soflabasser

We are blessed to live in the fishing capital of the world and it is our best interest to protect our fisheries for us and the next generations to come. The bass fishing right now in South Florida is better overall than when I was a child and I see it getting better as time progresses. I am certain I will surpass all my largemouth bass fishing PB's as time passes and I won't have to leave Florida to do so!

You should be able to fish many canals with a boat of this size in the Everglades canals. I have fished in a 23 foot open fisherman boat with one of my friends in the Everglades and we probably did better that day than most people who fish with regular bass boats. Make sure to pay attention to the depth finder to see how deep you are,stay in the middle of the canal, avoid areas that are too shallow for your boat and you should have a good time on the water.

I have noticed this when I fish other states on vacation and have not been checked. Most states don't have enough DNR on the water to check most fishermen and this needs to be fixed. Florida has much better enforcement and I am asked to show my freshwater, saltwater, lobstering, snook stamp licenses several times a year while I am fishing in both freshwater and saltwater locations.

Today's multi peice rods are made so well that they can easily be fished like a decent quality 1 piece rod. One of these 2 piece rods should be more than enough for most types of bass fishing. I have several 2 piece rods that have caught me plenty of big bass and even have several 4 piece travel rods that have proven themselves to me to be just as good as a decent 1 piece rod.

A 6'0"-7'0" Heavy action rod with a reel that has reliable smooth drag when the drag is set at 10-15 pounds should be more than enough for most frog fishing. The reels I use are size 4000 Penn or Shimano spinning reels ( the same reels I use for inshore fishing for big snook, juvenile tarpon, and fish that are far more powerful than any largemouth bass). You can get a longer rod, a typical bass baitcaster reel,etc if it makes you feel more comfortable frog fishing with it. I will stick to my frog combo since I have ripped plenty of +8 pound bass out of heavy aquatic vegetation and will continue to do so with my spinning combos.

Berkeley Big Game mono in sizes 8-20 pound test, depending on the size of the crankbait I am using and how deep the crankbait dives.

A law is only as good as the people who are enforcing it. It sounds to me that the area this man fishes without a license has poor enforcement and its the main reason he gets away with poaching. Maybe you should contact your local DNR and give them the location this guy likes to poach and maybe then they might be able to catch him.

Mono is king when it comes to abrasion resistance, plain and simple. This is something that every decent saltwater fisherman knows from real life experience. Zebra mussels are nothing compared to barnacles, exposed concrete pillings, metal from shipwrecks,etc. But don't take my word for it, try fishing with strait 30-60 pound braid for permit in the keys bridges from land and let me know how many permit you land while I use 30-60 pound big game monofilament and land the fish. I also use mono when fishing shipwrecks and reefs for permit, grouper, snapper, amberjack, and other hard fighting wreck/reef fish.

Yes most people live away from the ocean so it can make it difficult to eat fresh caught seafood. Still where there is a will there is a way and many northerners come down to South Florida for the lobster mini season, catch a bunch of lobster, and eat them while on vacation. As for eating bass, I am not against it as long as someone has a freshwater license and follows the slot size for the location they keep bass. The hogfish is by far my favorite fish to eat and I am grateful to be able to catch them since they are delicious! I even prefer hogfish over the lobster,shrimp, and crabs which gives you a idea how good these fish taste. With that said, I have eaten bass before and they taste ok.I rather eat crappie, walleye, yellow perch, and bluegill if I lived in Northern states and could not fish the sea to harvest my own seafood.

Better to dress up with long pants,long sleeve shirt, hat, buff,etc than look like a boiled angry red lobster since you decided to not protect your skin in the outdoors.

I have seen many YouTube videos of people catching quality sized smallmouth bass in rivers with nightcrawlers but I have not tried it yet. Every smallmouth bass I have caught so far has been on a artificial lure but I have a open mind and will consider using nightcrawlers for river smallmouth bass the next time I fish for smallmouth bass.

I rather eat grouper, snapper, hogfish, lobster, and other delicious seafood that I catch than eat a bass.

You will be surprised what fish are truly native to the area they live in these days. Mankind has spread many species of fish to new locations, including the common carp that so many people in the USA and canada enjoy catching.The common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) is not indigenous to North America and was introduced from Europe where they where a non native species as well. http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/profiles-profils/commoncarp-carpecommune-eng.html

Sounds like a good place to fish with beetle spins. They come in many sizes and some are big enough that they are close to the size of a regular spinnerbait.

Wlecome to the forum

What species of carp do you have in your area? We got plenty of 20-40 pound tripiod grass carp in the canal systems in South Florida and they are very fun to catch on 8-12 pound line. I like to use bread to catch them but they also bite corn, ficus berries, etc.

Forgot to mention that I make my own custom made swimbaits and I paint them as well. I don't post pictures of these swimbaits and I will never sell them to anyone since they are for my personal use( I do let my better half fish with them but that's about it). I also make other types of lures that are quite effective for bass in the areas I fish. No one knows everything about bass fishing so its always a good idea to research new techniques and locations to fish.I do the same and have learned plenty of new techniques that come out and find new places to fish.

There's nothing wrong if people want to keep bass from the Everglades as long as they have a Florida freshwater fishing license and they follow the slot size. With that said I don't eat any fish from the Everglades and don't plan to since I catch plenty of grouper, snapper, hogfish,lobster and other delicious seafood.

Congratulations on catching your first carp. They are a fun species of fish to catch and can fight harder than a bass since they grow to larger sizes compared to a bass.

I personally enjoy seeing alligators in the areas I fish. They are a beautiful, unique animal and feel fortunate to see them in the areas I fish. Alligators in the area are a sign of a healthy ecosystem and a good sign that's there's lots of fish in the area you are fishing in.

Nothing wrong with using a nightcrawler if its legal in your state, you have a freshwater fishing license, and plan on eating a bass. With that said a split shot a couple inches away from the hook is a good rig for live nightcrawlers. You can leave it on the bottom and wait or slowly reel it in and catch bass.The bass will not always bite a nightcrawler "instantly" like some think and you might have to fish it for a while before you catch a quality sized bass( there would be no need for lures if nightcrawlers where a 100% guarantee to catch a quality bass on every single fishing trip).

Try a throwing a Rat-L-Trap into the next school of baitfish the next time you see birds diving in the water to eat baitfish. The Miami Dolphins are my favorite football team and the only team with a perfect season in the history of the NFL. I am sure that every Floridian will love them again if they win another super bowl, just like the Florida Marlin and Miami Heat fans are well known for.

Its the Indian not the arrow.

I see osprey often in some of the areas I fish and they are indeed fascinating to watch when they are hunting. I mostly see these ospreys when I am inshore fishing but also see them near freshwater bodies of water where I have seen them dive in the water, catch a bass, and fly away with the bass in their talons.

I mostly use spinning gear with 8-12 pound test mono when fishing with medium sized Rapalas.