Zcoker

I'm topwater guy all the way because, you see, there's nothing more exciting than watching (or hearing) a BIG bass destroy a topwater lure. At night, especially, it's like the life gets jerked away from your entire being....everything is so calm, so quiet, so serene with twinkling stars overhead and then KABOOM! And you just know that it's BIG. That kinda anticipation is like a drug, keeps me going back for more. All the other styles of fishing are okay and I've tried every single one of them with good results. All types of fishing do have their place. But nothing beats that topwater bite; it's very special and appealing and I always know that she's out there, like a bomb ready to go off.

Night bite is the big bite! Hotter weather means night fishin for me. Daytime upper 90’s no-can-do and it ain’t even summer yet! Temps nice and mild at night. Most all fish top water…and I can’t begin to express what it sounds and feels like when a giant bass annihilates a top water lure on a calm, Florida night!

It can get like that out in the everglades, especially when the water levels get low, cast after cast, fish after fish, keeps ya in shape!

Kinda fortunate here because it's nearly impossible to get skunked out in the everglades. Even if you tried to get skunked, you still couldn't get skunked. It's actually a situation where you have to use baits that repel all the smaller fish in favor of those bigger bites. But even at that, I still get bit. I catch just as many smaller fish using big fish baits than I do using small fish baits. They all gonna eat no matter what and if you so happen to have a bait in their way, they gonna gobble it up no matter what it is. What all this means is going through about 20-30 fish to get to that one BIG bite. That all happens in the daytime. Turn off the lights and it's a different story. No more smaller fish. Things become very strategic and time spreads out. The hits are sneaky and when they do happen, they gonna be BIG hits, sometimes well over ten pounds of bone jarring muscle.

You can use a rubber band to secure the two side treble hooks against the body of the bait. Helps out a lot in weedy areas. I do that sometimes out in the everglades, which is loaded with hydrilla and just about every weed imaginable. Haven't really noticed any difference on the hookups, all about he same, secured hooks or loose hooks. With the bigger bass (which are usually the ones that hit) the hooks break loose anyway.

There may be something to it. Perhaps you've heard of Pat Cullen. He would wash his hands and lures in the lake water before he made a cast. Only in this way would the DD bass hit. He was very convinced of this and sure can back it up--over a 1000 bass 10lbs and up!

Nothing like the bug, espeically the original wooden jitterbugs. If your grandpa's is an old original Arbogast wooden jitterbug, then don't loose it! Those things fetch a hefty price nowadays. Might wanna just grab a plastic one to be on the safe side. In any event, there's something special about the bug, espeically the old wooden ones. Some of the biggest bass around nail them. They shine at night. A calm, quiet night working the bug will produce some of the most vicious strikes imaginable!

Getting harder and harder to predict and actual size to shoot for this year. They gettin bigger and bigger every outing. This big girl hit right at the yak--combat fishing all the way!

I understand what you're saying, I think. Many don't mesh with electronics FFS, including myself. Just pointing out that it's a very big player in the fishing scene and deserves a fair handshake. I can at least give it that. Whether we like it or not, that's up to each of us to decide. Frankly, I could care less about it because it's of no use to me out in the everglades. As I pointed out, I fish old school down and dirty combat fishing, no screen to get in my way. I can see a plenty, day or night, with my own eyes. Everything that I need to know is all around me....natural electronics!

Yes, it's plenty wide and plenty deep with good docking. That's about the only area out there that is paved for boats and trailer parking. I've fished out there a lot and never ran into any issues. It's WAY out of the way for anyone to go snooping around. In fact, I've never encountered much if any foul play out in the everglades as a whole, just the FWC running my tag number at night to get my phone number and call me. Harold Campbell nice little quite and relaxing area to spend a day. Those canals go for miles! Moving water is the ticket.

On another note. We can all be about as old school as can get but there's not doubt about modern day fishing electronics. A fair hand shake is a must. They've opened the door, completely, a game changer that has moved the fishing industry forward like no other. The tournament world is dominated by FFS. Many purest abound but the fact is, no one can compete with these electronic marvels that have basically eliminated the concept of luck. Luck can still be in anyone's favor, no doubt, but to eliminate it from the equation is pretty drastic. Readying the water, seasonal patterns, and all the jazz is all well and good but the guys who know how to read a FFS screen pretty much will lead the pack.

