Fishing_FF

I had to wait until this info was public record. Both the Palm Beach and Treasure Coast news are carrying this. Nik was wearing a life vest and helmet when he left the boat ramp. Nik was alive and waving to the boat operator after he got knocked out.

Cadaver dogs arrived today to help with the search. More local resources are arriving too like Orlando Fire Dept’s boat team. I saw a video of a 26’ inshore boat on the lake yesterday that looked like a Jon boat being tossed around in the big waves. Nik was a USMC instructor for water survival, so there is hope he’s on one of the many small islands.

The Peacock bass haven’t made it into the Kissimmee chain of lakes yet. There is talk there might be a few around, but I’ve not seen anything that says otherwise. Palm Beach County and south are your best bet if you want to get a Peacock. You can also find Snakeheads down that way too. Lake Toho is LMB country, but some big (for Florida standards) channel cats, gar, and bowfins can be found there too.

I’m going echo my fellow Floridians. This year looks like it will be a later spawn than normal. There is a canal off Lake Toho that the fish were moving into to bed. I went by today (first day back in the 70s), and found it empty. They all moved back into the main lake.

This info comes from a search report I saw. They put in at the north side of the lake, and were running south toward the SE (windward) side of the lake. Winds were from the NW at approx 25mph. There are various channels across the lakes lined by rocks that have caused issues for those unfamiliar with these spots. Just praying they find the co-angler.

Do you have a lot of Florida strain LMB or mostly Northern strain in TN?

Welcome fellow Floridian!!!

+1 I use the Z-man Zinkers, cutting them in half for a smaller finesse bait. Strike King has two different worms made of elaztech, the Zero (similar colors to Z-man) and the Super Finnesse Worm. Both of these are available at my local BassPro, so if you have a BassPro or Cabelas close by,worth checking out. My local BassPro also have the Gambler Floating worms. The colors are bright, but I have a friend that fishes them with good success. They are a 7” worm, but if he doesn’t want the big presentation, he just cuts of a portion of the head to make it smaller. Gonna try this over the winter.

I'm left handed. When I was growing up, all the baitcasters that were available to me were right handed models. When I picked one up, I used it just like a spinning rod. That is, I cast with the left hand and reel with the right hand. It was later that someone told me I was doing it backwards, that I should get a left hand bait caster and switch hands. I tried one eventually. It seemed foreign and weird. Was it that I used the bait caster so long like a right handed person that is was now natural? Maybe I'm backwards by spinning and casting with the same hand. Maybe I'm forward thinking eliminating learning to cast with a non-dominant hand. Whatever the case, I found what was most natural and comfortable for me. You've tried both, so go with what feels most natural and comfortable for you. After that, practice with whichever why you chose to increase your skills. Good luck from a lefty to a fellow lefty!

Same here...... If the job requires a slow retrieve or sit and soak bait, I add a fluoro leader.

Welcome fellow Floridian!!!

I went fishing during that cold front in Orlando. While it was a slower day, I still found a way to catch fish. The fish are still there, just different conditions (wind creating chop, cooler water temps, pressure changes) requiring different presentation/techniques. I use Linders FLP=Success formula. You just have to locate the area where the bass are hold up. From there like Catt mentioned, it is more about getting the lure in the strike zone. I found that slow rolling a 1/2oz Indiana/Colorado spinner with a 3.5” paddletail trailer. When I say slow, it was just barely enough to the blades turned. I also had success with Ned rigged TRD worm slowly hopped along the bottom. Again, it was slow with long pauses like a jerkbait would be fished in the winter. Jerkbaits, hard or soft plastic with a rattle insert, can work too, presented slow as well.

When I retire a spinnerbait, it is because the wires are near that point where they have been bent and twisted back into place so many times it is about to break. The blades are also generally trashed with chipped/nicked edge from being bounced off concrete bridge supports and gouged from being grabbed by turtles and small gators. Very rarely do I get a hook up on one, they just love to grab the blades. Sadly, River-2-Sea has stopped making both the 3/8oz Indiana/Colorado spinnerbaits and blades. The 1/2oz blades are larger.

I recently picked up a pair of Stanley Jig Spinnerbait Wedge Plus to replace a pair of River-2-Sea Bling Spinnerbaits I had to retire. River-2-Sea isn't making the Indiana/Colorado blade combo in 3/8oz, so figured I would give the Wedge a try as I've heard a lot of positive feedback. I'm using the spinnerbait on cooler, windy days in Florida, using the flash and vibration to help catch the attention of some hungry bass. There aren't many place I can fish that don't have a fair to heavy amount of vegetation here in Central Florida. When I come upon a weed line with a spinnerbait, I pause, rip it through, and then let it dead fall. Done this with various River-2-Sea spinnerbaits with a good success rate and no abnormal damage to the lures. I tried out a Stanley spinnerbait the other day, using the same retrieve technique. When I was done fishing the spinnerbait, I noticed one of the split rings had started to open up. Did I get a bad split ring on this particular Stanley or do all their split rings need a upgrade like the split rings and hooks on some brands of hardbaits? Thanks!!!

The pond behind the Double Tree may have fish. It’s been there a while, so good chance there. Just up the road (Conroy), there is the Shadow Bay Park and Bill Fredrick Park, both have stocked lakes by FWC. Lupine Pond at Shadow Bay has some monster catfish if you want something other than bass. There are some potential spots south too along I-Drive and Universal near the convention center. Sand Lake isn’t too far away either kayaks rentals available through the timeshare company on the east side of the lake. The Florida strain of bass are more finicky with cold fronts, so depending on weather, it could be good or tough fishing. Last couple days have been tough after a series of fronts have moved through. This weekend looks good with some warmer temps and no fronts for a couple days.

