Captain Phil

It's getting hot here in Florida. Went out this morning and the surface water temperature was 83 degrees. The wind was blowing, so it wasn't terrible. We are starting to get into afternoon thunderstorms. They can be nasty.

All the lakes I fish are close, so I haven't noticed much difference. My Explorer is rear wheel drive with the ten speed transmission. I use it in tow/haul mode. These vehicles are amazingly fast for what they are. The Ranger RT178 with a 75 Merc 4 stroke is a light boat compared to a big fiberglass boat. I really love my little Ranger bass boat and it's all I need.

My 2020 Explorer with the standard EcoBoost 4 gets 27-28 mpg on the highway and it tows my RT178 like it's not even back there.

Back in the day, nets were used to net big bass and we always carried one in the boat. An inexperienced net man has lost many a trophy bass. I always instructed my netter to place the net still in the water and let me lead the fish into it. When nets fell out of favor, guys started swinging bass into the boat with predictable results. Then it seemed everyone was hand lifting bass. I always cringe when I see someone on TV trying to lip a thrashing bass with a big crankbait hanging from it's mouth. It's no fun to be tied to a bass with hooks embedded in your hand. I once had a 5 pound bass tied to my hand, my chest and the fish by a Devil's Horse. I was alone and there was no one to help me. That's why I always carry these.

150 for us.

Fill it up!!

Some of us have been through this before. Back in seventies, we had gas lines. My wife filled up her car once and I siphoned it out to put in my boat. I had to sleep on the couch for some time after that. ? At least so far we can get gas. During the second gas crisis in 1979, I paid the owner of Slim's Fish Camp in Okeechobee to keep my boat in a slip with the tank topped off. I bought a VW Rabbit Diesel to drive back and forth to the lake. Funny thing is we have more oil in the ground now than we can use.

Experts say we may have $6.00 a gallon gas by the end of the summer. If so, will this change your fishing?

Welcome Logan. I grew up bank fishing. I rode my bike all over South Florida fishing in every canal, rock pit and lake I could find. You are right about bank fishing. When you can't move around, you learn to concentrate on what you can reach. Bank fishing is better than many people think.

The Harris Chain has an annual cleanup day when groups of people get together and bring in junk they find in the lakes. The lakes stay fairly clean, but there is always someone who uses the lake as a trash can. It does seem to me that this is not as big of a problem as it used to be. Most boaters these days are a little more aware of the environment.

Florida has lots of snakes. The majority of the snakes people see around the water are brown water snakes. They are often misidentified as poisonous and can grow fairly large. It's best to give all snakes a wide berth. Occasionally, you will run into a moccasin. Rattlers seem to prefer dry land and we have our share. We have a few copperheads, but I rarely see them. Coral snakes are small snakes that look very similar to king snakes. They don't have fangs like a rattler and bites are rare. The most common snakes in Florida are black racers. They are not dangerous and help to keep pests from coming in your house. Eastern rat snakes are small pretty snakes with beautiful patterns on their skin. Grass snakes always seem to show up in my lawnmower. In recent years, Florida has seen some exotic snakes introduced into the environment. Hurricane Andrew destroyed many buildings, releasing zoo snakes and pets. Burmese Pythons are now part of the Everglades Ecosystem. Along with the snakes, South Florida has a large population of iguanas. They are not dangerous, but can scare you if you don't know that. Escaped pet snakes are always a problem. A 22 foot python was pulled out from under a South Florida home when neighborhood dogs and cats started disappearing. Our local animal control building has a 20 footer mounted in the office. It was captured when a drug dealer had it in his house. Living in Florida all these years, I have seen some weird stuff. If they found a live T Rex, I wouldn't be surprised. ☺️

I've caught a number of large catfish when flipping heavy cover here in Florida. They are always a surprise and put up a great fight. I tried cooking and eating one once. It was awful. Ended up throwing away the fish, the pan and the cooking oil. Those small catfish you get in a restaurant are farm raised.

Welcome! I grew up in South Florida. Moved to Central Florida in 1997. I live on the Harris Chain. Fished bass and salt water tournaments all over Florida. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Lots of help here. ?

Lake Erie has some of the best small mouth bass fishing in the world. The area around Pelee Island is especially good. Pelee Isalnd is on the Canadian side. If you ever get a chance to fish there, do it.

The Comet Minnow is a great schooling bass lure. I once won a tournament on Rodman using one. When people asked me what I was fishing with and I told them, they always laughed. Laugh away, I got the check. ?

