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anyone here into fishing? (1 Viewer)

BigJim® said:
Small world. Ice conditions on Leech have been bad, but I'm finally getting up there this weekend and will be back there again in 1/31-2/2. Where do you go? We usually rent off of Pine Point. 
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I heard they are no longer having the Eelpout Festival there.  That's sad news.

 
BigJim® said:
Lucky. In Minnesota they count toward your 2 line per angler.
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That sucks. I believe it’s 2 lines per here too but that’s fishing poles on open water, it’s different for ice

We always put out 5 per guy (sometimes there is 4 or 5 of us) and just take turns on the flags

 
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rustycolts said:
Ice fishing brrr sounds fun but no thanks I have orange juice for blood.
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Ice fishing doesn't have to be cold... it's not like grumpy old men fishing unless you want it that way. Some do, but I'm with you, I don't sit out on open ice unless I find a honey hole. Our typical rental has propane heat, a range/oven, and 8 holes in the floorboards to fish from or keep covered. I've been up there many sub-zero weekends and while I might do less scouting, we just drink a lot of beer and play cards in the ice castle. I'll maybe set a couple tip ups and go outdoors for a few minutes at a time to check bait or pull up fish. Now, I was up there on a -25/-29 weekend and that was brutal, but only because we were dumb and did not bring a fan to circulate heat (turning up propane heat made it 90 degrees within 3 feet of the ceiling, and 30 degrees below that). It's not difficult to keep it regulated <> 60 degrees. It will be -14 over Saturday night this weekend and I'm not worried at all about comfort. 

 
BigJim® said:
Ice fishing doesn't have to be cold... it's not like grumpy old men fishing unless you want it that way. Some do, but I'm with you, I don't sit out on open ice unless I find a honey hole. Our typical rental has propane heat, a range/oven, and 8 holes in the floorboards to fish from or keep covered. I've been up there many sub-zero weekends and while I might do less scouting, we just drink a lot of beer and play cards in the ice castle. I'll maybe set a couple tip ups and go outdoors for a few minutes at a time to check bait or pull up fish. Now, I was up there on a -25/-29 weekend and that was brutal, but only because we were dumb and did not bring a fan to circulate heat (turning up propane heat made it 90 degrees within 3 feet of the ceiling, and 30 degrees below that). It's not difficult to keep it regulated <> 60 degrees. It will be -14 over Saturday night this weekend and I'm not worried at all about comfort. 
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We were on Leech last year on that brutal weekend where the actual temp (before factoring in wind chill) was 48 below zero 3 out of four days. And I'm not kidding, it was completely fine. I was wearing a sweatshirt and pants in the fish house and was actually a little warm. Other guys were in T-shirts. Now, going outside to take a leak, that's a little different. That wasn't very fun.

But other than that, the only thing that really gets cold is your feet. But nothing feet warmers can't take care of. It's all relative. It's amazing what your body gets used to.

And we caught plenty of fish.

 
BeTheMatch said:
We were on Leech last year on that brutal weekend where the actual temp (before factoring in wind chill) was 48 below zero 3 out of four days. And I'm not kidding, it was completely fine. I was wearing a sweatshirt and pants in the fish house and was actually a little warm. Other guys were in T-shirts. Now, going outside to take a leak, that's a little different. That wasn't very fun.

But other than that, the only thing that really gets cold is your feet. But nothing feet warmers can't take care of. It's all relative. It's amazing what your body gets used to.

And we caught plenty of fish.
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Leave tomorrow to head up. Same place as last year, but it will be around 70 to 80 degrees warmer this year than same week last year. Minnesota is fun that way. Ice conditions are terrible though, so it's kind of going to be a cluster. Plenty of time to binge drink though.

 
BeTheMatch said:
We were on Leech last year on that brutal weekend where the actual temp (before factoring in wind chill) was 48 below zero 3 out of four days. And I'm not kidding, it was completely fine. I was wearing a sweatshirt and pants in the fish house and was actually a little warm. Other guys were in T-shirts. Now, going outside to take a leak, that's a little different. That wasn't very fun.

But other than that, the only thing that really gets cold is your feet. But nothing feet warmers can't take care of. It's all relative. It's amazing what your body gets used to.

And we caught plenty of fish.
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 I thought there were holes in the ice? How hard is it to drill an extra one in the corner?

