The thumb was destroyed in 2 hours!

16 minutes ago, geo g said:

I once went early morning to the S1 area the state built to clean the water from Okeechobee before dumping it into the Everglades. They filled it with vegetation and wildlife. No motor boats allowed, electric motors only. I drove about six miles down the access dirt roads until I saw some bird action, and big swirls at the surface. For two hours I had constant action with HB Frogs, and big senkos. Most fish were 20 to 25” in size. After 50 years bass fishing I never had a day like this and never since. With repeat trips to the exact same area. That day I never moved my feet 6 feet from my starting point. I will try to add a few pics, but not always successful.

11 hours ago, GRiver said:

I’m going to make a plaque and put it on my boat……. That’s deep. Is that a @Lottabass original or did you get it from somewhere?

Not me. It is a quote from some famous fishing writer. I don't remember who.

It mimics my thought but I'm not very good at putting thoughts into words like others are.

I'm glad you like it!

11 hours ago, GRiver said:

I’m going to make a plaque and put it on my boat……. That’s deep. Is that a @Lottabass original or did you get it from somewhere?

Wow @geo g gave that thumb a work out. I loved when it all seems to fall together

12 hours ago, geo g said:

I once went early morning to the S1 area the state built to clean the water from Okeechobee before dumping it into the Everglades. They filled it with vegetation and wildlife. No motor boats allowed, electric motors only.

I've tried to bring this forum more information about these filter tanks created by state biologists. This is one of the subjects I have been following for years here in Florida.

I recently posted about this same natural filtering process going on at Lake Apopka and how it is improving the fishing there as well. And other places all across Florida are also benefitting from this same application of science to the water. Not the fish. Focus on the water and clean it up and the fish will come. And they do.

Stick Marsh, Farm 13, Fellsmere, Headwaters, etc. are all a part of Florida's water filtering plans and processes. Those locations are for cleaning up water flowing into St Johns River system.

The point is, it is very clear from this thread that following state biologists is creating magical fishing moments and that is precisely what their plans were for doing it. The state of Florida wants the next world record bass and wants Florida to be a multi-billion dollar world class fishing destination.

And their efforts are working and paying off. Both in fresh and saltwater.

Some of my magical moments are also directly tied to state of Florida biologists efforts at cleaning up the water.

So for those of you wanting to plan trips into Florida, learning about what all the biologists are doing here to the water is clearly producing the fishing results we want. So it pays- I think someone coined a new phrase- "piscatorial paydirt" to follow the biologists and their water cleaning efforts.

I must be one of the few who does follow FWC biologists water projects, and it is amazing to learn about all the science and engineering involved.

I guess this is one of those subjects I still keep to myself as well, especially the future projects so I can get ahead of the curve, not stay behind it. I am keeping an eye on a project now I am expecting will create a bass boom once the water is turned on and starts flowing. When it does I will have a new area of Florida to fish and boat in remote lakes with our natural bass species exploding same as what happened in Lake Toho years ago that still has a reputation to this day. Biologists were behind that one too.

Another one to keep an eye on here in Florida is our phosphate mine recovery and reclamation process and projects.

All of the mentions here of magical moments tied to biologists are in known areas already open to the public and receiving fishing pressure.

The trick to this behind the scenes water works to fishing magic, is to get ahead of the 8 ball. All water projects are in some way public knowledge and discussed in public long before being built. Learning about each project takes some effort to dig for them. But once you have a comprehensive list of them, next just keep an eye on them and their construction development.

This way you can get in on them long before the general public does. And this has been my mode of operation for years now. I am waiting on a project to be turned on right now. All built. Ready to flow water. Only we are now in a serious drought and don't have enough water on hand to turn the pumps on yet. Project on hold. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. They say one good hurricane can solve our water problem. Still waiting.

Over a dozen pristine clean, clear remote Florida lakes that slowly dried up over the last 50 years due to over pumping of the aquifer are about to get a 6 natural filter tank inflow of clean clear water to fill them all back up again. The bass population will explode.

