Zcoker

My one second fishing moment would be when a 12 foot great hammerhead shark came right up to the surf and snatched a blacktip shark that I just had landed. Actually, a buddy of mine was right there with my IPhone recording it all....only problem was: he FORGOT to press the dang record button! The rest of the hammer swimming away I recorded and it went directly onto the evening news.

If I had to grab one rod setup it would be my Star Rod, plasma inshore series mated to a Stella XG4000 spinning reel. I've used this setup to catch bass in every conceivable way possible. I've also landed 100lb poons on it lol. So it's certainly capable in any way, shape or form.

I've been to Costa Rica a few times. Great fishing down there, no doubt. For me, though, there's no thrill like topwater shark fishing.....period! They come out of the water like angry missiles and dive bomb the lure. The entire fight can see them thrashing across the ocean like a raging lunatic. Some of these fish can push over 7 feet long and 170 pounds. To catch them on a 13-14 ounce surf rod or popping rod....from the sand...on foot....and practically from your backyard off the local beach is about as five star as it can get, IMHO. No plane fare. No hotel fees. No guide fees. Just park and fish. Gotta luv south Florida lol

I'm not retired yet but can fish just as much as a retired person. That's because I do a LOT of night fishing, fishing all night until the sun comes up. I do need breaks, though. Can burn out on anything, fishing included. I usually bounce back and fourth from the fresh side to the salty side. If I'm not out tagging sharks for NOAA, then I'm out in the Everglades all night fishing for giant bass. One way or the other, there's a thrill to be had. I also find that if I am fishing either fresh or salt for a long time, it becomes very exciting to transition from one to the other, almost as exciting as if doing it for the first time! I've fished freshwater for many months now and finally put down those rods and picked up my Zenaq topwater setup for blacktip sharks.....can't wait to get out there and slam some of those! There's nothing quite as exciting as seeing a big shark go psycho on a topwater lure!!

The 1/2 ounce Megastrike from Megabass solved my problem and is "the one" for BIG bass, imho. That thing is perfect for giant bass and has caught me many fish over 8lbs. The line tie area is completely looped closed, so the line doesn't slide all over the place once tied. Thickest gauge wire I've ever seen on the 1/2 ounce model and the head actually swivels a full 180 degrees to counter a giant mouth tossing the lure. The hook is extra massive and the keeper long and deeply ridged. The skirts can be easily changed out, which is very nice for a quick color change. I have just about every other spinnerbait made and do not use any of them anymore. I've used a lot of them before and have had many failures as well as lost fish. I'm sure they all have there rightful place but nothing has yet to come close to that 1/2 ounce Megastrike for my intended usage, which is landing the biggest bass that I can get. They make a lighter version in 3/8 ounce, same thing but smaller and lighter. That big 1/2 model can be intimidation lol No affiliation.

I use those foam tip protectors like you get on the Dobyns rods. Slips over and protects the tip from harsh encounters. I know they have saved me a number of times on the in/or grab. Not too complicated, either. Easy on and easy off.

I take and post pictures all the time...and why not? Helps me keep track of things....helps me prove things haha. And it so easy to take pics without ratting out the location, just a little clever foresight and adjustment. Strip that metadata before posting or sending pics, easy peasy. Or just take a screen shot. Pics at night are easy, too! Nighttime does all the background editing for ya lol. Still have to pluck out that location metadata. Most of my pics have to be taken anyway because of various tournament rules. Maybe not holding them up but at least the measuring board shots. Holding up 7, 8, 9 pounders for a glamour shot is well worth the exposure, imho.

In my experience with chatterbaits, I'm surprised the pros have so much to say about them not being so good in "slightly stained water" The water down here in south Florida is stained all over, Coca Cola water, about as stained as it can get. Yet the hits on chatterbaits are insane. Day or night, cloudy or overcast, clear or stained, they nail them! Here's just one example of a chatterbait fish caught in near black slightly stained water lol.

All year long down here in south Florida, they work and keep working, working best on the windy days (or nights) when the water is fired up. They are deadly at night, creeping along....the hits are bone jarring!

Open mind. Let the fish tell ya what they want. And what they want may not be what you think they want.

With the water levels going down, any of those various canal systems down there will be loaded with bass, much easier to access with the water lower. imho. Even better if you can find an access road that runs parallel to any of them. There's usually water control stations along the way that are great for bank fishing. Most of those control stations have concrete barriers to stand on, which is much safer for the kids. Or you can always hit Holey Lands Wildlife Management Area further north on US 27. There, you can run the canals for as far as you want with control stations all over the place. Bank fishing is also endless there, wide, wide open!