 
BeTheMatch said:
Leave tomorrow to head up. Same place as last year, but it will be around 70 to 80 degrees warmer this year than same week last year. Minnesota is fun that way. Ice conditions are terrible though, so it's kind of going to be a cluster. Plenty of time to binge drink though.
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Find shiners on the way up if you fish with them.  I called ahead and they have none in the area. I stopped in Brainerd. Had my best luck with them vs other minnows last weekend, as usual. Also FYI the ice shortcut to Walker was not open last weekend.

 
BigJim® said:
Find shiners on the way up if you fish with them.  I called ahead and they have none in the area. I stopped in Brainerd. Had my best luck with them vs other minnows last weekend, as usual. Also FYI the ice shortcut to Walker was not open last weekend.
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Thanks for the heads-up. Plan to stop in Brainerd. 

 
Heading to Aruba in April - been there twice, but not for a long time.  I'm considering trying to bring a rod/reel and do some fishing from shore.  I know there's charter boats out there, but I don't feel like committing that much time to it honestly.  Anybody fish in Aruba before?  Any tips?

I need to get a new travel pole.  My 4 piece Fibilink one bent when I lifted a Jack too high out of the water in Florida, and last summer, I lost the top section of my 4 piece Ugly Stick when I got snagged on some rocks in Captiva.  I've had bad luck with the 4-piece travel rods, so I might try a telescoping one next...

 
shadrap said:
probably not in the mix here but going back to ND on Jan.14th to ice fish Lake Sakakawea with my 2 sons.   Walleye, Northern pike.   Average day ice fishing for the three of us should be 12 to 20 walleyes.   Should be in an ice house so some jigging involved but 10 flag tip ups withing 75 yards of ice house baited with chub minnow.   Flag goes up-fish on.

later dudes.
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1st day was a high of 0 degrees but had an ice house to fish out of.  Sunup to sundown-34 walleyes/sauger.  We kept 15(our limit)-all 1-3 lbs.   2nd day a low of --22(minus) with 30 MPH wind.  Wind chill was around 55 below 0.  Only caught around 20 or so as the temp made cowards out of all of us.  We usually catch a few bigger walleye as in 5 to 8 lbs but it wasn't to be.  We fished 2 holes in the ice house & 10 tip ups outside.   2 feet of ice & 15 feet of water.  yes we used a gas auger to drill holes.  Ice house was 8 ft X 16 ft.  Some windows, carpet, couch, 4 burner cook stove.  Live small minnow chubs for bait.

Tight Lines!!!

 
Heading down to Fort Lauderdale in June for a wedding and hope to get some fishing in. Has anyone fished that area? Thinking about trying for some Peacock Bass but not familiar with any of the guides. 

 
Fat Nick said:
Heading to Aruba in April - been there twice, but not for a long time.  I'm considering trying to bring a rod/reel and do some fishing from shore.  I know there's charter boats out there, but I don't feel like committing that much time to it honestly.  Anybody fish in Aruba before?  Any tips?

I need to get a new travel pole.  My 4 piece Fibilink one bent when I lifted a Jack too high out of the water in Florida, and last summer, I lost the top section of my 4 piece Ugly Stick when I got snagged on some rocks in Captiva.  I've had bad luck with the 4-piece travel rods, so I might try a telescoping one next...
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I really like my KastKing Blackhawk telescopic.  Very good quality.  I also have a Sougilang (SP) that is nice because it collapses down smaller but it isn't built as well.  The whole handle assembly spins around the rod with no way to tighten it.  It's functional but drives e crazy.

 
shadrap said:
1st day was a high of 0 degrees but had an ice house to fish out of.  Sunup to sundown-34 walleyes/sauger.  We kept 15(our limit)-all 1-3 lbs.   2nd day a low of --22(minus) with 30 MPH wind.  Wind chill was around 55 below 0.  Only caught around 20 or so as the temp made cowards out of all of us.  We usually catch a few bigger walleye as in 5 to 8 lbs but it wasn't to be.  We fished 2 holes in the ice house & 10 tip ups outside.   2 feet of ice & 15 feet of water.  yes we used a gas auger to drill holes.  Ice house was 8 ft X 16 ft.  Some windows, carpet, couch, 4 burner cook stove.  Live small minnow chubs for bait.

Tight Lines!!!
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Nice. My bro's in laws have a place on Sakakawea and they make catching walleye sound as easy as catching panfish in Minnesota. Very jealous.

Curious, does anyone here use electrolyte supplements keeping minnows in an aerated cooler? I used a new Engel aerated cooler this past weekend and had none die in the cooler over 3 days, which was awesome. A friend brought Sure Life SL101B Better Bait and said adding that to the water played a big role in lively minnows. I see it on amazon with only 3 reviews, and can't seem to find at my typical fishing supply shops. This friend has a rep for owning every fishing gimmick known to man, so just trying to get a sense whether this is a real thing, or whether it was irrelevant.  