Most of the lakes are not open to the public. A couple do have public boat ramps. When the water flows. Watch out! Magic will happen!

But back to the mines, watch what happens when they turn on the pumps at Tenoroc mines and start flowing the water through the mines. Bass fishermen who are clueless about the water projects stumble onto magic moments themselves like Lakeland kayak bass fisherman John here in this video did. He even says on camera "I'm going to try to hide the location." Yeah not happening John. I got that spot mapped already.

Watch the magic at the outflow. John sits in one spot and simply lifts one bass out after another. No casting involved. And he caught a tagged 8 pounder and got $100 free cash for catching that fish in one of the state's water projects and fish science fisheries. Any of us can win the $100 cash per fish too. Just catch a tagged bass in their project areas. Catch 10 and you are going home with $1000 cash just for fishing their projects.

The fishing magic research ongoing in Florida is for both fresh and saltwater fishing. All of our fished down species are coming back. Big reds. Huge snook. Huge goliath grouper. Largemouth bass. And even some fish created in laboratories like our sunshine bass.

Its kind of funny to watch how the fishing industry works in Florida.

All the bass pro's who turn on cameras and even the influencers who turn on cameras here to film themselves catching fish like crazy are all following behind the 8 ball. Behind the curve. They are exploiting on camera water projects already finished, tested privately, and then opened to the public gradually. All those cameras are after the fact.

It would be great to start seeing some videos of guys who are directly connected to state biologists and who learn of projects in their just started construction phase and follow the project to fruition and be on top of the curve and in front of the curve is where it is really at. Heading to the peak, not jumping on the band wagon after the peak has come and gone- like lake Toho. The peak has been gone from there for years. But the fishermen still come based on years old reputation.

Biologists have the best fishing information in Florida. Fishermen are ALWAYS behind the curve. But hey, the magic is designed and engineered to continue into the future for years and decades to come.

Us Florida guys spend a lifetime learning the fresh and saltwater locations, and then try and learn the timing so we can make magic happen on a regular basis. And I can say it works. Magic has come and gone many times in my lifetime, and now I am passing it down to my sons to carry on after I am gone. And the one connection I am making for my sons is to meet state of Florida biologists at ICAST and around the state and to get to know some of them and listen to them for fishing information- coming directly from their water filtration projects.

Geo, glad you wore your thumb out! I hope you get the chance to do it again! And again!

In your area of Florida they are currently building numerous phytoremediation natural plant water filters. Simply research your area for all of the current and future projected water projects and stay on top of their construction and development, and plan on accessing them as soon as biologists say its ready. Quite often if you know some biologists they can get you into those still not open to public areas ahead of the crowds. They allow pre public testing at times, but its not what you know, but WHO you know that makes the difference.

And for those of you not in Florida, if you want to come to Florida and catch monster bass, we have a man made situation here at Rodman reservoir. They do a water level draw down about every 4 years. They are talking about removing the dam, but as long as it exists, just show up there when they open up the gates and let the water flow out into the drawdown. Then fish in the reservoir's river channel where an entire reservoir of bass are forced into during the drawdown and like monkeys in a barrel you can catch one lunker after another.

If you exploit the water science. The fishing magic will flow right in behind it. And it is repeatable. Just follow the science. Or in Florida just follow the biologists. And seek ye the mines! The hidden mines! Most are still private.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/04/10/a-monster-is-lurking-in-this-phosphate-pit/

"”You have heard the stories, the best pit fishing in the world, 100 bass a day,” (biologist) Chapman said with a quizzical smile."

"”No lake system in the world keeps up with them,” Chapman said. ”They are extra fertile. There, of course, is a lot of phosphorus to feed the plankton. Is just like putting fertilizer on a pasture. There are other things, too, which we don't quite understand, and which maybe we never will, that make them extremely productive.”

"All have some kind of management restrictions to give biologists a chance to measure various policies."

Each of us can become sort of a 'test fisherman' for biologists projects and become a part of their science here in Florida. Every time I go to Tenoroc I become a documented part of state fishery science.

