GLADES

The easiest spots are neighborhood lakes and canals if you are a bank fisherman. The Gambler Big EZ swim bait is perfect for the weedy canals. Just cast, crank, and hold on.

Hey Shane, I felt the same way about the lake while i was living there. When I was having a good day, I would fish till dark because it was so seldom for me. Over the many years fishing there, I never really figured it out. One thing I learned about the lake is that if you are getting skunked, move to another location to find better water. On one outing, I could not catch anything fishing south from Clewiston, so determined to catch bass I pulled out and launched again (fuel tank capacity limited) at Moorehaven at 3pm. I ran the ditch to the monkey box hydrilla and it seemed like every bass was at least 5 pounds. I caught my lake Okeechobee PB 7 lb there that day. Those last 3 hours made the trip. You really seemed to be dialed in at the lake..a nice pair to be sure...congrats... Lightning and thunderstorms are nothing to play around with. Sometimes the storm can turn on the fish and that is why guys stay out there. I understand all that but it is not worth it. Better to pack it up and get home to the wife and kid in one piece.

I recently moved to Reno from south Florida and I would appreciate any info on bass fishing lakes near Reno and appropriate tackle and lures. I left my boat back in Florida so I will be fishing lake banks to start with. I would also to know if there are any lakes that offer boat rental or guided trips. I am an experienced bass fisherman, but a little info would get me heading in the right direction. Thanks

Someone should create a hybrid of the Florida Black bass and the south Florida Peacock strain. That would be one heck of a game fish.

I won't be leaving BR, so I will keep in touch. No time for Lox unfortunately, to much to do packing etc. Leaving May 4th. Hopefully I can haul up a Florida quality bass out of those cold water lakes in the Reno area, or trips to California.

The police should set up a sting. Leave some equipment in the boat as bait to catch this rat with GPS attached..in his boat and in the neiborhood area.. Let the rat fall into the trap. Open and shut case. This guy should be locked up. I would not be surprised to learn that he is responsible for more burglaries in the area.

One of lifes twists and turns.. I just received a great job offer in Reno Nevada so I am leaving my home of south Florida. It has been great fishing with some of you guys over the last few years. I am very excited about the job, as well as the fishing opportunities for trout in Truckee river and salmon in Lake Tahoe. If there are bass there, I will target them too. Tight lines fellas.

You need to know the RPM range for your engine and you need a tachometer. Most bass boats have one installed. Here is an example that might help explain.. Let's assume that your engine redline is 5500 RPM and your boat is turning 5200 RPM at WOT(wide open throttle) with a 23P prop. Every inch of pitch is roughly equal to 300 RPM (or 3 MPH). So you would need a 22P prop of equal diameter to get your engine up to 5500 RPM. More pitch = more top speed Less pitch = better acceleration Slipage = amount of speed lost from the theoretical top speed. You want to keep it under 12%. (hull condition, hull weight, etc) You need to find a compromise of top speed/ acceleration. With my boat, I lean toward acceleration because of shallow water, and hydrila. I have to watch the RPM though. My 150 Mercury is rated for 5800 RPM, but it will easily run 6200 rpm with a 4 blade 22P prop. My 18' Ranger will run 65 MPH at 6200 RPM, but I usually just cruise at 45-50 for economy. I do not recommend going over the rated RPM. There are lots of articles and prop calculators / slipage calculators on the internet. Check out prop types and reviews as well. Hope some of this helps.

Good luck at the tourney guys.

The easiest way to get more speed is to remove all unneeded item from the boat. Every 200 lbs knocks 3 MPH from your top speed. Water logged hulls are a speed killer. Keep you boat covered or garaged. Stern weight - full tanks, 3 batteries, stuff, kill top speed. Regarding props, IMHO..it is better to have excellent pick up on your hole shot in south Florida. Most swampy areas are very shallow 2-3' and you may only have a small area to get up to speed without getting bogged down in hydrilla. I traded my "speed" prop for a lower pitched "holeshot" prop. It just makes more sense. If I were you, I would be happy with 65-70MPH. It is plenty fast enough. That additional speed increases the risk of accident too. And...There will ALWAYS be a faster boat out there...

Hey, I currently live in south Florida, but I also will be moving to Reno Nevada / Carson City in May. FRom the swamps/suburbia to desert/winter wonderland. I have no clue about fishing there, but I will be following your thread.

BP10. Start with club tourneys, and local tourneys and progress from there. Welcome to BR.

Roland Martins Marina in Clewiston (Lake Okechobee) has a variety of boats for rent

Well said.

There is a large rectangular lake/pond across the street(west)from the Turtle Run Walmart. There is an easement for the power lines that run through there. Anyone ever try that spot?

His daughter is probably named margarita..

When the tournament is at Holiday this time of year, you need a small boat(duck boat) that will run through skinny water deep in the flats quietly to have any chance of winning, plus lots of hours back in the slop pinpointing the spots. The canals usually start producing bigger bass March - June I stopped donating last year. I came to the realization that I just don't have the required time(job, kids,wife-if I want to stay married..lol)) to constantly fish pre tournament to compete with those semi pros. What ever the prize money is, they certainty deserve it, cause it isn't easy to consistently bring in 20-30lb bags. I will probably give it a go again in the future, with a better game plan(2 boats).

Is there a swimming hole there, or do you swim in the canal? Since we are in a warming trend, with some cloud cover, I think it will be a good bite this weekend.

I would walk the canal bank and look for the deepest areas, look for bass/ beds, and fish parallel to the shore buzzing frogs and swim baits right down the middle. One of the best parts about fishing these small canals is that they are ignored for better looking water. The bass have never saw swim baits or cane toads. Little fishing pressure. There could easily be 5#+ bass in there. Also, if that doesn't work, down size your gear to smaller plastics(trick worms - wat/red)and fish more slowly in the deep spots. just my .02

I snagged a shopping cart (lost a new xrap) and got repeatedly buzzed by the jet ski bozo's. I would fish there on the weekdays, the weekends jet ski folks will test your patience. Not a good outing for me, but I might try again to get some pea action.

Fish the canal the surrounds three friends park. Take sample road to coral ridge drive, turn south and go about 1/4 mile and make at the first right. Go 100 yards straight ahead and the park entrance will be on your left behind some houses. You can fish all three sides of the hill without walking in anyone yard. I have caught a few 3-5# bass in there using trick worms and top water crank baits. The canal that runs along the side of the sawgrass expressway behind coral glades high school might be worth a few casts. The canal on the east side of city hall is very old and shallow, but no one fishes there. I saw a few bass and some huge mud fish in there. Good luck

Seeing less snake heads is a good thing. The round up eradication program must be working.

Brilliant!

Late posting..but nice catch Bruce.