 
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Fat Nick said:
Heading to Aruba in April - been there twice, but not for a long time.  I'm considering trying to bring a rod/reel and do some fishing from shore.  I know there's charter boats out there, but I don't feel like committing that much time to it honestly.  Anybody fish in Aruba before?  Any tips?

I need to get a new travel pole.  My 4 piece Fibilink one bent when I lifted a Jack too high out of the water in Florida, and last summer, I lost the top section of my 4 piece Ugly Stick when I got snagged on some rocks in Captiva.  I've had bad luck with the 4-piece travel rods, so I might try a telescoping one next...
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Ron Swanson said:
I really like my KastKing Blackhawk telescopic.  Very good quality.  I also have a Sougilang (SP) that is nice because it collapses down smaller but it isn't built as well.  The whole handle assembly spins around the rod with no way to tighten it.  It's functional but drives e crazy.
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I have both 4 piece and telescoping from when I used to travel alot. I bought a St Croix 4 piece years ago and i would recommend one of those.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/St-Croix-Triumph-reg-Travel-Spinning-Rods/741125.uts?productVariantId=4135577&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04138759&rid=20&ds_rl=1246492&ds_rl=1246531&ds_rl=1247882&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyKrxBRDHARIsAKCzn8ww4-v8LFfCZeoFN8O-ga1dSHUlLF7J4pIImEHHwR5RdgqENh4cDWUaAsu0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 
BigJim® said:
Nice. My bro's in laws have a place on Sakakawea and they make catching walleye sound as easy as catching panfish in Minnesota.

Curious, does anyone here use electrolyte supplements keeping minnows in an aerated cooler? I used a new Engel aerated cooler this past weekend and had none die in the cooler over 3 days, which was awesome. A friend brought Sure Life SL101B Better Bait and said adding that to the water played a big role in lively minnows. I see it on amazon with only 3 reviews, and can't seem to find at my typical fishing supply shops. This friend has a rep for owning every fishing gimmick known to man, so just trying to get a sense whether this is a real thing, or whether it was irrelevant.  
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i've never tried any but would feel confident in buying some as pretty inexpensive compared to a cooler full of dead minnows.  Sakakawea is a great walleye lake but with that comes a lot of out of State fisherman.  Word is out.

good fishing. 

 
Ron Swanson said:
I really like my KastKing Blackhawk telescopic.  Very good quality.  I also have a Sougilang (SP) that is nice because it collapses down smaller but it isn't built as well.  The whole handle assembly spins around the rod with no way to tighten it.  It's functional but drives e crazy.
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I picked one of these up for just a hair over $40 this weekend on Amazon.  Got it yesterday.  Looks pretty promising.  It's a little odd how the guides move on the top section, but it all makes a lot of sense at the end of the day as that lets the top section be far more flexible than most telescoping rods.  I'll have to see how it ultimately works out, but it's promising.

 
Interested to hear how your trip went BTM if you get time.

I was reserved to fish Walker Bay this coming weekend but the outfit has moved us to Lake Kabekona (15 miles north of Walker) due to continuing poor conditions on Walker Bay. Initially I was put off that they didn't just relocate to Pine Point, but have researched Kabekona, and seems like it has interesting structure. 133' max depth, 50' average depth, sharp shoreline breaks, 20' humps) so looks like an intriguing lake that has much of what Leech Lake/Walker Bay has, in possibly a more scout-able size lake. 

 
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BigJim® said:
Interested to hear how your trip went BTM if you get time.

I was reserved to fish Walker Bay this coming weekend but the outfit has moved us to Lake Kabekona (15 miles north of Walker) due to continuing poor conditions on Walker Bay. Initially I was put off that they didn't just relocate to Pine Point, but have researched Kabekona, and seems like it has interesting structure. 133' max depth, 50' average depth, sharp shoreline breaks, 20' humps) so looks like an intriguing lake that has much of what Leech Lake/Walker Bay has, in possibly a more scout-able size lake. 
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Rough three-day weekend. We were in a couple houses out on Pine Point. We were too lazy to get up early or stay late or run around and hole-hop. So we sat and picked through tiny perch and only ended up with about a dozen nice perch. Did snag this pig on Friday afternoon, so that made up for it a little bit:

27-inch highlight

Sounds like the people in that same area that ran around on snowmobiles and drilled a lot of holes did OK. I heard they got 20-30 perch and a few northern.

