Zcoker

Dang, that's some serious paddle miles!! just thinking about it makes my biceps ache!

You're not gonna find any nice beaches on lake Okeechobee lol Your wife might be very disappointed! Better off staying on the east coast near Vero beach, which is a hop skip jump to some of the best bass fishing in Florida. Places like Headwaters Lake, Kenansville, Lake Blue Cypress, Fort Drum, Three forks, all within the Vero area. The whole area out there is loaded with canals, lakes, conservation areas, marshlands, which can all be fished by boat, yak or bank.

Down here in south Florida I do a lotta saltwater fishing for NOAA, so I can always do that at night after work, same with fresh water fishing. In general, I go fishing when I can with or without my job’s blessing. The bite window for early morning is pretty similar for both fresh or salt. Up very early, extra cloths, quick run up the beach or lake, catch the sunrise bite window, back to my truck, clean up & change into work cloths and be in the office by about 9am….if there’s a will, there’s a way! Doesn’t matter if one has a job where off days are limited. No hookie necessary. There’s always time to go fishing, even if it’s a quickie!

Good luck with it! It’s probably a decent bait but where I fish I sometimes bump into rocks (low water levels and so forth). Or pulling it up from a bank. The whole face kinda chipped away around the thin cup edges, which made me look for something a bit more robust.

I’ve used it before. Seemed ok. The thin edges on the protruding head cup easily broke when hitting harder objects. I wanted something similar and switched over to the storm chug bug which worked out well.

I have a bit of favoritism with many companies, not so much for the company itself but for a few products that I’m compelled to buy from them. With Z-man, for example, I usually only buy Jackhammer chatterbaits from them. Same goes for other companies, only one or two products. I’m liking 6th Sense lately. Solid products, not that expensive, very practical and very well built….But I only buy the Trace from them.

Coffee and crackers and p&j sandwich and a few myth buster bananas

Here in south Florida gators are all over the place and if I lived on a lake filled with them or on a bank overlooking the glades I’d certainly be on the lookout for them—not only in a remote or secluded place but even in a very populated residential community where everyone thinks that they are safe. There was a lady walking her dog in a residential area down here in St Lucy when a 10ft gator came up out of the water and tried to snag her dog but ended up snagging the lady’s leg and pulling her into the water and then killing her. Point is, no matter where, be mindful and trigger ready when in the mix of bad company!

Yes, impressive. I have nothing against paddles and I have nothing against peddles but I don’t miss neither of them suckers lol

The toss-up between the two platforms comes down to what one expects to exactly do with it, how it's exactly done as well as the restrictions in the area lived. Down here in south Florida, for example, there's a lotta places that don't allow gas powered boats, only kayaks OR electric powered kayaks, which is the key. Fishing kayaks are in an evolution of sorts, coming into their own where the paddle is becoming obsolete. When I was up against this same dilemma, I had no idea in the world just how far the fishing yak technology had come....and still coming. And when I finally made my choice and got into a powered fishing kayak, I haven't looked back. That thing has allowed to fish in the most wonderful places imaginable where no gas powered boat dare go or even dream of going. It can tackle the widest and deepest of lakes, too. Only thing I don't have is the speed and the wake lol The kayak is light enough to toss in the back of my truck and go anywhere, thick or thin, any place, any time, any location, for pleasure or for tournaments. When she's wheeled up, I can launch her anywhere in some of the craziest makeshift launch sites imaginable, especially in the everglades. Unloading and loading is fast and easy, the same with carting her around. For me, many more doors were opened in the yak department and realistically fit my bill. So it really comes down to the person, their location, and what they realistically want or expect out of their watercraft. Launching into the marshlands where the bigguns live!

Work those frogs with confidence in the thickest of junk and don't be afraid to give it to them good when they crash it! I slam them hard with 50-65lb braid as soon as I see or feel the hit. Drag? lol Lock her down! Lotta folks say to wait, or add a bit of finesse to the situation, which may or may not be the sure thing for them. When asked what he does, frog guru Dean Rojas says he slams them as soon as he sees or feels the hit. When I started doing exactly that, my hookup ratio floored. I hardly miss a frog fish nowadays. I also do the usual like bending out the hooks a bit, or adding bigger hooks, trimming the tail section....minor adjustments. But, for the most, it's game on in the everglades with a frog, a sure thing for a monster bass. As far as size goes, I've got a few of those giant spro king daddy frogs and have gotten bass where the frog is almost as big as the fish! Those things are massive yet very functionable. So frog size may be purely subjective, imho.

I love the fall down here in South Florida. There's really no winter to speak of, so the fall weather keeps going throughout the so called winter months, maybe with one or two cold days mixed in lol Fall not only makes for very pleasant fishing in the glades but it also sparks off our annual mullet run as well as our annual shark migration....fishing is off the charts everywhere!

It’s all related to the situation, in the water or out of water, no set rule. Things can change suddenly which may require a different approach. Another factor is having the correct net. I’ve seen some makeshift stuff out there in the net department!

