Captain Phil

If the water level in the Everglades drops to a certain point, all the fish that live on the flats are driven into the drainage canals. This puts millions of fish from miles around into a ditch 50-100 feet wide and some miles long. Gars and mudfish have tough skin. Some are quite large. When an aluminum prop hits these fish, it can bend the prop. For this reason, it's advisable to run a stainless prop in the Glades. This low water situation is normally at it's peak in the spring. In June, the afternoon rains begin and the water rises. There is a tiny window of time when only bigger fish are still trapped in the canals. Fish trapped in the canals are hungry and will bite just about anything you throw at them. Bass fishing during low water in the Glades is insane. It's nothing to catch 50-100 fish a day. Most are small, but every now and then you can catch a giant. Fishing with large plastic worms is the best way to avoid the dinks. As soon as the water rises and the main body of fish can get back into the flats, fishing gets tough. You can still catch fish if you fish where there is current. This cycle has been going on ever since the Everglades was dredged to drain the swamp about 100 years ago. Fishing the Everglades and Okeechobee is deceiving. It makes you believe you are a better angler than you are. Catching fish in a bucket is easier than catching fish in a 50,000 acre lake with no visible cover.

The Florida Bowfin record is 19 pounds. It's not unusual to catch one over ten. Never lip a Bowfin. Ask me how I know. ?

Bowfin, or Mudfish as we call them, are great fun. Florida is full of them. I've caught some giants. You normally catch them in shallow water. They are not as sensitive to oxygen levels as bass and will live in very shallow areas in the heat of summer. They are murder on spinnerbaits and will crush a balsa crankbait. They love weightless worms. One of the best lakes in Florida for Bowfin is Blue Cypress Lake near Vero. When the water is low in the Everglades, you need a stainless prop. There are so many gars and mudfish in the canals that they will destroy an aluminum prop just by running. Sounds like a story I know, but it's true.

There are subtle differences in "stained" water. Don't assume what you see is what fish see. Some stained water isn't stained as much as you think. Lake water stained by cypress trees looks black. This is caused by tannin in the trees themselves. Examples of black water lakes in Florida are Blue Cypress Lake near Vero, Lake Crescent off the St. John's River and Lake Dorr in the Ocala National Forest. If you pull a spinnerbait through this water, you can see it's actually fairly clear. Lakes stained by algae blooms can be clear a few feet under the surface. From my experience, the darker the water the less influence color has on the fish. Most anglers who fish dark water will do just as well with solid black baits. If the water is light green to clear, watermelon colors work well. The most popular worm color in Florida by far is June Bug. I try to throw baits different than what others are throwing. I like Christmas (June Bug with Red and Green flakes). Paddle tail worms have fallen out of style lately. They are very effective in stained water. Producto makes a great paddle tail worm call the Vibrator. If you can still find these worms with a white or light blue paddle, they are killer flipping baits. If you are fishing for fun and relaxation, worm color is not that significant. If you are fishing for money, it can make a difference. At the end of the next tournament, walk around and look at the baits still tied on your competitor's line. Don't be too obvious. It's amazing what people will tell you if you are nice to them. ?

Lews Speed Sticks were very popular 40 years ago. Mount an Ambassador 5500C on one of those rods and you will be fishing like we did back then. I prefer a pistol grip rod when fishing a bait that needs a lot of action like a top water plug. I find it easier to move my wrist than my whole arm. Everyone is different. Shorter rods are good for dock fishing and where space is tight. The big advantage of modern rods is weight. Today's rods are much lighter than in the 60-70s.

I haven't fished Istokpoga in many years, so this information is far from current. As I remember, there are two islands in the middle of the lake. One is a reed island and the other is land. The land island is the best place to fish. The water levels in this lake tend to fluctuate making shoreline fishy iffy. There are some big fish in Istokpoga.

Uncle Joe's cut was one of my favorite spots. When the wind was blowing just right, you could catch fish all day. The South Florida bass club I remember from back then was the Play World Bass Masters. I fished some offshore tournaments in the eighties. Nearly won the Miami Sailfish Tournament in my 26' Contender fishing in 10' seas. That was an experience.

In the seventies, I was a member of the South Florida Tackle Testers Bass Club. Fished a lot of team tournaments too. Do you remember the Ellen's Rod Shop tournaments? My buddy and I won the first Classic out of Loxahatchee. Fished some American Bass Magazine tournaments and the B.A.S.S. Federation all over the State. I knew Charlie Infinger before he went into the worm business. Back then, the Adams brothers were hard to beat. Ray Scott told me Jack Adams turned down his invitation to fish his first Classic. I'll bet he was sorry about that. As a kid, I hung out at Slim's Fish Camp on Lake Okeechobee. During the gas crisis, my bass boat was docked at Slims so I never missed a day of fishing. A lot has changed since then. Those were some fun days...

Back to the title subject. The Palomar knot is a good knot. I use it when flipping with 25 & 30 pound mono as double line of that diameter normally won't fit through the hook eye. I never use it with braid as it doesn't have enough twist to keep it from slipping. If you have never lost a big fish this way, you have been lucky. When fishing with Braid or 20 pound and under mono, I prefer the Jimmy Houston knot. Before braid came out, I used a regular clinch knot for everything. After losing some big money fish when the knot slipped, I switched and never went back.

