soflabasser

It is in the low 60's right now where I am in South Florida. Give it a couple days and we will be in the 80's again. Seeing more northern license plates while driving as well so the winter snow bird season has officially started in South Florida.

I fish weightless flukes on a 6-7 foot medium heavy rod and size 4000 spinning reel. Seems to work well for me for both freshwater and inshore fluke fishing.

Thank you for posting this article @MickD. It makes sense that bass will die easier after being held in a live well for a while. A live well is a very small and stressful place for several bass to be crammed in especially after being hooked in the face and fighting for their life. Delayed mortality is a major problem with catch and release fishing (especially tournament fishing) and the more time the bass spends out of the lake the worse the chances of the bass surviving. I agree with you that the fish that go in a livewell are fish to eat. I will also consider putting a fish in a livewell if it might a break a state or world record since biologist need to examine the fish for official documentation. A smart phone is more than good enough to film a bass being weighed, measured, and for getting screenshots for pictures. I do not need glory pictures of a bunch of bass crammed in a livewell or messing up the jaws of the bass by holding too many bass at once.

Yes I caught 38 trout (1 of them was a Palomino trout) and my better half caught 4 trout which is a total of 42 trout in less than 4 hours of fishing. We caught them from land in public waters as well. I tend to do research for a couple months before going on vacation and that is why all my fishing vacations have been successful. I like to be prepared for my fishing trips and do not like doing things last minute. It was an experience I won't forget since they are beautiful fish and will consider going up north again for more trout fishing.

Last year I went on vacation up north and fished for rainbow trout for the first time. I went to a beautiful river that has stocked trout and also some native trout. Ended up catching 38 trout (1 of them was a Palomino trout) and my better half caught 4 trout for a total of 42 trout in less than 4 hours of fishing. A couple months later I went back up north and caught more trout. I learned that trout are much more line shy than bass and I did better with 6 pound test line than heavier line. I caught most of these trout on inline spinners and small crankbaits.

The human body is made to be active and regular exercise helps keep the body healthy. Pushups and other exercises helps me too when it comes to fishing. One of the most useful exercises that has made fishing much easier for me is heavy hammer dumbbell curls. I can fish all day and not worry about the rod being heavy. I find it easier to fish for bass or bigger species of fish when I have more than enough physical power and endurance for a full day for fishing.

I do most of my bass fishing with size 4000 spinning reels and medium heavy to heavy action rods. Use the same tackle for big snook which are far more powerful than any largemouth bass.

Congratulations on catching your first peacock bass. You fished a very good area for peacock bass and I am sure you will catch some big ones as time passes.

Thank you for posting this, I will consider visiting this spring if I visit the area. Looks like the freshwater springs I dived in Central/ Northern Florida. I fished a lake up north that was infested with Zebra mussels and the water visibility was +10 feet. I talked to some locals and they told me the water visibility use to be less than 5 feet before the zebra mussels came to this lake. This is a very good lake for many species of fish and I am sure there are fish eating the zebra mussels. A couple years ago I freedived in Catalina Island and got to swim with seals. Also saw a great white shark on the outside of a pinnacle's kelp forest. The water visibility was easily +80 feet the day I dived and I plan on visiting Catalina Island again since it was one of the most memorable dives I have done so far.

Jaws

Yes it feels like you are floating in air when the water visibility is +60 feet. I have been fortunate to have done freedive spearfishing in +100 feet visibility water and it is one of the most memorable moments I have had in the outdoors. Have freedived in Mexico, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and other locations and my favorite places to dive is the Florida Keys and various locations in South Florida.Have freedived a couple freshwater springs in Central/Northern Florida and the water visibility is often +60 feet and more in these springs.

Nice catches.

Interesting subject. I have done free diving in waters with +100 foot visibility in the ocean and it is something I recommend to anyone who enjoys being on the water. Fishing on top of a boat in clear water does not compare to diving in clear water since it is a very different experience. You will have to try it out to see for yourself since videos or pictures cannot capture the true beauty of diving in +100 foot water visibility. As for freshwater I have done free diving in South Florida lakes with +20 foot visibility which is more clear than anything I have seen in my travels up north. Blue Lake in New Zealand has water visibility up to 262 feet. There are a couple other places in the world with even better visibility (+300 feet) the last time I checked.

This is the best advice given so far. Sounds like you are ready to get a boat. Get one that makes both of you happy.

Welcome to the forum

Welcome to the forum @Kyphotix.South Florida is a fisherman's paradise so you should have a great time catching bass.

The best time to catch big bass in South Florida is the Winter and early Spring. This is usually the time I catch the most big bass so you best believe I am going to have a good time catching bass this winter.

I fished in mid 80 degree weather today and it was nice. I see on the news that many northern states are in the bitter cold winter now. Would be nice to ice fish for a couple days but would not be nice to live in a place with leafless trees and grey skies for a big portion of the year. Looks fun. Did you catch any lake trout, muskie, pike, or walleye?

I have experience kayaking in waters with alligators, crocodiles, dolphins, manatees, sharks, and other wildlife that scares most bass fishermen. I have freedived with these animals as well. They tend to leave you alone when you kayaking but it would be best to not kayak in areas with alligators if you are not comfortable kayaking with alligators. You might get scared, fall of the kayak, splash too much in fear, which might trigger the predatory instinct of alligators. Do not show fear when dealing with any predator and always remain calm. If that is too much then it would be best to not kayak in waters with alligators, especially alligators over 6 feet.

Welcome to the forum @elowejr51. Almost any canal in South Florida is loaded with peacock bass so you should have a great time fishing for peacock bass. There is no need to hire a guide for peacock bass since our canals have a thriving peacock bass fishery and these fish can be caught from the shore. The easiest way to catch peacock bass is with live bait such as shiners. I suggest you buy some shiners, put them in a bucket with an air pump, and you will have a good chance at catching peacock bass. Good lures to use for peacock bass are poppers, propbaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits, and jigs. Let me know if you need more help and I hope you and your grandson have a good time.

Congratulations on catching your first crappie from land. I have a feeling you will catch some nice ones in that lake.

Have eaten bass, they taste ok but I prefer hogfish, grouper, snapper, other saltwater fish.

LOL. On a serious note a good workout plan will make you stronger which will make bass fishing much easier.

I can curl 85's per hand but don't want to hurt myself. 70's per hand is more than enough weight and I often drop down to 50's if I want to do sets of 15-20 reps. You lift weights and has it made fishing easier for you?

I have caught the majority of my blue tilapia on bread, worms, and small jigs. Lots of people catch them with cast nets or bow fish for them. They are always changing the names of these cichlids so I won't be surprised if we see some new names in the next couple years. Most species of cichlids in South Florida are known for tasting good but I won't eat them since the canals are polluted. I highly recommend you visit South Florida and fish for freshwater exotics. You will have a blast catching them and there are over 25 species of freshwater exotics to choose from in South Florida. I agree eating them would not be the best idea since these canals tend to have many nasty chemicals in them. Better to go to the ocean for hogfish, lobster, grouper, snapper, snook,etc if your goal is to fish for food.