Fishing_FF

This couldn't be truer. As a firefighter who works with a lot of scenes, probably 75% of my station's calls, with law enforcement, either county sheriff deputies or state troopers, it is sad to see how LE are treated. Example would be one night not long ago at a vehicle crash, we asked the driver of one of the vehicles to move his car out of the road. The driver said, "Sure, no problem." The driver was poking along, so the deputy stepped in to ask him to please move his vehicle so the expressway could be re-opened. The driver got out of the car, started with expletives, and refused to move the car. We tried to defuse the situation by asking for the keys so one of us could move the car, at which point the driver threw his keys which ended up hitting the deputy. Whether he meant to throw them at the deputy or he just had bad aim, I don't know. However, there was no reason for the escalation. Being polite and respectful would have saved this guy a trip to jail. I have been stopped by Georgia DNR and Florida FWC while fishing. I always have my state ID and my fishing license with me. Yes, sometimes the safety inspection is a hassle, but being polite and respectful, I'm back on the water fishing a short time later rather than say facing fines or being in cuffs.

Yes, since I’m official this year with a related company.

Here is my two. First one has already been mentioned a couple times, the Chatterbait. I can catch fish on a flipping jig, a swim jig (one of my go to lures actually), and a spinning jig (aka spinnerbait). When it comes to the bladed jig, nothing. I’ve got the Z-Man Freedom and Jackhammer in the moving jig box, but they have yet to catch me a fish. Second one is a.........Ned rig. I know it works. I’ve seen it work here in Florida like Lake Placid, but every time I think I’ve got a good clean spot, the exposed hook gets fouled up in some kind of grass. I switch to a 4” T-rig, C-rig, or shakyhead Senko and no issues. Yep, I’m THAT guy! LOL

I fish a lake often that has daily airboat tours. These airboats usually run close to shore and reed lines, which can be areas I'm fishing. When I got my kayak, I spoke to several of the airboat captains as we were launching from the same ramp. They all said the same thing, my Yak Attack VisiCarbon Pro Light and Flag is only visible at dawn and dusk when the light is on. The reflective marker and flag (unless the wind is consistently blowing and moving the flag) are too small to be seen from a distance. They also all recommending moving or waving my paddle in the air because the bright colors and motion would be more likely to be seen. This is the paddle I use:

This ☝️ 30lbs Sufix 832 for general use. 65lbs Sufix 832 for punching.

At least you didn’t get skunked. Yes, Florida fishing greatly depends on the weather. Rain and/or wind can be good as they will often chase baits, probably why you had luck with the speed worm and swim jig. Glad to hear you found some good weedy areas as hopefully you can use those to find some big fish next time around.

Yes, hard to beat a flashy swimmer! 5 foot of water below me with the hydrilla topped out. The deeper edges have a foot or two of space between the top of the water and hydrilla. A quick flick of the rod clears the flashy swimmer. Only reason there is a little green stuff on the lure in the photo is because the fish got dragged across the thick mat surrounding my kayak.

Ok, you should still be able to catch some fish then. Johns Lake sees a lot of fishing pressure, so the limited bank space would be a huge hindrance if you didn't have a boat. If you put in at the ramp off of SR50, there is a nice hole just south of the ramp. The tournaments (during DST, there is a weekly Wednesday night tourney) weigh and release at the ramp, so there are usually a few around that area. Other areas to check is the north side of Turkey Island and the choke point on the western lobe. I'm not sure what the current state of hydrilla is now as FWC did some heavy spraying in February and March, but look for hydrilla around any of these areas with a nice ledge or drop off.

Are you bank fishing or using a boat/kayak?

Welcome fellow Floridian!!! Unfortunately, I don't fish down that way. There are a couple members that live on the Tampa down to the Fort Meyers side of Florida that will probably be able to help you out though.

I am saddened by what I witnessed the airboat do, but there is no more deniability by FWC that this is occurring. Like many in Florida, I've seen the boats with herbicides go out. I've heard the stories about indiscriminate spraying. Until now FWC has always been able to claim this doesn't actually happen, that is just stories. Hopefully this footage is enough to stop the destruction of the great natural resource we have here in Florida.

