# Fresh Water Florida season is here.



## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

First fish. 11" crappie.


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

LOL fall specs are on fire...you can tear em up right now ..


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

6Speed said:


> LOL fall specs are on fire...you can tear em up right now ..
> View attachment 870291
> View attachment 870292












But you don't
have gators to contend with, 😆


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Those are from the Georgia Florida line. Plenty of gators...


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

6Speed said:


> Those are from the Georgia Florida line. Plenty of gators...


Thought you were postimg pics of Michigan fish.


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Nope. My best friend caught them day before yesterday. I haven't been there since the first week last month.

I wish I was there. The fall bite is on.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Got out on Lake Griffin today.


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Nice catch! Try the specs right at dark and two hours after!


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

6Speed said:


> Nice catch! Try the specs right at dark and two hours after!


I have a shore spot that as soon as the glare is off the water at sunset that produces pretty good. However I think the water temps are a little high here right now. Still low 70's. We need a cool down. Plus unless you like to donate blood you need a bug suit. Skeeters are unreal.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Morning bite has been the ticket.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Bet them things are glad when you leave in April


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Shoeman said:


> Bet them things are glad when you leave in April


The rubber should be hitting the road pretty soon?


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Hey, you got a storage place nearby? Inquiring in case the one I use is full. Need it for my boat from the end of December until mid-February


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Shoeman said:


> Hey, you got a storage place nearby? Inquiring in case the one I use is full. Need it for my boat from the end of December until mid-February


I might be able to help you out. I am allowed one on my lot but dont currently have one. 18 footer?


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

17'

But do you really want it on your lot?


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Shoeman said:


> 17'
> 
> But do you really want it on your lot?


Well I have two other options. Give me a day or two to do some checking.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)




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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

My buddy sent me this last night. They're still tearing the specs up.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

6Speed said:


> My buddy sent me this last night. They're still tearing the specs up.
> 
> View attachment 871205


And you’re retired ready to shovel snow? WTF!


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Shoeman said:


> And you’re retired ready to shovel snow? WTF!


Yea, it's only a 16 hour ride....I'm itching.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

You should take a page out of my wife's book! She announced last night that when I come back in January, she's staying...LOL Now wait a minute! Should be the other way around!

I shouldn't let Dave catch them all...


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## anagranite (Oct 23, 2010)

Shoeman said:


> You should take a page out of my wife's book! She announced last night that when I come back in January, she's staying...LOL Now wait a minute! Should be the other way around!
> 
> I shouldn't let Dave catch them all...


Didn't you have a place in Marathon? Then I thought you said Key Largo the other day. Did the condo rebuild go wrong?


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

I'm as much as a crappie fan as the rest of the guys but being in Florida think I'd be after some saltwater fish !! Fight 10×s harder. Also was just gave some snook. Didn't think there was a fish more mild then a walleye. I was WRONG! Snook was incredible say least. Enjoy it down there. Sure would be nice


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

anagranite said:


> Didn't you have a place in Marathon? Then I thought you said Key Largo the other day. Did the condo rebuild go wrong?


I can't afford anything down there. Looked at a schithole of a house last March. 1000sq ft cinder block, outdated, 1 bath and landlocked. 685K

My buddy a local said if it were 500K he would have bought it... WTF! Plus insurance alone will kill ya


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## anagranite (Oct 23, 2010)

Shoeman said:


> I can't afford anything down there. Looked at a schithole of a house last March. 1000sq ft cinder block, outdated, 1 bath and landlocked. 685K
> 
> My buddy a local said if it were 500K he would have bought it... WTF! Plus insurance alone will kill ya


Sorry, I must have mistaken you for another member. 

And I know exactly what you mean about housing down there. 

Let's get back to freshwater florida fishing, good luck.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Lots of teeth in these.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Harris?


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Shoeman said:


> Harris?


Griffin


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Shoeman said:


> Harris?












We are fishing Griffin. We are on this side of Locke which doesn't open up till 8 am. On Feb. 15th it will begin opening at 7am


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Nice! Got a buddy of mine on Eustis. He doesn’t fish, but keeps showing me pics…wow!


