soflabasser

Isn't it odd that so many people catch these state record or world record fish but they document it terribly and let the fish go? I am sorry but if I catch a state record bass I am going to try to keep it alive and call the DNR as soon as possible for official documentation. I understand that some people do catch some records for lesser known species and not report it but not for well known fish like largemouth and smallmouth bass.

I use to think the scale tells the final answer but I am starting to doubt it for some catches. There is a guy that fishes the same body of water I do and he is always bragging to me about the +10 pound or better bass he catches. Last one he showed me was barely 23 inches in length with a girth under 18 inches. He has a picture with the bass being weighed and the scale does indeed say +10 pounds..sorry but I am not buying it. The smallest double digit bass I caught was over 25 inches in length and it was a very thick and muscular bass. Have caught bass over 27 inches in length and some barely weighed 9 pounds. That is why I dont take bass weighed on scales too seriously anymore and take length,girth, and weighed on scales pictures more seriously when it comes to a bass that weighs over 8 pounds.

Caught a crappie as bycatch this past summer in Broward county from land where they usually are hard to catch. Usually catch them in West Palm Beach/around Lake Okeechobee and I can catch them every month of the year if I want to. These crappie are in areas with running water next to manmade structure and bite best at nighttime during the Summer.

This is at least the second time this year someone catches a 9 pound smallmouth bass and many people question it. Is it really 25 inches and does he have a length measuring picture to prove it? I wonder if the scales these guys use are bad and why they do not take pictures of the length and girth of the smallmouth bass? I know a guy down here that makes similar claims and told me he caught a +10 pound bass yet it only measures 23 inches with a girth under 18 inches..it is safe to say he and others like him need a new scale!

Yes you can catch crappie from the shore. I catch crappie in South Florida in areas with running water and catch them on crappie jigs,jerks baits,live minnows,etc.

Lipless crankbaits are good lures to use down here as well. Might give them a try this weekend since the conditions are looking very good for fishing.

Thank you for recommending me the Z-Man Nedlockz jigheads. I will do some research on them and might get them for my next trip up north. I caught most of the smallmouth bass on Ned rigs by hopping the jig on the rocky bottom. As expected the jig will get stuck between the rocks every once in a while and the hook would often come back bent from pulling very little. I am use to fishing much larger and stronger hooks here in South Florida compared to such tiny little hooks like the Z-man jigs. Did not lose a single smallmouth to jumping when I caught them on crankbaits and swimbaits but did lose a couple to the Z-Man jig hooks. It will be a learning curve that is for sure but it is nothing compared to the learning curve of hooking a tarpon on a lure, which is much more challenging than catching smallmouth bass on a lure.

Yes I would fish that creek with a Ned rig, crankbaits, swimbaits, spinnerbait, inline spinner, etc. Choose the correct size for the place you are fishing in.

Thank you @NYWayfarer. Yes I had a great time catching smallmouth bass. I caught a total of 13 smallmouth bass and 11 northern strain largemouth bass, all from land from a flooded river. Also caught muskie, walleye,and other northern species of fish in my fishing vacation up north. Ned rigs are good for picky smallmouth bass where I was fishing but I noticed that the hookup to land ratio was not very good with ned rigs compared to other lures I use.The hooks are very small and break easily when you bend them back to shape as well. I will still fish with ned rigs when I fish northern rivers but prefer other lures since they have a better hook to landing ratio for me.

My current PB largemouth bass is 12.25 pounds and I caught it from land in South Florida. One of my mentors has a PB of almost 15 pounds, also caught from land in South Florida.Most bass I caught in 1 day was 149 bass from land.4-7 pounders are a normal catch for me and I catch 8 pound or better bass often whenever I stop fishing for other species of fish and focus on largemouth bass. 10 pound or better bass are a rare fish in South Florida but that has more to do with thermal burnout and that bass don't live as long in South Florida compared to Central/North Florida.This summer was one of the best bass fishing summers I had. On 1 of the days this summer my top 5 bass where over 115 inches combined length. The top 5 bass for one of those months was over 117 inches. There are many other bass fishermen that catch bigger bass and more bass than me in South Florida so it is safe to say we have a great bass fishery down here.I feel that the exotics has made our fisheries better since we have more selection of fish to choose from.Fishing for largemouth bass only gets boring quickly for me and I like the challenge other species present.Fishing for freshwater exotics is a multi million dollar industry in South Florida and people from all over the world come here to catch peacock bass,clown knifefish, bullseye snakehead, jaguar guapote, midas cichlids, and other exotics we have. I would not trade the amazing fishery we have in South Florida for anywhere else!

