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If you fish long enough, your going to get hooked eventually. I have been hook at least 5 times always with treble hooks. I always keep wire cutters in the boat and have pushed them through a finger, and then cut off the barb. Twice I went to the ER a month apart, with treble hooks buried in my belly. I had my partner try the string thing with no luck. They were buried to the top of the bend. There were lots of laughs in the ER with this Bill Dance Crankbait hanging from my belly. I did it the same way twice. I was snagged on pads and tried to yank it out. They shoot back like bullets and buried deep. I had the same Doctor for both visits. I learned my lesson, the ER visits got way to expensive with my co-pay. I don't use trebles much any more, and I never try to muscle them out. Your never to old to learn a lesson.

Hootie, don't put so much pressure on yourself, just go out and enjoy the experience regardless of the results. Fishing should be a chance to release the pressures of daily living. Focus on being out in nature and the tranquility of the experience. If you relax, good things usually happen. Its all about having fun!

Like others have said its all about the setup, the weight, the lure, the rod, the reel, and most important the weather conditions. 90% of the time I am casting to targets some close, some far. The one variable I try to control is the weather. Before going out on a trip I always check the weather and wind direction. Because our waters are clear to lightly stained, staying in stealth mode is a key factor. I try to stay off the trolling motor as much as possible and let the wind push you past targets. With the wind from my back it is easy to make long casts without backlash problems even with weightless plastics. I use a sea anchor to slow the boat down on windy days, that works great. If you need long casts they are easy to make. Eliminate as many head aches as possible, the goal is to make it fun. That's the plan!!!!!!!

When I fish alone it is quite different then when I'm fishing with a partner. I move in a lot closer to a weed line, or rock ledge. Then I will fish parallel to the structure, trying to keep the lure as close to the edge as I can. I will not do that with someone else in the boat. It does not allow them a fair shot at fishing clean water. I will often try new lures and techniques while fishing alone.

Over the years I have lost a bunch of spinnerbaits, expensive frogs, and loads of top water baits. But the most expensive was a big swimbait. Down here we have loads of weeds and narly stuff in our shallow waters. I now use 65 pound braid with the real expensive stuff.

In South Florida there are very few bodies of water that are not connected to the drainage system. We have such violent storms down here, huge pumps control the whole system. Its helps prevent massive flooding during the wet season.. Bass, gators, and every other aquatic life form moves through the entire system from canal to canal and lake to lake. The whole system has bass all through it.

I don't think I have ever broken a rod on a hook set. I have broken a bunch on snags and trying to rip it out. Stupid on my part! I have even gone to the hospital twice with a crankbait buried to the top of the bend in my belly through this foolishness. There was a lot of laughter in the OR that day. I think I have finally learned my lesson.

Grew up in North Jersey and an active Boy Scout. I used to love the outdoors and did everything I could to participate in all the outdoor activities. Camp Tamarack had a nice 100 acre private lake. I would spend all day out there fishing it if I could. That's where it all started. 50 years and at least $100,000 dollars spent. I moved to Florida 40 years ago because of the year round outdoors, and the fishing possibilities. You gotta love this place!

Thanks Glen, that is exactly why you have to love this site!

That's a good technique just lift slower and work the thumb on the spool. You have to be a line watcher on the fall with slack line. Be ready to take up slack and test for a live body! I do it all the time with senko's.

I'm going to use techniques and skills I'm comfortable with. I'm not going out in 25 winds, predicted thunder storms, I'm not flipping or pitching for 4 hours, I'm not going out in the heat of the day, and I'm not running and gunning all over the lake. I'm not doing those things, because its just not fun for me.

There is a certain amount of luck any time you go fishing. Every fish you or someone else catches tells you something about what some of the fish want!!!! An example that has happened to many. Its been a hard day of fishing and you get a professional backlash. It takes you 5 minutes to get the tangle out. All of a sudden you see movement in the line. I would rethink how I have been presenting the bait. It may have been way too fast for the conditions. I will dead stick and leave long pauses between movements. Sometimes we have all got hit while reeling in the line. That tells me they may want it faster and with more movement. Constantly analyze what is going on at the end of your line. Everyday is different, and the only constant is change!

That is certainly a toad!!!!! Congrats to you, that should keep you fishing for quite some time. For sure, that is a she, not a he. With eggs and a few good meals, she should be close to 9 pounds.

WAY to go buddy! I bet that made your day.