Greetings and welcome fellow Floridian!!!

I'm in Florida where grass, weeds, pads, and other vegetation is abundant. Spinning just works for me. I can flip, pitch, skip, walk the dog, twitch a jerk bait, rip a crank, etc. Going back to the photo I previous post starting from the right and moving left, my reel and rods are as follows: Shimano Sahara FB2500 on a St Croix Mojo Bass ML Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 2500 on a St Croix Avid X M Shimano Nasci 2500 (standard model with lower gear ratio) on a St Croix Mojo Bass MH Shimano Ultegra 2500 on a St Croix Mojo Inshore MH (since it is an inshore road, lure rating is higher 1/2-1 1/4oz so used in place of a heavy rod, but their true heavy is actually 3/4-2oz). Shimano Sahara FB4000 on a Shimano Compre MH Shimano Sienna 2500 on a Shimano Sellus M The last 2 rods and reels are piece and are my travel rods for long distance trips/vacations. I also use different color line so I can easily tell what lbs test is on the reel. The yellow is 10lbs and then green is 30lbs.

Here some love of spinning gear: 100% spinning, actually 100% Shimano spinning.

1) 1/16oz Wacky rigged Senko (4", 5", color, I don't think the fish care they just eat them ) 2) 1/8oz T-rigged Berkley PowerBait Power Worm 7" or 10" Black w/ Blue Tail 3) 5" Swim Senko on an Owner's Swimbait Hook (1/8oz 4/0) 4) Yo-Zuri 3DB Popper (Frog or Gold Black) 5) River2Sea Bling Spinnerbait (White or Chartreuse) I want to get better with the hardbaits like the Whopper Plopper, crankbaits, and jerkbaits, so I'm throwing them more once I find fish with one of the top 5.

This is a lot like my color and blade choice. I have a white with a pair of silver blades and a chartreuse with a pair of gold blades. I have two set of these spinnerbaits, one with a mix Colorado/Indiana blades and one with a pair of tandem Willow blades. I use a Keitech 4.8 Swing Impact FAT Swimbait as a trailer, in a white or black that can be tipped with chartreuse if needed. I attempt to locate where the fish would most likely be first (using Linder's L from the F+L+P=S formula), starting with a white/white combo and then change the trailer to black if nothing. If that doesn't work, I go to chartreuse/white then again changing the trailer to black. One of these usually help me locate the fish and how they are hunting (chasing, ambush, stalking) to present another lure that will hopefully bring me a larger fish. Blade selection for me is based on water clarity and bottom conditions. Clearer water or heavy grasses I go with the Willow, and darker water where flash is less a factor and more sound is needed, I go with the Colorado/Indiana combo. I haven't thrown spinnerbaits in the spring, but this time of year with colder and/or windy days, I'm more apt to start with a spinnerbait to search an area, kind of like using a crankbait in the summer for searching a lake. Hope this helps.

I have the St . Croix Mojo Bass 7’1” MHF with a Shimano Nasci 2500 reel on it that is my hardbait rod. It’s a lower gear ratio for a slower presentation while also providing enough power and torque to rip crankbaits and jerkbaits. My hardbaits are all in the 3/8-1/2oz range, so they all in line with the recommended lure weight for the rod. I’ve also got an Avid X MF for plastics. While St Croix rods are a tad stronger than the general power ratings, I wouldn’t try to throwing hardbaits on my Avid X, especially if you are using crankbaits that have a really wide, high resistance wobble. I’m happy with the Mojo Bass MHF for the treble hook hardbaits (poppers, props, Whopper Ploppers, crankbaits, and jerkbaits) I’m using.

Yepper, I thought I was going to have to get a baitcaster for some heavier lures (1/2 jigs, spinnerbaits, and Chatterbaits all with 3/8oz trailers), when I found some St. Croix spinning rods rated MH up to 1 1/4oz and H up to 1 1/2oz. That completed my setup from spinning rods that can finesse 1/15oz Ned rigs up to heavy nearly 1oz jigs type lures.

Same rationale here. Whenever I am fishing a hardbait (popper, Whopper Plopper, buzz bait, jerk bait, crank bait), I have a 4" or 5" wacky rigged Senko standing by. I've even started doing with with spinnerbaits with success. When a fish crashes the bait and a hook up doesn't occur, I throw out the Senko to flutter to the bottom. I would say about three quarters of the time for me the Senko doesn't even make it to to the bottom before getting nailed. There is a lot of underwater footage now of bass feeding and hitting baits. They get their target a lot of the time on the first strike, but when they don't they can actually be seen circling or coming back to finish the job. If this is their nature being recorded, make sense to put something back for them to hit again.

Sweet, at least you got something! I know the feeling of having a list of places to check out and somehow winding up back at the usual spots. The wind isn't isn't going to be as much of an issue here as the thunderstorms and lightning are predicted to be. I burned a vacation day as a spot came available for Friday. Figured I would hit a couple spots as everyone jams the stores. Looks like instead of dodging crowds, I'll have to dodge the storms to get some fishing done. Orlando has its share of ponds and lakes, just a matter of which ones you can get to.

Little further south of Jacksonville, but the bite is on and off in the Orlando area. At least it is an in state comment, so getting closer, right? LOL. Caught 6 a little over a week ago right in the heart of downtown in less than 15 minutes. Monday, I got skunked at 3 places, include the downtown lake and a spawning canal near Toho. Cooling down which is good, but now got the typical post-frontal issues. Some of my friends that inshore on the Space Coast have been doing good with snook and reds. Hope you get out of the weekend and get some lines wet!