soflabasser

A barramundi is much more similar to a snook than a bass so I will compare barramundi to snook. Both snook and barramundi are apex predators with similar ways they hunt prey. Both are fish that can live in fresh, brackish, or saltwater. Both have a highly developed lateral line so sensitive that they can locate and bite a lure on the darkest of nights. We can talk more about the science of the lateral line but what matters most is knowing that both snook and barramundi can track down a lure at night, in murky water, and other low visibility conditions. Both fish are master ambush predators so you need to know how to read structure and how these fish relate to it.

Most people would consider that upper middle age. Anyone 65 or older is what is generally considered ''old age'' by most people. Plenty of +65 year olds that run marathons, have +1000 pound powerlifting totals, and other athletic feats so it is not how old you are but how well you take care yourself that matters most when you reach an advanced age. I do not care much for golf either and the golf course ponds is the only thing I might care about on a golf course. Even then I will never waste a penny in a golf course membership since I am surrounded by very good public water fisheries.

Sounds like he is fishing with baitcasting gear which is well known for line tangles. That is why I prefer fishing with spinning gear. I rather focus my efforts on catching lots of fish than deal with bass baitcasters.

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Saw the video. Hopefully the state finds a solution that keeps the waterways open and at the same time does not negatively affect the native wildlife.

Too bad you can not buy skill, that you have to earn with experience and hard work which many people are not willing to do. As for having expensive gear I say go for it if it makes you happy just do not expect to out fish your buddy who fishes harder than you do with his ''cheap to moderately priced gear'' that he knows how to use very well. I have seen more Lexus on the side of the road having car problems and rarely see Toyotas on the side of the road. More people drive Toyotas where I live so it is surprising to see so many Lexus having problems. Maybe those Lexus owners do not take care of their car or it is not such a reliable car to begin with?

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The level of bass fishing skill you have and where you fish is far more important than what fishing equipment you own. I know many guys that have top notch gear yet catch average quality fish and those with regular level gear and they catch fish that the average bass fisherman dreams of catching.

I have known many people that fit the description you said, they are not true fishermen and just people following whatever current fad hobby they have at that time in their life. Those same people seem to put too much emphasis on what gear they own, too much emphasis on fishing tournaments, and not enough emphasis on the actual catching bass and relaxing in the outdoors part which is by far more important. I have had many moments in my life when I was extremely busy and still found time to fish, even if it means fishing for only 30-60 minutes at a time every once in a while. I found it easy to learn how to fish rivers but it might be since I have lots of experience fishing South Florida canal systems, spillways, and inlets which is more difficult to fish than rivers. Some people seem to enjoy competing against others more than actually catching fish so it is no surprise those type of people burnout at a quicker rate than someone who just fishes for fun.

Sounds like he might be set in his old ways and might think too much of himself. You offered help and he did not take it which is the opposite of what he should of done. Fishing is a hobby that you can learn something from anybody and there is nobody that knows everything there is to know about fishing. Do not let him out fish you since it will give him false confidence which is a bad thing if you really want him to become a better fisherman. Besides I would hate if someone is going easy on me just to let me win, that is not a true win. Fish harder next time you guys go fishing and hopefully he will be humble enough to learn from you and not be so grumpy.

I have caught several 8 pound or better bass in the Summer but it is much easier to catch them during October-April. The bass in the TrophyCatch program is a small percentage of the trophy bass that are caught every year in Florida. Many people do not submit catches and there have been many reliable reports in the past of people catching +18 pounders that they never submitted to the state for official state recognition. With that said 5 pounders are a dime a dozen even in South Florida and anyone can catch a bass of that size so it should be relatively easy for someone to catch 5-6 pounders in Florida on vacation.

You do not have to hire a guide to fish the Everglades and there are plenty of public places you can fish from land and do well. December is a great time to fish in the Everglades. Yes I catch peacock bass in every month of the year so you should be able to catch some. Get a couple dozen shiners or use poppers, jerkbaits, crankbaits, etc.