A bass will strike a lure fished on anchor rope if it is hungry or angry enough. Obviously that is an exaggeration, but line visability definitely makes a difference in the number of fish that will strike your lure. When tournament fishing, you can't keep a fish unless he bites first. More bites equals more fish in the boat. Less bites means you are handicapping yourself before the game begins. I have witnessed numerous times when an angler fishing with heavy line was out fished by someone fishing in the same boat with lighter line. I have seen days when you couldn't get a bite on 20 pound test and load the boat with 8. It's not only the visibility of a fishing line that makes a difference in your catch rate. Diameter, flexibility, buoyancy, stretch, knot strength, cast ability and color all contribute. Mono, Fluorocarbon and Braid all have a place in bass fishing. We are lucky that we have the line choices we do today. When my grandfather started bass fishing, all he had was black linen line and he had to lay it out to dry.

I remember when some cars came with tools. ?

I still have a Mitchell 300 that I have had for many years. Came with an extra spool and a tube of oil.

Owner or Gamakatsu.

Braid requires different knots than mono or fluorocarbon line. Try the Jimmy Houston knot. I think you'll like it. There are a number of YouTube videos showing you how to tie it. I have never had this knot fail.

I can't imagine Power Pro breaking like that? What pound test is it? A Palomar knot is not the best knot for braid. You'll have better luck with a Jimmy Houston knot. It's a double clinch knot and will not slip. I use it for everything.

Started fishing the Everglades with my grandfather when I was 12. I'm 74 now. Fished it at least once a week until moving to Central Florida in 1996. Fished it at night by myself. There is a good chance I have met "Geo G" because we fished all the same waters. Anyone who thinks they should fish the Everglades in a Kayak has a death wish. A Kayak is just big enough for a bull gator to consider you a rival. A big mama gator may believe you are a threat to her young. I have seen big gators challenge small boats. I have more than one friend who has lost dogs when they were snatched out of a Jon boat by gators. All I can say is make sure your life insurance is paid up. Why would you want to do that? South Florida is full of canals and rock pits. All of them have great fishing. My advice is stay on the East side of the levee and you will do fine.

Many anglers avoid using plastics with thin ribbon tails when flipping. I understand this as the bait has a tendency to hang on reeds, Etc. This is exactly why I lean toward these baits. Fishing pressure on my lakes is relentless. 100-200 boat tournaments are common. I want to throw something my bass don't see every ten minutes. The Zoom Mag II worm is a good example. It's a tough bait to flip, but it catches fish like crazy. The best way to avoid hangups is to coat your bait with a lubricant like Bang fish attractant. It lets the lure glide through heavy cover and has the added benefit of making the lure shiny.

Lizards are also great flipping baits. The wiggling legs and tail make a lot of vibration on the fall. This bass fell for a lizard.

The Rapala Floating Minnow is most effective when fished on the surface with small twitches in calm water. Hard to find a bait bass like any better. Even harder to find a way to fish it that doesn't work. Use light line or you will overpower the lure. They are made of balsa which gives them their action. Use a loop knot.

Heddon Tiny Torpedo. Rapala original silver minnow in silver or gold. Pop-R. Devil's Horse. Wacky rigged worms and Senkos. Use light line.

Why 30 pound leader? Do you have toothy fish to worry about? We use 30 pound leader in salt water fishing. Snook and tarpon have sharp gill cover edges and will cut you off in a heartbeat. If you are fishing for bass, you don't need a 30 pound leader.

I do not use much fluorocarbon fishing line. Our waters are not normally clear enough to require it. So far, I haven't had any problems with Vanish. Perhaps it's the knots I use? I have tried some fluoro lines that were too stiff. They were like fishing with wire. Vanish casts well. So far, so good.

Braid has it's place. I use it if I'm fishing a frog in very heavy cover. I also use it if I'm fishing a tournament and ripping a Rattle Trap around hydrilla. I've lost too many big fish to take a chance on loosing a money fish. The problem with braid is many anglers use too heavy a line. Fifty pound braid looks like cable to a bass. My 8 pound mono is nearly invisible. Even 20 pound braid looks like a dock line. I have never used 8 pound braid, but I suspect it would be equal to mono. If you are going to use braid, don't up size the line. There are other issues with braid as well. The first time I used it, I lost a 25 pound Snook when the knot slipped. I get more backlashes with braid and they are harder to pick out. I will admit my reels are ancient, so I don't know how braid performs on a modern reel. Hopefully better. Using fluorocarbon line will defiantly increase your strike rate. Some of it is hard to cast. My favorite is Berkley Vanish. It's a nice casting line that doesn't cost a fortune. The lighter your line the more bites you will get. Light tackle fisherman have a huge advantage over someone fishing with cable. You will have to learn how to fight fish on light tackle, but that's easier than getting them to bite in the first place.

You will get more strikes on those lures fishing with 8 pound mono. If your hooks are sharp, line stretch is not a problem with light lures like that. I don't believe I ever had a bass throw a Tiny Torpedo. You can't catch a bass that doesn't bite first.

When flipping, the rod is nothing more than an extension pole and a lever to hoist the fish in the boat. My best flipping rod is a Bass Pro Skops IMG Graphite Series rod. It's a collapsible 7'6" rod. It's light, sensitive and fits in my rod box. I've had it for years and it still looks like new. I believe I paid $49.95 for it. I don't understand rods these days. Went to Bass Pro Shop the other day and all I could find were double grip rods with the extension knobs on the bottom. Am I the only one who thinks they look awkward? I keep patching up my old rods. Hopefully they will last me until I can't hold a rod anymore. ?