Florida Guys Check In Here.

[Backlash123]

Leo and I won the memorial tourney today for Melissa Fellows at Holiday Park.    It was a pretty good turnout for August...about 35 boats.   We raised over $10,000 for the Fellows family and I think the support they received today will help them move forward with their lives.   Leo and I donated our winnings to the family as did the second place anglers.

 

We weighed 28.72. Second place was 23.10.   I had big fish of the tourney: 7.62lbs (I had second big fish also).   We caught our fish early...made one pass through our primary stretch and had our weight.  We ran three other stretches we had and didn't get a bite.  Our fish were getting a little stressed so we weighed in early...right around noon.  Sorry, no pictures.  We really just wanted to get those fish weighed and back in the water. 

 

Anyway, we had a chance to put together a serious bag today.   I am pretty sure we could have sat and pounded our stretch for 35lbs.  We lost two fish that would have put us well over 30lbs. 

 

One of you should have taken me up on my offer to put you on my fish.  You would have had a day you'd never forget!

 

Mike,  congratulations on the win and a hell of a gesture giving back the winnings!  I wish I could have fished the tourney (and received some tips, lord knows I need them) , but unfortunately I had some family matters to attend.  Hope to some day meet you in person at one of the tourneys.

[BassinLou]

Fished out of MM35,  Miami canal North, yesterday afternoon from 3 to 745pm. Water was high and very clear. Thank goodness for the wind because it was HOT!! LOL... The bite was slow but the fish quality was awesome. We only caught 8 fish but they ranged between 3 to 5lbs. Although the fishing was slow, I was excited for yesterday because not only were all my fish caught on frogs, I was able to break in my new HawgTech handle on my frogging outfit. These handles are AWESOME!! Wrestling a fish with one of these was pure fun and you remain in control the whole time. Til next time  

 

[piscicidal]

Lou, that's awesome.  I love catching big fish on frogs.  I'm glad you like the handle also...certainly does make fishing more enjoying IMO.

 

I went out to Okeechobee Sunday with Leo.  We did a little prefishing for the tourney next Saturday out of Roland Martins.  Our five biggest went right around 15lbs...had one fish that went about five, and the rest in the 2-3lb range.  We left our best stuff alone.  I don't think we are on the kind of fish to be competitive against the big sticks showing up for this one ($2500 first prize) but we'll see.

[JellyMan]

Who's ready for Fall!?

 

Temps are starting to drop, we are getting rain. Went out Saturday and the shorelines were active. More active than I have seen them all year. Tons of bites but I just couldn't seem to get a hook set. The joys of pitching. Unfortunately, got rained out during the magic hour.

[Fishing Cowgirl]

I am so ready for fall!

Fishingcowboy and I have been busy fishing nearly every weekend or helping out with the Hero's on the Water Kayak club for our Vets. We are right now leading the standings in our club, which is a once a month tournament trail. Flipping for Bass has always been my weak area, but actually caught 4 bass doing just that (Because I didn't have much choice if I wanted to get the line wet.) We found the Megadaddy Craw was working pretty good in the grass lines.  

 

We managed to get down to Okeechobee for the first time in a year and they were hammering my fluke in the baitfish color.  Heading this weekend to Lake Gentry then the next to Lake Garcia. 

[RoLo]

Who's ready for Fall!?

 

YES...I'm ready for the fall, and even more ready for all this 'rain' to end (it's slashed our year-to-date fishing time about 65%)

Our traditional rainy season has always been June & July, but the past 3 years it's extended through August

and this year it's continued halfway thru September.   Rant over

 

Roger

[BassinLou]

YES...I'm ready for the fall, and even more ready for all this 'rain' to end (it's slashed our year-to-date fishing time about 65%)

Our traditional rainy season has always been June & July, but the past 3 years it's extended through August

and this year it's continued halfway thru September.   Rant over

 

Roger

 

I hear you Roger, this past week alone has been ridiculous down here in South FL. My fishing grounds are the glades and I am afraid when I get back out there I will be in for a high water surprise. 