The Everglades does have plenty of quality sized bass but it is more well known as a numbers fishery and might be the best place in the nation to catch +100 bass in 1 day. Hollow belly frogs, spinnerbaits, and various soft plastics are some of the lures I do well with.

Welcome to the forum. The fish you are holding is a northern strain largemouth bass.

Your home state has plenty of 5 pound or better bass so you do not have to leave the state to break your personal best bass. If your goal to catch a 10 pound or better bass in the USA then it is worth traveling to Florida, Georgia, Texas, or California. Lake Biwa in Japan is easily in the top 5 best places to catch the next 20 pound or better bass, along with Mexico, Cuba, South Africa, and other places.

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I have caught +8 pounders that hit hard and immediately pulled drag. Given strong hooksets and had big bass jump like a wannabe tarpon, other times the bass don't jump until the end. Big bass do whatever they want and a good bass fisherman understands that and instead focuses on how to catch the next big bass and not worry about what does not matter.

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Another tip...find someone who is very good at big bass fishing in your area and become their friend. Go fishing with your friend and learn from them while actually fishing not just reading about it. That will help you improve much faster than reading about bass fishing on the internet.

Rainbow trout are native to the NorthWestern USA/some parts of Northern Asia and brown trout are native to Europe. Both rainbow and brown trout are on the top 100 list of most invasive species of the world. Snakeheads are not even on that list which goes to show you that rainbow trout and brown trout are more damaging to places there are not native to, yet very few people talk about how invasive trout are. Common carp are another species of fish on that list and many people like fishing for them in the USA. Peacock bass are native to South America and where deliberately introduced by Florida's DNR so they can eat various ''invasive'' fish. Those same ''invasive'' fish are still here and thriving along with dozens of species of freshwater fish, including big largemouth bass which are very common in South Florida. These exotic fish are here to stay and the best thing to do is learn how to appreciate these exotics since many people pay thousands of dollars to travel to South Florida to catch these fish.

I have caught at least 1 albino Oscar and a handful of luntino Oscars in all the years I have fished for them in South Florida. Most of the Oscars varieties I catch have regular colors which is also beautiful. You would love fishing in the Everglades since it is filled with Oscars. Most of the Oscars I catch weigh around 0.5-1.5 pounds but I have caught several giants weighing over 2 pounds. They will hit the same lures you use for bass but I prefer to downsize my lure selection since Oscars have small mouths. If you really want to have fun with the Oscars you can use 6 pound test mono. You will catch lots of bycatch fishing this way which means you will have a memorable fishing trip catching lots of species of fish.

Glad to see there are many educated members that are not biased and fall for the witch hunt against snakeheads and other exotic fish. The vast majority of studies have shown that snakeheads do not have the negative impact on bass populations as erroneously thought in the past. I grew up in South Florida and can tell you from personal experience that bass populations are healthy in the places I fish for snakehead. Average size bass I catch in snakehead waters is 1-4 pounds, and I have caught several bass over 5 pounds, which is a respectable size bass in any body of water. Same can be said for the South Florida population of bullseye snakehead.

Pat Cullen is one of the best trophy bass fishermen that has ever lived and he caught +1,100 bass over 10 pounds on buzz baits during the night. He fished in Georgia but his techniques will work well during the summer in shallow lakes. Swimbaits work well during the night but you need lots of patience to fish with these lures. Be patient, fish hard, and eventually you will catch a new personal best bass.

Nice trout and smallmouth bass.

1. Put in your time on the water 2. Fish at night with topwaters such as buzz baits, wake baits, hollow belly frogs, etc. 3. Live bait 4. Finesse techniques 5. Big swimbaits 6. Have the mindset that you are targeting the top 10% biggest bass of where you fish and that you might not get many bites but when you do it will be a bass worth your time.