I don't know many anglers who use snaps to attach their baits when bass fishing. I believe if you asked most bass tournament professionals, they would say they don't. The only time I use a swivel is when Carolina rig fishing and the swivel is not on the lure. In offshore salt water fishing we use heavy duty ball bearing swivels to attach leaders. Our leaders are often 10 feet or more in length with a hook tied or crimped to the end. The swivel is attached with a double Bimini Twist knot, one of the more complicated knots to tie. I use this knot to attach lures when fishing for Bonefish in clear water because I want every edge I can get. Often the difference between winning and coming in second is in the small details.

The facts based on my experience show a lure catches more bass if it appears more natural. Do you believe a knot appears more or less natural than a snap swivel?

I fished the Everglades for the majority of my life. This is the time of the year when Everglades bass fishing gets crazy. Most of the flats are dry and the fish are stacked up. It's nothing to catch 100 bass a day when this happens. Small bass become annoying. The best way to target large bass at this time is to use bigger lures. One of my favorites was a black musky Jitterbug. This will continue until afternoon thunderstorms raise the water level in June. There will be a few days when the smaller bass leave the canals and all that's left are giants. Back in the day, they would occasionally remove the limits. I once fished a night tournament out of Everglades Holiday Park where the winner caught over 100 pounds of bass. When the water gets high enough for the bass to leave the canals, you would think all the bass were poisoned. Everglades summer high water bass fishing can be very tough. In my twenties, I fished alone in the Everglades many a night by myself. I was young and hardly anything scared me. I was fishing out of a bass boat. Fishing the Everglades alone at night in a kayak is truly INSANE. The slightest issue could become a real disaster.

Using a snap or swivel to attach fishing lures adds weight, affects balance and changes the action of the lure. If lures worked better with attaching hardware, they would come with that hardware in the box. For example, new Rattle Traps come with a split ring because that lure works better with one than without one. If you can't tie knots due to a handicap, you are forced to deal with your limitations. If you refuse to tie knots due to laziness or because it's not convenient, you should know you are going to catch less fish than if you used the proper knot. If you don't care, do what you want.

I am sorry for your loss. Losing a pet you love is one of the toughest things anyone can experience. I know as my wife and I have had to put down three Westies that we raised from puppies. When it happened the first time, I couldn't look at my dog's toys without crying like a baby. In time, my heart healed. God gave us pets to teach us lessons. We see them as babies, teenagers, adults and when they get old and die. This prepares us for the death of our loved ones and ourselves.

I live in an area where it seems everyone carries a gun, even little old ladies have one in their purse. You would think we have a lot of crime, we don't. Our people are so afraid these days that they feel they need to arm themselves when they go to church. If it makes you feel safer, I have no problem with it. I own guns, but I don't carry them in my car or on my person. Why? Because I never get myself in a position where I need to use it. If I did, I might use it and regret it for the rest of my life. You can't take back a bullet. Enough about that. I am probably an outlier on this issue, but I prefer revolvers. They are simple and safe. The revolver I have in my home is loaded with an empty chamber under the hammer. If I drop it, it's not going to kill me or anyone else. I can see the bullets, so I know it's loaded. I don't need to kill anyone to deter them. If my wife shoots through the door of our home, I'm fairly sure the trespasser will leave. If they don't and try to come in, it's at their peril. I am not anti gun. I just think most people would be better off not carrying one. This is a personal decision each person should make on their own, not the government.

Years ago, I fished in a bass club with a man named Steve Porter. He and his partner invented the "Weed Master". This was a plastic basket that covered the trolling motor prop to prevent it from fouling in thick weeds. It was a godsend at the time, but it had some disadvantages. The main disadvantage was it significantly reduced the thrust of the motor. Later weed cutting trolling motor props came out along with stronger more powerful motors. Today, modern 24 volt trolling motors reduce this problem to a minor annoyance. What you need is a stronger motor.

Ray Scott was one heck of a salesman and entrepreneur. He had the vision to see what others did not and the perseverance to make it happen. I was fortunate to have met him a few times. Many people do not realize that he did not invent bass tournaments. He brought honesty to the sport and created a platform where information could be shared with the public. We owe him a lot...

#1 Zoom Trick worm rigged any way possible. #2 Spinnerbait. #3 Rattle Trap. Followed by Zoom Fluke and Devil's Horse,

There are canals in Pembroke Pines that are full of giant bass. I know because I put them there. Most people have no idea how good the fishing can be in those canals.