Florida Ain’t For Sissies

No Sir. If you even think you will not like being hot stay away.

Mornings are nice though.



Motoring across the lake before that fireball rises is as cool as it is gonna get. Afraid so. Today I watched it rise and witnessed everything awaken.



Of course I was not alone and this feller at 8 feet long was staying close by. Middle of the lake, too. Nothing out there but him and me.



This is what it looks like in Florida about 10 a.m. It was about 90 degrees then and the water temperature was also 90 degrees. I dipped my shirt and donned it and that was about as comfortable as it got. Cotton ball clouds and bluebird skies. Winds were extremely light if existent at all.



Long line trolling technique, even if my lines were barely twenty feet behind the boat. Water is about 7-9 feet deep where I found my fish. 1 mph was a good speed and my lures were shallow and close in. This made it very easy to maneuver the boat and I made many changes in direction.

The fish would strike fast and often or not at all of course. I thought I saw a thermocline on the HB but really can’t know for sure what I was seeing. 90 degree water and there they were just a few feet under the surface waiting for my presentations.



Check out my “Golden Rod”.

I have an Xpress Bay boat 20’ with four rod holders up front and two in back- six rod spread. 16’- 11’-out the sides and 11’ in back in a rocket launcher. Gonna work in an extra two rods but when things get busy it is more than enough. Lost two jigs, and had two wrap arounds, and several foulings of different varieties. The fish were biting and of course problems followed. I cannot understand how things can wrap so wildly when given such a small opportunity.

I kept about twenty really nice specimens, and tossed back at least a dozen or more for being insufficient in both stature and maturity. Lost a beautiful fish. Saw him and muffed it plain and simple. Cursed a little but hey that’s fishing. That was a nice fish.

I placed two 1/4 ounce Bat jigs with BG Stroll’Rs straight out the back, in close to the boat, probably three feet deep. Didn’t get many hits but the ones that did hit were all quality fish. That was where I lost my trophy. Weird how the nice fish like the short line presentation. The boat doesn’t frighten then. Those lures were literally ten feet back. Pair of them. These allow for tight turns and no fouling as well.

The jigs out the side were all homemade, and were doing very well. They have caught fish each of the last three days I went. Do-It’s Herring Head Underspin.

I made these myself and must say I am very disappointed in Do-It for failing to address the problem with the wire inserts coming out at even the slightest pull. No excuses for it. The wire inserts they charge me top dollar for simply are insufficient and there is no way they haven’t known that for the last six years. Pittiful. Shameful. So now I have this wonderful mold and all these wire inserts that absolutely will not work. $10 a pop and I got four packs of them and all are garbage.

Now I am after a cure as the Herring Head Underspin jig is a killer. Many prefer RoadRunners but this jig allows the swivel to come away in a straight line fashion, versus at an angle, and the blades purr. I mean they spin like crazy. I am able to use any of the plastic baits of my choosing, and the blades do not foul. I have settled on the size #1 French Blade as it produces a tremendous amount of vibrations. I was able to swim it next to the boat and witness. Very strong. The fish are able to locate it in the dark and stained waters of my local lakes.

The Herring Head underspin jigs performed beautifully. I am using a roller swivel as they actually spin better than the ball bearing swivels. Held just under the surface, alongside the boat, with a french blade, the waves it generates are impressive. I really think that it was this vibration that allowed the fish to key in.

My friend uses 1/16 ounce heads and curly tail plastics and can beat me any day, but I am catching up. I just started fishing for crappie in January and he been fishing for “specks” about 40 years or longer. I plan to will myself cross the line. Some guys can catch fish in a mud puddle in your driveway, others have to work at it. I’m working at it.

I make my own lures and this has delayed my progress, but now is starting to pay off. No I don’t expect anyone to understand that.

I fished O’Dark Hundred until 11:30 and as I motored back into the launch, I spied a man fishing. He wore a backpack, and carried a bucket and a rod. He had been hiding in the shade when he started back to his car. I asked had he caught anything and he said no. Said he was going to go to another location and try there.

I landed the boat and got off and saw him loading his gear and asked him if he would allow someone to save him from this terrible July heat. He said he would and I told him to meet me up from the ramp after I pulled the boat out. He did and his name is Jerome. He has a wife and two kids and a smile Ajax won’t scrub off.



*** ALL MY GOOD DEEDS ARE AS FILTHY RAGS ***