Zcoker

I was just text-talking about this subject the other day with a buddy of mine, how catch odds can dramatically increase in specific areas for very large bass. We were specifically talking about Headwaters Lake, a 10k acre impoundment located here in Fellsmere, Florida. In a very short time that place has racked up quite an impressive trophy bag. FWC officially repots 218 fish 8-9.9lbs, 56 fish 10-12.9lbs, and 1 fish 13 plus pounder...and those are just the ones officially recorded. There's plenty more that never have been logged. With those kinda official numbers, even normal Joe can certainly see how the odds of catching a big fish dramatically increase compared to other more natural areas. Any heavily managed spoon-fed fishery where bass are genetically engineered, stocked and then fed the best table fair, odds go way up catching a big healthy specimen. The most important often overlooked part of the equation can be the location and the origin of the fish in general; naturally wild or manmade and managed, a MASSIVE difference, IMHO.

I'm lights out down here in the south Florida everglades. I fish solo at night out of a kayak and have three lights, one Nitecore headlight and a twin sided neck light that my wife got me off QVC. The Nitecore's aren't cheap. Then, again, if fishing at night I would suggest not skimping on the main headlamp. The Nitecore has proven itself beyond expectations both fresh and salt. Battery is a USB rechargeable and plugs directly into the battery itself, just charge in the car, always a full charge. As far as using the light, I usually flip it on when landing one of these giant everglades bass. The landing process can get totally insane and I really could care less about what the light spooks at that point lol. I ware the neck lamps as a backup; also use it for video lighting, if necessary. Other than that, I use the moonlight and the starlight and the occasional meteor shower.

The majority of freshwater lures I purchased over they years I don't even use any more. I have them around for that "just in case" moment lol. I have narrowed down my lure selection to just a few, some of which I make myself. Confidence, location and conditions not to mention catch history favor them. It's also frustrating how lures fizzle out almost completely, lures like the whopper plopper. I don't get nearly as many hits on them like I used to. In fact, the hits that I do get now are the smaller fish. Used to be only big girls slamming them. Heck, I even won a national tournament off them one time. In the end, seems like lure selection is always going to be up to the bass!

Killin it this year out in the glades! My last few outings saw a few 8's and 7's and one 9. Been catching giants every time I go out. Lot to say about putting in the time, learning the ropes, and narrowing things down only to get better and better at catching these bigger girls.

Pat was certainly on to something fishing at night, sometimes all night every night. I can relate very well to that kind of lifestyle because I more or less do the same thing down here in the S. Florida Everglades. It's a tough life requiring extreme dedication to fight off the natural impulses of sleep and rest, very demanding on all the senses, and can way heavily on the family life. Not to mention out right dangerous! Yet fishing at night does indeed get the bigger fish. Pat took it one step further by going after bodies of water that no one fished. He made friends with the landowners and they gave him full reign to fish their ponds at night. Yet even on a body of water that may be fished heavily during the daytime, it's still very possible to to get monsters at night. Only much more probable in places that are never fished and are stocked well and managed well. Giants roam in places like that and guys like Pat figured that out and caught them, hundreds of them! Favorable odds stacked on the side of the fisherman, that's what it's all about, folks.

Everglades looking good. Maybe better management from SFWMD? Some areas are so so, some areas better than others. Still gotta put in the time, pick and choose the right canal systems and so forth. Or catch the water flowing. It's no cake walk. There's a LOT to contend with out there, not only mosquitoes but just about everything else that lurks at night!

Yeah, it's just crazy how these big fish come out and play at night out in the glades. Really an eye opener. Seems like they just hide out during the daytime, chilling out and waiting for the sun to go down lol.

Right now Headwaters Lake is about the best bet for a Florida Giant. And it's a zoo because of this very reason. You can fish it yourself or you can hire a guide, up to you. Those guides on that lake are pretty reasonable and always seem to put their clients on nice fish. They are busy as all can be but do list vacancies all the time. Only drawback is that most guides on that lake use wild shiners. They know what the big bass want and they also know what their clients want, which is the same thing....big fish. Yet they do offer artifical services for those who ask. There's a kinda of showdown on that lake with the local guides between shiners and artificals. As far a anywhere else, I've been catching nice ones out in the Everglades very consistently on artificals. I usually fish there at night. That's when the big girls roam. The smaller fish run and hide lol. It's quite rare to hook a fish under 6lbs out there at night. They run on average 7-11bs Happy hunting!

