soflabasser

Saw this video a couple days ago.That man is very fortunate the kangaroo didn't give him a whopping and decided to run away.All the kangaroo had to do is kick the man in midsection and that man would have been down for the count.

You remind me of my little cousin,he's been obsessed in fishing for big bass ever since I helped him catch his first big bass last year.He fishes almost every day and already caught a +8 pounder from land in less than a year of seriously bass fishing(he lives in the Lakeland area,so he is surrounded by big bass). I am going to tell you the same thing I told my little cousin about fishing for big bass...the most important attribute you need to have is to be persistent and understand that targeting trophy bass is difficult,no matter how good you are.Dont give up and do your best to learn something new on every single fishing trip you have.Write down all successful fishing trips(date,what lure you used to catch the big bass,weather conditions,moon phase,where you caught the bass,what depth you caught the bass,etc).This information will help you learn how to be more consistent in the long run,so its worth it.Don't forget to have fun in the process and give yourself breaks in bass fishing(fish for something else, practice another hobby,etc) so you don't burn out. With that said there is no 100% guaranteed lure that will catch you a +8 pound bass or better on each trip.Every body of water is different and every day is different, so what might work today might not work tomorrow.A swimbait might catch you a big bass one day and then not catch you any bass for several trips.A small hollow body frog might catch you a bunch of small bass,but one day might catch your next PB. Be patient, be willing to put in your time, and you will eventually catch the big bass you are after.

8-12lb mono is what I mostly use for bass when fishing with jerkbaits. I use heavier mono when jerkbait fishing in saltwater since the saltwater fish I target are much more powerful than bass.

I don't fish for nesting bass anymore, but there was a time I did and mostly used jigs with crawfish trailers.Bass hate crawfish near nest.

Good advice. It's significantly more important to know how to read a body of water well than what specific gear a bass fisherman uses. I agree with you 100%.

Where in Sarasota area do you plan on going bass fishing too?Is the water clear or murky?Are you fishing from the bank or boat?Are you after numbers of bass,only big bass,or are you happy with whatever you can catch?I mostly fish the South Florida area,but have done ok fishing the West Coast of Florida using the same lures I use down here. Here is a list of lures that you can try and see which one they want on a specific day.Make sure to try different retrieves until the bass let you know what they want; Hollow Body Frog Buzzbait Spinnerbait Crankbait Lipless crankbait Jerk bait Swimbait Senko Fluke Trick worm Ribbon tail worm Jig

I have seem bass spawn sometime between November-April in the places I fish in South Florida.I haven't seen any nest this December ,but I am catching typical pre spawn females for the past 2 weeks.

Small bodies of water often have big fish so it's possible there might be some big bass or pike there.The people taking out the biggest fish are not helping that's for sure,but they are entitled to keep their catches as long as they have fishing licenses and are following fishing regulations. Just saw a couple videos of people catching big muskie while ice fishing with small ice fishing rods,looks fun.

Welcome to Bass Resource.

Maybe he caught one after you left.Its surprising how big of a fish can come out of a hole in the ice,especially since these holes look small in relation to the size of the fish.

I have seen videos of people catching big muskie,pike,lake trout, sturgeon and other big fish while ice fishing. Definitely a type of fishing I plan on doing in one of my next vacations.

Haven't tried this weighted hook either. Hopefully someone with extensive experience with dangle berry rigs chimes in.

I agree with the 2 members above. I don't see the advantage of this type of weighted hook over a traditional swimbait hook.There are swimbait hooks that are weighted as light as 1/8 ounce ,which are good for flukes, horny toads, small swimbaits, etc.

If I lived up North I would do ice fishing. Seems like a unique way to fish and you can definitely catch decent sized fish this way.

I agree with you,too many times people hold bass out of water way to long to take an excessive amount of pictures.No surprise that many of these bass die this way (either right after the release or short time after).Its best to take pictures quickly and release the bass ASAP.

Sounds a lot like the public parks I fish. Most people complain that the fishing isn't good,yet somehow I catch lots of quality to big sized bass in these parks.

Nice, how's the hiking in that area,do you have to hike up a hill or mountainside? South Florida is mostly flat so most of the hiking I do is in areas where there is no real road with trees growing everywhere in the path.

Where's the boonies?You mean places that are in the middle of nowhere?Those places can be quite good,especially when the bite is on.

Sounds like a good idea.

Haven't fished the jointed shad rap yet, but the regular jointed minnow is another of my favorite Rapalas. That guy must of been so salty after you out fished him! Lol

I honestly haven't fished much with chatterbaits, but my cousin in Lakeland does quite well with them so they are definitely a good lure to use in South Florida. I got Rapalas that are so beat up that they look like they got dragged behind a car, still fish these old Rapalas on special occasions. It's hard to only pick one type of Rapala as my favorite since they work so well, but the Rapala X-Rap is definitely in my top 5. They also work quite well for Saltwater fish down here,so it's a very good multi species lure to have.

^this^ Out of all the big bass I have caught the one that I am most proud of is a +10 pounder I caught from the shore in a extremely pressured body of water.This place gets hit hard by hundreds(if not thousands) of fishermen every year,so the big bass have learned to avoid most fishermen.This is a place where most think there's no big bass, so never underestimate the potential size of bass in public waters. Those who are willing to go the extra mile are usually the ones who are most consistent in bass fishing. I also go bass fishing to relax and not socialize with random fishermen on the water.The times I am fishing with someone else is most likely with my better half,family, and close friends.

Buzzbaits are awesome nightime lures to use,especially near aquatic vegetation, or anywhere bass are in relatively shallow water. I am very fond of Rapalas and have a big collection of them like you do as well.Most of them are missing paint (from all the fish that bit them),but I do have a couple Rapalas in unopened packages.

For spinnerbaits and buzzbaits I like using Booyah,Strike King and for jerkbaits I like using Rapala.

Thanks @Yeajray231. The lure recommendations you gave are good,I would add spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and buzzbaits to the list.