I sent reelcraker a text, and he said that she's going to be out of town. I found out the guides are still intermittently fishing on Butler, so let's plan on the Winter Park chain with a launch from Dinky Dock Park (Ollie Ave in Winter Park). There is no fee for launching canoes or kayaks. We can use the ramp or the nearby beach area. I'm going to get there early, hopefully at sunrise but I'll be out there till 2-3PM. Whenever you want to get there is good by me.

Planning a trip on Monday, June 3rd, for anyone that might be interested. Narrowed down to to the Butler chain or Winter Park chain. Want to fish @reelcraker, @BADBASS FRANK?

Quite true, the best time for the OP to catch a big bass would be during spawn. However, considering he is looking for a summer location to break his PB that is kind of a limiter. Luckily, a 5lbs bass would break his PB, but I like the idea another member mentioned, set the PB bar high. 10lbs high, maybe not but 8lbs from someplace like California, Florida, or Texas should be achievable. I’m not super familiar with the big bass lakes in California or Texas, but Florida has small impoundments like the Stick Marsh (roughly 10 square miles) that would be a better choice than a big lake like Kissimmee (54 square miles) or Okeechobee (over 700 square miles) to help better the odds for finding a bass that would break his PB by a few pounds.

Brian caught that fish back on March 26th. He posted the photo on a local Central Florida Bass Fishing group while he waited for the FWC Trophy Catch program to certify his catch. Needless to say, Orange Lake has seen a lot of fishing pressure since. The FWC Trophy Catch program is actually a good resource to see where the big fish are. The state fish biologist actually use it as a tracking tool. In the last week, there were 15 bass over 8lbs caught and an additional 7 bass over 10lbs caught that were submitted to the program. We are in summer, so any fishing is a grind once the sun is up, but a lunker (8lbs or better according to FWC standard) is still catchable here.

Welcome fellow Floridian!!!

No worries! My next kayak fishing day that I have available is June 3rd, location yet to be determined as I’m debating Fellsmere Reserve, a spot on the Kissimmee Chain, or even give Lake Ivanhoe a try.

No problem. There isn’t any paved parking for the Lone Cabbage Boat Ramp, but I’ve never had any issues using the grass and dirt lots to the south of the ramp. Launched boats and kayaks out of there, and our vehicles were fine for the time while we were out. Welcome to Florida, by the way! We actually have quite a few boat ramps around with no paved parking areas, so you’ll probably find more as you explore the Central Florida.

As long as you don't have any crazy tall poling platform on your Nitro that prevents you from going under the bridge, you'll be fine. There are also public use boat ramps at Lone Cabbage Fish Camp (across the street for the location you asked about) and well as off Lake Poinsett Rd (entrance is 520 near I95).

Disregard, I just saw the OP wants a baitcaster.

10lbs Sufix 832 to a 10lbs Yo-Zuri hybrid leader is the line setup I use for ned rigs and finesse drop shots.

Welcome fellow Floridian!!! I'm not sure what lures you are using or how you are presenting them. My guess would be you're probably fishing too fast. It is something I've seen a lot when people fishing down here say they aren't catching anything. It isn't a beginner problem either as even now there are times I have to remind myself to slow down, especially since the hot days of summer are here. I got a kayak recently, and will be out fishing one of the catch and release lakes in Orlando on Saturday. It is a lake I've bank fished and boat fished with a couple different friends. Depending on where you are at in Deltona, it is about an hour trip. I'll be out for a good chunk of the day. You are more than welcome to join me.

I'm not sure what the deal is with the clear water lakes in Orlando, but if it is clear, they are loaded with gar and chain pickerel. Conway and Ivanhoe both seem to be this way. The gar and chain pickerel seem to really key in on slower moving hardbaits, IE jerkbaits twitched and paused, lipless cranks yo-yo off the bottom, and slow rolled swimbaits. I've had good luck with plastics when targeting bass in these lakes. I haven't heard anything sizable come from Conway in a while, but it is a good lake during the cooler months as the bass school really well there and for sight fishing during the spawn. Both the cooler and spawn period Conway sees a lot of guides fishing shiners, though.

Welcome fellow Floridian!!!

Gambler Burner Worm 7.5" on a swimbait hook Berkley Power Worm 7" and 10" on a texas rig Mann's Jelly Worm 12" on a texas or carolina rig Gambler Webo 5" on a shakeyhead or dropshot