SuskyDude

We just fried a bunch of smallies 2 weeks ago. Beer battered half of them and breaded the others in panko. Served with slaw, greens, cornbread, fried garlic scapes and onin rings. Hard to beat.

Banded killifish and blacknose dace.

Black spot grubs. They're little parasites. In really bad cases they can kill the fish, but for the most part are harmless.

Thanks guys! So is using a fluro leader pretty standard for most fishing down there? What pound and what length would you guys reccomend? I plan on bringing a 7' M with a 3000(ish) spooled w/ 220 yd of 10# braid, and a 7'6" with a 4000 w/ 265 of 15# braid.

Going down to Florida this weekend. Will be camping on the beach of Virginia Key for two weeks. I will have my kayak. So whats around and what type of tackle do I need for an all around spinning set up? I'd like to target snook, tarpon, and bonefish if they are around, but will be happy to fish for anything (speckled trout? pompano? cudas? you tell me.) My only saltwater experience is fishing the surf and tidal creeks of Pawleys Island, S.C., and I already know that Florida is a compleltely different ballgame. I've been told that that there should be plenty of shrimp around, and they should be the go to live bait for most species. Any rigging tips? How about artificials? Gonna bring some topwater and jerkbaits, but wouldn't mind some reccomendations. I've trolled the internet and heard about some of the good spots around Virginia Key (Bear Cut) and Key Biscayne (the flats on the north end I hear are good.) Anyone one willing to give up a hotspot thats within kayaking distance of Virginia Key? I've got a gps if you've got a waypoint. Any advice, specific or general, would be appreciated.

I agree. I'll be purchasing KVD's Pure Insanity Core-Blaster Aerobic "Twerk-out" when StrikeMaster releases it on Blu-Ray this spring. Kevin will have me burning fat and toning my abs and buns while teaching me how to twerk to the latest dance grooves. Can't wait!!

Wear it like a badge of honor! I've deep hooked myself several times. 3 times in the hand/finger, 2 of wich I was able to remove myself. One time in my chest, which I removed. But my best one happened pretty much the same way as yousr, except I caught it right in the nose! I went home and made a half-hearted attempt to remove the hook while standing in front of a mirror before going to the walk in. The best part was when I check in, with a 2 1/2 inch popper dangling from my nose, the girl doing my paper work asks " Soooo, you're here for the fish hook in your nose......right?" LOL. "No," i said, "thats just a fashion statment!"

All of my spinning reels I use for bass are 2000/2500 series. I do have a 1500 that I use for light line.

"Survival of the fittest" refers to an organisms ability to procreate and pass its genes into the next generation. It has nothing to do with who is physically stronger, or who is on top of the food chain. "Fitness," in an evolutionary sense, refers to an organisms reproduction rate. If environmental pressures allow an organism with a unique genetic trait to reproduce more often/successfully/etc. than other members of its species, then this organism is considered to be more "fit." And because this trait gives the organism greater reproductive ability, the trait will be passed on to future generations more frequently and will become more widspread throughout the population. So what I'm trying to say is that a fish (or a bird, or a tree or an ameoba) can be just as "fit" as a human, Sorry, I had to be that guy. Oh, and PETA sucks!

I have a large stash of 2 of their discontiued poppers, the ZZ Pop and the Pop N' Splash. My favorite topwater baits for smallmouth on the river. I won't stop buying them on Ebay until I have a lifetime supply. I have about 30 of the ZZ pop and 15+ or so of the Pop N' Splash, so I' m pretty close I think. LOL

2 - 2 1/2 pounds or so. Get a scale and know for sure. But be forewarned, they always shrink one they're weighed!!

When you buy cheap boots, your feet pay the difference.

Great chops, but corny as hell.

I hear ya. Personally, I don't have a horse in the race as I'm on the NB and things are great up here. But from what I've read and from what I heard, a problem is definetly brewing in PA. I hope that the powers that be figure it out though. It would be a real shame if the best smallie river in the mid atlactic gets ruined.

