Zcoker

Try adding another split ring to the treble hooks. This practically doubles the free rotation of the hook which prevents the fish from getting any leverage and tossing the lure. The longer extension of the hooks also tend to penetrate deeper and hold better. It has worked wonders for my topwater WP hookups!

It’s everywhere down here in a south Florida. I get some nice strikes fishing the edges, running a bait parallel. When it gets topped out, the deeper holes explode when running a topwater bait over them. Can also punch the thicker sections because there’s underwater caves and tunnels throughout the matts. That’s probably my best tip about hydrilla: it can appear thick up top and unfishable which causes many to pass it up. In actuality, the hydrilla has many open caverns and tunnels underwater in which bass thrive in. That’s why I always recommend no less than 50 pound braid when fishing it. The heavy braid helps saw the fish out. Light line just gonna snap. Some of my bigger fish are caught in hydrilla (8 pounds and up) down here in my neck of the woods.

Like with any other type of fishing, got to put in the time and sometimes that means going off the radar, doing unique things to get the fish. Down here in south Florida, for example, the local fishing holes can get bombarded on the weekends, which can essentially kill the fishing. Easy remedy or work-around would be to fish during the weekdays, which can often mean altering schedules and so forth. Or can go after work. If none of that works out, can always fish at night. I’ve never been skunked at night and find the fishing extremely rewarding. Same with fishing during the work week. But that’s just me. The point is: got to be willing to change ways or break old habits in order to get the fish…and that’s not always easy for folks to do. Sometimes folks expect the fish to bite around their schedules lol

I don’t know, I’ve had some pretty big bass go absolutely psycho when lipped. Others can be much calmer…they all have very distinctive behaviors, imho. Probably has something to do with the sudden exposure to atmospheric gravity, the vertical pose, blood leaving the brain and so forth.

Down here in south Florida, it seems like every front that moved down started on a Friday. I mean, it was like clockwork. So what I had to do was to expect it and fish accordingly, which could mean fishing in high winds, storms, and rain. Not to mention the big high pressure thereafter. Believe it or not, I did rather well. It was very challenging but I adjusted accordingly, whether it be with gear like rain suits or whatever. I made the best of it. The bass can be at their peak feeding activity during these bad weather spells.

I did this once. An older couple lived in a house with a garage down the street from my apartment complex. A quick stop, a nice introduction, and $40 a month got me a nice enclosed garage for my 17 footer!

It wasn’t until I started thinking big bass that I started catching big bass. The mind has to be utterly committed to do almost anything to get that big fish, which can mean going days, weeks, or even months without catching her. Learn to explore, to reach out and do the unthinkable. Seek out new frontiers. Yes, there’s great effort involved, much more than ever thought of. Yet I’ve found through my own experience that the biggest obstacle can be right between the ears! And once that gets conquered, things begin to change BIG time!

Looks like bass fishing can lead folks down many different paths, some of which can alter their lives forever. After all, it’s a $60 billion dollar a year industry here in the US. And who in the heck wouldn’t wanna jump on that bandwagon lol Like everyone! Which has turned this sport into one of the biggest money pits imaginable, all consuming. Many only fish for dollar signs. And sometimes that’s what I don’t like about bass fishing…what it can sometimes turn people into.

Changes in latitude, changes in attitude....it's quite expected, really. I see more changes with fish related to the weather or the conditions. So each day has it own sort of attitude, so to speak, and the fish play into that. Just gotta figure it all out....if there's a will, there's a way!

I don’t have a maximum that I would drive in a day (or night) but I try to hit the areas that are the highest probability to get good fish. I don’t usually waste my time on places that are fished out or crowded. My driving not only consist of miles of highway but also miles of off-road, which can be wild when the weather acts up! As far as an average goes, maybe 2-3 hours for the bass. Then there’s the water miles lol All adds up, salt and fresh. My truck is 3 years old and I have 100k miles on the clock, mostly fishing. Costal fishing during events like Tarpon season can cover a good portion of Florida’s east coast. Same with the sharks. Lotta driving to find the fish!

Keep 'em active with all kinds of fishing. They love the trips, the adventure...it may involve a little shopping lol. When I go down to the Keys to fish, for example, I always plan a little Key West excursion to Duval Street lol. Works like a charm! They eventually come around and will get involved with all kinds of species!

I don't see how ethics has anything to do with it, more a curiosity, imho. And since it's on a public lake, you are entitled to the area as much as anyone else. It would then come down to how you approach this spot, which would probably be best when no one is around, that is, not moving in on top of someone else, which I think would be your least intention because of the way you brought up the subject on this site. So when you go out and if no one is around hit the area and fish it to see what all the fuss is about...simple solution, if you ask me.

You are very correct, all bare the responsibility. Most of these kayakers have no sort of running lights, even though they fish at night or evenings, a small headlamp or something, about it, no coast guard approved anything. I've seen it myself many times....some of them are asking for it, if you ask me. As for boaters, they try and pay attention but that one little slip-up can mean disaster. One can only be vigilant in expecting the unexpected, which is the key, like with you shutting down early, preventing a possible collision.

About the only frog that I know of that does not get water in it is the scum frog launch frog...no affiliation. That thing is amazingly water tight, I have no idea how they do it, but I never have to squeeze it. Can cast the thing all day without touching it. Shaking my head.