I call it like it is: a skunk is a skunk, no fish, nada, see ya later alligator

Although I do have a fish finder with mapping capabilities aboard my kayak, I rarely if ever use it. Only time I use it is for water temp, depth in a new area, or for the mapping feature to make my way back to the launch site if I so happen to get lost at night. Besides, electronics is kinda pointless where I fish, which is out in the everglades. Extremely shallow, jammed pack with vegetation, not the kinda place where electronics would fare very well. So all my fishing is done by skinning the cat, so to speak, figuring them out, where they are, where they are feeding and hiding, hunting them down, which is my biggest thrill. It's all in the hunt, you see, something about the hunt which makes the adventure all the more exciting. If I so happened to ever catch a fish while using electronics, it would probably be a pretty sterile catch, I would imagine. Whereas hunting them down and finally catching them, that's a thrill like no other, about as real as it gets, a sort of addictive victory that keeps me coming back for more!

I went the high end rod route for saltwater species, some of which cost over $1500, high end Japanese rods like Zenaq and Ripple Fisher. It's one of those kinda things where when you use one once, you'll have to use it again. They kinda grow on ya, if you know what I mean. Nothing else can compare. But, truly, the gains although perceived slight for some folks are expediential for the kind of accuracy needed for certain species. I could not do what I do with certain species if I did not have that high caliber rod (or tool) to do it. I can only presume that it's much the same with bass fishing. Most of my bass rods although not $600 are still in the $300-$400 range. Other rods, to be sure, just don't cut it, in my opinion. I mean, they do work and they do catch fish but just can't compare to the high priced Cadillac kinda rods. Ya do get what ya pay for with most things, like the NRX you rave about here.

Never ever ever underestimate the bank, or presume that only those on the water fare better. Hogwash! I've done extremely well off the bank, park and fish, often far better than on a boat or kayak. I've even won tournaments off the bank, nationally. So to those who beat the bank, keep on beating it!

Wind is my friend because I always catch big fish in the wind, especially at night. I've learned to like it no matter how windy it is. Lotta things that I didn't like before and now like a lot because all situations have something good about them. Maybe not at first glance but something is there that can have great outcomes, like the wind. Other things that I don't particular like is dirty water, which is usually caused by spraying which I hate with a passion. They do it here in Florida to control the vegetation but often just do it randomly for the sake of whatever. Fisheries that were once pristine and choice can be turned into a barren landscape in a matter of few days. Those once green and thriving fishing spots that took hours to learn get wiped out never to be fished again, lifeless. I don't particularly like the cheaters in tournament bass fishing, which I've seen a lot of lately. Some of the stuff that they do just amazes me, like cutting off a bass's tail to use on other fish to gain an inch or so for CPR tournaments. We all know about the walleye weight deal. Lotta shady stuff going on out there and I'm sure there's many other things in the works, just hasn't come to light yet. All in all, that's about it. Most everything else that I don't like I've learned to like in some form or another. It's a matter of choice, really. I can choose to not like a lot of stuff and let them all of ruin my day. Then they're in control of me--not gonna happen! I'm in control and can bend and form the outcome of most anything. My choice. And I choose to have good days everyday!

Florida all the way. If you are into fishing, there's no better place to be, the fishing capital of the world. Northern Florida is espeically nice, crisp, undeveloped with pristine forest lakes and plenty of nice open areas. The weather is about as prefect as it gets, still a hint of the seasons unlike down south here where a cool day is about all we get. St. Augustine/Ormond Beach nice areas, growing areas. Those beaches are pristine, not overly developed with plenty of leg room. St. Augustine a nice town to stroll a day away and then get in a little fishing seaside. I'd say getting in, getting established is a good first step because that's what it's all about down here in the Sunshine state.

For some, a pet will do as the best fishing buddy. I get that very well. Here's my dog, Sasha, who was a very good surf fishing partner. She would lay down and guard the sand spike and bark at the waves when I was reeling in a fish. Then, on the way home, take a long nap lol. Had to put her to down after--get this--25 years. Yes, that's 25 human years! When I put her down, the Vet had asked me what was my secret because he'd never heard of a dog living so long. I said two things: fishing and no Vets. Guarding the sand spike and stuff After a long day of fishing

Sometimes folks blend and it's espeically nice to have that blending take place with something that you both love to do, like fishing. And Like with most things, ya don't really know what ya got until you loose it. I've been through my share of fishing buddies, sure have, some good, some not so good, and some just parting ways. What I've come to see with fishing buddies is that they just happen; they're not something easily planned out or neatly orchestrated. You may get to together with someone for something entirely different and eventfully find your way to a particular niche (like fishing) which may last a long time or not. Just the way it is. Time changes and people change along with it. Going with the flow is about the best ya can do. Keep those doors open because open doors always invite new beginnings!

