soflabasser

I have Penn Senators that are +30 years old and still work great.These are not bass reels but still prove that quality reels can last very long if taken care of.

Shimano makes great spinning reels that is for sure and that's why I don't mind spending more money on these reels. My first Shimano Spirex lasted over 20 years and I used it for both freshwater and saltwater fishing ( bass,snook,tarpon,jacks, groupers, snappers, mackerels,kingfish, bonitos, mahi mahi,and many other species of fish). I still have this +20 year old Spirex for memories since it was the reel I caught my current PB bass and other very nice fish on. I also have a Shimano Stradic that is +10 years old and still works good, even after catching lots of big bass, big snook, and even a shark that was +7 feet long.

Booyah spinnerbaits

Some of the reasons I fish for bass are the following; 1. They exist in large numbers where I live in South Florida. 2. Big bass remind me of groupers, which is one of my favorite fish to catch. 3. I like catching fish on topwaters and bass like topwaters. 4. I want to break all my bass fishing PB's ( biggest bass, most bass in 1 day, top 5 bass,etc) since it is challenging and I enjoy challenges. 5. All I need is 60 minutes or less to catch a bass where I live, so I can go on a quick fishing trip and expect to catch a bass.

Welcome to the forum

Welcome to the forum

Some of the waters I fish are similar to the waters in the above picture. I tend to do well with hollow belly frogs, zoom horny toads, weightless texas rigged soft plastics, and poppers thrown in the pockets of open water.

Having confidence in what lure you are throwing and knowing how to present it well is far more important than what color a lure is.

A beetlespin can be good lure when fishing a small creek for bass and panfish.

11 ounces for a bass spinning reel is on the heavy side but you won't care much about the weight if you use your spinning reels for bass,snook,juvenile tarpon, redfish, jack crevalle, dolphin, etc and other types of fish. Shimano Sedona is a very good reel for the money. I prefer the Shimano Stradic and it has proven itself to me to be a very reliable reel for bass fishing, inshore fishing, and even fishing for some saltwater pelagic fish.

Good choices. Big bass have to find somewhere to hide from the sun and many times under the dock is one of the best places, especially in shallow bodies of water. Baitfish tend to be under docks as well and there will be both resident and visiting bass that are under/around docks that are hunting the baitfish.

Have you fished for snook with artificials? I think your opinion of saltwater fishing might change once you catch a big snook ( 40 inches and up) on a topwater or other lure on bass tackle. A snook is like a saltwater version of a monster bass that's bigger,stronger, and faster than any bass alive. I am very fond of bass fishing but I admit that bass have nothing on most types of saltwater gamefish. That's what most of my saltwater fishing buddies think of bass fishing. I tell them that bass are fun to catch and can be very challenging to catch at times but they don't care. I can see where they are coming from since bass don't fight much and don't taste very good compared to saltwater fish but I still spend some of my time bass fishing.

You can buy flexible wire leader that you can tie with a uni to uni knot to the mainline and tie the other end of the leader to a lure.

There are many reasons why some people don't like fishing. Some don't have the patience needed to wait for a fish to bite, others don't like to deal with the heat,cold,wind,rain,bugs, other wildlife,etc. Others don't like eating fish or don't want to hurt fish by hooking them.

Wel said @bhoff. I do not use snaps and prefer tying my knots directly to my lures. I agree that you need to retie often since line gets damaged from all the rocks and other structure that we tend to bass fish in. I agree with you that knowing how to tie knots well and quickly is better than using snaps for bass fishing. Checking your line often for abrasion, cutting off damaged line, and tying a good knot is something every fisherman needs to know how to do well.

Welcome to the forum

Choosing a baitcaster or spinning combo for land based bass fishing is mostly based on personal choice and you should choose the one that makes you feel the most confident. I personally prefer using size 4000 saltwater spinning reels for most of the bass fishing I do, and I use lures most people say you ''cannot use'' on spinning gear. I have caught fish as small as mosquito guppies to sharks over 7 feet on these size 4000 spinning reels so there is nobody that can convince me that bass are ''too strong'' for spinning reels.I can cast a 4/0 Penn Senator from land so casting a bass baitcaster is very easy for me, yet I still prefer my spinning reels. In the end you should choose what gives you the most confidence since its your gear and you are the one fishing it.

Welcome to the forum

It is very possible that these hybrid pythons already exist for several years now. These hybrids might show hybrid vigor (Heterosis) which is when a hybrid grows faster and bigger than the original parents.

Lots of women fish and many of them will beat most men in bass fishing.

That is what many people thought about lionfish when they where first discovered in Florida and those people where wrong. Lionfish exist in healthy numbers in many of the places I dive and fish, even with people like me spearing them and other people activity hunting them. Good thing lionfish are delicous! I agree with you that the Everglades is a perfect environment for these snakes to thrive in. I caught a Burmese python a couple months ago in one of my fishing spots and I am always looking around to see if I see another one. They are very good at camoflaging on the floor and are not as easy to find as many would think.Hopefully these hunters can help lower the population enough to the point where these snakes become very rare. Doubt they will be completely eliminated from South Florida.

Congratulations to your son for catching his new personal best bass.

Power pro

Rebel Pop-R

Sounds like this guy needs a bigger boat to match his truck!