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Do whatever tickles your fancy, if your going out of a leisurely day on the water. But for me live bait is about as boring as it gets. I would rather stay home then go fishing with only live bait. To me fishing is all about hitting targeted areas with casts, figuring out a pattern, and then executing techniques that work that day, that hour, and that minute. Now with regards to tournament bass fishing its clearly always cheating!

It's a sinking hardbait with a upturned bill. It sinks at a foot per second, and when you real in it rises with a wobble. When you stop reeling it wobbles backward on slack line. Have not seen another hardbait that does this. Has the body shape of a Rapala #11 except with a long up turned bill.

All the hype is out there, but has anyone tried this new bait. I just found one at BPS and looking for any info.

Going to college in Ohio and fishing a bunch of lakes around the college, and then fishing the Sandusky area of lake Erie, I have caught many smallmouth, large mouth, walleye, pike, and even one muskie. After college 50 years of fishing south Florida in a boat from Okeechobee to the Everglades. I enjoy catching anything that swims. But since the 80's and the introduction of Peacocks by the State Wildlife Biologists. There is nothing like hooking in to a decent size Pea. You know immediately you have something special on the line. The closest thing I can compare it too is a Snook. You have lighting fast runs with changes of direction, Insane repeated leaps out of the water, and a never give up attitude even when pulled out of the water and in your control. The best thing is they are most active on bright sunny days, when the weather is blistering hot, and largemouth are often hard to catch. Peas love warm water even in the 90's. Also you can't fish fast enough with big noise top water baits, spooks, jerk baits, rattletraps, to name a few. Peacocks have often saved a slow day of bass fishing especially in those nasty summer days. In the heat they will wear you out chugging big top water baits. There is just nothing like catching Peacocks they are truly beautiful, with a pitbull attitude. If you have a chance to do it, you will never forget it!

With regards to birds. I always look for birds actively circling waters especially on bigger bodies of water. This is a good sign bass are pushing bait fish toward the surface, and the birds are responding. Around where I live we have a lot of surface skimmers racing around the surface with mouths open. Again baitfish on the surface. Finally I was once told by an old timer, to look in the cypress trees for Osprey Nests. They are sloppy eaters, and rip there catch apart. Baitfish will hang in the water under the nest, looking for scraps. This brings in bass that pick off the baitfish. Never pass up fishing hard around the trees with nests. One of the most amazing bird activity was a bunch of Ravens or Crows I saw working along with an actively feeding school of bass. I saw this happen twice in the exact same area on two seperate days. This was in a canal in the Everglades. The schooling bass were working the canal bank that was a sharp rock wall with a drop off straight down 10 feet deep. The bass would work the baitfish against the wall and up to the surface, and the little fish would leap out of the water and onto the rocks along the bank. The black birds would fly along picking off minnows flopping along the edge. This went on for 20 minutes, both times. It was absolutely a learned experience especially by the birds. Two totally unrelated creatures working as one, for the benefit of both. When I go back there to this location I always fish this canal, to see if it happens again. The crow was actually ranked as the smartest animal in the animal kingdom. Smarter then the chimp, dolphin, or elephant. Crows have actually made friends with wolves in the wild, leading them to game and then getting scraps of food from their kills. When I read that, I immediately thought of the crows and the schooling bass. Nature is amazing at times!!!!!! As for waters with high numbers of gar. Gar can stand waters with poor quality and low O2 levels. Waters that would stun or kill other fish. Then gar will feast on sick and dying fish. This often happens in the heat of Florida summers. Everything is dying, but the Gar and gators are having a banquet. When I see high large numbers of gar, I move off to better quality waters. These are just a few observations I have made over the years.

That is exactly what you did. Your connected to the cord that reloaded the spring that vibrated the tail. Every jerk of the bait would cause action from the bait until the spring ran slack. It was well constructed, and lasted for quite a while.

You would cast it out and then jerk the bait, It would vibrate in place for about 10 seconds. It worked and I did catch bass on the top water lure. I believe the guy pushing the bait was from Louisiana, and he sold a bunch. I believe this was in the early 80's.

I have one somewhere and can remember several keepers smashing it. You could vibrate it in place. I have the helicopter lure somewhere too. Lol🤑

I just did this two days ago and it worked well. I use a trick worm wacky weightless most of the time. In winter this gives the fish an opportunity to get a good look at the bait, and once reachng the bottom just a shake of the rod tip and long pauses. In Florida our bass get reluctant to play as a front rolls in, this seems to draw bites. Also in winter and a cold front they will move out of the shallow weeds and drop deep because water from the aquafer is always leaking from the bottom. This water is a constant 76* winter and summer. I only use a stick worm like a senko if I need longer casts. I think the trick worm gets much better movement from the shake of a rod tip. I always target ledges with deep changes especially if the ledge close to thick cover. Bass will move up and down the ledge and into the heavy cover. I love wacky worming when things are tough and you need to stimulate a bite.

