okeechobee. I quickly discovered I didn't know squat about bass fishing and had to learn all over again. When the water is turbid, muddy or for whatever reason has low visibility, bass behavior changes. Bass move shallow and hold close to cover. They feed by vibration alone. They don't chase and their strike zone shrinks. In water like that, vibrating crank baits rule the day. There was a time in the Chain when bass fishing was not fishing unless you had a Rattle Trap tied on. You couldn't buy a bite on a top water lure unless you moved into the clearer canals. Most of the tournaments were won in those canals. A good friend and fellow bass club member grew tired of hearing me complain about the poor fishing. He took me out for a lesson in flipping. I had tried it back in the eighties with some success, but had not done it for some time. This changed everything. I went from a constant skunk fest to consistently catching big fish. Eight, nine, ten and eleven pound bass came into my boat. I started experimenting with different lures. I glued rattles into the bait, tried paddle tail worms and worked with different sizes and colors. I won a local tournament with only two bass, one 9 and one 7. I only got two bites that day. Here's a photo from that time below. If you want to fish muddy water successfully, my advice is to learn all you can about flipping. Leave all your other rods at home until you build up your confidence. It works better than most people will ever know.

I find Tackle Warehouse to be much better than BPS. Better website tells you if the item you want is out of stock and when it's expected to return, fast shipping and great packaging. I bought two rods from Tackle Warehouse recently. Both came within four days. I ordered two marker buoys and a spool of line from BPS and it took two weeks.

As most members know, I am not a big fan of braided line. However, there are times when I need it's advantages. Pad fishing plastic frogs is one of them. I use 50 pound Power Pro for frog fishing. I do not use a leader. If your are using a fast moving bait, you don't need a leader. Ripping a Rattle Trap works better with braid. The lure is moving so fast, bass can't see the line. Also, a big bass can throw a Rattle Trap with mono. Not so much when you are cranking them with braid. At all other times, I use either mono or fluorocarbon line for it's near invisibility.

Pads are my favorite cover to fish. Fishing plastic frogs or toads across the top is what most anglers do. I've caught some nice fish that way, but hookups are hit and miss. I use two tactics, spinnerbaits and flipping. With a spinnerbait, start by paralleling the edge making long casts and slowly retrieving the bait as close to the pads as possible. Look for places where you can cast back in the pads and bring your bait back to the edge. Slow down. Just in case you missed it.... slow down! Big fish will hammer your spinnerbait in the middle of the day. They won't chase and they won't move far, so you have to get your bait where the fish is laying in wait. Try not to disturb the pads, be as stealthy as possible. Have patience and stick with it. My second best pad tactic is flipping and pitching. No need to go into this here as you can YouTube this all day long. Pads are prime big bass habitat. The fish are there, you just have to dig them out.

I like Gambler's Cane toad. I fish it like a buzz bait on 50 pound braid. It's a big fish magnet.

"The earliest fishing lines were constructed out of natural materials like cotton or linen or other animal materials and braided together meticulously by hand. Although cotton, linen or horse hair were the most common materials, those who could afford it fished with the much more expensive silk material." Many early anglers had to dry their line after each use. After the war, Dacron became popular. Mono came out in the fifties. At first it was kind of stiff which lead to frequent backlashes. Eventually softer more user friendly mono came out. Millions if not billions of fish have been caught with mono fishing line. My son loves braid, I don't. That does not mean he is right and I am wrong or vice versa. Whatever gives you confidence catches fish.

The stuff is terrible to cast. It wraps around your rod tip and guides. It backlashes like no body's business and when it does you need Houdini to dig it out. It's expensive. The rough texture saws your rod guides and hangs on cover. Knots don't hold. It has no give whatsoever. It looks like cable to a fish. Some of it is so stiff it makes soft plastic baits look like falling sticks. Braid was invented to make big profits for line manufacturers and it does that job well. I have filled garbage cans full of braid that I took off and replaced with mono. If you like it, use it. I'll stick with my Trilene Big Game.

The Zoom Mag II is one of the best worms you can throw. It a great flipping worm too, but the thin tail makes it hang up on the cover. Using oily fish attractant like Bang makes them slide down better.

I have caught bass on every color worm made. Some of the weirder colors were pink, Merthiolate, chartreuse, white and even worms with spots and stripes. Root beer was popular for a time. The hot worm in Okeechobee back in the seventies was black with a chartreuse tail. I once finished eighth in a national tournament using that color. Any color worm will catch bass at one time or another. I believe worm colors should be chosen based on water clarity. In clear water, I use translucent greens like watermelon. In dark waters, I use dark worms like black or purple. We don't have much deep water here in Florida, so I'm not sure if color matters. The most unused great worm color is all black. I believe if all you ever used were solid black worms, you would do fine. I have met anglers who swear by red worms. From my experience, red flake or fire tail worms can sometimes give you an edge when everyone is throwing the same thing. If you have confidence in a color, you will fish it more and you will catch more fish with that color.

Years ago when we lived in Miami we would ride over to Bimini in the summer for the weekend. It's about 40 miles across the gulf stream. We would often troll high speed lures on the trip. Our favorite offshore lures were purple and black. I still have one that I retired that has big chunks taken out of it from fish beating it up. Offshore fish flash purple when they are excited. We call this "lighting up". I believe purple is a sign to a fish that something is happening that should be investigated.

There isn't enough space on this website for me to list all the things I hate about braid. ?

One of the anglers I fished with was a multi time Florida Federation State Champion. He is also a good friend. He builds his own spinnerbaits and always adds purple to his skirts. Some shade of purple has been the goto plastic worm color in Florida for as long as plastic worms have existed. For years, my PB came on a dark grape Creme Scoundrel until I caught a bigger bass on a Christmas (junebug with red and green flakes) colored Gambler craw.