I hope a comment like this one will help others find some Florida fishing magic too. We can bring it all together! We can repeat it.

@FloridaFishinFool Awesome write up! This work is great.

4 hours ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

I've tried to bring this forum more information about these filter tanks created by state biologists. This is one of the subjects I have been following for years here in Florida.

I recently posted about this same natural filtering process going on at Lake Apopka and how it is improving the fishing there as well. And other places all across Florida are also benefitting from this same application of science to the water. Not the fish. Focus on the water and clean it up and the fish will come. And they do.

Stick Marsh, Farm 13, Fellsmere, Headwaters, etc. are all a part of Florida's water filtering plans and processes. Those locations are for cleaning up water flowing into St Johns River system.

The point is, it is very clear from this thread that following state biologists is creating magical fishing moments and that is precisely what their plans were for doing it. The state of Florida wants the next world record bass and wants Florida to be a multi-billion dollar world class fishing destination.

And their efforts are working and paying off. Both in fresh and saltwater.

Some of my magical moments are also directly tied to state of Florida biologists efforts at cleaning up the water.

So for those of you wanting to plan trips into Florida, learning about what all the biologists are doing here to the water is clearly producing the fishing results we want. So it pays- I think someone coined a new phrase- "piscatorial paydirt" to follow the biologists and their water cleaning efforts.

I must be one of the few who does follow FWC biologists water projects, and it is amazing to learn about all the science and engineering involved.

I guess this is one of those subjects I still keep to myself as well, especially the future projects so I can get ahead of the curve, not stay behind it. I am keeping an eye on a project now I am expecting will create a bass boom once the water is turned on and starts flowing. When it does I will have a new area of Florida to fish and boat in remote lakes with our natural bass species exploding same as what happened in Lake Toho years ago that still has a reputation to this day. Biologists were behind that one too.

Another one to keep an eye on here in Florida is our phosphate mine recovery and reclamation process and projects.

All of the mentions here of magical moments tied to biologists are in known areas already open to the public and receiving fishing pressure.

The trick to this behind the scenes water works to fishing magic, is to get ahead of the 8 ball. All water projects are in some way public knowledge and discussed in public long before being built. Learning about each project takes some effort to dig for them. But once you have a comprehensive list of them, next just keep an eye on them and their construction development.

This way you can get in on them long before the general public does. And this has been my mode of operation for years now. I am waiting on a project to be turned on right now. All built. Ready to flow water. Only we are now in a serious drought and don't have enough water on hand to turn the pumps on yet. Project on hold. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. They say one good hurricane can solve our water problem. Still waiting.

Over a dozen pristine clean, clear remote Florida lakes that slowly dried up over the last 50 years due to over pumping of the aquifer are about to get a 6 natural filter tank inflow of clean clear water to fill them all back up again. The bass population will explode.

Most of the lakes are not open to the public. A couple do have public boat ramps. When the water flows. Watch out! Magic will happen!

But back to the mines, watch what happens when they turn on the pumps at Tenoroc mines and start flowing the water through the mines. Bass fishermen who are clueless about the water projects stumble onto magic moments themselves like Lakeland kayak bass fisherman John here in this video did. He even says on camera "I'm going to try to hide the location." Yeah not happening John. I got that spot mapped already.

Watch the magic at the outflow. John sits in one spot and simply lifts one bass out after another. No casting involved. And he caught a tagged 8 pounder and got $100 free cash for catching that fish in one of the state's water projects and fish science fisheries. Any of us can win the $100 cash per fish too. Just catch a tagged bass in their project areas. Catch 10 and you are going home with $1000 cash just for fishing their projects.

The fishing magic research ongoing in Florida is for both fresh and saltwater fishing. All of our fished down species are coming back. Big reds. Huge snook. Huge goliath grouper. Largemouth bass. And even some fish created in laboratories like our sunshine bass.

Its kind of funny to watch how the fishing industry works in Florida.

