N Florida Mike

Heres another good point.What pound test to use?. I have tried to stay at 10 because I just feel like i will catch more fish.I was considering 12 for some of my reels.But you are right also.I need a line that is super strong, but small diameter so the fish dont see it and it casts good.Isnt that what we are all looking for? On the hookset i get a little pressure from the fish and pop him.Im generally good on this- once the fish is hooked I rarely lose one.And I sometimes catch 30 or so before a break including some big fish.And then it happens.... I guess sometimes you just need to ask fir help and re- boot.Thanks for helping me do this.

This is all helpful. Keep hookset from being too strong. Keep hooks sharp so a lighter hookset will do. Close hook eyes . Loosen drag, esp. With braid Moisten knots before cinching Watch for abrasions. Retie often. All stuff I knew but i dont do all consistently.Thanks - great advice!!

Im starting to think that may be most of the problem.I do have more breaks when I get over zealous with the set. But once and awhile I seem to do everything right and it still happens. Does that happen much to you?

I use soft plastics primarily. I do re-tie often, esp. if theres any fraying on the line. I wet the palomar, but not always the clinch.I use the clinch only with mono. I dont do an all out hookset anymore but sometimes when a fish hits suddenly or if Im on a roll I tend to overdo it a little. Yeah, Im finding that to be true.So I reckon a light hookset with no stretch line would be enough.

Ive been bass fishing for around 40 years now.I have caught tons of bass, big and small.I used to fish tournaments for a couple years.But I have a problem Im hoping yall can help me with.Im somewhat embarassed to admit it though after all these years.I just cant figure it out. The problem is : My line breaks way too often when I set the hook.Oh I will catch 20-30 maybe but it always happens again.It haunts me.No telling how many big fish Ive lost on the set. I know about drag.I know about abrasions.Im very careful with knots.And it just keeps happenning.Its not the guides.It always breaks near the fish. I tried power pro today.10 pound.Fished a pond on the jobsite.I used a palomar knot.Caught a 2 pounder.Got another good bite, set the hook, and it happened again.I have GOT to get to the bottom of this!!!

I have my 12 guage in the bedroom hidden real good.Not loaded.I have the shells hidden in a different place.Still not too sure I could get to it and load it in time if we had an intruder.But I wont keep it loaded with the G - kids around.Even though Ive trained them some on gun safety. Thought about a gun cabinet but you still have to unlock it in time.

I dont remember ever having a close call like that while in a boat but I did get nearly run over by a ski boat when I was 17 in the home lake.I was wade fishing and making my way out to the island(the water is only 5-6 feet deep where I was) I had just passed the dock where the boat was and heard it crank up.I froze because I was kind of in the middle and no where to go.(The end of the island is maybe 70 feet from this dock).So he guns the motor and goes by maybe 5 feet away.He missed with the boat but had the tow rope out.I could hear it coming before I saw it.I realized it was going to get me.I only had a split second to think and shifted my rod and bait bag into my right hand( no matter what I wasnt going to lose them!)So I put out my left hand defensively and when the rope got close it cut my left pinky finger and I tried to spin out so it would miss but the angle had me.As I spun it got me on the lower back and spun me all the way around, cutting my back open.The handle got me last and it was like being flogged. The boater, who was around 16, just kept going.I climbed out on the Island and tried to see how bad it was but could only see a moderate amount of blood.So I just fished until lunch then went home and mom put about 20 band aids on it.It was a deep cut though and I should have had stiches but didnt.The scar went all the way across my back just above the hips and was still noticeable 25 years later.I ended up catching 33 bream AFTER the accident! About a week later I came up on the boater on the Island.He grew up around me but had a different circle of friends.One of my friends was mad about what happenned so he tore down their clubhouse on the island.When I came up on him he immediately apologized so I hesitated then let it go.

Good job! If you havent tried gator you should.Best I ever had was killed by a friend when we were in 6th grade.It was 11.7.His mom had an old cracker recipe.He killed it "cause it ate one of his goats that free roamed in the swamp.

Suprised and impressed by this thread.Where do yall work- I want a job there!!!

One thing I did was FISH.Instead of constantly running and gunning, I would go to a good area and just fish slowly through it all.Having your line in the water the most gives you an edge. I came in 3rd in one tournament after we had motor trouble on a st johns river tournament.We could not fix the motor so we just ran the trolling motor from the ramp up the river until it was time to get to the weigh in. We actually fished a lot like they do on MLF.Just fish grass and docks and get as many fish as possible.Dont worry about size- that comes if youre doing the right things.

Ive never noticed any problem on an east wind but southwest winds are the worst for me.I think its because of the prevailing pressure influence that comes with SW winds.Need to do a study on it.?

