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You don't want to lip those bad boys. Definitely need a lip locker to allow you to get the pliers in there and work on it. Never throw them back, kill every one and help control the population. Every adult can release 100,000 eggs.

I have caught several nice size ones over the years. You set the hook and it feels like a rock until it starts moving. If its hooked in the mouth I just donate the lure to the turtle. They can strike fast!

Regardless of how crappy, someone always finds a way to catch a few nice bass. I have fished it a few times in the last few months and its been terrible. The flats would be where to go, or if you can find a place with good current. I will not be back out there until the water drops. I can't help any more then that. I obviously don't have the answers right now. I do think the Holey Land would be better, just don't get shot out there!!!!!!!

Fishing has been terrible all along the Alley for the last month. Way too much water everywhere. they way back in the junk feeding on everything that lives back in there.

The signs are for the air boaters. They don't want people going into the flats and running down deer, or chasing them off the islands in the flat. As long as you stay in the canal you are good.

When things really get tough I usually down size plastics and slow down on the retrieve. I will use a 4" Senko, a rage tail craw, or bite off an inch on the zoom U-Vibe and Texas rig. If the snail pace retrieve doesn't work I will change the cadence.

If you have been fishing for a while, it happens to everyone. Just be thankful you know where she lives!!!

I fish 5 or 6 days a week, and have for the last 40 years. To me its a form of relaxation and enjoyment and always has been. Regardless how tough the day is, when I make my first cast all that pressure disappears. Put on a some ear buds, your favorite music, and focus on the line in the water. Its the cheapest form of therapy you could ever find. When it stops being fun, stop doing it. It should not be like work, and when it starts feeling like work, take a break!!!!!

Not the way most good fisherman would release a fish, but its still just a fish. I would try to educate the boys on what to do next time it happens, but I would not let it mess up my day fishing for one second. At least they released it, and it has a shot at living on. I have caught a bunch of fish with hooks in their mouth and gut from someone else. Those fish chose to eat again, and luckily got hooked by me. I just remove both hooks and released them. I even found a line at the bank and when I pulled it in a 4 pounder was on the other end. These animals live in a tough environment, they have to survive predators most of their life. They have to survive ice out, pollutants, starvation, and the whooper popper, they are not as fragile as most think. Life is too short to let this crap get you upset for one second. Just a life long bassers opinion!!!!!

Weeds don't get too thick for bass, they just get too thick for fisherman. When there is weed everywhere, they could be anywhere. If the boat cant navigate your dead in the water. I hate that when it happens, and its not uncommon in our Florida waters.

An important one, take double the water you think you'll need especially in summer. If you have motor troubles, in 90* heat it doesn't take long to dehydrate.

A lure knocker!!!!!!! Since I don't fish crank baits much, I never had one. Then I went to the stick marsh with a friend that mainly fishes square bill crank baits. He caught fish at a steady rate, but had to use his crank knocker to free the square bill every ten casts, from all the stumps and lay downs. It was a pain in the butt for him, but he was the only one catching fish that day. He gave me a good lesson of how effective these baits can be. But you need the tools to free the bait when hung.

As long as they keep dumping water out of Okeechobee we are in trouble in the conservation areas.

Alligator Alley MM30 North side Saturday 8/12/17 6:30-10:00 Partly cloudy water-light stain water level at full pool W/T 84.5* Light wind no current Went to the alley with Steve Johnson this morning. We put in at the north ramp and ran east to the cuts on the north side. This is usually a consistent producing area, but not today. We fished the area for three hours without even one bite. We moved west to the deep hole closer to the ramp area. Just before leaving, a 2 pound suicidal bass decided to take the bait. We were both shocked. We threw hollow body frogs, senkos, u-vibes, and jig and craw with no effect. We fished thick cover, deep, slow, and fast. We went big with worms, down sized, and fished a variety of colors. Nothing had any effect on the bite. There was only one other boat in the area, and he said it stunk. Water is at the top of the ramps, and no sign of dropping any time soon. The glades will be a struggle for quite some time. That's fishing for you! Sometimes your the windshield, and sometimes your the bug!!!!!!!