Maybe one of those things that people naturally do, like when walking down a sidewalk with another person approaching, both going in the exact same direction to avoid one another lol

When this topic comes up about bank fishing vs boat fishing, I always put my 2 pennies in for the bank guy. I once won a national fishing tournament fishing from the bank. There were over 100 anglers from the big three, Florida, Texas, and California. I think I was about the only bank guy from Florida lol At that time, the Everglades were on fire, literally! The smoke was all over, a yellowish haze, very harsh conditions. Yet I prevailed and eventually won that tournament, which was for three days, Friday, Sat, and Sun. I'll never forget that winning fish, either, last day of the tournament into a late, smokey afternoon, just about to turn in when BAM! she hit a whopper plopper. Over 8 pounds put me in the money along with 1st place and bank fishing bragging rights! All loaded up! Everglades on fire Winning fish in the smokey glades

That big fish something or requisite is just a big fish mindset, imho, which anyone can acquire. Remember, a big female bass underwater has no clue in the world exactly who is fishing for her. I'll say it again: it wasn't until I stated thinking big bass that I stated catching big bass! I'll swear by that motto forever. I can clearly see the change-over in my fishing life, from smallish fish daily to 7-8-9 pounders on just about every outing. Takes a lot of commitment to get these big gals, that's a given. To just go out to the convenient local lake on a Sunday morning and leisurely cast a line out just doesn't cut it, imho. There's a whole bunch of different levels to jump aboard in order to make things happen, the most important one being a big fish mentality--gotta have it, the mojo to get it done!

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned on the water….if it ain’t secured, gonna loose it. I tether everything when out on my yak, phone, paddle, dry bags, shades, tools…just about everything. Rods are always secured when not in use. Just never know.

Most of my topwater mentality is to get out there ahead of the usual bite windows and start casting and casting and casting lol. I like the early morning topwater bite, which means a very early start with some good hot coffee! I’ll usually get into some nice fish by 5am into sunrise. After that things can cool off a bit until about mid morning and then later when the wind and clouds pick up or even when the storms come in…..covering as much water and spending as much time as possible fishing is a recipe for great success! The usual things mentioned also apply like cloud cover, air temp, wind speed. etc, all of which come into play throughout any given day (or even any given night). The key to it all is to be out there fishing!

Sure, it takes a bit of skill to get a big fish, along with a few other things like luck, right place, right time….stuff like that. And it’s not always the fault of the angler as it relates to his/her skill level if those big bites don’t come today, tomorrow, or even years later. Only thing that I can say is to keep at it and keep changing things up…or just start using live shiners lol Also, being prepared and ready to deal with that big bite can be more important than the big bite itself. I’ve certainly missed my share big fish (or big opportunities) by being totally caught off guard.

Grab some live shiners and hit Headwaters Lake in Fellsmere, Florida, a small 10,000 acre reservoir. You’re bound to get one there sooner or later. That place is definitely DD territory. FWC trophy rating is off the charts, considering the short time it’s been opened, it’s gaining and will eventually surpass lake Okeechobee.

In my opinion, it's more a thought process than anything else, catching the bigger bass. I mean, it wasn't until I started thinking big bass that I started actually catching them....and catching them all the time very consistently. Once that mindset got established, things changed drastically--which can happen for anyone, in my opinion. All this other stuff about fishing where big bass live may be true but I've caught absolute giants in the most least expected places imaginable, all because I was fishing with that big fish mentality. Every move I make, whether it be with gear, lures, presentation, location, weather, day or night, every single move is geared to getting that bigger fish--which have been in most all places that I fish all along, btw. They seemed to suddenly come out of the woodwork, not in any supernatural way but more in a way because I made myself catch them!

I’d replace the yak. Patching is just a bandaid for such a critical thing as the hull. Your life may someday depend on that hull. So I’d suggest to not take shortcuts on it. A puncture/breach like that could be just the beginning with your hull’s overall integrity.

Lol just a little different

This is a great site with many different personalities who offer up some good intentions along with some good, practical advise. Coming from a very popular saltwater site, it’s a refreshing experience to go into the freshwater world. It’s amazing how similar we all are as it relates to fishing in general. Even still, I find this site more relaxing and less intense. One can open up so much more on this site and say what they feel. That in itself is remarkable and is probably the main thing that I like about this site.

If there’s one place in the world to avoid at night, it’s the Florida Everglades lol That would most likely be the typical response from most folks because it’s the least likely place they’d fish at night. Yet I fish it from dusk to dawn….I still can’t believe that I do that. Sometimes I say to myself, geez, I must be on something to drive miles out on a dark and narrow levy road only to launch into the abyss and then go many more miles deep into complete and utter blackness on a kayak, of all things lol Yet the reward is incredible and over time I’ve learned how to deal with the dark side of life. There’s just as much risk in the daytime as there is in the dark, imho. Maybe more risky during the day because of all the loose cannons running around lol Not so at night. In all my years, I have yet to see anyone else fishing there. Out there at night the senses kick into a sorta hyper overdrive and that sheer keenness of body and mind (and spirit) keeps things on the safe side. Just takes time, practice, and bit of patience….not to mention a bit of fearlessness lol As far as the bugs go, I just don’t get it with them. I hear so many complain about the bugs at night yet I’ve never had an issue with them. You’d think the Everglades would be the king pen haven for bugs but it’s not. I do carry bug spray but never use it at night. Heck, I use the bug spray more often in the daytime to keep those god-awful hydrilla gnats away! Alligators the same: never an issue. They seem more at ease at night, floating around and chilling out. They’re very useful, as far as I’m concerned. And is why I seek them out. Find the gators to find the fish! So that’s my story to get away from the blinding heat, which I can’t stand. I have same routine fishing the ocean. Night time can be exciting times all over! Launching into the abyss at last light