My only goal is to have a great time and share it with some of my friends. Catching is nice, but I'm not going to make it uncomfortable doing it.

If you get one make sure its not too small, they come in all sizes. For my 18 foot bass boat, mine is about 5 foot diameter. When it opens up you will feel the brakes put on. Tie off a back cleat, and you can still use the trolling motor to maneuver. Good luck!

I will plan a trip according to which direction the wind is blowing. I try to fish with the wind to my back so I can stay off the trolling motor as much as possible. This allows me to stay in stealth mode, and give the fish no indication your in the neighborhood. If the wind is above 15 MPH I will put out a drift bag that really slows the boat down. If you haven't used one of these they are a great tool on windy days. In the man made canals all through the everglades this really allows for some easy fishing even on windy days. Casting with the wind to your back makes for long casts and no backlash problems. Let the wind be your friend and don't fight it.

I think we all work techniques that accentuate our strengths and make us feel good. I am what I would call a slow methodical angler. I love making long casts to targets and then slowly work it back, watching and feeling for subtle bites. Its almost like a game of long distance darts. The waters I fish are often clear to lightly stained. So long casts help improve the catch rate. How close can I get to that down tree, clump of weeds, hole in the pad field, or under that tree branch. To me the dart game is part of the fun, and having fun is what its all about. I wish I could get into flipping, and over the years I have tried, but to me, its like watching paint dry, and way too much like work. Whatever your style good luck, and good catching.

My goal this year, like every year, is to have fun and enjoy the experience. So far it has been good, I'm averaging five day a week, my only disappointment is that some of my friends are getting older, and not fishing as much. I cant understand it because I haven't aged at all! Lol

The answer is NO. I was at Loxahatchee Preserve, West Palm Beach. We went out expecting a good day. It was February and there is some bedding during this month, in South Florida. We fished all morning and with bright sunny skies, it was tough. It was noon, so to catch a few fish before leaving I put a weightless Zoom Fluke on my spinning rod with 10 pound test mono, my lightest rig. I saw some movement next to the bank and cast the Fluke into the mix. She took the bait in two feet of water, and the fight was on. I had to get her head up before she buried herself in the weeds. I knew right away it was a monster. She ran all over the place but I was able to get her to deeper water. She weighted 11.4 lbs, on my scale. I couldn't talk, or fish, for about 15 minutes. It was a special moment, I will never forget. Although I have caught a number of 8 and 9 pound fish, this one was special. I released her as soon as I could, and she was in perfect health, and swam away strong. That was 25 years ago, and it still feels like yesterday!

Just a couple of bass mounts on the wall, and a million old bass magazines taking up space all over the place. Is there a market for old bass magazines?

There was one caught in up-state NY recently. The picture is floating around somewhere on the site.

I saw a bunch of boats running the south canal early, back toward the east. Its funny you would mention a chatterbait. I started the day with a chatterbait without so much as a bump. I am yet to have a good day with that lure. I have been letting it settle on the bottom, and then slow rolling it back. I guess I'll keep trying.

I usually don't fish over 4 hours at a time. In south Florida everything is seasonal based on time of the year and water levels. Water levels are key. At NORMAL WATER LEVELS you could expect a good 20 to 35 fish in a four hour span. (Early summer or Late Fall) At HIGH WATER LEVELS you could expect 10 to 15 on a good day for four hours. (Summer to Early Fall) At LOW WATER LEVELS you could easily catch 100 to 150 in four hours. (Late Winter to Spring) It gets crazy in the early spring!

Sunday 9/21/14, MM 39 north side, mostly cloudy, light winds from west, water level stable from last week, light stain, 7:00-11:00. Went out this morning with Dave (Canesfan). Weatherman predicted storms so the logical choice was the Alley and the safety of the bridges. We usually have the place to our self but not this morning. Today there were three other boats before us and two more showed up after us. We ran to the end of the canal and fished back to the west. After a good half hour I hooked into a nice 5 pounder. Dave hooked one after that. The skunk was out of the boat. The fishing was tough today, with the cloud cover the fish were scattered all throughout. We worked hard for 5 fish throwing every type of plastic we could find. It turned out to be a nice morning with cloud cover and no rain. I ran into someone I had not seen in quite some time. I knew it was him from his boat with knock out graphics, like a fighter jet on the water. It was good to see you Eric! We had a nice time today but the fishing was tough. The senko was the bait of the day although we threw very thing but the kitchen sink. Always nice to be out on the water with friends.