I have been fishing South florida for 50 years now and when I first started we had a group of guys that would meet on weekends and fish the same area and just have fun. About half that group had boats and the others would be back seaters. This lasted for about 20 years and then some just stopped fishing do to family obligations, illness, money problems, and even passing away. It was a wonderful experience, and we all learned from each other during the process. Now 50 years later few still fish. When I take the boat out I often have trouble getting someone to go, and its not as much fun fishing alone, and not sharing the experience. Also it is harder doing the boat alone, something I never thought about until a hit my 70's. Many of the younger guys don't want to share their spots and techniques. Even though they don't tournament fish. I don't think they realize for everyone they catch there are hundreds more they have passed bye without any effect. I will continue to take others and share trips as long as I can, but the only constant in life, is constant change. It just isn't the same. Sad but true.

Glenn thanks for the vid. I always learn something new from watching, and you are an excellent teacher. Thanks again!

I have been catching bass everyday in the Everglades and the surrounding areas. Because the weather has been cool for Florida, with 60* water temps, our Florida stain bass become reluctant to go chasing fast moving baits. Almost all my bites have been on Senkos, Super Flukes, and Trick Worms, Texas Rigged weightless with #4 EGW hooks. This provides a slow fall through the water column giving reluctant bass a good look at what has entered their territory. I will tickle the top of the bottom grasses with small jerks of the rod tip, then long pauses. They seem to be hanging either in thick shallow cover, or at the first major depth change close to that cover. Most bites have been deep at the bottom of the ledge. Be a line watcher, taking up line with the slightest sight of any line movement. Lots of bites are either on the initial fall, or during the pauses. This has been my best method of catching, since the colder weather moved in. Fish slow, and give them a good look at the bait. I hope this helps, patience is the key.

Check out the Turkey Lake report in this section, it is recent. The best boat rental deal in the country, but you need a reservation. No guide necessary. Have done it many times while at an Orlando Conference. Turkey Lake is right next to Universal Theme Park.

Good to hear you figured it out. There are big fish in there and plenty of water for the few that get to fish it on any given day. Thanks for the report.

Dade or Broward County they are plentiful. from there west along US 41 or Alligator Alley. We catch them everyday. Fast moving baits and they will bite at high noon on a sunny day. They love hot water. Bladed top water baits, zara spooks fished fast, rapala #9 & #11 stickbaits, even zoom super flukes fished fast, and jerked hard, along the outside edge of weed lines. Peas love fast, jerked action.

Dwight I know Shane from fishing south Florida all these years. A great guide and a funny guy! We catch Peas almost everyday in Broward County, Fl., but not quite as big as the one in that picture. The pitbulls of the fresh water world, fun to catch, and you know immediately the thing on the end of your line is something special.

I once caught a 5 pound bass with a water snake partially in its mouth. Taking my plyers I pulled out a half digested snake with the head still in tact just below the gill plates. Smelled like hell about 12" long.

To me all the pressure is on the guide not the client. His job is to find the fish and teach you on how to catch them that day. Sometimes a tough job!

Great move! Thanks for sharing!

In Florida not so much. It's more the type of cover, structure, and baitfish activity. We now have constant 90* water temps in what most would call very shallow waters. My big hope now is to find some waters with seepage along the bottom from the aquafer which is a constant 72* at the seepage point, and provide some O2 higher waters. This can provide some cooler spots that may attract some bass in 10 to 12 foot depths. Just slow down and fish the deeper spots. I don't change trusted baits to achieve this, just adjust speed and presentation.

I was once fishing a large flat on Lake Okeechobee in the Monkey Box, in July on a hot sunny day. I saw two guys out of their boats and wading along fishing as they walked. After about ten minutes later we headed their way to see what was up. They had the boat tethered around their waste, and they were fishing a grass line from the open flat. They told us they do it to stay cool, and move quietly and slowly picking apart breaks in the weed line, while the boat floats along following them. These two had obviously done this before and were comfortable with water frequented by the occasional big gator. This technique is not in my comfort zone.

I often fish a weightless zoom fluke in thick cover in shallow water, and along drop-off edges. I will let them sink and then jerk fast and let them sink again like a dying bait fish. It is very successful for Largemouth, Peacocks, Oscars, Mayans, and Snakeheads. Just let it sink slowly after a couple of quick jerks. I do the same thing with zoom trick worms, Texas rigged, and wacky.

All the young bucks will find out that the monkey climbs your back once you hit 70. Cant do what I used to do on a regular basis, but still good for half a day, just do everything slower, and with more thought. Never believed this would happen, but it's just part of mother natures way. Just glad to still be in the game, many old friends are already gone. Still love to fish, and do it at least 5 days a week.

Fish early and leave early, or late and into the night. After 85 things get slow!

I found out that this was a micro burst and not a tornado that brought down all these big old trees. Amazing power.