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Spinner bait or red Shad ribbon tail worms. But be prepared to throw the spinner bait away after one mudfish. They will flat destroy whatever they hit. They spin aggressively which usually does the lure in. I’ve had them twist 4/0 worm hooks into pretzels. This is my last one I caught, just over 11#

@Robinhood21 will do

I have a couple of Fenwick Methods for sale if you’re interested.

Not sure what you’re referring to Montana. This is what I’m talking about: Outdoor LifeThis Forgotten Bass Fishing Tactic Required 18-Foot Poles...Jiggerpoling was an old-school technique for landing lots of summer bass. Here’s how it worked.

So have y’all heard about jigger-poling for bass? Seems it’s a new thing now for some. IDK. But, back in the late 60’s, when I was in my mid teens, we used to jigger-pole for bass out in the Everglades at night. Run a big, long Calcutta cane pole, about 1-2’ 130# Dacron line and either the biggest devils horse you could get at the time or a musky jitterbug and go along the edge of the canals back in the glades at night. Blacker than black, nothing but red eyes as far as you could see out there. We caught some big bass back then. But it’s all fun and games until that gator hits, then the real fun begins 🤣🤣

I’m with @AJ on this one. I’m 72 and stay in pretty good shape ( for my age) but the stamina, dexterity and stability is not what it used to be. I usually fish a couple days a week ( retired) but usually with a day between to rest some. Back to back days are tough for me anymore. 5 hours on the front deck is about all I want to do nowadays. Past my prime, yeah probably physically, but my mind still says I can do it.

Phil, I’m not far behind you at 72 and know exactly what you are talking about regarding balance, stamina and aches and pains. I can only fish about half the time I used to be able to and have to be mindful of balance anytime in the boat. We’ve traveled a lot of the same roads, regarding fishing, albeit not necessarily the exact same places, people or paths. But pretty close based on some of your posts and stories from the past. I need to get over there and do lunch with you. Keep posting.

Great to hear from you Phil. I’ve always enjoyed your posts and learned a lot about the Harris chain from you.

Thanks Steve

I was told a looong time ago that there are 3 taps you feel from a bass bite on plastics. First is the bass biting it, the second is the bass spitting it out and the third was the tap up side my head by my buddy😂 I’ve always gone by, when in doubt, rip it out.

Get some Mason hard mono. Very stiff and what I use for weed guards. Just tie it to the hook shank and finish with superglue.

Has anyone heard from him? I hope he’s ok.

I live just off the St. John’s river. One ramp is less than a mile away the other on lake Monroe is 12-13 minutes away. Harris chain is less than an hour. Stick marsh and Headwaters is 4 hours round trip and Kissimmee is 3 hours round trip on a good day. If it’s saltwater, Port Canaveral is just under 3 hours round trip, Ponce inlet a little closer.

https://floridapolitics.com/archives/783674-michael-haines-ocklawaha-bait-and-switch-who-really-lands-the-big-one/?sfnsn=mo&fbclid=IwdGRjcAQaPz1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xNzM4NDc2NDI2NzAzNzAAAR52ljN_qQ6tlurhPQC3UKIaSf7FkxjUwtNommWLA9UhUCOv60qby2LeUm_oOw_aem_1NRnnEX3bWFBtkLjN6YzFA

Looks great NW

A tip for choosing patterns and colors. What I do is try to match the prey that bass eat here in Florida. I will research the prey types I know they eat here, then I find images ( photos I have or off the internet) and then look for skirt materials that match those colors. It’s been a bit of trial and error but I’ve narrowed down most of the colors. If you take sunfish for instance, our bluegill, black crappie and other panfish are quite different than in other areas of the country. I recommend doing the same for your areas. @Siebert Outdoors has a great selection of colors that work well in most areas.

@cadman thanks bud, that means a lot coming from you.

Here’s an example of what I mentioned by “staking” colors. This is my baby bass. Another example, black crappie ( speckled perch down here in Florida)

I tie my own, mainly because I couldn’t find the exact color combination in the available “premade “ skirts. I buy the skirt material from numerous places and create my own combinations. I use 280 thread instead of wire because it’s easier for me to create the different patterns I’m looking for as I can stack the colors in the sequence I want to create the desired pattern.

Florida boy here. I’ve done as much saltwater as I’ve done freshwater down here so nothing to see here. I’ve fished all over the state of Florida from the keys and glades to the panhandle for salt and fresh and have been fortunate enough to have been successful most places. I’ve fished for smallmouth once in Dale Hollow and caught a few including a 4# fish. I’ve fished for trout in Montana and have caught some but mostly small. So I’d have to say that I’ve flipped already.

@FloridaFishinFool sounds like you worked at Kels when you mentioned Greg’s name. Took my stuff in there for repairs for decades. First when Kel was still there and then when his daughter and Greg were there. Haven’t been in years though. And yes John does push his own soft baits but who can blame him. It’s all the other baits I was referring to, hard baits, terminal tackle and the other stuff I was talking about that he carries. Another fun fact, I drew his brother Jim in my second Redman tournament in 1987 on the Harris chain. He caught an 8.5# bass on a devils horse on his first spot and proceeded to end up winning the tournament. But it was his home lake.

Ad bar seems much larger. Its over 1/3 the width on my iPad

Not sure of your question. Bitters is Bitters bait and tackle in Longwood Florida. All his colors are on his website.

@FloridaFishinFool if I can’t get it at Bitters, I probably don’t need it. I’ve known John for almost 40 years now. He knows bass fishing and stocks his store accordingly. He makes a super fluke of his own that’s 7” I think.

Don’t forget, Rodman is in the middle of a drawdown right now.