Just the other night I was out in the Everglades and caught two 8 pounders and one 7 pounder, all back to back. Each hit was sudden. Those kinda hits when all is calm, quiet and then the rod goes bump and the line just stops! No time to think. The whole scene played out chaotically, from start to finish. I couldn’t tell ya what kind of hooksets I used lol What I can tell you is that I did whatever I needed to do to get those fish landed!

I never quit fishing, just quit fishing in freshwater for a long time. I only recently got back into freshwater fishing a few years ago here in south Florida. Right now I am doing both, fresh for a while and when I get tired of that I hit the beaches, the inlets, and the bridges....the salty side of life. And when I get tired of that, I go back to the fresh side. That's what's nice about south Florida treasure coast, having world class fisheries of both fresh and salt water right down the road!

I favor the scum launch frog. I don't know how they do it but the thing never fills with water like most all other frogs do. I can launch it a country mile, walk it, do whatever. It's a very soft frog, velvety soft almost akin to a real frog. Yet that soft body is very durable. I've caught plenty of big fish on it upwards to 8lbs. Only thing is the red hooks tend to flex out on the larger fish when they are blasting away. And it doesn't appear like the hooks can be changed out easily like with other frogs. Other than that, a very good frog, imho.

I really don't think anyone is showing extreme disdain for pros, their sponsors, or their mentions. Or at least I didn't catch that drift. I think a lot of what folks might be expressing is that they don't wanna be bothered weeding through all the rhetoric and having to decipher what may be real or what may be pitched. In fact, places like this site is a way to get away from all that kinda stuff. Sure, in the context of what they are, that is, fishing professionally, pros all have to work very hard to stay on the good side of their sponsors. That's just the way it is nowadays. Regardless, disdain for them or their sponsors may be a bit harsh, in my opinion. That word implies contempt and unworthiness of which I have neither.

Many pros or so called pros (especially the YouTube crowd) offer little to nothing in the context of how, what, when, and where. When I first got back into bass fishing, which was a matter of a few years ago, I was totally entertained by the sheer number of peddlers out there. I had to do a ton of sorting to find specific and correct information--like on this site here. The adage I eventually adapted was "come watch me fish" or "come watch me fish and sell something" And that's what a lot of the media amounted to … not all of it but a lot of it. I was always wondering what the "catch" was. The information was at best vague and sometimes even misleading. In a sense, one had to figure it all out on their own. Granted, I am not suggesting that all pros spill the beans to the general public. Pros do have to keep on the blindside of things, so to speak, tricks of the trade to have an upper hand over other competitors, which is certainly understandable and is specifically the reason they cannot share the nuts and bolts of the how, what, when, and where. Probably the best top-shelf pro to have on here would be someone who isn't competing anymore.

Yes it is. It almost appears like these weathermen are doing it for fun, for the fun of it all, or for sensationalism, or even for ratings. Everything related to safety is literally blown out the door. Some innocent viewer may come along and think it's "ok" to do this very thing and get killed in the process!

Lol Speaking of money shots, I'm sure you saw Jim Catore during Ian. What a circus act! He's out there all hunched and hunkered in the middle of 100mph winds talking about how windy it is--duh--while all over people's homes are being totally demolished. They have nothing to go back to. He probably has a helicopter to take him back to his fortress. That kinda sensationalism just doesn't sit right with me. Pretty dangerous, if you ask me. Nice message to send out to everyone. Let's all go stand near in the eyewall of a cat 4 hurricane!

Here in south Florida during the covid epidemic, some of our so called chief meteorologist would setup a big flat screen outside of their mega homes on the intracoastal waterway for their daily forecast, showing not only the weather but also showing off their big homes and grand living styles. I mean, wouldn't it be just fantastic to have a super high paying job where all you have to do is dress up and then take pop- shots at everything, guessing at everything, even if it mistakes are made, absolutely no repercussions whatsoever, wouldn't that be just grand! Almost sounds like a politician lol Granted, some of them try hard to make their forecast or guess as accurate as possible. For the most, the online weather apps seem to offer better outcomes, imho.

Dean Rojas was once asked this very question, at what point does he strike when frog fishing. A hot topic, it seems. He said he "hits 'em as soon as he sees 'em" I tend to follow this same logic. As soon as I see the hit, I give it to 'em good! Hardly lose a fish, either. I do bend out the hooks a bit on all my frogs. I use the largest spro frogs, even the King Daddy down here in the Everglades.

