geo g

By now 2500, at least.

Hello, my parents live in Toms River and have fished the lakes in the Pine Barren from time to time. Where were you fishing.

Tonight I fished a Broward County Public Park that was an old dump site that was on the National Super Fund List for the worst dumps in the nation. The park has three lakes that a full of bass that look great, but full of who knows what! It is a catch and release only lake, and most people don't have to told twice. Tonight there was a group taking every fish they caught. I went over and told them about the old dump and that they were putting their families health in jeopardy from eating these fish. Two hours later, and another five fish killed, I told them in two weeks they will start glowing in the dark. Its hard to reason with flat out stupid!

Wow, tons of good information in those posts. You can tell there are a lot of good fishermen on this site. I will throw my two cents into the mix. Great advice, be a line watcher! It doesn't mean you don't concentrate on feel too. I often throw plastics on a slack fall. I don't keep the line slack all the time but definitely on the fall. Especially when weightless, and I go weightless often, especially with senkos and trick worms. I want them to dance as they fall to the bottom. Weightless they will dance and dart as they fall. I let them sit on the bottom slack for quite some time. During the pause I will watch for any movement. On the retrieve if you jerk and give slack immediately that senko will walk side to side even on the bottom. Just like walking a zara spook but slower. When I let it sit I give some slack, but go back to watching the line. The side to side action will knock them dead. Practice in a pool, where you can watch the action of the bait. Zoom Trick Worm walk great also. Don't forget to pause and let it sit still. Many of the bites occur while sitting there. I use Trilene 100% Professional Floro. I can feel everything going on at the end of the line. I can feel what type of bottom, and type of veggies that are down there. Not all Floros are the same, find one you can handle. It took me a while, but now I have eliminated many of the problems with floro, and now love the stuff. It took a while. Good luck, the more you do it, the better you'll get. Just keep doing it until you need glasses. Lol !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holey Land, Sunday 5/18/14, 7:00 - noon, partly cloudy, wind ENE 10-15, water levels up a foot from last week. Went back this week with a friend to the Holey Land and ran the east canal again. The bite was slow but constant all morning. The big difference this week, from last week, was the big bite. Anywhere there was some current we caught bigger fish. The current did not have to be strong just a settle flow. Bigger fish were there. Today reinforced the theory that bass position themselves for ambush anytime you have some flowing water. It puts them in a more aggressive mood. We caught about 70 bass with a 6+, 4.5, 4 and several 3's. It was another fun morning in the glades.

Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow thats a great looking fish for any part of the country. To come from NY, that is a monster. Great job, I hope she was released in great shape.

Except for a small segment of the fishing community, I don't see alot of people keeping fish these days in South Florida. The mercury levels of bass down here are so high that the word has finally gotten out to the masses, and people are now catch and release for the most part. Here in South Florida if you want to catch good food, you always have salt or brackish water to catch some tasty treats from the ocean or bay. Something that tastes alot better then a bass.

Give the fish a break and stop fishing for it. Bedding fish should not be hassled while producing the next generation. Unless in a tournamnet I would not mess with it.

Great little bait, watermelon red, Okeechobee, junebug, and misty dawn. A bunch of ways to fish it, especially like weightless. Make it walk along the bottom, slowly.

If you can find an area with sand bottom, gravel, or rock, bass seem to flock to these areas for breading beds. Last weekend I went to a canal in the Northern Everglades with a sandy bank on one side.. There were thousands of beds all along this 4 mile stretch of sandy bank. The bass were long gone in this area, but there were small baitfish using the abandoned beds. I wish I would have fished this bank several months earlier. I'm sure there were no shortage of big fish in January.

Sunday 5/11/14, Sunday a friend and I went to the Holey Land west of US27 at the Palm Beach / Broward Line. We were out there for 4 hours and the two of us caught 60 fish. Of those 60, 4 were in the 4 pound range. Right now I believe the bite is still good and the water is a little lower then a week ago. Until we have significant rains the fishing should be excellent in South Florida. Good luck if you go.

I have caught one double diget fish in 30 years of fishing. It was an 11.4 bass, caught a noon at Loxahachee in three feet of water, chasing bait. So Doug Hannon is right on with his observations. The man left us way too early.

Something with 100% Deet, (if the skeeters are bad.) It does work, I hope your not allergic!

I definitely enjoy fishing with others. For twenty years I fished out of my boat with my best friend, who was like a brother to me. We were in Education together, coached football together, partied together, raised kids at the same time, and grew old together. He was a good person, a good fisherman, and a great friend. My best friend past away last year suddenly with no warning. I still think of Tom every trip I take to the Everglades, and Lake Okeechobee. I now take a number of new friends that I have met through fishing. These guys use a variety of different techniques and baits. Its fun watching them work their stuff, sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much. I am constantly learning from watching others. I learn things to try, and things to forget, almost every trip. The conversations are usually great, if you can stay away from politics, and there are always loads of laughs. Fishing is always better if you have someone to share the experience with. Always cherish these experiences, you just never know when it will all come to a sudden end for someone.

