FD.

Camping in Florida? 90+ degrees most of the year 95+ % humidity bugs larger than most state birds I spell camping HOLIDAY INN

Dave, No, you just have a lower score. Since you can only count your (1) largest fish from each method.

http://www.americanbassanglers.com/2008districts.php You can fish as a non boater in any of these.

JCrazy - It is all in the BAIT. Plus a lot of patience. My wife, both kids, and myself have all boated fish over 5 lbs this year. BUT and this is a BIG BUT. We don't catch that many fish. We only average 3-5 fish an outing unless we specifically go for a bunch of small fish. We are throwing big baits. 10 inch worms, Gambler swimming jigs with big trailers, swim baits, monster sized frogs and such. They produce big fish but not many bites. I have spent MANY days on the water without a bite at all. These baits take lots of patience to throw all day with only a handful of bites, but those few bites are usually worth the wait. The trophy bass hunters throw even bigger baits and can go days without a bite. Another thing I have learned about big fish this year - big fish taking a jig or big c-rigged baits are very subtle. It seems like the bigger the fish, the lighter the bite. I have not felt the bite on most of my big fish, I have seen the line twitch or just get heavy. Keep throwing big baits and you will catch big fish. FD

my entry fee

After the success of the State vs State we did this spring, I thought we could do another one, the Summer Slam. Now being someone who has a favorite way to fish, I was thinking that we could learn something as well as have a fun contest. Here is the twist. Your score is the combined score of 3 fish, 1 each from the below listed methods . This will force us, or at least me, to put down my favorite rig and fish something else. METHOD 1 - fish caught with a soft plastic T-rig/C-rig/swimbait. METHOD 2 - fish caught with a topwater Frog/popper/devils horse/ ect. METHOD 3 - fish caught with a crankbait/spinnerbait/hard swimbait. Final scoring with be the combined score of your largest fish, in the time frame of the contest, caught using each of the above methods. RULES 1. This is for FUN... 2. There is 1 division. Any Black Bass that has a State Record weight is allowed (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, ect). 3. This contest runs from daybreak on July 1, 2008 to sunset on August 15, 2008. 4. Artificial bait ONLY. If you are sight fishing, the fish must be hooked inside the mouth. All fish must be caught in PUBLIC fishing areas. No private stocked ponds. 5. Scoring of the fish shall be completed as follows: Example fish weight = 10.5 lbs (my pb) state record Fl Largemouth= 17.27 lbs FW / SR x 100 = your score 10.5/17.27x100 = 60.80 rounded to 2 decimals In order for your fish to count, you must submit a picture, the state record weight for the state the fish was caught in, and an accurate weight of the fish. Your fish must be submitted within one week of being caught. (No sandbagging) You may submit as many fish as you want as long as subsequently caught fish are larger. All fish must be submitted before 7 am on August 16, 2008. 6. You can be disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior. The definition of "unsportsmanlike" is completely at the discretion of myself and the moderators. 7. Entry Fee - You must post your intention to compete along with a picture of your SMALLEST bass on this thread. You must have submitted your entry prior to midnight June 30, 2008.

I have used it for over a year and love it. Plus one tube last a long time. It is really good for keeping you soft plastics from sticking in the grass when flipping.

Several Tropical Storms will do nicely. The Harris chain has been several feet below average for more than 2 years now. The new multi-million dollar Hickory Point facility is down to 1 useable ramp (8 new). The water shed for the Harris Chain is north of I-4 and currently is more than 30" below normal rainfall for the last 2 years. Maybe a rain dance or two is in order.

I have a lot of success with the zoom ultra vibe speed craws. We have caught more than 20 in the last few weeks carolina rigging a speed craw and fishing humps and drop offs in the local phophate pits. I also use the Bitters bat t-rigged.

Thanks, I took both kids fishing on Friday and Saturday and today Nicole and I are going to the Rays game. Happy fathers day to everyone... FD

Welcome aboard

Sorry for your luck dude...But that's situation normal for us here in Central Fla. There are 5-10 tourneys on the Kissimmee chain EVERY weekend. We fish the most beat up water you can imagine. Don't be scared off your spots, just fish them better than the other guys....they might catch the easy ones, but will leave the bigger, less aggressive ones for you. FD

Josh and I fished a tourney last year in tropical storm Bob. Winds only gusting to 40 mph and 3" of rain. We managed to catch 7 lbs before we spent several hours hiding in a small cove and under covered boat docks when the squals would blow through. We were still fishing out of a 17' aluminum triton at the time.

