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71 here. Weight training 3-4 days a week. Ride bike a couple of miles everyday I can. Used to walk 2 miles but torn meniscus in my right knee won’t allow me to walk but bike ride actually helps it.

Rapala minnow and Creme worm.

I’m an old timer and have been using Bang o Lures for decades. Like 50 years here in Florida. And caught fish over 8# on them. They are my go to minnow bait. I’ve never changed the hooks on them. And don’t lose many, if any fish on them. I only throw them on mono so that could be why, a little bit of stretch. I also mostly use a MH rod but have used M rods before. Pretty much no difference. @A-Jay has some good advice. Slow down and don’t try to horse them. Maybe wait a split second when they hit the lure to get another hook or two in them.

@A-Jay let me rephrase that, not “ now” as in today, but in this timeframe as opposed to back in the day regarding Stick Marsh 😜🤣

This for sure. I was there too, it’s was something to behold. But I’d settle for some big smallmouth with @A-Jay now.

@GRiver and @Hogs_n_Logs if you ever get a chance to visit Bitters, you will very impressed. Like I said, it’s owned by a tournament fisherman ( retired now) and the staff are all anglers and most tournament fish. Even Doug Gilley’s daughter works there on occasion. Once you go there, you’ll never go to the other stores. if he doesn’t have it, you probably don’t need it 😂 And if saltwater is what you want, Strike Zone in Melbourne and Handlers in Cocoa/Merritt island are the best. The rod and reel selections at Strike Zone are unreal. Again, these are all run by fishermen.

Please keep us posted @Catt

I’ve only heard of them being caught further south towards Chokoloskee.

@CoryRobertLowe I fish a lot of different areas. Rivers and lakes. I mainly fish shorelines. Sometimes you can fish open water of a lake but you need to be in an area where they are, like if you find a bedding area. These can be found with side scan and look like little pockets on the bottom. Otherwise, running a shoreline is best for me. I’ll fish what may look like a barren shore to the naked eye but it will have underwater structure that holds them. Wood or weeds. Fishing outside edges of pads, bulrushes and reeds is good at times too, especially during the spawn. I’ll typically throw small spinners and jigs if using traditional gear. You might have to go to a heavier jig in deeper water. I like subsurface flies when fly fishing. Surface flies ( spiders and poppers) work well too and the bite is a lot more fun but I catch more underwater. Bigger flies will get the larger fish with some bass thrown in but fewer. For quantity go small baits, flies and jigs. Colors are water clarity dependent as is cloud conditions. Lighter/ natural colors when sunny, darker colors when cloudy. Hard to beat black, black/blue, olive or brown for subsurface flies. Jigs and spinners the colors choices are almost endless. But the cloudy/sunny rule still apply. Hope this helps.

We have one of, if not the best, local Central Florida tackle store in Bitters Bait and Tackle about a half hour from me. John Bitters was a tournament angler for decades and his brother Jim competed in BASS including the classic. I’ve known John for probably 35 years and even fished with his brother in a Redman tournament back in the late 80’s. He has all the right baits and has his own line of plastics that will rival most companies. Plus the people he has that work there are all bass fisherman (and women) who also tournament fish. I go to academy once in a while but not often only because it’s closer.

I live on the St. John’s. It’s predicted to be in the upper 30’s Friday morning. But this always happens this time of year here, these last cold fronts. They would have been better off scheduling Okeechobee first the St. John’s next. Better chance of warmer weather. The river is very low right now too. We haven’t had any rain to speak of for months. Guys will always catch them but it’s going to be a grind for many. And yes the coverage stinks.

I fish for panfish exclusively with artificials and fly. Bluegill, shellcrackers, redbreast, stumpknockers, warmouth and crappie ( which is not really a panfish per se). With the right downsized tackle they are a blast and a challenge. For spinning, 6’-7’ ultra light to medium light rods, 2000-2500 reel and 4-6# braid and short leader. Baitcasting same size rod, BFS reel, 6-8# braid and same leader. Fly 4-5 wt. Lures are 1/32-1/8 oz jigs and beetle spins, with and without curly tails. I do catch them on small plastics too. Flies are spiders ( floating and sinking), wooly buggers, nymphs and such. I have much better luck on sub surface flies than surface. Colors range from white to black and all colors in between depending on conditions. This was my biggest last year and came on fly, 1.5# shellcracker.

I tie mainly 1/8 and 1/4 oz hair jigs. Now the term “hair” in hair jigs is typically referring to deer hair or bucktail. Marabou is not hair per se ( it’s a feather, or part of a bird) but gets grouped in with the hair jigs. But both, plus other materials have their place in “ bass jigs”. I tie bucktail in a number of colors. Chartreuse over white, olive over white, sexy Shad ( blue over chartreuse over white) and blue or purple over black. Bucktail is much stiffer than marabou. I use it when wanting to simulate a minnow profile mostly. Marabou flows and moves a lot more than bucktail in the water. For it I’ll do some whites, black and blue and olive combos. Another good choice is a combination of marabou tails with chenille or Estaz bodies. They all have their place for bass. I can share some pictures if you’d like of some I’ve tied. Blake ties some killer jigs.

Bitters Tackle makes a big paddle tail. I think Gambler makes one too but it’s smaller.

@Columbia Craw mine will always be a ‘70 Chevelle. 😉

@Catt have you ever had a colonoscopy and been diagnosed with diverticula? I had a bout last year of diverticulitis and the symptoms were similar. Ended up going to the ER where it was diagnosed and treated with antibiotics. You need to be careful with it as it can turn into a bad infection quickly.

I will admit that I’m old. Grew up with the likes of the OG’s. R. Martin, B. Dance, J. Houston, T. Martin, D. Brauer, R. Clunn , L.Nixon and so many more of the pioneers. Then it was the next ones. KVD, M. Davis, S. Grigsby, Ish, Ike, D. Rojas and too many more to mention. Yes, some of these are still competing. But watching MLF, what little I did, there was so many names I didn’t recognize. But there are some real new hammers there. Did I mention I’m old😂

Used to use them at night in the Everglades…until gators took them.

@Koz looks like you picked a good weather week.

Good luck

I’m using a 93 and yes bigger would be better but it’s what I had and works well.

Soft plastics ( senko type, speed worms, creatures/craws, flukes, in that order) Jigs ( swim and hair jigs) Topwaters ( minnow type, spooks, hollow frogs)

Which model Aftco fingerless did you get? I have a pair of their heavy offshore ones I wear when I go saltwater but they are way too heavy for bass fishing. I have Simms sun gloves but they just don’t have the “ grip power” I’m looking for. That’s my main reason for thinking about golf gloves is their gripping power. They feel almost tacky on a gold club.

Does anyone use them for fishing? I’m looking for lightweight gloves that help with gripping the rod and these seem like the perfect solution. I’ve played golf so I’m familiar with their ability to help grip the club. I know they make a rain version that increases grip when wet.

Agree. There’s a reason they stock with Florida strain bass, genetics!