Usually before the front rolls in fishing will improve and the bite can get crazy. With real heavy rains sometimes the PH in the water can get screwed up for a while and the bite goes to hell. I have experienced both these conditions. If you hear thunder, or see lightning, its time to pack it in and seek shelter. Don't foul with mother nature! Even in a tournament!!!!!!!! We lost a good one on Okeechobee last year. VERY SAD!

Fishing from the bank Prince Park in Fort Worth would be a good choice. That is lake Osbourn. You can walk around and fish and no one bother you. I always catch some bass there with 4" senkos or Zoom Centipedes. Fish slow and let it sit. For peacock I would throw a gold and black #9 or #11 rapala stick bait. Peacock want it fast so jerk and go and don't sit too long. Also try a silver willow leaf spinnerbait, white and yellow. High noon bright sun is a great time of day. You don't need to get up early for peacock. The hotter, the brighter the better. Good luck if you go.

In south Florida we are surrounded by small lakes and canals full of fish of all kinds. I fish at least 5 days a week. One day a week from the boat, usually in the glades. 4 or 5 days a week from the local lakes that are everywhere in my neighborhood. If I drive a 1/4 mile from my house, I have 4 lakes to choose from on any given day. The grass is always cut and trimmed around the lakes like a golf course. This makes for easy fishing. These lakes all have decent size fish in them. I usually choose a different lake each day. When fishing the local lakes its usually 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon. Great to live in South Florida.

Sunday 5/11/14, 7:00 - noon, water light stain, cloud cover all morning, wind out of the east 10-15. I went to the Holey Land along US 27 and the Broward / Palm Beach Line, with an old friend Steve Johnson of Miami. Once in the water we ran east almost back to the bridge and fished west with the wind to our back. This really made fishing and boat control easy. Steve caught one on the first cast, setting the tone for the day. The entire canal bank was full of abandoned beds. It was ridicules how many beds were visible. We should have a strong numbers in the glades with all these breeding fish for years to come.. We ended up throwing stick baits, flukes, bush hogs, centipedes, and cane toads. At times the bite was really crazy good. We saw big bass attacking baitfish at the waters edge, and a black bird attacking the bait fish as they tried to get away from the bass assault. He followed those bass for about 40 yards looking for freebees. One smart aggressive bird, and two creatures working together to feed themselves. Nature at its best! We caught 60 bass by noon. With 4 in the 4 pound range. The best part of the whole day was we had the entire place to ourselves. I learn something every trip out. Todays lesson, "If you want to fish without pressure, fish on Mother's Day!!!!!!!!!!" It ended up being a great day, Love You Mom!

GLAD both of you had a nice day in the glades, and you both got a chance to play with some of the locals. I wish I could have gotten out there with you today, but I am scheduled for tomorrow morning. I hope MCS is not driving all the way back up there tonight.

Usually the thicker the bait the bigger the hook. That being said I use #3 and #4 ewg gama hooks on all my plastic choices. I also use a thin wire hook rather then the super hooks. I get a better stick with the thin wire. It might be why your missing hook sets. Only use super hooks when flipping with 65 pound braid.

Danger, danger calling the ranger working anything out. It could be misunderstood very easily. This could lead to more severe charges.

Both a black jitterbug, and buzzbait are excellant choices. I personnelly like the black jointed jitterbug. You can make alot of noise and surface ripples and then let it sit. I dont night fish much but I love this lure.

I would only kill exotics that might tilt the balance of natural bodies of water. The snakehead is a perfect example. The Florida Fish and Game tell you to kill everyone you catch. Don't throw them back. By killing natural predators it might lead to an over population of other fish, and cause major problems in the lake environment.

I have a friend that fishes the Stick Marsh 3 or 4 days a week. He has lost two props, a transducer, bent several trolling motor shafts and had his lower unit welded twice, all this calender year, and he knows the place well!!!!!! An expensive place to fish but the rewards are sooooo gooooood! The first time I went with him he had 36 pounds best 5, and I had 28 pounds. We caught 37 fish, with 15 over 5 pounds and two over 9 pounds.. The big fish was 9.7 pounds. Not everyday is that good but many are! All catch and release 365 days a year and absolutely no tournaments. A special, special, fishery, and the state is about to double the size of the whole place. Future looks bright for the Stick Marsh for some time! If you go for the first time, dont run the boat hard, its a dangerous place.