[RoLo]

I hear you Roger, this past week alone has been ridiculous down here in South FL. My fishing grounds are the glades and I am afraid when I get back out there I will be in for a high water surprise. 

 

Sorry to hear that you southern boys are also dodging lightning bolts. It's been crazy in central Florida for the past 14 weeks.

I'm sure we're dealing with a record-breaking year, and I'm waiting to see the figure on the 2014 total rainfall.

 

Roger

[hawgenvy]

Drove my car out yesterday after work to take a look at the boat ramp and canoe rental area in the Loxahatchee Refuge west of Boynton Beach (Lee Rd off 441). It was raining (of course), the water level was swollen all the way up to the planted grass by the ramps, and there was a fairly good southward current in the rim canal. The only other human there was a serious fellow at the other end of the ramp area. He had one of those enormous white camera lenses and was taking multiple portraits of a blue heron standing in tall grass at the water's edge. He must have a way with birds, I figured, because he was crouching merely 15 feet from the heron and it stayed there posing for him in various flattering positions for at least 20 min. With that lens he could have counted that bird's nose hairs, were she to happen to have any. Since I was far enough from him, I made a couple of casts from the bank with an EZ Swimmer, aiming for some weed edges and then made another few tosses along the edges of their big square floating dock just for the heck of it, but got bit only by mosquitos. There was a sign there up on the dock that had a feisty fish painted with a red slash through it meaning "no fishing," but I tossed my bait to the dock anyway since it was just me and the bird watcher out there. Later I joked to myself that maybe the sign meant they don't allow any fish in these parts. I backed my car out slowly rather than go around the regular way, so as not to spook the guy's heron and ruin his day. Maybe I'll go back in a month, when things are dryer and cooler, and I can try my luck luring bass from some random vegetation in the everglades from one of their rental canoes ($32) or kayaks ($25).

[MIbassin]

Just got down to my house in the boynton area. I have caught a couple small ones from my yard(lost a 5+). I also went to play a round of golf this morning and spotted some HUGE bass on the course. I asked for permission to fish and the club said yes!

[hawgenvy]

Just got down to my house in the boynton area. I have caught a couple small ones from my yard(lost a 5+). I also went to play a round of golf this morning and spotted some HUGE bass on the course. I asked for permission to fish and the club said yes!

Golf course bank fishing is a favorite of mine, and I wish you success. My most poductive tactic is to fish parallell to the inevitable wooden retaining walls. There are always aggressive bass along those walls. I usually cast a fluke, toad, or swimbait or a jig'n'pig past the wall and retrieve it about 6 inches from the wall. Pause for a sec whe you hit a piling. When you move it again: kaboom! Also the bigger and deeper the wall, the fatter are the fish. Is it a municipal course?   If you can, tell the name?

[JellyMan]

Anybody have any pointers on why the bass have now shut down during the magic hour? I am seeming to get more action mid day that the last hour before sunset. A buddy and I were getting MURDED on frogs around some top water muck at like 4pm. I tell you, this Gainesville stuff is BS. I DONT UNDERSTAND IT!!!!!!!! WHY!!!!???

 

I want to go back to Orlando where it makes sense.

[hawgenvy]

Anybody have any pointers on why the bass have now shut down during the magic hour? I am seeming to get more action mid day that the last hour before sunset. A buddy and I were getting MURDED on frogs around some top water muck at like 4pm. I tell you, this Gainesville stuff is BS. I DONT UNDERSTAND IT!!!!!!!! WHY!!!!???

 

I want to go back to Orlando where it makes sense.

Down here in Palm Beach County, where I do mostly bank bassing on Golf Courses, residential lakes, and canals, for the past few weeks the evening bite is coming earlier, now between 4 and 6pm, and there are more bites -- yet still mostly dinks with a couple of two to three pounders in the mix, just enough to keep the addiction going. As this is my first year of dedicated bassing in 20 years, I am anxious to know when the bigger fish will start to move into the areas accessable to my bank casts. The past May and June were spectacular for aggressive and big fish. I hope it approaches that at some point in November. Or December?  Any thoughts?