One of my favorite topwaters is a Rebel Pop-R.

Do not underestimate finesse techniques when it comes to catching picky bass. I probably should of written a smallmouth bass fishing report earlier but later is better than never. Here is my smallmouth bass fishing report for early October 2018; For the past couple years I have seen many BassResource members talking about how good the ned rig was so I finally gave in and bought a bunch of ned rig jigs and ned rig soft plastics. I tried them in my local Florida waters and caught some fish but was not impressed until I went up north for smallmouth bass. I was fishing in a flooded river and the smallmouth bass where being picky.Caught 1 smallmouth on a spinnerbait and that was it until I decided to try the ned rig for the first time for smallmouth bass. I ended catching 12 smallmouth bass in less than 2 hours of fishing in a flooded river, which is much harder to fish than fishing in low water conditions.The ned rig has become a confidence bait for me and I plan on using it whenever I fish northern rivers.

I store my crankbaits in size 3700 Plano tackle boxes.

Earlier this month I had a very talented local fisherman teach me his techniques on how to catch catfish in a flooded river.I plan on using the techniques he taught me the next time I fish for river catfish.

Went up north earlier this month and did great with northern species such as muskie,walleye,smallmouth bass,etc. Have done well with bass in South Florida this month and expect the fishing to get better since its the prespawn period in South Florida now. What helps me is that I do research in advance of where I am fishing and experiment with different techniques until I find what works.

Nice catches. Looks like you found a very good spot in the lake you fish.

Kayaking is a excellent form of cardiovascular exercise that is for sure. It can present a challenge to anyone from those who just started working out to those who are advanced. It is one of my favorite ways to workout besides powerlifting,running,and cycling.

Welcome to the forum

Congratulations on your new personal best bass.

Welcome to the forum

Welcome to the forum

I agree that it is wrong to kill an animal just because they are not native to the environment. I only kill fish that I will eat, give to someone else to eat, or use as bait. Leaving rotting bullseye snakeheads by the bank or throwing them in the water is also a bad idea since a rotting fish carcass is a disgusting thing to see and a rotting fish carcass in the water takes away oxygen from the water.The canals that bullseye snakehead live in are polluted with many nasty chemicals such as methylmercury so it would be best to not eat these fish. You can go online and check the FWC recommendations on eating fish from South Florida canals. The pollution is so bad that FWC tells pregnant woman to avoid eating predator fish from many South Florida canals and other bodies of water. I do not know about you but my health is #1 for me and I refuse to affect my health by eating snakeheads from polluted canals (I ate a snakehead I caught once and I regret eating it since it was not that good). Most of the bullseye snakeheads in South Florida are in the C-14 canal and canals connected to it. I often catch more bass than snakeheads when fishing for snakeheads and many of those bass are in the 18-22'' range which is very good for a canal system in South Florida. I have seen largemouth bass and peacock bass attack and eat bullseye snakehead babies so snakehead are nowhere near the apex predator of the canal systems.The tarpon, snook, peacock bass, and largemouth bass are better predators than bullseye snakehead.

Welcome to the forum

Lots of northern bass fishermen prefer to fish in the early afternoon during the winter since the water has had time to warm up.

Willow blades work great in South Florida where the water is clear. I agree. I use 12 pound test big mono for most of my spinnerbait fishing and do well. I tried various brands of flourocarbon for spinnerbait fishing and I was not impressed. Flourocarbon seems to break easier than big game mono. I will stick to big game mono when it comes to spinnerbait fishing.