Being way out there at night deep in the Everglades alone in a Kayak is about as off the grid as one can get, imho. It's a very wild and dangerous experience, to say the least. The launch sites are totally random and make-shift, having to be cleared out as you go along by hand or by foot. Then there's the navigation part of the deal, which is as vast as the universe itself... way, way off the grid but so worth it! The bass are like supernovas at night out there, like totally atomic!

It's just like all the rest of the small brick and mortars, a thing of the past. Internet sales are vast in comparison to these places. Most of the small shops that are still holding on down here in south Florida thrive on bait sales, mainly on the salty side. The rest of their inventory is next to nothing for fresh water fishing. They just don't have on hand a great selection to choose from and, if they did, the prices are way out there. Many of their other services like rod or reel repair they don't even offer anymore. I certainly don't mind supporting these places and all that jazz but if I need something tackle specific, I just hit a D's Sporting Goods or a Bass Pro Shop else just order it online.

Nice day in the glades!

Great story! I am glad it fired up into light some good memories. And, yes, I am that same guy, the night time Glades lunker hunter lol. Us sharkers can be quite stubborn, that's for sure. Thick headed and thick skinned just like the fish we pursue. They get us when least expected! Many old timers started out on those very piers of which you speak, piers like the old South Beach Pier in Miami. In fact, many techniques used today for LBSF came from those very piers. I know a few from back in the day who actually swam their baits out in a back pack! Herb Goodman of Lake Worth figured out a better way in the late '50s and built a remote control paddle boat called the RayOVac Craft. Very ahead of its time! Heck, I built a homemade air cannon out of 4" PVC pipe and a Home Depot compressor tank that can blast a whole baitfish plus a big spider weight over 200 yards out....The things people do to get the fish!

Yep, I've always preached barbless for the bigger predators like sharks. In and out, works wonders, even for people.

I think it would be nice to have a pro around. I watched a video by Roland Martin the other night, him just idling around and showing how to find a school of fish in current. He was basically worm fishing on the edge of vegetation while talking about the location, technique, the current, and so forth. Next thing, he changes up to a chatterbait, still talking and bam! A fish just shy of 10lbs slams his lure. Don't see that everyday! He positioned himself correctly to be in the money. He "knew" just what to do. That kind of knowledge is golden, in my opinion, no matter what anyone says. I'm sure there's plenty of folks on this site who know a few things but these pros know a heck of a lot and can share much wealth to all. I'd say go for it!

Might also check out Kenansville. That lake is very secluded and does not have much fishing pressure and is still in the general area. It's not fished very much for a very good reason. The 12 mile dirt road getting to the lake can be a pure nightmare. Nothing like the Headwater's or Stick road. If not recently raked it can be very bumpy and very dusty, not to mention washed out. So the fishing pressure is, well, none existent. Yet the lake harbors some of the biggest trophy catches in the area. You can confirm this on the FWC Kenansville site. It's small lake, too, about 2500 acres, which gives one the ability to zero in on the fishing. With any lake, gotta work it to know it in order to fish it. I've yaked it many times and have caught monsters. I've even solo yaked it all night long! Talk about being out in the wild lol The boat ramp is very steep yet doable. It's the very definition of "being out in the middle of nowhere!" So bring plentiful supplies!

It was late one night on the Florida east coast beaches, maybe midnight. I was kayaking a bait out for land based shark fishing, solo. I was out about 250 yards near the second bar when suddenly a rogue wave came out of nowhere and slammed my yak up and over. Nothing I could do about it. Gone! I was underwater in mere seconds and when I tried to swim up, something had hold my right foot, yanking me hard! I finally managed to surface only to see my kayak being swept away by the waves, and every time it got swept away, I was again yanked hard underwater. Mind you, all of this was happening in pitch black darkness! Fear kept the pain away. Adrenalin kept me focused. I finally managed to get to shore and lay on the beach. And when I looked down at my bloody right foot, I was like what the #@!%&@. The 24/0 giant circle hook was stuck clean through my foot! Somehow it managed to free itself from a large chunk of stingray bait and then planted itself clean through my right foot near the ankle area. All of this happened in short seconds while being flipped over. Just wow. Thank goodness I debarb all my hooks! Easy out. The rest of the line was a tangled mess with the kayak, a big mess which had been swept in by the waves, pulling me with it. Very dangerous situation, to say the least!