N Florida Mike

It looks like 5-6 pounds to me.

My go -to colors are Watermelon seed , ,watermelon red., watermelon.slice, .June bug, red shad. Green pumpkin, esp. With a chartruese tail. A newer color that yum came out with is Alabama craw. Sort of a june bug on one side and pumkin on the other. Bass love it ! I have caught fish on most colors but these do the best for me in the moderatelystained to clear waters I fish. In dark, tannic stained waters I do best with black, black grape or June bug.(;which makes it a very versatile color ) I believe colors do matter, depending on water clarity and forage color.

Have y'all noticed the majority of TV commercials nowdays are either selling drugs or promoting lawsuits. I mute them now when I notice them coming on. It's like people are so caught up with their illnesses and desire for riches they either need to take drugs or sue somebody to be happy. To me, I'd rather deal with the illness ( supposed or real ) , than deal with all the dang side effects from the drugs ! And earn a honest living so I can sleep at night ! These commercials reveal what many Americans are struggling with ! Pain ( not just physical ) and greed !

Caught it in July. Could be the heat but I once caught another one about the same size that I noticed while bank fishing. Every few minutes she would swoop through and nab another bream or shiner. When I hooked her it was like reeling in a partially deflated wet basketball. Little fight and dead weight.

Happy for ya @Catt !!

Crawfish ! We just used worms. And never see another person fishing all day. We'd rent a boat on the Folkston side. Did y'all ever catch any bass in there ? We didn't.

Exactly. I haven't been in years, but the okefenokee is full of warmouth and gators. Don't go in the summer though - you'll get eaten alive by yellow flies.! I saw a 12 ft gator eat a big mudfish my son's friend had hooked and pulled up on a mud bank. He was fixing to jump down and unhook it when that Gator suddenly came up and gulped it down.

That's it. I've fished in Florida all my life but never had one bite a soft plastic bait, which is mainly what I use. I have only hooked 1 gator in my life, which ate a bream I had on the line.He was a very heavy bodied 7-8 footer and never knew he was " on the line " before he slowly swam off and broke off.

They pull harder ! Most of the big bass I've caught will also immediately try to jump, and will make a run coming up to get out of the water. If they are too big and can't jump they still try and at least get a good head shake or two in. I believe a fish that has just gorged itself won't fight as hard. I caught an 8.1 last year that I thought was a 4 pounder . It was a wimpy fight for a fish that big.

I just Google earth areas. In the Jax area there are hundreds of ponds. Having lived In the area all my life, I am pretty sure where I can fish and not have a problem. Have been asked to leave a few times in my life. Have never had the police come.Which is a feat in itself, considering all the ponds I tried as a teen and young man.

I've been wading most of my life here in Florida. Especially the St John's river. Have only been skeered once or twice of Gators. Or the Alligator snappin turtles , lol. I saw one bite a bream in half off a stringer a friend had on his belt. Another friend felt a tug on a stringer of fish he was cleaning, and when he pulled it up there was a big cottonmouth hanging on. One time 2 nine foot Gators came out , one in front and one behind me. They weren't trying to get me, I obviously didn't look like like a food source ? Giving you the short version of that story though , but it ended after dark ?. It's just something I grew up with. We did a lot of things in the woods and swamps we could have died or got hurt from back then. And a lot of it barefoot !! I don't do much wading anymore in the river. Getting lazy. Don't know if I'd advise anyone to do what I did. But so far so good....

You got that right !?

I have never noticed wind direction making a difference with bass fishing. Wind SPEED, now that's a different story. I have never done well during a south west wind in salt water though.

I re read your post and saw Orange park. I know a few ponds there. Do you have a boat or kayak ?

What part of town ?

My dad got me started, fishing with him almost exclusively til I was 13-14. Then I had 2 friends that taught me bass fishing basics.After them, Ive learned mostly by experience, hours on the water, and occasionally gain some insight from fishing with friends . Believe it or not, I have learned a lot from my middle son, Joe. I taught him to fish, but he is really good at saltwater fishing. So good that I defer to him in that arena. After all , he commercial fishes part of the year. For me, a mentor is someone you personally spend time with but I have learned a lot from bassresource and all the interaction between us.

Good advice above. I do most of the above and still occasionally get a nest. I have a mystery spinning reel that is actually a little more expensive than my avg. reel. High gear ratio. It would be in use every time except that the bird nests in it are so frequent it's just unusable. I have tried and tried. I finally gave up and it's now in my retired reel graveyard...?

Yeah , it's a distinct odor. Specks ( Crappie ) also, but theirs is different.This pic is upside down and is of copperhead bream bedding.

I have caught more bass on my 6'6 medium/heavy ugly stik than any other rod by far. I have had it at least 20 years now.Ive seen it critisized on here. If you dont like it, dont buy it !!

Bass bed Dec- April in Florida. Bluegills start in may and wrap it up in aug./ early sept. Timing would vary in different areas, but bass are first in the calender year.

Went for a few hours this afternoon in the home lake. I though conditions were good with a front coming in and all. Overcast skies , temps in the high 80s. Tried to start at the north end and it was just too windy. Still got a fish or two on the strike king shimmy stick. Got down to the central part of the lake, and got some sheltered water on the east side of the island, and began pickin em off with the small zoom fluke. Finished the island and decided to fish a deep eel grass line . Something told me to fish the zoom speed worm. First cast , rod loaded up . Big fish.The fish was slightly angling in a way that caused it to get just a little slack and came off. Next cast , a nice fish, 2 1/2 or so . Next cast, a 4.12 ( 2nd fish pictured ). I fished on around the point going into the s.e part of the lake. Wind 20+ at my back. I proceeded to just wear em out for app. 1 1/2 hours . I had caught high 20s in numbers , most of the fish coming on the windward end of the lake. I caught about half the fish deadsticking, and the other half reeling it on or near the surface, all on the speed worm.Had to anchor at each spot it was so windy , move about a cast away, then re-anchor. On the way home, I got some more on the june bug trick worm. Ended up with 30 something total.