We gave up at about noon on Saturday and went and hit the bars in town instead.

 
BeTheMatch said:
Rough three-day weekend. We were in a couple houses out on Pine Point. We were too lazy to get up early or stay late or run around and hole-hop. So we sat and picked through tiny perch and only ended up with about a dozen nice perch. Did snag this pig on Friday afternoon, so that made up for it a little bit:

27-inch highlight

Sounds like the people in that same area that ran around on snowmobiles and drilled a lot of holes did OK. I heard they got 20-30 perch and a few northern.

We gave up at about noon on Saturday and went and hit the bars in town instead.
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Awesome walleye! Hoped you'd do better in warmer weather. I caught a 25" 'eye the week prior but other than that it was perch/northern, although we did lose a few larger mystery fish using 4-6 lb fluorocarbon leaders. I just tell myself those were walleye.

You should consider sleeper houses for a future trip so you don't have to even think about getting up early or staying late. I've never had much luck with a daytime walleye bite on Leech... seems like it is after hours or 5-7 AM. My 25" struck at 9 PM. Like I said before, pretty exciting to wake up to a rattle wheel at 2:00 AM. Bunks/no bathroom isn't for everybody, but makes for a great grizzly adams weekend.   

 
Good meal tonight.  Grouper and Lobster ceviche.  With a couple of the lobster cooked on the grill for good measure.  And no, I'm not in FL at the moment.  I would never keep a Nassau or Lobster out of season.  I'm in Providenciales. Caught the grouper shore fishing.

The Catch

 
ChiefD said:
Yeah, I've been in here before.   :lol:

Anytime I see someone talk about fishing in Wisconsin it gets me all jazzed up - no matter the thread. 
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I feel that way about fishing in general.  I fish in kayak bass tournaments and some boat tournaments as well.  I don't ice fish so I get pretty excited this time of year when it starts to warm up.

 
I bought a fishing kayak a couple years ago and set it up with a small trolling motor :bag:  for musky fishing.  Haven't used it much or caught one yet.  

A buddy of mine uses one for bass fishing a lot and loves it.  Gets right into the thick weedbeds and hammers them.  He seldom uses his boat anymore.   He fishes the Dodgeville lakes (Sleepy Hollow and Twin Valley) a lot so no gas motors.  Catches a few muskies too on his bass lures.  

 
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beef said:
I bought a fishing kayak a couple years ago and set it up with a small trolling motor :bag:  for musky fishing.  Haven't used it much or caught one yet.  

A buddy of mine uses one for bass fishing a lot and loves it.  Gets right into the thick weedbeds and hammers them.  He seldom uses his boat anymore.   
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Getting a kayak for fishing was one of the best things I've ever done.  I've gotten out fishing more and traveled to more locations now.  Last year I fished in the KBF national championship at Shreveport, LA and it was awesome.  Never would have fished down there if it wasn't for getting a kayak.  I fish the Upper Mississippi River mostly and a few local, small lakes.

 
ChiefD said:
Yeah, I've been in here before.   :lol:

Anytime I see someone talk about fishing in Wisconsin it gets me all jazzed up - no matter the thread. 
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WI River fishing is a blast.  I've mostly fished the northern section but will start hitting Lake Wisconsin this spring - 100 miles south of where you go around Wausau.      

 
beef said:
WI River fishing is a blast.  I've mostly fished the northern section but will start hitting Lake Wisconsin this spring - 100 miles south of where you go around Wausau.      
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Any experience around Rhinelander?  I know we'll spend a day on Pelican Lake.

 
beef said:
WI River fishing is a blast.  I've mostly fished the northern section but will start hitting Lake Wisconsin this spring - 100 miles south of where you go around Wausau.      
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We typically will fish the stretch from Merrill to Brokaw. We'll also head down to Mosinee from time to time. 

Have had great success there. The largest muskie I have caught is a 45", with several 43's, a couple of 40's, etc. My uncle got a 48" two summers ago.

We'll catch smallies, a few walleye here and there, and we also have a great sturgeon spot. My brother caught a 50" there a couple of years ago. Nothing better than an August day, floating down the river with 8 dozen nightcrawlers and a cooler of beer. Just pure awesomeness. 

