N Florida Mike

^^^^ this.

I had never used any before A friend gave me some garlic-scented spray last year. I used it a few times and didnt see that it helped any. In fact , I had a couple fish pick up the bait and before I could set the hook, spit it out. That rarely ever happens to me except during bedding season, which had already occured before this. I realize this isnt a test I would draw a definite conclusion from. So the juries still out for me.

Man ! Real nice fish.Looks like it swallowed a softball !

You have to learn to adapt to the new conditions. Its like that anywhere . Even on my small lake. I am not catching the numbers I did last year because the lake's weeds are now under control and the fish that used to relate to weed edges are not there because the weeds arent. But the fish are still in the lake, you just have to find them using different pattern/ methods.

Around 5 pounds.

By the way, I have never had ANY rod break , and I have traditionally been a hard hook-setter. When I was younger and more hot-tempered, I was known to have even tossed a rod or two down on the bank after losing a nice fish ! Still no breaks. I have probably used 2 pieces more than 1s through the years. I have never thought at all there might be a sensitivity issue with the 2s until I read it on these forums.

I have a few of each. I have no problems with either. I carry a two piece in the truck tool box to have wherever I go.

Good times !

Me too. My skips are all done with spinning.

The motion of Skipping a bait is very similar to skipping rocks. It works best if you start low and parallel to the water. It is somewhat below a sidearm cast. You want the bait to have just enough lift to skim across into the target area.The motion is also much like a sidearm to submarine baseball pitcher's motion, except without a little of the upward motion. Bottom line is , it takes some practice. My home lake has quite a few areas that require it, and Ive done it so much now that I often do it even when I dont have to. The entry into the water is much quieter and more natural than the loud "plunk " of a normal cast.

I always wear blue ,grey ,or camo. Seems to work for me. I used to always wear white shirts because they seemed cooler , but overall, I catch more now. Maybe Im just a better fisherman now ?? Naw, it must be the colors.

Same here. Other than my dad, I was a Dance and Martin fan mostly, and later on , Hank Parker. There were a couple locals that I also followed : Bob Mcnally, a writer , and Monroe Campbell, who lived in my area and had his own local show. Knew them both , and they were down to earth guys who would spend time talking outdoors with you.

^^^ That will probably win this thread.

Skipping is my best skill but I dont do it from that far. 50 feet is probably my max. , but I prefer 20-30 feet. Better control at that distance. Even though its much closer than the average cast the subtle presentation does not spook the fish. One of my favorite patterns is fixing to start. With the warmer days, fish begin moving under docks after 11 a.m or so, and skipping is the ticket then for a good catch. I LOVE SKIPPING !!

Caught a few bull whiting with my grandson Tyler yesterday near St Augustine Inlet. My son ( who does some commercial fishing ) was in the area too, and had caught so many there a few days ago he didnt bother counting them all. All in all , a good morning, and got Tyler off the video games for awhile.

Ive been bass fishing for 44 years and have not heard of this before. I havent had any trouble with drags except for the cheap reels Ive owned .

I fish texas rigged soft plastics as weieghtless as possible, esp. since I fish mostly shallow lakes here in Fl. I cast , let it sink to the bottom, watching and feeling for anything that would indicate a strike. After a 10-20 second wait, while keeping slight contact with the bait, I lift gently.If a fish has taken it you will usually feel a distinct thump, and usually the fish will be swimming in a direction instead of staying stationary. Then, just reel up most of the slack and set the hook. A fish will peck or pull. Structure will not. If a fish is swimming toward you, it will be indicated by lack of contact with the bait for longer than usual while you are reeling in to regain contact. I dont fish jigs much, but with them anything that feels out of the ordinary just set the hook , and this isnt a bad idea for soft plastics fished texas rigged either.

Got a few this evening with my G-daughter Mackayla. She got the first fish on a 4 inch red and green sparkle watermelon senko. I got a couple more about the same size on the Zoom fluke.

That happenned to me once when I connected the positive clamp to the negative post and the negative to positive by mistake. If thats not it I have no idea.

We fish for reds a lot but use live bait mostly. You'll probably be fishing Nassau county waters which I dont know . We do well in creeks in Duval and st Johns. With the wind creeks may be your only option in a small boat. We tend to do best at oyster bars . Let us know how it goes !