We had one in our lake in 2011.The old man that had treated our lake since 1985 had never had one fish kill until then.He was sick and let the lake get real bad.Then he tried to kill everything too quick and when the weeds all died the oxygen was so depleted that I think ALL the bass over 1 pound or so died.All the big bream too.I had thoughts about wringing his neck.Not only did he kill the fish but he made up a story about only killing 1% or so of the fish which was total crap. We had virtually no fishing for a year or so.Now the bass are up to 7 pounds or so again. Obviously, Mr P.no longer treats the lake.

Great catch!!. Ive caught a 3 fish slam.Trout, red, and flounder.I have never caught a snook in N fla.(.I did catch a baby one in a cast net)I have caught 1 tarpon in my life.He was a 40 incher I caught while surf fishing at st augustine. Glad the banana river is getting better.What caused the fish kill?

I love sheepheads, flounder, reds, spots, croakers, whiting and others.Theyre all good.

Sorry-no flatheads around here.If there were I would hunt that dog !!

Thanks, Darren.I took my wife out fishing last night and tried so hard to put her on some fish.She hooked several but they all got off.I only caught 1 bass and 5 bream.We started using live worms and they werent even biting them .It was 98 here yesterday and they just werent biting. By the way, we caught a few spots today too.On the bone or fileted, theyre all good. Too bad about the skunk, but at least your son caught something!

My son took me inshore creek fishing this morning.Part of the frame of the trailer broke off on the way but at least it wasnt an essential part to making it there.Then we launch and had motor trouble.At first we couldnt figure out what was wrong because it ran fine when we checked it.So we said a prayer and it immediately started. So they wernt biting good.I attribute it to the 98 degree day we had yesterday.Just too hot for the creeks.But we fished one stretch of creek and got 4 flounder on mud minnows.Got 10 crabs or so also. A storm came up so we headed in.We had to slow down for some kayakers and go around them, which ran us up on a shallow mud spot and got us stuck.We got off okay, but mud had clogged the holes on the lower unit and the motor was running rough again so we paddled the last 1/4 mile or so against the wind.Had trouble getting the boat loaded too but I wont elaborate. We've had worse trips.Got to discuss life issues and enjoy our father-son relationship.It seems like most of the time our trips have some kind of problem that we have to solve together and that helps us bond more through the years Anyway we plan to eat them tomorrow.LOVE fried flounder!

In the home lake i have fished up to 25 with no problem.Due to the lakes shape, I can always find some shelter.Other places its 15 if Im still planning if Im not already there .

I had a near perfect day going last saturday , had caught several nice fish.Stopped to throw a frog at a dock and a big fish rolled and ate it.He was 3 feet from the dock near deep water and heavy weeds all around.I pegged him good, felt him for a second, and the line broke.All I could do was sit there and say how?? a few times.Knot was good, drag was set, no nicks that I knew of.It happens .Sometimes you just cant make sense of it. The dock where this fish was has plenty of cover, and deep water around.Im sure the fish will probably stay there.Im planning round 2 soon!!

I know this post may sound simplistic or childish to some but why does fishing always have to be complex if it doesnt have to be to have fun?.Anyway in my lake the fishing has slowed on artificials due to the heat weve had lately.The other day I thought Id just dig up some worms and fish some under a small cork.Caught 8 bass in 45 min.including a couple that were decent size. Last night I pushed out about 100 feet out and fished like that again and caught several more-and another nice sized one.Im fishing generally the old creek channel where its deeper and cooler.Getting some bream along with them. Before long I plan to fish all over the lake like that.Like brad paisley sang " No telling what I may catch..." Theres just something really fun about seeing that cork go under and feeling the weight of a good fish when you set the hook, then fighting them on light line.

His Hit "Do you feel like I do" was one song of his I liked.When my gramma died my cousins and me took a trip across rural NC to her hometown to bury her and that was one of the tapes(8 track) that my cousin had.Ill never forget that

Also pray for the family that had the little toddler taken by a gator.I cant imagine how awful that was and is to them.They came all the way from nebraska to have a fun filled family time and this happenned...

Yeah I'm getting the catfish fever too.I plan to camp on an island out in the home lake and see how many I can catch all night.There's channels, browns and yellows now.Hopefully the otter won't come back!!.I caught a 22 pound channel cat in here years ago.

The one caught in Jax. was actually the state record BROWN bullhead.Caught in little cedar creek.5.91 pounds I think.

We've got plenty of yellows and browns in N.Florida.World record yellow was caught in the cedar river here in Jax.Okefenokee swamp in a Georgia is full of them too. I sometimes run trot lines for them in the Ocala forest.All you can eat!!!