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Unless your fishing tournaments, take a break and fish only when you get the urge. Usually if your successfully catching good numbers, the urge is always there. With the hot summer days coming to a close, the bites should pick up considerable. That might get you fired up again.

Several times I have smelled big dead gators floating at Loxahatchee. They were probably hit by props in the shallow water. You could smell it hundreds of yards away.

If the water is that dirty, I would throw a spinnerbait around the base of the timber., and bump it off every piece of cover I could find. They may not see it, but they sure will feel it, and hear it. Early morning or evenings, walk a zara spook, or pop a chug bug. Look for trees with osprey nests, and hit that jig around the base. They are messy eaters and bait fish hang where the droppings fall, bass follow the bait fish! In Florida we don't have a lot of lakes with dead standing timber, but we do have a bunch with live cypress, and pond apples. Good luck!

In our little world it's real big, for everyone else its under the radar!

If there is no fence and no sign then I would fish it and ask forgiveness if something was done wrong. Always leave it cleaner then when you arrived.

It could have died naturally or from a hook, that will drawn small bait fish, crawfish, turtles, tadpoles, and any other scavenger, looking for a easy meal. That will draw bigger fish, and that will draw even bigger fish. So don't run from the area! Big fish die all the time from old age. Now if there is twenty dead fish in an area, start the big engine and head out.

It doesn't happen every often these days but it has happened to even professionals occasionally. 1). The first thing I would do is change ponds. 2), Down size to a 4" plastic. (senko, zoom centipede, or fluke). 3). Fish slow and be a line watcher. 4). Look for a depth change, or ledge, close to vegetation, and concentrate on that area. 4). If that doesn't do it, go home and take a nap! Good luck it will turn around soon.

I would go to Fisheating Creek on the west side of the lake. I would go west from the ramp and you will not be bothered by boats going by all the time. Its a very sandy bottom the fish seem to love. Lots of shore vegetation. A nice area to fish, there are some good size gators.

To really get the big money the reel, lure, or rod has to be in perfect to good condition. If used the price will drop considerable.. In the box always adds value to whatever it is. Sometimes the box and instructions will be worth more then the original item. I found about thirty old lures in the boxes dating back to the early 1900's, when cleaning out my mother in laws house. Many had never been used at all. Lots of wooden top water baits. I'm dying to try them, but I know the value will drop if I do!!!!!

If you use a hook remover make sure its one that will turn the hook before you try to remove it. As I said before I have not used one of these tools but I have friends that do all the time. I do it by following the video procedures, and needle nose pliers. It is simple once you do it a few times.

1). There is a video on how to get a deep hook out safely. 2). There is a tool on the market designed to get hooks out of gut hooked fish. It does work, I never tried it, but one of my friends uses it all the time. 3). There are things you can do to up the percentage survival rate.

Its hard to reason with stupid! Stupid is a LIFE SENTENCE!

The bigger fish seam to come in spurts. I will have a day or week when I catch 3 or 4 big fish at one time and then a long dry spell with no Kodak Moments. The real big double digit fish are far and few on normal ecosystems. Huge bass may be more common on compounds where the government spoon feeds them live trout several times a year, and catch and release is mandatory. Under normal conditions, double digits are rare. If you want a good shoot at a huge D/D bass, go to where they live, or it may cost you a half a million casts!

I thank you for taking the time to share this. I know you put a lot of thought into it.

Way to much to think about. Just go out and fish!

My biggest accomplishment so far has not been about fish, but has been all about friends I have met through this sport I love. I have dear friends that I have fished with for over 35 years, and I am always meeting new ones of all ages. I enjoy taking others out in the boat, and putting them on fish. My best friend was like a brother to me and a fishing partner. We fished together for over thirty years before he moved to New Hampshire. I fished with him last year in the Everglades, and he passed away a week later of a sudden heart attack. On those two days of fishing, we caught over 150 fish, and Tom had the big fish at 5.7oz. We laughed and reminisced the whole weekend, and he had a great time. It was the best fishing trip. I just didn't know it would be our last! The friendships gained through fishing are rewarding, and satisfying, and last the test of time. I look forward to each trip taking someone out and sharing the experience. It doesn't get any better then that!

Just west of the Miccosukee there is a bridge over the canal. Go over the bridge and you can go west along the canal bank for miles. Look for culvert pipes on the south side and hit those areas casting across the canal. I have seen big fish caught along that canal. If you make it out to the crash memorial at the twenty mile bend, there is the ramp for Little 67 Canal. That ramp is a deep hole, that holds some big fish. Loads of bank fishing possibilities. Just watch for the little critters, wear boots just in case.

Try using a plastic swimbait like a Gambler E-Z Swimmer weightless and fished right through and around the slop. You will be able to stay up with whatever the lead guy is doing. It will make a nice wake and a lot of commotion. Good luck!

I agree with the posts above. I too have caught health bass with gill injuries that have completely healed. These guys eat some critters that can put up a good fight. I'm sure they get some gill injuries in their normal activities, and survive.

Here in South Florida in the 90's I did see an inversion occur during the summer. It happened at Holiday Park in Broward County. The canal waters were summer hot, close to 90*. There were a series of bad thunder storms come through the area with large hail balls, and heavy rain. The rain and hail cooled the surface water and drove it to the bottom of the canal, bringing hot water from the bottom with low O2 levels to the surface. A true thermal turnover! There was a massive fish kill, with fish of all types floating within a half hour of the storms. The only ones happy were the gators. It was Thanksgiving gator style. Thermal Turnover are rare here. They don't last long, but they do happen in Florida under the right conditions.

Sunday 9/14/14, The Alley, 6:30 - 10:00, overcast, light wind SE, water level up from last week, water temp88*, water lightly stain. Tried to get someone to join me, but everyone already had plans. Went solo with Pandora, west of the river, and decided to work on my frog bite. Threw my target hollow body for almost an hour. Moved the boat tight to the pad field and threw parallel to the weed line, but way back in the pads. The frog stirred up a few swirls but no takers. I slowed the frog and no takers and finally went to warp speed and no takers. The only action at all was with a steady slow speed, keeping the frog hopping through the pads. Went to a spinnerbait with no takers, and finally a senko with a fish almost immediately. Finished the day with 9 senko bass and a mudfish. Not as big as last week, but a tug on the line always feels good. I always enjoy fishing with a partner more then a solo, to me its about sharing the experience.

I had a best friend that lived in Conway, New Hampshire. He was a devout fisherman and often fished in Maine rather then the lakes of N.H..

Nice job, a topic often overlooked.

My personal best was caught at Loxahatchee Perserve, in 2 foot of water, at high noon, on a sunny day, in Febuary in the early 90's. The fish was activly chasing bait, I threw a watermelon seed weightless fluke into the mix, with my lightest rig, a Shamano Spinning reel with 8 pound test. It was quite a fight. The fish went 11.4 lbs, took photos, weighed, and measured, and released in good shape.