 
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Went bass fishing today. We bought 2 dozen wild shiners and hit the lake all optimistic. That soon changed. Anyway imaginable to miss a fish we did. Lose one in the lilly pads got that done. Lose one while untangling a rats nest due to a backlash check. Lose another in saw grass one around  tree stump yep. The worst of course is the one I missed because I spazzed when the fish hit. I did manage to land one its the only one we got in the boat pretty expensive bass.

https://imgur.com/a/W6kkio0

 
Did some social distancing on the water yesterday up in Crystal River, where you can still keep trout, redfish, and Snook (all 3 are closed here due to red tide last year). Ended up limiting out on all three and brought home about 10lbs of fillets. it was a beautiful day on the water, a perfect 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We didnt take a lot of pics, but snapped a couple of the bigger fish (Red was 25 inches, Snook was 28 inches)

Redfish

Snook

Gin clear water (video)

 
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rustycolts said:
Went bass fishing today. We bought 2 dozen wild shiners and hit the lake all optimistic. That soon changed. Anyway imaginable to miss a fish we did. Lose one in the lilly pads got that done. Lose one while untangling a rats nest due to a backlash check. Lose another in saw grass one around  tree stump yep. The worst of course is the one I missed because I spazzed when the fish hit. I did manage to land one its the only one we got in the boat pretty expensive bass.

https://imgur.com/a/W6kkio0
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Man, that looks like a good place to use a floating frog.

 
Wingnut said:
Did some social distancing on the water yesterday up in Crystal River, where you can still keep trout, redfish, and Snook (all 3 are closed here due to red tide last year). Ended up limiting out on all three and brought home about 10lbs of fillets. it was a beautiful day on the water, a perfect 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We didnt take a lot of pics, but snapped a couple of the bigger fish (Red was 25 inches, Snook was 28 inches)

Redfish

Snook

Gin clear water (video)
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I love Crystal river we put in at Macraes when ever we go. Nice red and Snooki those reds are beautiful there.

 
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rustycolts said:
I love Crystal river we put in at Macraes when ever we go. Nice red and Snooki those reds are beautiful there.
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I've got a buddy charter Capt up there that launches from the dock at Plantation. I get the friend rate, which is just covering his gas and live bait, and he gets to fish all day instead of having to do guide duties for normal clients. :thumbup:

Here's a short video from yesterday,  weaving through the mangrove islands on the way back in:

https://youtu.be/6ev8iAjWFfI

 
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Wingnut said:
Did some social distancing on the water yesterday up in Crystal River, where you can still keep trout, redfish, and Snook (all 3 are closed here due to red tide last year). Ended up limiting out on all three and brought home about 10lbs of fillets. it was a beautiful day on the water, a perfect 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We didnt take a lot of pics, but snapped a couple of the bigger fish (Red was 25 inches, Snook was 28 inches)

Redfish

Snook

Gin clear water (video)
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Nice Snook! Artificial or live bait?

 
Wingnut said:
I've got a buddy charter Capt up there that launches from the dock at Plantation. I get the friend rate, which is just covering his gas and live bait, and he gets to fish all day instead of having to do guide duties for normal clients. :thumbup:

Here's a short video from yesterday,  weaving through the mangrove islands on the way back in:

https://youtu.be/6ev8iAjWFfI
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This is why I love where I live. I can be at either Crystal river or Mosquito lagoon in about 90 mins. Then of course there is all the lakes benefit of living in lake county.

 
Wingnut said:
Did some social distancing on the water yesterday up in Crystal River, where you can still keep trout, redfish, and Snook (all 3 are closed here due to red tide last year). Ended up limiting out on all three and brought home about 10lbs of fillets. it was a beautiful day on the water, a perfect 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We didnt take a lot of pics, but snapped a couple of the bigger fish (Red was 25 inches, Snook was 28 inches)

Redfish

Snook

Gin clear water (video)
Click to expand...
I live in Hernando minutes away from Crystal River. Take my kayak out off of Ozello often. Was that snook in the slot? My favorite fish to eat. Very nice red too. The whole Kings Bay area is full of giant tarpon now.

I also bass fish in Lake Hernando right by my house. I have friends that put dog food underwater in mesh bags and then come back the next day and cast net shiners, they are huge like 8-10" and then take them out for lunkers. One guy had a 12 and a 13lb bass a few weeks ago.

 
Joe Mammy said:
I live in Hernando minutes away from Crystal River. Take my kayak out off of Ozello often. Was that snook in the slot? My favorite fish to eat. Very nice red too. The whole Kings Bay area is full of giant tarpon now.
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Yep, 28 inches, it's in my freezer right now.😀

 
Was suppose to have my first bass tournament in two weeks but is now canceled. So disappointed. I’m afraid it’s going to be the same for my May tourneys. 

 
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