BassinLou

Kudo's on catching those nice Pea's on artificials.

oops... wrong post. That's a nice one!! WTG

Answering your first question, more than likely that was a spawning fish. Spawning has been underway in several areas already.

Lower water in the flats means that the canal action may start picking up soon. Thanks for the report.

Thank you for the report Gotfishyfingers. Glades just hasn't come around yet. It should soon if the rain stays away and the Lake continues to drop, then maybe the big girls will move in from the marshes.

Great reel!! Very fun to fish with.

Go to the right one screen, and what you looking for will be on that screen.

Just like Big G and SFL Basshunter said, your main concern are going to be the vultures as surprising as that sounds, break-in's I haven't heard of that out there. Good luck. Also, remember there is a speed limit on Lox, and yes, I' am not kidding. 35mph is the max. LEO will sit on the levy with speed guns and stop you.

Look on Google Earth. You are launching from the main entrance of the preserve. On google earth, you will see Lox is a giant box. If you look at the South and South WEST corner of this box you will see the flats. I personally have never launched from the main entrance since so I can't tell you how long of a run it is from that location. I launch from Lox Rd on the South end and its a straight run WEST to the flats from that location.

The Lake can seem overwhelming when you first start to fish it. I know it was for me. I know I will spend years learning that lake and still not cover half of it.. lol!! The areas you started fishing around the RV park are productive areas. Me and a buddy of mine fished close to that area last week and boated 25. Like I have probably mentioned before to you in the past. Be patient. Read reports, pick areas and get to know the areas well before you move on to somewhere else. If you can meet up with someone, friend or guide, that know the Lake extremely well, it will be worth your time to go with them and let them teach you where to go and what to look for. Keep at it. Good luck!!

Oh.. looking forward to your report and experience out there. Good luck.

Wurming67, did you guys manage to go out? How was it ?

Best of luck to you both. Be safe. Double and triple check everything, and let someone know more or less what area you will be going to. Take a spare TM prop and TM battery.

You are 100% correct. We are all here to ask questions and learn new stuff.

I'm happy that reel ratio works for you. I can see on how in certain situations the 5 speed ratio will land fish. The majority of my frogging takes place in very thick vegetation from distances of over 100 ft. Due to the distance and the cover, my go to reel is an 8 speed. A 5 speed will not help me what so ever. If someone is frog fishing under those particular conditions my suggestion would always be the high speed reel. From one experienced frogger to another we agree to disagree. I was just offering my insight to the OP based on his post. If a particular reel ratio get's the job done for the angler, awesome. My experiences have led me to a different conclusion.

Depending on several factors, when it comes to frogging, higher reel ratios have more advantages than that of a very low ratio. I wouldn't advise using a lower ratio for frogging, you will be missing a good share of quality fish. Just my .02

Gotfishyfingers, the responsible boaters will slow down for a Jon boat if they see them. But you know how other boaters can be. They will fly right by without any care in the world.

If you go into the flats you need a flag. Get an idea on how much water you need to cover to reach the flat entrances you intend to go to. GOOGLE Earth will be a big help. Click on the ruler icon and measure the distance you will need to cover. You can measure it in miles. Exercise extreme caution out there. Using a TM for your main form of propulsion plus asking it to manuver in weeds and grass can really run the battery down. Especially in a 12 volt setup.

Having the flag will be critical for your safety. Airboats are versatile and practically go anywhere out there. Look into the designated flat entrances to be on the safe side knowing that airboats will more than likely be using those entrances as well.

Good to hear, have fun and be safe.

It won't be your last experience, 2 things to always keep in mind. Respect them and they will not bother you 95% of the time, and what ever you do, NEVER EVER feed them.

^^ This ^^ JM beat me to it. I will throw in having a ninja blade for your TM. 2 would be better.

JE, your welcome, this can be a game changer for you. Especially since you are on a Gheenoe. That thing can get into some really..really.. skinny water. High water will never be an issue for you with that nice rig. Good luck!!

I see. Maybe this will help you. A little while ago I came across the Navionics app. Since I don't have a gps chart plotter on my boat, this app is the next best thing. You can plot your course, set way points, etc all through your smart phone, or tablet. I fished Istopoga a few months ago and although its not a tricky lake to navigate on, I utilized the lake to practice with the app, and it was spot on. I scout lakes or locations I want to check out ahead of time and program the spots on the app, when I get to the ramp, I load the app, look for my first waypoint, click on it and the program sets my course. Easy to use and its a valuable tool if you don't have a chartplotter on your boat. Imho.

Sound advice provided so far. Wurming67, with a 10ft jon boat you will be fine on Lox, the alley, 27, etc. Your only limitation that I see is covering long distances. But you can cover a fair amount of water with a TM. The extra battery is the best and safest advice. Enjoy!!