soflabasser

Micropterus salmoides

It was 87 degrees this past weekend in many places of South Florida.Its going to be one hot Summer from the looks of it.

Goes to show you that peacock bass are biting well this month!I agree with you that peacock bass are much more fun to catch than a largemouth bass.

Another vote for the Rat-L-Trap.

Yes there is less muskies than there is northern pike that's for sure.Muskies are indeed more difficult to catch and I know of guys from up north that haven't caught a muskie(especially one that is +40" ) but have caught plenty of northern pike.Muskies might not be as difficult to catch as a permit from land,but they are not easy either.Both muskie and pike are fun to catch and I personally would be spending less time on bass and more time muskie fishing if I lived up north.

Sounds good.This month and the next 2 months should be very good fishing for trophy bass all throughout Florida.

I highly reccomend you visit South Florida so you can catch peacock bass and other exotic fish.

Lake Okeechobee is a great place for anyone to get a new PB of +8 pounds

Every day that you get the opportunity to fish is a good day.

The northern pike are a relatively easy fish to catch according to what most people say.Muskies are not so easy though and these fish provide a much better challenge.

Have you caught Muskies on topwater lures?These fish are a blast to catch.They remind me of the barracudas we have down here and both fish share similar attributes when it comes to how they hunt their prey.

Yes I have a couple videos of me freediving for fish,lobster,etc and some shark fishing.

Bill Lewis Rat - L Trap

Thank you for posting this video, I have seen this video before and have seen bass with soft plastics coming out of the mouth or their anus. Lots of bass fishermen fish with senkos down here and many of those bass fishermen do not realize that bass can(and will) swallow senkos.Goes to show that these soft plastics aren't as safe for the bass as some may think.

We have been having a warmer than usual winter down here as well,with many days of +80 degree weather.Last weekend I saw several peacock bass bedding,which is something I haven't seen in a February before in +2 decades of fishing(peacock bass usually start bedding in late March/April when the water is warm).Also saw a couple of largemouth bass bedding in the same body of water along with peacock bass bedding.This Sunday's forecast for Miami is 86 degrees which is well above average for this time of year. With that said, the largemouth and peacock bass fishing has been exceptionally good this month, so I am liking this weather.

You can change the guides yourself,its a relatively easy thing to do.Lot's of instructional videos of wrapping guides on YouTube.No need to cut down the rod if the blank is not damaged.

Shimano makes plenty of spinning reels for less than $100 each. I have a couple of these and they have helped me catch plenty of big fish both in freshwater and saltwater.

It might be worth trying ice fishing in that pond since you might be able to get to areas you usually would not be able to get to when fishing from the shore. Fishing tends to be good after the ice melts from my understanding, so it should be a good time to target the big bass in that pond.

Good subject. I use monofilament line for many types of fishing that I do, both in freshwater and saltwater.This means that I can be using mono to catch fish that are less than 2" inches long(micro fishing) or use mono for +8 foot sharks that weigh a couple hundred pounds. Mono has much better abrasion resistance than braid, especially when you are fishing in a rocky area.With that said, my favorite mono overall is Berkeley Big Game monofilament line.

He's probably taking a break from the internet and spending more of his time fishing.

Nice report.I see the bass are doing what they want in Virginia with complete disregard that its winter time.The peacock bass are not following the rules down here either for the past couple weeks.Its supposed to be "winter" down here and I have spent the last 2 weekends catching lots of quality sized peacock bass.Goes to show you the fish do what they want and all we can do is adapt to it.

Have you tried ice fishing in that pond?

Another example of something that I do that is considered blasphemy by some bass fishermen is that I went peacock bass fishing this weekend.Yes it's February and some "experts" say it's not "hot enough" for the peacock bass to bite...... guess what happened?I ended up catching lots of peacock bass,including some biggins(best 5 peacock bass limit weighed well over 20lbs).I went the weekend before with similar results so its safe to say the peacock bass are biting in South Florida,even if its not in the middle of July with +90 degree weather.Goes to show you that its best to think outside the box,and not be a closed minded bass fisherman.

I have caught bass on topwaters in every hour of the day and in some of the worst possible conditions possible for top water and still catch bass. I keep a open mind and always think outside the box,since it's what has helped me catch +8 pound bass in some highly pressured waters where most people would consider a waste of time to fish.

Using spinning gear for all my techniques. I also use spinning gear for frogs,it works quite well contrary to what many "pros" say.