I wouldn’t judge them just because they don’t place high in tournaments. Tournament fishing can be as much about LUCK as any skill or machine known to man. Heck, Rick Clunn placed 73rd at the Bassmaster Elites here on lake Okeechobee. He then placed 67th on Lake Seminole. Regardless of his low finishes, I still consider him very knowledgeable and would listen to anything that he has to say, even if he doesn’t dominate the sport. Same goes with a lot of these Internet personalities. Many have paid their dues, and what they have to say just might make a big difference to someone starting out.

Ain’t that the truth! lol

Bass Pro is decent and if planning to go to one, make it a point to hang out, spend some time, and have some fun. Online nowadays is like shopping in China lol Bass Pro is hands on brick and mortar made in the USA.. There's plenty to see and plenty to do and plenty to buy! lol Just recently dropped by one in Port St Lucy Florida. I didn't know they had bought out Star Rods inventory and put the entire Stellar Lite lineup at half price! Those Stellar Lite rods are awesome! I walked out of the store with 3 of them. I also got the new Daiwa MQ 4k. Nice reel. When I left, my wife said that the bill looked kinda small. What? They didn't charge me for the reel! An oversite. So I went back and made them put it on my card. They gave me some nice gift cards for my honesty. All in all, a great store. They have just about everything anyone would ever need in the outdoor world.

It IS cheating if done during a tournament with rules stating "NO LIVE BAIT." With so many Fishing Chaos or Tourney X CPR tournaments out there, it may be a bigger problem than most think! Who's to say? No one around to watch things.

I sift through things by asking myself: how or in what way does the information benefit me as a fisherman? If the information or content doesn't move me forward in a real world way with fresh innovative ideas, then I'll pass it by and move on to something else.

Don't sell yourself short...truck drivers make great money. Walmart hit the news with offers upwards of 110k for drivers. I know food truck drivers for outfits like Sysco making fantastic money. Whatever the situation, go for it! Look for decent financing and get what you truly want NOW. Life is just too short to sit around and wait for something to happen because all kinds of things can get in the way and uproot life instantly. Credit cards can be a poison, so watch out for them! I'm quite sure that if you shop around you can find decent financing for that new Ranger boat. I'd suggest upping that down payment a bit; 500 bucks is jut not gonna get any of those finance companies or banks cranking. Down payments speak volumes to them and can spark things into gear fast. Get busy fishing or get busy dreaming lol

Lake Ida is a great place for peacock bass and all kinds of other exotic species, including largemouth bass. A fun lake for a fun day with family very close to where you're staying at. Don't really need a very large boat, either. Further north is lake Osbourne but it's not heavy with peacocks. Lake Ida is a part of a chain of lakes in the area and is well known for its peacock bass population.

Glades if FULL of cover, any kind of cover, from hyacinth to pennywort. Makes for some challenging yet rewarding fishing!

Captain Cody Davis seems like he really knows the Lake O area. He lives on the lake, grew up there and has a ton of video's on Youtube about lake O that are very informative. Might wanna check him out. No affiliation.

Just the opposite here. Can't stand the baitcasters. Seems like everyone that I know of who's gotten into bass fishing automatically presumes that they must use baitcasters....myself included. Well, I'm done with them. Nothing but trouble for me. I've broken so many high dollar rods, lost so many nice fish, messed up so many high end reels.... 86'ing them at least for a now. I'm very happy with my Shimano Stella 4k's on the star rods. Works wonders. I mainly go after the bigger fish and have zero issue with the spinning setups. Use what your comfortable with, not what everyone else is using.....a good motto to go by with this spinning vs baitcaster topic...imho.

I have my Garman mounted on the right side up a little ways where I have to lean in to switch it on. I keep both immediate sides of my kayak completely free of everything. That way, I have plenty of elbow room to net these big Florida everglades bass!

Well, hopefully one day you can make it down this way and get into one. Plenty of them around. Just never know with fishing. I learned that the hard way long time ago when I first started tagging sharks for NOAA. Always assumed I had an adequate setup and then a submarine hits...literally! And that's why I carried over my shark fishing motto into bass fishing, which is "Go BIG or Go HOME"

In my experience with the larger fish, some react differently than others. The bigger ones can pull so hard that my kayak gets swung around. I've had them break all sorts of stuff as well, high end rods, expensive lures, heavy line.....they can put a hurtin on the gear real quickly. I've also found that fish at night, especially bigger ones 8-10lbs...which seem to lurk most often under the stars....there's an almost renewed energy about them, like totally insane lol. They can rip into a bait has hard has a bullet! But never underestimate those smaller fish! I've had 5 pounders put on a show and pull as hard as 8 pounders. Best thing to do is be ready for ANYTHING!

Sometimes my thoughts go silly like you're speaking about out in the everglades at night, hooking into a small alligator or big bowfin, at first I don't know what the heck it is.....always that giant bass image in the back of my mind until I see what it is. Often times, I wonder what they heck I would do if I caught a monster bass over 25 pounds at 3am out in the middle of nowhere in a kayak lol