Here is another question....How does low water levels affect the spawn and subsequent fish populations..... In Jan 2007 Lake K was at 49.2, instead of 52.5, which is the normal pool for Jan. 52.5 is also the maximum level for the lake. Normal pull down is in June when, under normal conditions, they pull it to 49.0. The only problem is that the lake level was already below 49.0 in June 2007. Fast forward a year. The highest elevation for the past 12 months is 51.0 in November 2007. The spawn for the last two years has seen lake levels at least 1.5 ft below normal pool levels. This has been the situation for at least two spawning periods (I only have 18 months of data) and probably 4, dating back to the panic in 2004 when we had huge amounts of rainfall during the summer. Since that time, it appears that the Water Management Districts have overreacted and are keeping the lake BELOW the zone B regulated level. Now I am not a biologist, but you take a 35,000 acre lake + nine ft average depth + 1.5 ft below average during the spawn for four years = bad news for fishing.

Try 65 lb braid, 1.5 oz penetrator weight, a small craw t-rigged on a 3-0 strait shank hook, and punch thru the heavies grass. I looks like hydrilla, that is dying.

I like the cane toad and flappy daddy in, over and thru the grass. and Welcome aboard!

Back to simple: The "right" bait in the wrong place never works, but the "wrong" bait in the right place sometimes does! "Location and presentation", it really can be that simple. 8-) I think it is really that simple, however, determining the "right" bait and the "right location" for any given day, water temp, season, weather conditions is what constantly drives me mad. I occasionally get it right and get on fish, only to go back the next week under similar conditions, or so it appears, and get skunked. Paul, it appears to me that this is the perfect research location for your writing endeavor. I would pay a lot of money for something that passes the scrutiny of this group. Being a relative newbie to this sport and an information junkie, I am constantly searching for the why as much as the how. Maybe I have a chemical imbalance, but the fact that something worked is not as important and why it worked. Recently I have been searching for information on fisheries biology and ecology and what I have found is scattered at best and nearly unreadable even with my college and engineering background. A one stop source of coherent and accurate information on the where fish live and why they bite would certainly be a valuable tool for someone like me. Yes I know that this site is full of wonderfully informational threads, but, finding them is not so easy. I have spent over 150 days on the water in the last year and have kept a log. I can tell you what did and did not work (mostly the later), weather conditions, temp, water levels and where I was. I could tell you what might work next week on a given lake, but I can not, with any certainty, tell you why. The lack of "'why" is the reason it is not always repeatable. I know that "somedays they just aint bitin" and maybe I'm not entirely stable, but those are my thoughts on the subject. Keep them coming guys FD

George, For those of us like Vince who are getting slammed by Kissimmee, define structure in the big K. I can't find any significant drop off's or ledges and I have only stumbled across 1 or 2 brush piles. If the water is down and not moving, like it is now, I have a very difficult time locating fish. Any suggestions. FD

Great job Paul, I have more fun watching my little ones catch fish than catching myself. PS - Thank goodness she fishes like dad but does not look like dad....

HEY OLD GUYS! What ya'll don't realize is that you already have that scientific knowledge programmed in your crusty old brains....So to you "Just Fish" comes with all those years of knowledge included. To us new guys it can get overwhelming. I often get home and ask myself why I did not do this or that to catch more fish. So all those ins and outs can help us new guys to better understand how to locate and catch more fish....Just a thought.

July 2007, around 12:30. We were on vacation and staying in a cabin on the lake and were about to head in for lunch when I said, "one more cast" and there she was 10-8. <-----------------------------------------

Food and Time...everything else relates to food and time. There should not be any significant differences in the ability to produce large bass in similar geographic areas. You can read about ph levels, O2 levels, average temp, trophic index, average depth, forage base, genetic predisposition and hundred other factor but the bottom line is food and time.

Thanks guys. It is a great place to fish. I have just started learning it. Josh and Taylor and I are headed there in the morning.

We finally decided to fish tenoroc FMA and had pretty good luck. Sat - Taylor and I fished for a few hours in the morning with 2 fish boated. Taylor had both of them Sun - Taylor and I went back for a few hours in the morning and boated 11. I had 8, mostly small with a few over 2 and Taylor had 3, all over 2 lbs. Monday afternoon Nicole and I went for a few hours and she boated 2, 1 over 3 lbs.

Has anybody tried these. Saw a commercial today and want to try some, but at $20 each, I am a little hesitant....