Fishingstickman

I have worked hundreds of accidents on the water, I have never ever recovered a body in a life jacket. I know of two who died of hypothermia while in the water wearing vests. The number one cause of accidents is lack of knowledge/experience especially in Florida where any one with credit can buy the largest and most overpowered on the lot. The 2021 USCG stats I last had a copy of I believe put alcohol at the fourth leading cause. The majority of accidents we deal with are rental boats and share boats companies. I have worked countless strikes into markers, other boats and docks due to texting or being preoccupied with other things going on in the boat, the latest two serious ones were due to captains running too fast while following a track on the plotter in the back country, and not paying attention to whats coming around a blind corner in the mangroves. Wearing a kill switch became a law in July of 22 in waters that have USCG jurisdiction on vessels made after I believe 2016. Its still in the education mode for the most part, meaning we write a warning for it. I am surprised every time I see someone wearing one. One of the first accidents I ever responded to was three members of a family of four were killed when a bolt broke on the steering control arm, boat did circles and hit one person each pass. I have worn one every time I turn on the ignition since then

We use the clear float here but its mostly the one you can fill with water so we can still use streamers and crabs for red fish in spots too narrow for fly rods. I have tried the floating version and it works,for some things but on a popper it would probably effect the popping part as it would add momentum to the lure. you can sling them a little bit on a long ultralight with 4lb test and hope the wind is over your right shoulder.

I would paint that joker black with a red belly and throw it back in the willows or right on thick pads and hang on. If you could get a wide gap with a screw in bait keeper and get it to stick in that chickens beak it would help keep it from bunching up. When I was a kid in the 70s we would shoot black birds out of trees around stock ponds, when they hit the water giant bullfrogs or little gators grabbed them. If the birds were nesting and there were hundreds of them in the trees, the bass would stack up under the pads and absolutely crush them. I wish they would have had black frogs and braid back then, we never tried to sling a blackbird on our Zepco 33s

One of my friends is a rep for a fishing company and invited me to Icast, i told him maybe next year. I do enough damage just watching whats new on tackle warehouse and hook up tackle on you tube. I have an addiction to certain things and I don't have the mental fortitude or desire to seek help at this point. To make things works, I also fish saltwater inshore tournaments, so if I see something that works for both I can't justify not buying it. I wish the tungsten weights we use down here were 4$, we lose them to mud fish all the time. Even on 85 the giant ones bite down and spin in the slop, I'd rather hook a gator on a frog and at least have a chance of getting it back.

Megabass, cover about everything I do, having great spinner baits kind of put them over the top. Duo Realis is way up there though for jerkbaits and topwater

I still love the Snagless Sally, works really good in current with high eel grass in our shallow Florida rivers. Mud fish also love them so I like using them when the water is clear enough to snatch them away from that mess of spinning teeth. Short arm with gold Colorado and a black skirt is also great in cypress trees and through the knees

Black blades have been working down here , both the sv-3 and the Nichols Pulsator, both in the blue gill colors. The water has been lower than usual and super clear.

I haven't done it in a while but down here if you can actually find a healthy shell bed, throw a rattle trap a dozen times then grab a speed worm.

Lake Pan made 16, they de mucked it several years ago and it was less than impressive for a bit. Its cranking again and you need 20lbs on a Tuesday nighter to show up at weigh in.

I usually have three tied on laying on the deck, two are bluegill colors from either war eagle or Nichols and the third one is usually a shiner pattern. For what ever reason gold over silver, both willow will out fish other blade patterns on lakes here.

when the water drops a lot the pads are up above the water, when the water comes back up they will be flat level with the water. Like other have said spinner bait, it is so overlooked down here in Florida in the summer in that situation. When the pads get like that they let in a lot more light but still offer cover, and the bluegill beds are all over the place. Twice this week I fished behind guys throwing frogs and caught fish on a Nichols Pulsator with a sunny gill trailer. You can just steer them through the gaps and drop them in lanes. I also love a swim jig with a ezy swimmer in the same situation.

Thanks guys

You got the deal of the day for sure.I prefer the single hook on all the lures you mentioned that I throw now, I usually take off the front single hook on the smaller ones and use just the rear hook, the front hook faces forward and hangs up on weeds, and sometimes wraps on your line when you cast. I will leave on both sets on the sub walks and twitch if I'm in open water, I haven't had and hook setting issues and makes removing hooks from fish easier. I leave treble hooks on baits that fish swipe at like rattletraps.

Hello from Florida, I have been reading this forum for quite some time and finally decided to go ahead and sign up and hopefully become a active member. As of today i have 31 years working on the water in this great state in Law enforcement/ search and rescue, and although I fish in mostly the red fish tournaments my passion is bass fishing out of the way places out of a go-devil. I have fished all over the state but due to the crowds down here now i tend to stay in small rivers and tidal creeks that seldom see bass fishermen.