I have minimal to no backlash when using heavier braid 50#PP on all my Daiwa baitcasters. In fact, I cannot remember the last backlash with the 50 braid...and that's casting mainly in the dark all night out in the everglades. I did have backlash with 40# braid and under. The thinner braids would sometimes backlash so bad, making the reels useless. Aside from that, I try to hate baitcasters lol Spinning is a carry over from my salty side of life. I'm just so used to casting those and some of my setups were perfect for freshwater. So I use both. Rods can make a difference. I think. I find myself using my baitcasters more and more ever since I got some nice rods like Dobyns Champion line. Seems to cast/load the line even better or maybe it's just imagination lol All in all, the heavier braid is the ticket, imho.

There's been many record fish caught but not registered with the IGFA. I've caught a few sharks that were most likely record category but I would never kill them just to get a weight record. The IGFA rules state that the fish must be brought to an approved weigh station....ain't gonna happen with a big shark on the beach in the middle of nowhere. IGFA came out with a length record for smaller species like snook, redfish and so forth but you have to use their official measuring device to claim a record. I have it and carry it around when I'm fishing for them, just in case. Congrats to those who make the record books!

Spinning rods and reels have come a LONG ways yet it still takes some hardcore tactical experience to bring in these larger fish on a 13oz surf rod lol. Especially off the beach on foot. Blacktips sharks are about the worst because when they hit a top water lure, for example, they explode out of the water and viscously dive bomb the lure and then hit the air again, skipping across the ocean like some wild and crazy Tasmanian Devil. At that point, it's all weight and torque.....as opposed to being under the water like most fish, it's full power baby! All the forces are at play. Big difference in the fight!

Like you said, it's the locals who feel they own the place because they've turned it into their livelihood. Those who come out on their own are in the way, so to speak. Signs mean nothing to some of them but a few follow the rules.

Headwaters Lake is most likely one of the best bass fisheries in the country.....and it's only been accessible by boat for a few years. Before the boat ramp opened, it was only accessible by kayak. A whole bunch of biologist got together and designed the perfect bass fishery. They literally sculpted the earth and put in ledges, rock piles, vegetation, all to create a perfect environment for the bass to flourish. Then they stocked it with over 1 million bass. Today, there's double digit fish caught there just about every day with many teeners included. But maybe they went too far, just like Frankenstein did with his monster. The sheer magnitude of all that went into this lake to create big bass has drawn people from all over the world to catch them. In that way, it just may be a recipe for disaster!

Yep, recipe for disaster! Just never know when a 250hp boat is gonna fly around a corner or down a canal at highway speeds. We see accidents like this thread on open water. Now imagine this happening on canals with tall sawgrass banks, sawgrass islands, clumps of cover all over the place! I rarely yak on Headwaters Lake anymore because of the intense boat traffic during daylight hours. It's closed at night else I would be there more often.

I'm waiting on something like this to happen on Headwaters Lake here in Fellsmere, Florida. Well, not literally waiting or wanting it to happen, heck no! I wouldn't wish this on anyone. But for all those who know this lake, it's one of the premiere destinations in the country right now for big bass. The lake or impoundment is only about 10k acres large and it's jammed packed with high powered bass boats most all days with the weekends seeing over 200 boats. Right now the water levels are low, like only 1-2 feet lol So the deeper areas make the lake much smaller in accessible size yet the boats are just as thick. I've seen them doing over 60mph down the canals! There's been guns drawn on this lake, fights in the parking lot, numerous arrest.....it's chaos in the making! Hopefully the FWC can get a grip on things before a terrible thing happens like this thread. My vote is to close the place down as it was before, for kayakers only!

Sometimes folks just feel all safe and secure and comfy in their nice little family fun filled local lake....they figure that it cannot happen to them, the unthinkable. So they loose the life jacket. All smiles and happy go lucky and then BOOM. Dead and gone and no more. Hopefully more and more will see post like this and remember to hold dear to them that life jacket, as if a good friend. All we can do is get the word out and hope for the very best!

If you really want some sharky action, plan an east coast trip during our annual shark migration, mullet run, or minnow run. It's only about 3-4 hour drive from Tampa. Unreal action just off the sand on most any beach! Sharks and just about everything else that swims in the ocean lol

I would never recommend shark fishing off a boat but that's just me. The bay area around Tampa is not that great for land based shark fishing but it's still doable, mainly bull sharks. They hang out closer to the skyway area or during the cooler months around the Apollo beach area near the hot water discharge from the power plant. Much of my shark fishing over there is around the Desoto area or on Anna Marie island at Bean Point. I've tagged many bull sharks from both those areas. There's many species of sharks around the Skyway bridge but no practical way to land them off the north or south pier. The Gulf coast beaches like Indian Shores, any of those passes over there are also good places to fish. Dunedin at the pass is also a nice spot. In general, around any inlet or pass is a prime fishing for sharks. And prime bait is cownose ray. As with any shark, never ever ever ever underestimate them! Even nurse sharks, which can do a death roll like no other. The mouth on them is like a powerful vacuum, can latch on to you and have to kill it to get it off! PS: Land based shark fishing in Florida requires a shark fishing license as well as passing a shark fishing course, which I helped implement for the FWC. It's pretty strait forward. Good luck and be safe! Nurse shark on spinning gear A rare tiger shark on spinning gear caught near Tarpon Springs And a nice lemon shark same place, near Tarpon Springs

The only fish that comes to mind (out of hundreds) where the trialer hook caught near the throat area was a larger fish, which was not difficult to get out. I could practically stick my whole hand in there but opted for the gill area, which popped it right out. I've never gut hooked a smaller fish with a trailer hook. Regardless, smaller is smaller, no doubt, so that would present with a bit more careful thought to remove a trailer...but still very possible. Usually 1/0 to 2/0 is what most use for the trialers. I use VMC 2/0's.