All the bass pro's who turn on cameras and even the influencers who turn on cameras here to film themselves catching fish like crazy are all following behind the 8 ball. Behind the curve. They are exploiting on camera water projects already finished, tested privately, and then opened to the public gradually. All those cameras are after the fact.

It would be great to start seeing some videos of guys who are directly connected to state biologists and who learn of projects in their just started construction phase and follow the project to fruition and be on top of the curve and in front of the curve is where it is really at. Heading to the peak, not jumping on the band wagon after the peak has come and gone- like lake Toho. The peak has been gone from there for years. But the fishermen still come based on years old reputation.

Biologists have the best fishing information in Florida. Fishermen are ALWAYS behind the curve. But hey, the magic is designed and engineered to continue into the future for years and decades to come.

Us Florida guys spend a lifetime learning the fresh and saltwater locations, and then try and learn the timing so we can make magic happen on a regular basis. And I can say it works. Magic has come and gone many times in my lifetime, and now I am passing it down to my sons to carry on after I am gone. And the one connection I am making for my sons is to meet state of Florida biologists at ICAST and around the state and to get to know some of them and listen to them for fishing information- coming directly from their water filtration projects.

Geo, glad you wore your thumb out! I hope you get the chance to do it again! And again!

In your area of Florida they are currently building numerous phytoremediation natural plant water filters. Simply research your area for all of the current and future projected water projects and stay on top of their construction and development, and plan on accessing them as soon as biologists say its ready. Quite often if you know some biologists they can get you into those still not open to public areas ahead of the crowds. They allow pre public testing at times, but its not what you know, but WHO you know that makes the difference.

And for those of you not in Florida, if you want to come to Florida and catch monster bass, we have a man made situation here at Rodman reservoir. They do a water level draw down about every 4 years. They are talking about removing the dam, but as long as it exists, just show up there when they open up the gates and let the water flow out into the drawdown. Then fish in the reservoir's river channel where an entire reservoir of bass are forced into during the drawdown and like monkeys in a barrel you can catch one lunker after another.

If you exploit the water science. The fishing magic will flow right in behind it. And it is repeatable. Just follow the science. Or in Florida just follow the biologists. And seek ye the mines! The hidden mines! Most are still private.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/04/10/a-monster-is-lurking-in-this-phosphate-pit/

"”You have heard the stories, the best pit fishing in the world, 100 bass a day,” (biologist) Chapman said with a quizzical smile."

"”No lake system in the world keeps up with them,” Chapman said. ”They are extra fertile. There, of course, is a lot of phosphorus to feed the plankton. Is just like putting fertilizer on a pasture. There are other things, too, which we don't quite understand, and which maybe we never will, that make them extremely productive.”

"All have some kind of management restrictions to give biologists a chance to measure various policies."

Each of us can become sort of a 'test fisherman' for biologists projects and become a part of their science here in Florida. Every time I go to Tenoroc I become a documented part of state fishery science.

I hope a comment like this one will help others find some Florida fishing magic too. We can bring it all together! We can repeat it.

Lotta that Magic in these places of which you speak is slowly being wiped out by continuous spraying or, as us locals call it, “nuking.” I’ve watched first hand the complete and utter decimation of many areas. Take Lake Kenansville, for example. That place used to be the end-all mecca for large trophy bass. It even got the nickname “Jurassic Park”. My first visit there on my first cast netted me a 9 pounder! Fishing was that good. It was the most pristine place to fish, a hidden gem, crystal clear serene water, lush green vegetation full of vitality, now nothing but a wide open dead and dirty nuked into oblivion mud hole. Same with Stickmarch and even Lake Okeechobee. I was just there on Okeechobee the other day and I couldn’t even see an inch into the filthy water. Now they’re working on Headwaters, closing it down weekly to nuke it into oblivion. Yep, the magic is being striped away. Darn shame to watch this happen to those once upon a time epic places. Wish these water management districts along with FWC would take notice! But that’s seemingly not going to happen because even with all the protesting going on they’re still awarding high dollar contracts to all these chemical companies to continue the onslaught.