soflabasser

Looking forward to seeing the sharks you catch.

What is your main goal for your Florida fishing trip? If your main goal is to catch exotics I recommend you fish the Everglades and surrounding areas in South Florida. You do not need a guide for this type of fishing since you can do very well from the shore. If your main goal is to catch a bass over 8 pounds I recommend Central and Northern Florida, you might or might not need a guide for this depending on your experience level. If you decide to hire a guide make sure to hire one who has caught many bass 8 pounds and bigger.

Welcome to the forum

I have noticed that most fishermen overcomplicate fishing and that can be a reason why they do not achieve the success they want. Fishing is not rocket science, keep it simple and you should do well.

There is no need to hire a guide to catch peacock bass or largemouth bass in South Florida, they can be caught from land in most of the freshwater canals. If you like catching smallmouth bass you will like peacock bass even more. They fight much harder than an equal sized black bass and are eager biters. Good luck and hope you have a great time in your fishing vacation.

Welcome back to the forum

Ice fishing looks like a fun way to catch fish so I say go for it. Youtube has lots of ice fishing videos for muskie, pike, lake trout, and other fish.

Saw a couple videos on Youtube of people catching nice fish close to Niagara Falls so you can try that area.

I have both economical priced gear and mid to high priced gear, they both have times they do best. What is most important is knowing how to locate fish, knowing what lures to use, and knowing how to land the fish. These skills are earned through years of experience so it is best to focus on putting your time on the water.

It would be best to hire a professional to fix your smallmouth bass mount.

I have 2 main goals when I fish which are to have fun and to catch whatever fish I am fishing for on a particular day. Based on this I decide what tackle I use. With that said I prefer using spinning gear over bait casting gear so I mostly use spinning gear which has helped me catch lots of nice fish.

Welcome to the forum

Interesting subject with lots of good responses. I have learned to not pay much attention to sponsored fishermen since they will tell you the tackle they are using is the best since they are getting paid for convincing people to buy the tackle from their sponsors. The worst ones are the sponsored fishermen that overhype tackle that is of average quality at best. That is why I pay more attention to real fishermen who do well and fish just to have fun, these are the type of fishermen you can get honest advice from. If you can do well in the Summer in Florida you can do well almost anywhere. Post cold front conditions is another time that will show who really knows what they are doing. Well said.

California is one of the best states for bass fishing so there is always a chance for someone to catch big bass. 17 pound and bigger bass are rare everywhere in the world so you cannot expect to see them caught often unless it is in a place that the bass have perfect growing conditions, easy to catch baitfish, and mostly catch and release fishing. Most of Californias giant bass got big by eating stocked trout some grew big eating regular baitfish. The striped bass grow bigger, fight harder, and are very common in some lakes in California so it is a great gamefish to fish for.

@gimruis Nice dog they make great fishing partners. I prefer fishing with my Wife over any person or pet.

@islandbass Thank you I know how fortunate I am, and I am grateful for having her as my Wife. She does not fish much but joins me to keep me company. She enjoys being in the outdoors and watching wildlife more than fishing which is ok with me. I hope you both have a good time kayaking since it is a great way to spend time in the Outdoors.

@islandbass My Wife joins me on all my fishing trips and I prefer fishing with her than fishing by myself or a friend. Finding a trustworthy fishing partner is not easy so it is best to fish with a loved one that is reliable and you can trust.

Welcome to the forum

The best fishing partner a man can have is his wife.

I have several hand written fishing journals. Some of the information I write is the following; 1. Location 2. Fish caught 3. Lure used ` 4. Weather

Well said @Captain Phil. Summer fishing can be hard as well since the temperature is often +90 degrees with +85% humidity with real feel temperatures of over 100 degrees. Like you I do well with reaction techniques in the Summer. Fishing in and around heavy aquatic vegetation is also productive. Any person that can do well in the Summer from public lands in South Florida will find northern bass fishing much easier. That is why it is best for Northerners to come to Florida during the Fall to early Spring when bass fishing is the easiest.

Fishing during and after cold fronts in Florida can be challenging that is for sure. Bass still have to eat so you can catch them. Slower techniques work well during this time. January is a great month to fish for bass in Florida.

Nice catch

I have fished for bass for several decades and I still enjoy catching bass regardless of how big they are. Have had days I caught trophy bass, days I caught over 100 bass, days I caught +30 pound 5 bass limits. I know that I can catch big fish whenever I want so I am in no rush to catch the next big fish. At this point in my life I fish to have fun and relax, that is all the motivation I need.

In my experience I found northern bass fishing to be much easier than bass fishing in South Florida. Florida strain largemouth bass are known for being harder to catch when compared to Northern strain largemouth bass.