Low water levels and chemical spraying. When the water gets real low out in the glades, big rocks start protrude, which can be very tricky to navigate at night. They stick out like ominous thorns. Many areas that were once easily accessible almost dry up. On the other hand, the fishing can be outstanding. Not uncommon to have 100 fish days. The big girls can corral up in the deeper holes. The landscape is more predictable as to where to fish. So I guess one thing can lead to another, something that I don't really like can become something that I can like, if that makes sense. As far as spraying goes, that I don't like period. We call it nuking down this way and it really does lay waste to areas that were once thriving and green. They use chemicals like glyphosate, diquat and 2-4,D to kill off water hyacinths and water lettuce on the surface, and hydrilla beneath it. Once sprayed, everything turns brown and dies and eventually turns to dark dust. The fishing in those areas turns to zero. Takes a long time for recovery, if at all. Recently sprayed area that was once green and thriving, now dead and decaying.

I run mono leader on most of my rods except my worm rod and punching rod. 30lb mono into 50lb braid, power fishing. The mono is only there for a little give in the system. I've played around with strait floro and it was way stretchy for my taste. Also, the line will break if the knots aren't tied right. Too risky. The places I fish like the everglades is more combat fishing anyway. The fight is very sudden and extremely aggressive, not to mention the fish can be quite large, and there's cover all over the place. So heavy line is a must...for me, at least. I've gotten so used to it that I never deviate no matter where I go and I always catch nice fish using it. Don't loose much fish, either. If hooked good, they all comin in!

S Waver hype can be good for some, not so good for others. I used the thing once and practically sitting got me an 8 pounder. Since then, nothing. Tactical Bassin swears by them. I guess it's just a matter of time if used long enough or used in the right places. For me, seems like most swimbaits have their moment, so to speak, where they shine. I've had the same thing happen with other swimbaits like the Sixth Sense Trace. Tossed it out one day and got a 9 pounder. Nothing much to speak of since. And I do give all of them a fair shot.

I've seen this same kinda behavior with saltwater species here in south Florida, like during our annual mullet run the predatory fish are so keyed in on busting up the mullet, that they won't even give any other artificial lure a second look, even if it looks very similar right in front of their nose. They just won't hit it. The lures even bump over them. Maybe that's the same thing going on with the herring and the bass, possibly. What I've found that works is to fish away from the bait schools, if possible. Seems like the predatory fish coming in for the feast will hit the lures first.

I think the biggest thing to take from all of this is that rod manufactures ALL have different ways that they rate their rods. So buyer beware, espeically if ordering them online. A rod that has an extra heavy rating, for example, could in fact be quite soft, more like a medium action rod here in the US. A lot of the Japanese manufactures like Shimano rate their rods with wording like "regular action" or "versatile power" whereas in the US we have medium, medium heavy, fast, extra fast, and so forth. Both can be lightyears apart. Best way is to handle the rod in person to get a decent idea on what you are getting into or how a particular rod might perform. But the true test, or course, is out on the water. A rod's rating that seems right in the store may fall flat on its face when trying to hook a nice fish, when working your favorite lures, or when casting all day.

I bounce around now, sometime just wanting to catch numbers, other times wanting to catch big bass. Usually what dictates this is being in a tournament of some sort, which obviously means the big bass stage. Other times I just like to go out and catch the numbers to be humbly fulfilled, which is not hard to do at all out in the everglades. Regardless of what I do, big bass have always been on my radar. Maybe not all the time but I'm always scoping areas out to come back later and get 'em! l also like to fish the way I want to fish without being bombard by this way, that way, or the other way. There's a lot of good ways floating around, sure, but sometimes it takes some good old fashion ingenuity to figure things out, and the only one who can do that is the fisherman. All in all, it's all about growing into your own person with your own style, form, and unique ideas. That's the adventure!