SC53

Yep, mid 60’s for me. Creme purple worm on a 1/0 hook (non weedless) Mitchell 300 with 12# Ande line. Fished the canals of South Florida.

I’ve tried most topwaters over my lifetime but have only consistently caught bass on a handful. Those would be (in order of success for me at least) Minnow bait- I prefer a Bang-o-lure but throw a Rapala too Zara spook Chug bug Devils horse

Best thing you could do being a Florida newbie is the hire a guide like Phil for a day and have him show you how he does it. Not locations but techniques and what to look for. I wouldn’t worry about catching fish that day, although you probably will, but make it more an educational trip. That’ll be money well spent I’m my opinion. I’ve fished Florida as many years as Phil has and it’s always been a challenge. Like he said, nothing like on tv. Oh you’ll have your good to great days but vast majority of them you’ll be happy to catch a few fish.

Thanks TnR, the top looks like some of what I am seeing but with a lot more smaller “limbs”, which might just be the hydrilla stalks. The second is what I see in the St. John’s river which is definitely trees.

Does anyone have a screen shot of the 2? I’m seeing what appears to be sparse hydrilla on my screen as I’m fishing near some thick stuff but some of it may be brush piles mixed in. 8’ of water. This is a garmin unit on down scan. I failed to get a picture but will next trip out.

Do they even make a lipless without rattles??.

What’s your perimeters on which you throw? Mainly the 1.5 or 2.5 square bills. Is it water color, structure/cover type, season or all the above.

3/8 oz swim jig in multiple colors and a gold bang o lure.

Oh and those that say a tap tap is most times a small fish, I can’t tell you the times I’ve had that type of hit and it’s a big fish. Now when it’s a real heavy feeling or when you pitch into reeds or grass and it just shakes ? now that’s the time to load up and get r done.

Best way I’ve taught people is to have them throw a worm out, close their eyes and then have them lift the worm and barely tap their line with my rod. Do it a few times and they’ll get the tap tap.

Younguns ? 9-8-53

Bitters Bait for plastics. Colors no one else has.

Bleeding shiner rat-l-trap has always been my best color down here.

Not a lot...but didn’t throw them much. One of our members got a couple from me and hope he does well.

Here’s a few.

Also a lot of fish will follow the spoon, hit it and miss or just show themselves with a wake or blowup. Have a backup rod ready with a worm with a 3/16 oz pegged sinker and throw to the spot they showed.

Nothing special, what I would throw a frog on. Mostly a MH 7-3 and a 6.3 Citica with 40# braid

Can’t tell you how many bass I’ve caught on a Johnson spoon in the pads. Here’s a tip, take a black one and thread a white culprit worm that you’ve cut in half at the egg sack. You can thank me later.

Swim jig and Texas rig vibe worm or rage claw. Usually a Zara spook or bang-o-lure on a top water rod.

Heavier baits allow you to cover water easier and more efficiently as they stay down with faster retrieves. Plus the extra weight allows for more distance and easier casting than lighter weights. But you knew that ?

Phil we used to joke the Florida depth-finder was a 7’ rod?? It still is in most places here. Don’t get me wrong, They have their place here but it’s usually for finding the edge of weed beds. Now a gps is very useful especially marking offshore spots.

Same for me Phil. I grew up in plantation 1959-84 when I left. Mainly fished from what’s now Holiday park up to Terry Town and on to Loxahatchee. SR 84 canal when the Australian pines were still there, the old bombing range, all the canals in between. Yes those were some fish catching days back then.

While some scales might be off , the better made ones are rarely if ever off by any more than a few ounces. I had a Brecknell scale that I had certified by the IGFA when I was chasing records back in the day. Any scale used for a world record MUST be certified by them prior to being used or it won’t count. I'm using a Rapala digital with an aftermarket fish grip from Amazon and it it very accurate.

Swim jig for me first because it’ll go through cover better than a spinnerbait. If it’s cloudy and breezy I’ll try the spinnerbait but if bright and sunny I’ll start with the swim jig. Always have both tied on but have been having better luck with the swim jig over the spinnerbait lately.

Picked up one from Academy. Nice box to keep things organized but without some ability to mark compartments I think one would forget what weight/size items are in each location. I took a picture of the filled box and sent it to my computer. I then copied it into Word. Once there I was able to add text blocks with each compartment identified. Printed it out on 8.5 x 11 paper. I’ll either laminate or just cover with clear sealing tape and attach to the inside of the box cover.