soflabasser

Reading some of the responses here makes me appreciate how grateful I am that my family raised me to not be afraid of wildlife while I am in the outdoors. I have dived both in freshwater with alligators and saltwater with sharks so I know a thing or two about being close to wildlife compared to someone who just fishes from a boat or on the shore. Yes you have to respect dangerous wildlife but not fear it like so many people do. You need to understand the biology of these animals and avoid them when they are most aggressive (alligator mating season for example). Being knowledgeable about the wildlife around me makes fishing much more enjoyable for me since I do not fear every animal that is near me and I can focus my efforts where it really matters which is catching more big bass from the bank. I often wade to release my bass, have wade fished for bass, and wade fish both in freshwater and saltwater. You need to know what you are doing and if you do you will be ok. Don't wade fish during alligator mating season and don't wade fish in water with less than 10 feet visibility. Pay attention to your surroundings at all times. If an alligator is showing his back and shows other aggressive body language then it would probably be best to leave the area and fish somewhere else.

Glad I was raised to be a man that is not afraid of wildlife, knows how to fish, hunt, and live off the land if needed. Makes being in the outdoors much more enjoyable that is for sure!

It is a well known fact that some bass caught in tournaments die since the fishermen did a bad job keeping the bass alive. It also does not help that they keep 5 bass in a small livewell with little space to swim for several hours (often +6 hours). There is a YouTuber who recently discussed this in his Youtube video comment section since he has a job to keep the bass alive during weigh ins and he says it is common to see floaters after they ''release'' the bass. Same thing happens all across the nation in bass fishing tournaments. Nothing new and it will continue as long as people stuff 5 bass in a little livewell for several hours. They should at least give the dead bass away to those who will eat them instead of them going to waste.

Welcome to the forum

It is true that not all bass survive after being released and that is something we need to accept as bass fishermen. You might have released all your bass but that is not a 100% guarantee some of those bass died within a couple days from the stress of being caught. Research delayed mortality in bass fishing to know more about this subject. Also do you fish with soft plastics? Bass are known to eat soft plastic lures and slowly starve from having their intestines clogged with soft plastics. Earlier this month I caught a bass that vomited a senko and a zoom ultra vibe speed worm from a careless fisherman that most likely threw these lures into the water or lost them.

Saw some pictures of the placed you dived in, it has very clear water for freshwater. Not sure which is my favorite dive, I have many. There are a couple reefs in the keys which are absolutely gorgeous with extremely clear water, corals, and thousands of fish all around me when I dive there. Also like diving freshwater springs in Central/ Northern Florida.

It never hurts to ask so I say go for it! Worse thing is he says no to your offer and if he says no you can always research online a better deal than anything he offers in his store. It is your hard earned money so shop wisely and do not waste more than you have to. It would be in his best interest to say yes since that rod has not moved for years like you said, he will still be making profit, and he will keep you happy as a long term customer.

I have +20 years experience in freediving both freshwater and saltwater bodies of water and agree with the scuba divers above about thermoclines. These thermoclines often have colder, clearer water on the bottom and murkier, warmer water on the top. What is one of your favorite dives that you have done?

I am a member of a swimbait forum and know many members on that forum that have expensive swimbaits yet they never caught a bass over 8 pounds, let alone one over 10 pounds. Also know of many people who have caught several bass over 8 pounds on lures worth less than 10 dollars. This means you do not really need high end swimbaits to catch big bass and what is more important is where you fish and how you fish a lure. With that said there are plenty of decent swimbaits for under $25 but you have to put in your time if you expect to catch any big bass on these swimbaits.

You can use a 3/4 ounce lipless crankbait in shallow water just be careful not to get snagged on the bottom or other stuff. Good choice if you are looking for a bigger bite compared to smaller lipless crankbaits.

Thanks everyone for the responses about using a casting blank for a spinning rod. I might consider another custom rod in the future but for now I will stick to my inshore rods for bass. They cost 1/3 to 1/2 the price of many custom rods that I researched and these inshore rods seem to do very well for my preferred techniques.