I try to fish shade all the time especially in the summer. When the sun is out and the water is warm bass will seek shade much as we do during summer. No one is sitting at the park in a cleared sunny area, but most are under a big shade tree or under a picnic pavilion. In early morning and late afternoon while the sun is low in the sky, I will seek shade at drop-offs and structure points. As the sun gets higher in the sky I will go to thick vegetation that provides shade, ambush points, and most important Oxygen from the thick green stuff. Bass are very sensitive to O2 levels in the water. All of these variable are extremely important especially in the heat of summer.

Good point you bring up. I have been to the hospital several times over the years, with treble hooks buried deep to the top of the bend. Although its been in the belly several times, it could have been in the eye just as easily. Glasses are a must!

I agree, they will be out there keeping a close eye on whats going on. If they have a bullet from the victim, they will be looking for a matching gun. Hopefully its a rare round, and they check for matching guns. Homicide will be on the case along with State Wildlife Officers.

It happens from time to time. Crush the barb, or just remove as easy as possible. They will live and do well with just one eye.

I think those numbers are greatly exaggerated. But in the mind of those 10% its probably right on. There is no shortage of over confident fishing experts. They should all be on the tour, with there own show, and millions in their pockets. In my opinion, reality is far from 10% of the fishing population.

Have some patience, stay on task, and good things will happen. Don't get frustrated, fishing is a puzzle at best, but should always be fun. A major part of the game is figuring what they want that day, that hour, that minute. Nobody said it was easy, or we would all be KVD! That's what make it so dam interesting! Good luck buddy.

You just don't need a lot of weight to get deep in open water. General rule I follow is, I use the least amount necessary to get the job done. I typically want a slow fall through the water column so suspending fish get a good chance to look at the bait as it passes them bye. With plastics I often use no weight, 1/32, or 1/16 seldom more then that if the conditions are good. Conditions that will cause me to increase the weight are: 1). wind, 2).thick weeds, 3).little fish attacking at the surface, 4). strong current, and 5).certain fishing techniques. Regardless of the weight, it will get to the bottom, it's just how fast you want it on the bottom. If I am in search mode, I typically want to work the whole water column, not just the surface, mid range, or bottom. To do that with plastics, I need a light weight and a slow methodical fall. This gives fish, at all levels, a shot at attacking the dying bait. If I predict big fish hugging bottom structure, I may go with a good size jig, or a jig and craw. It will hammer the bottom fast, and hug the structure while working back to the boat. Before doing that I have to have a good understanding of where their hiding. Bass fishing is all about knowledge, strategy, and patience. You have to have a game plan, and a willingness to adjust to what they want that day, that hour, that location! Always remember that no two days are the same, no two locations are the same, and no two conditions the same. Its up to you to figure them out, and be willing to adjust!

That's just fishing for you, this time of year.

I don't know the waters your fishing, but when the sun is high in the sky, and the weather is scorching hot, bass will seek shelter in thick cover. It provides shade, lower water temps, and most important oxygen from all the veggies. Very hot water often has a O2 problem. Fish the edges right next to the cover, and flip and pitch the thick stuff. Fish will be there when the sun is high. Even deep, with no cover, they will be out of there if in the bright sun. Find a drop-off close to the veggies and they will be in the area under the cover. Once the sun gets lower in the sky, find the side of a drop-off providing shade. they may move out of the cover edge and into cooler water.

Good luck Turf. My last two trips to the Lox Road Ramps have been tough. A handful of small bass early, but no big girls. My biggest recently have been at the cuts with some flow coming out of the flats. Most people I have talked with, have had the same experience at Lox.

I have had good luck on the Rage Craw slowly swimming in contact with the bottom. I put a light bullet weight in front to protect the nose of the bait as it goes through and around, all the vegetation scattered on the bottom. Big bass love this little craw.