NYWayfarer

I am vacationing in Central Florida in July. Visiting with my good friend who lives there and fishing with him. We are hiring a local guide to take us fishing for some LMB and pumping some money into the local economy. Snowbirds, or summerbirds, in this case ain’t all bad. ?

I was at a job related conference, Tuesday-Thursday, in Buffalo right on Lake Erie. I would look longingly at the lake from my hotel window wishing I could fish. Googans. We all have to deal with them. Today at my local pond for example. I had a section all to myself. Only a couple of people on the other side. Once I caught a Bass the couple “relocated” to where I was. Asking what I caught. They parked less than 10 feet from me.The choice is confrontation or moving on. In my youth I chose the later. With age comes wisdom so I moved on. So did they after a brief time since they caught nothing, and I moved back in to catch my last two fish of the session.

Safety first to the angler, then the fish. Treble hooks might prevent you from lipping a fish. Get those hooks out anyway you can ,photo, and release the fish as quick as you can. Some toothy fish fish like Trout and Pickerel prohibit lipping. The idea deal is take your pic and release the Bass or other species as fast as you can.

Depth can be the determining factor in how much you spend on stick baits. shallow water 6 feet or less, Dingers are the best. $2 a pack at Dick’s if you buy 5 or more sale is something to take advantage of. Anything 6 feet or greater, I like Senkos, Strike King Ochos or Berkley Max Scent the General.

Kastking reels get a bad rap. Deserved...no. Are there better reels out there, sure! But I can honestly say I wish they were around when I was attempting to learn baitcasters when I was young. They have come a long way since they started with Superpower braid. I think where they shine now is spinning reels and rods. You get a whole lot of reel for the price if You buy a Sharky 3 smooth, silent and sealed. Love the direct drive handle. The Perigee 2 rod is my benchmark for cost and quality balance. It is a great rod for $60 and it performs at the $100+ level. As as far as customer service goes, Kastking has been great to me. I have a lot of KK gear and had 2 issues so far. First was a drag knob that was damaged. The replacement was shipped and I received it before my next trip. Lesson I Hope learned, they do have replacement parts for those that want to keep a reel going until they die. Second was a damaged product shipped to me. The rep at KK explained since their orders are shipped by Amazon sometimes folks return stuff but do not say why. These items go back on the shelf to be sent to the next consumer. I got the replacement item and it worked.

Very sad to see and hear that. Stay safe out there. I hope life turns to normal for you soon. we have had ice melt and rain cause river flooding here as well. Nothing to the degree you are experiencing though. It is enough however to spoil the spring fishing season so far. No way to kayak, wade or even bank fish the swollen waterways. luckily the ponds here are still viable.

In-Line Spinners catch both Trout and Bass. It's a great bait to use in these type of ponds.

I might have to pick some up. I have been using Sufix Siege and Sufix ProMix and both lines have exceeded my expectations. They perform well above their price range.

My arsenal consists of a Drop shot rig or tubes for deep Smallmouth.

Choose your doctors carefully. My primary care doctor is slow to prescribe medicines and I appreciate that. I'm in my 50's and am fortunate enough not to have to take any prescription medication. Not everyone is so lucky. Some folks take pills for everything, to wake up, to sleep, for mood or anxiety, pain, blood and body issues, etc. There are doctors out there all to willing to get you on that pill train.

Walmart also carries the Lew's Xfinity Speed Spool combo for $89 It's a budget version of their baitcasting Mach combos.

Grats! Beautiful brown bass.

Long pants and boots even in the summer. Spray the boots and bottom of my pants with Deep Woods Off. If I am wearing short sleeves I spray the Deep Woods off on exposed skin.

Yes I would use the Spartacus over my Whitemax (Royale Legend) it casts farther and is relatively backlash free when properly dialed in. Same with my Assassin and Speed Demon reels. I have no experience with the Megajaws. Last season I started upgrading all my reels, both spinning and baitcasting to aluminum framed models from Lew’s.

@BaitFinesse speaks the truth. I have the KK Whitemax (basically a Royale Legend with a low gear ratio) and a Spartacus. There is a world of difference between the two. The Spartacus is lower profile and it feels lighter. It is the superior reel as far as casting goes. Farther, easier and less backlash.

Helicopter lure kit $35 but it really cost me my sanity as I must have been insane to buy that trash.

Yeah, it's pre-pre-spawn up here. I just saw my first pond LMB last week.

The weather was miserable this weekend. Saturday had air temps in the 40's and 15-20 MPH winds. I did venture out and caught nothing but a chill. Sunday was a busy day, rainy and chilly. The sun popped out after 5pm. I was able to get out for an hour and a half. Redeemed myself with a Brook Trout and a Perch catch.

Great to see your season has started. Did you have the lake to yourself?

I agree and I also find another spot. The problem is some of the folks who invade or encroach upon "your" space are counting on you leaving.

I am no expert but that can't be good for the kidneys. People claiming to have iron bladders also have bouts with cystitis I bet. Stay hydrated my friend and bring a pee cup, bottle or jug. Mines a red solo cup. Don't want to mistake it's contents for a beer though

I noticed that one. Looks interesting. Also check out the Jackall Binksy popper, which is under poppers even though it has a prop. I have no experience with it but it is on my list of baits to purchase and try.

It’s organic. The organic label is like having a license to drive up the price. On a a side note a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter in a bowl microwaved for 20 seconds and poured over ice cream is fantastic.

What is the definition of a professional? “Engaged in a specific activity as ones main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.” Fishing is The Googan Squads profession. Don’t count them out because they are YouTube stars. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Take a look at Tackle Warehouse: baits,hard baits,topwater,prop baits. They have a ton of choices there.