I remember reading on another forum that said where you put the rod guides on the rod spine supposedly affects the performance of the rod. People on that forum where rod builders and they also said that you cannot use a casting blank for a spinning rod. Responses seem to be different on this forum and many members here say its ok to use a casting blank for a spinning rod.

Have caught a couple smallmouth bass, they seem to have some decent fillets on them. Maybe I will give them a try the next time I fish up north along with yellow perch and other fish.

Our 9-10 pounders can be anywhere from 4 years old to over 10 years old. Have read that northern strain largemouth bass live longer and grow much slower than Florida strain largemouth bass, so that is more reason to let go 5 pound or better bass in northern waters. What is your opinion on how smallmouth bass taste? Do they taste better than largemouth bass?

There are times that reaction bite techniques get you bass when other techniques do not work, so it is always a good idea to keep a open mind when it comes to how you retrieve your lure.

Maybe the bass in your area taste better than the bass in South Florida. Down here bass have a muddy or grassy taste, especially when they are over 5 pounds. That is one of the reasons why I focus more on saltwater fish when it comes to keeping fish. I will consider keeping a bass the next time I fish up north, especially if the bass comes from clean water.

You have walleye in your state which is a decent tasting fish. A couple months ago I caught a walleye on vacation up north and I kept it for dinner. It tasted good since I put it on ice, made fillets, and cooked it in less than 3 hours of being caught. Not as good as hogfish but better than store bought tilapia.

Have eaten a couple largemouth bass before and they are ok at best. I rather practice catch and release bass fishing, especially for big bass. When it comes to eating fish I prefer keeping hogfish, grouper, snapper, snook, lobster, and other seafood I catch since saltwater fish taste much better than freshwater fish.

30 pound test braid is what I use for most of my frogging and rarely do I use 50 pound braid for frogging. I do use 50 pound braid for some flipping, pitching, swimbaits, and other applications where I feel it is needed. Open water is different and you can get away with 8 pound test mono if you know what you are doing and you can get the bass away from structure.

Welcome to the forum

Congratulations to your new personal best bass.

You are incorrect. I use the uni knot and uni to uni knot which are well known for being strong, dependable knots. Have been fishing for over 24 years for both freshwater and saltwater fish so I know a thing or two about which lines can handle abuse and which lines cannot. Mono is by far the best when it comes to abrasion resistance, knot strength, and overall use. Have caught sharks that weigh several hundred pounds and other strong fighting fish (not just bass which barely fight) on mono, fluorocarbon has failed to impress me. My favorite mono is Big Game since it has very good abrasion resistance and has a reasonable price unlike many overhyped fishing lines. Experienced multi species fishermen (freshwater and saltwater fishing not just midwest freshwater fishing) tend to agree that mono is the best overall line. Braid has its place in heavy aquatic vegetation but mono is still king for overall applications. As for being flamed for liking mono it means nothing to me since I am consistently catching bass 8 pounds and above every year on mono while others struggle with 6 pounders and below on braid. 30 pound braid can be good for frogging but many prefer 50-65 pound braid, especially when fishing for big bass in heavy aquatic vegetation. Mono still wins when it comes to abrasion resistance and overall fishing for both freshwater/saltwater applications.

Welcome to the forum

You will have you heart broken if you try fishing that way down here in heavy aquatic vegetation for big bass. You might get lucky every once in a while but you run the risk of having a +8 pound bass snap your 15 pound braid since these big bass tend to dig deep into the aquatic vegetation. You need at least 30 pound braid for this type of fishing and many Florida fishermen use 50-65 pound braid to pull out the bass from these places.

Monofilament is the best overall line. Flourocarbon is well known for knot failure and seems to be less durable than monofilament. Braid is good for fishing in aquatic vegetation but gets cut too easily when fishing in rocky areas and other types of abrasive cover.