Needle nose pliers. And if that doesn't work, I use a pair of wire cutters to hopefully make some room. And if that doesn't work...and the fish is legal and in season...it becomes dinner!

C&R fishing has low impact, but not zero impact. Post catch mortality, nest abandonment, even the one minute or two minutes that the nest is ungaurded while a male is landed and unhooked, all have an impact. Again, I'm not saying C&R, or any fishing for that matter, is causing the below average recruitment, but it sure isn't helping. I think the restrictions are more about reducing impact while the problem can be further researched and identified, rather than as a fix in itself.

I don't think they (PFBC) are entirely sure what the problem is. I outlined what I and many others believe in the post above, but pollution and predation may also play a role. From what I understand, not everyone in the PFBC is even willing to admit there is a problem, depite the data. You're right, the problem is much bigger than fishermen, but reducing fishing pressure while a real solution can be found can't hurt. And for the record, I doubt much of your liscensing fees go to the Susky. If PA is anything like NY, most of it goes to trout stocking. Not that it's the fault of the PA angler, the PFBC makes those decisions.

Good question, but I'm sure that its safe to use the number of YOY bass found in the Susky as a surrogate for whats happening in the tribs. In other words, if the recruitment in the main river has been below average, the recruitment in the tribs has likely been below average as well. Unless, of course, more YOY have been staying in the tribs than in years past. Considering how hot and dry the last few summers have been, which reduces the tribs (at least in my neck of the woods) to barely above a trickle, I can't imagine thats the case. Its not from a lack of forage. The poor recruitment is mainly being attributed to floods at the worst possibe times (shortly after the spawn), and outbreaks of columnaris due to bacteria that flourishes when the river becomes warm and low. Basically, floods are killing the young in the late spring, then these hot dry summers we've been having are causing disease that wipe out a bunch more.

I think Fishing Rhino has the right idea for you. Sounds like you need to learn how to downsize. Having a metric ton of tackle on the boat is fun, but not necessary to catch fish. I'd imagine that out of all that tackle you normally carry, there's about 5-10 baits you know will get the job done on your bodies of water 95% of the time. So learn to just take those without fretting about not having every color of every bait imaganible. Once you do that, you might even be able to tell the bait monkey "NO!", once in awhile!

I don't recall where i saw it, but apparently purposely misslabeling fish has become a big thing in the seafood industry. They take a cheap species a fish that looks/eats like an expensive species, and sell it as the expensive species. Very shadey pracitce. Walleye is awesome. That is all.

Mizmo Big Boys (4") in assorted colors, usually green pumpkin. Rig them on a 1/4 oz. barrel jig head with a 3/0 hook. You can save money and get 100ct bags of each at http://sfttackle.com/

So i recieved my new Legend Extreme spinning rod in the mail a few weeks ago. Got a 7' med., fast action. It's light, sensitive, looks cool, all of that. I really love it, but theres just one little thing missing......a dang hook keeper! Really? A dang near $400 dollar rod, and it doesn't have a hook keeper? I mean, why? Don't tell me a half inch of wire was going to add too much weight! Sometimes I feel like they're trying to re-engineer the wheel. edit: oops, wrong forum, sorry mods!

I fish the N. Branch Susky, but I keep tabs on what's happening in the mainstem and S. branch. YOY recruitment has been below average for a number of years in PA. Read if your interested: http://fishandboat.com/images/reports/2012bio/susq_yoy2012bass.pdf The increasing size of fish, with fewer and fewer younger year classes being caught, indicate a crash is coming. The fishing may be top notch now, but the future looks bleak

YZ Hybrid for jigs/worms etc. Good ol' mono for topwater, cranks, spinnerbaits etc. (trielene xl and xt)

If you're looking for tubes with a longer body, check out 4" Venom tubes. I remember switching away from them to Mizmos because I did'nt like how short the tentacles were on the Venoms. Pretty sure the body was longer than the tentacles, might be just what your looking for. They used to sell them in 50 ct. bags at Gander Mtn. Hope this helps