[SirSnookalot]

I'm only local bass fishing, not investing any time other than an hour or 2 in the mid afternoon.  I find about the latter part of November the bite does get better with bigger fish.  I'm catching plenty of other species fish now.

[Mike L]

Anybody entered in the BASS Nations Southern Reg tourn tomorrow?

Gonna do some pre fishin today.

If you are let me know, sandwiches are on me!

Mike

[SirSnookalot]

The way I like to do it, pond fishing with light power spinning 25 supreme reel.  I've been seeing some good size bass schooling but haven't been able to catch one, even tired a senko to no avail.  Today was the day, caught 4 in about an hour all on top lure.  Using my 20" mark on my rod I estimate 3 were a shade over 20 and one was close to 23".

[MIbassin]

Very nice SirSnook!

I am headed back to MI today, this week was tough. I caught one bass about 3 pounds on topwater and a couple dinks as well as a huge blowup but no hookup. Either it's still too hot, or my community pond just doesn't have that many bass in it. I am hoping it's just too hot.

[Fishingking11]

Anyone have any reports on the Winter Haven Chain?

[SirSnookalot]

Very nice SirSnook!

I am headed back to MI today, this week was tough. I caught one bass about 3 pounds on topwater and a couple dinks as well as a huge blowup but no hookup. Either it's still too hot, or my community pond just doesn't have that many bass in it. I am hoping it's just too hot.

I'm from Michigan too, Bhm./Bloomfield area, we lived on Cass lake before moving down here.

My pond is still hot, went yesterday and same scenario, had 4 in about an hour 20" was the smallest.

[wrat]

Okeechobee continues to be hot was out this past sat and boated around 50 up to 4#..could not get bit on top though eveything was worms and rattletraps....

 was out today and had about 20 in the boat storms chased us off

[bassinOUT89]

Fished the C-14 canal at Rock Island and Southgate. Really tough, couldn't buy a bite. Caught a snakehead that fought like a 15 pound bass in the first 15 minutes. After that I ended up catching one tiny bass the size of a Vizio remote.

[mplspug]

Checking in, I just moved from Minnesota. If you ask why, you get a facepalm. 

I'll be boatless for a while, so hope to hit some local ponds and lakes from the shore and start learning. Kind of weird coming from a place where you know all the lakes to being a newb and knowing nothing about where you can fish and what are good places to fish. Glad I woke up to some cooler weather. I imagine that shore fishing when the water temps are warm during summer, shore fishing must be tough. 

[Under the Radar]

Checking in, I just moved from Minnesota. If you ask why, you get a facepalm. 

I'll be boatless for a while, so hope to hit some local ponds and lakes from the shore and start learning. Kind of weird coming from a place where you know all the lakes to being a newb and knowing nothing about where you can fish and what are good places to fish. Glad I woke up to some cooler weather. I imagine that shore fishing when the water temps are warm during summer, shore fishing must be tough. 

Cheer up Bucko, my last three PB's have come from those ponds. Doing the same thing I do when I'm out on the Boat. Speaking of which I better get moving, supposed to p/u partner in a half hour.

[mplspug]

Ha, sorry I didn't mean to come off as complaining. I'm looking forward to being able to do some pond fishing. 

The only "complaint" I have it is overwhelming when you move to a place where you have to start from scratch.

I'm going to hit a couple ponds today that I know are fishable to get my feet wet so to speak.  Eventually I'll get to know the area enough to find some lesser known gems. I look at a body of water, including retention ponds, on Google maps and wonder is that accessible?  Is it posted as private or fenced off?  Bottom line is I moved here for a lot of reasons and one of them was being new to an area and having an adventure learning it, so no, no complaints here. 

 

[bassinpoverty]

hey, new guy out of pasco. mostly fish ponds or  bodies of water i can walk around. any ideas to getting to amateur local tournaments as a non boater?