soflabasser

Florida has the best overall fishing in the USA that is for sure. That is one of the reasons why so many people travel to Florida every year to fish here. I have caught tarpon, snook, jack crevalle, ladyfish, mullets, and other saltwater fish in freshwater. These fish go wherever they want which is a nice surprise when you are bass fishing. Pound for pound a peacock bass is a much better fighter than a largemouth bass. There are many exotics that are much better fighters than largemouth bass.

Both of these comments contradict each other but I understand what you are trying to say. I agree on the part that you say the canals and rock pits having some of the best bass fishing in the USA. I have had +100 bass days, caught trophy bass, and caught +30 pound 5 bass limits all from public waters from land which shows how well the South Florida bass population is thriving regardless of how many exotic fish are here. The truth is these fish are coexisting well with each other. People from across the country travel to South Florida and spend lots of money to catch exotic fish so it helps the Florida economy.

Try fishing during the night.

I am not surprised that goldfish are being found in more locations. They are tougher than they look and are able to thrive in places other fish cannot. Lol we have several species of big exotic lizards, alligators, crocodiles, and caimans which is close enough. I am surprised you say it is hard to catch bass in South Florida since they are one of the easiest fish to catch. I am mostly a multi species fisherman and I catch lots of bass as bycatch, many of them are lunkers.

Welcome to the forum

It is the fisherman's responsibility to make sure the tackle is in good condition before they go fishing. Make sure to use quality hooks and learn how to set the hook, this will increase the amount of fish you land.

New Smrya Beach is known as the shark attack capital of the world. You should have a very good chance at catching a 8 foot or bigger shark there. I suggest you research how to safely land and release a shark before you go shark fishing. It is not as easy as it looks online and you have to be very careful around them. Every year people get bit since they do not take the time to learn how to safely land and release a shark.

When it comes to bass fishing nothing beats time on the water.

I often fish in +90 degree heat with +80% humidity and do well with soft plastic frogs, spinnerbaits, and other moving lures. Various soft plastics fished in and around heavy aquatic vegetation can be productive. You can also try night fishing since there is a good chance the bass will be biting at night time when the weather is very hot.

There is no such thing as a stupid question if the question you are asking is to learn something new. Stupid is people that think they know everything and never ask questions. With that said for pictures I like to hold the bass with one hand grabbing the mouth and the other hand supporting so the bass is horizontal. If possible try to keep the bass close to your body to show the true size of the bass. Some people like using wide angle lenses and hold the bass inches from the camera lens, I do not like doing that since it exaggerates the size of the bass. Make sure to release the bass as soon as possible so it can quickly recover.

It is impressive how an Ugly Stik rod can be over 40 years old and still catch nice sized fish.

It is best to take care of your fishing gear so you do not lose any fish due to the reel being damaged. I have reels that are over a decade old and they are in better condition than the spinning reel shown in this thread. These reels have caught very large saltwater fish so do not think a reel needs to be roughed up to show it has caught fish. In the end a reel's condition is the responsibility of the owner. If that person does not mind buying reel after reel then they can abuse the reel as much as they want.

I fish rocky places often and I try my best to not let the reel touch the rocks. What I do is put the rod under one arm and use my hands to remove the lure from the fish. This technique is easy to do and will help protect your rod and reel from damage from the rocks.

Glad to hear you are ok. Tornados are very dangerous and hard to predict when exactly they will occur. I lived through Hurricane Andrew and many other hurricanes. Have seen roads completely blocked by trees, canals flooded completely over the road, etc. It is not easy to deal with this when this happens but it is the price to pay for living in a state that everyone seems to visit or want to retire in. Beats dealing with freezing weather for more than half the year!

I have caught many bass on jerkbaits in weather similar to what you described.

I use a uni to uni knot when tying braid to a mono leader.

This subject reminds me of how many people started fishing last year because of the pandemic. Most of those people started fishing since they where bored not because they truly enjoy fishing. With time many of those people will quit fishing and they will jump on the next bandwagon of whatever hobby is trending at the moment. Fishing is a hobby you need patience for and patience is something that people that get bored easily tend to lack. With that said a percentage of these fishermen will be willing to work hard to become better bass fishermen and respect the environment, unlike the clowns that trash the shorelines and don't respect the fish.

For me the biggest game changer in bass fishing is me doing my best to learn from each fishing trip. By doing this I learned what the bass want much quicker than just going fishing. Just like in Sports you need a game plan if you want to do well.

Anyone can get lucky and catch a big bass once in a while. To catch big bass on a consistent basis you have to specifically target big bass and have enough talent to do it.

The snakes you show in your picture appear to be water snakes.

Congratulations on your new personal best muskie.

That fight with the jack crevalle must of been awesome, they are pound for pound one of the strongest fish in Florida. They do not jump like a tarpon but make up for it with amazing power and endurance. Barracuda are one of my favorite fish to catch on lures and the big ones easily take +100 feet of line from the reel in a couple seconds. You haven't truly experienced awesome topwater fishing until you hook into a big saltwater fish on topwater, the reel screams from how fast these fish peel line.

Congratulations on your new personal best bass. Hard to tell from a photo but I would say it is over 7 pounds maybe more. That is a very nice catch from land in South Florida, even better if it was in public waters. Next time measure the length and girth to get a weight estimate. The following formula is good for estimating the weight of a bass; Length X Length X Girth divided by 1200 = Estimated weight of a bass in pounds.

I agree with what @bulldog1935 says. I will add that you can get away with very light tackle from the beach but make sure to use leaders. With that said I have caught bull reds on 8 pound test line so you can catch very nice fish with light tackle while surf fishing.

Summer is a good time to fish for sharks from the beach. You do not need to hire a guide and can do well without one. A good place to fish for sharks is near inlets. Make sure to bring the appropriate tackle since sharks are far more powerful than any catfish you catch where you live. You will also need to get a shark fishing permit online which is very easy to do. Use a topshot, wire leader, and sharp inline circle hooks.