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Heading out to Griffin again in a few minutes.
Shore bite last was not good.


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## wpmisport (Feb 9, 2010)

Shoeman said:


> I can't afford anything down there. Looked at a schithole of a house last March. 1000sq ft cinder block, outdated, 1 bath and landlocked. 685K
> 
> My buddy a local said if it were 500K he would have bought it... WTF! Plus insurance alone will kill ya


A couple of houses we rented in Marathon were vacation homes for the people that owned them and they rented them out the rest of the year. The renters pay for a good part of the cost of their house and when they retire they have a house to live in. It would be a good way to go if someone can afford the initial investment.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

If I had Miami kinda money.... That said not sure I could live in the Keys year round. I think I would get bored after a while.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Crappie make that 9 inch gill look small.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Nice work, Dave!


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Shoeman said:


> Nice work, Dave!


Thanks. We are eating fish but not giving any away yet


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)




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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Pull your float up some! You're fishing too deep...LOL


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## anagranite (Oct 23, 2010)

stickman1978 said:


> View attachment 872452


I had to do a search for that fish, is it a spotted bullhead?


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

anagranite said:


> I had to do a search for that fish, is it a spotted bullhead?


I have no idea. First one I think I can recall in the 5 yrs been fishing here.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Shoeman said:


> Pull your float up some! You're fishing too deep...LOL


We are generally fishing a few feet off bottom. Good fighter though


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## anagranite (Oct 23, 2010)

Looks like a brown bullhead, rounded anal fin with 19-23 rays. 

The spotted ones are up near Pensacola. 

I've never seen either and was curious, nice catch.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

anagranite said:


> View attachment 872458
> 
> 
> Looks like a brown bullhead, rounded anal fin with 19-23 rays.
> ...


Thanks for doing the research.


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## piketroller (Oct 24, 2016)

stickman1978 said:


> View attachment 872452


A bullhead that big can smash your thumb pretty badly. Consider yourself lucky for getting away with holding it that way. Grab them by putting your thumb under one of the pectoral fin spines and clamp the dorsal fin spines between two of your fingers.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Heading over to Harris in the morning. Hoping to find larger groupings of fish.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Only one caught. Looks like the neighbors getting fish today.


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## Sir Walter (Mar 10, 2008)

Shoeman said:


> Nice work, Dave!


Hi Ralf. Where are you located at in Florida? I’m down in Sebring till around the 15th of March.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

I have some friends in Sebring but they don’t fish. I might end up in Crystal Bay for a week the second week in March


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Heard the red tide is nasty down near Tampa this week . ..good thing you're
going to the Keys Shoeman...


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## anagranite (Oct 23, 2010)

6Speed said:


> Heard the red tide is nasty down near Tampa this week . ..good thing you're
> going to the Keys Shoeman...


It's bad all the way to Naples, my sister lives there and can't even Kayak because of the red tide, dead fish, and some other flesh eating bacteria.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Good bite today.


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

Buddy of mine sent me this last night from South Georgia. He never smiles but these were both 2 pounds or so...


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

6Speed said:


> Buddy of mine sent me this last night from South Georgia. He never smiles but these were both 2 pounds or so...
> View attachment 873208


Yep starting to fill up with eggs.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

We were fishing a point with a nice drop off about 50 yards off shore. As we were moving from a flat to the drop we marked a large school of bait with several marks surounding the bait. We caught one fish right away as soon as I boxed that one another pole hit. Landed that fish and quickly decided to try to circle the bait ball. As we swung back around we picked up another fish. As all this was happening a boat rounded the point and slipped in between us and shore under power. Tried to keep circling the school of bait but couldn't mark them. I think the other boat scattered them. Oh well 3 fish in less than 5 minutes was a good flurry.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

We flew above the Red Tide blooms offshore of Tampa Bay. Here’s how it looks.


From above, the toxic algal blooms lingered for miles just offshore of Pinellas County this weekend




www.tampabay.com


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

6Speed said:


> Heard the red tide is nasty down near Tampa this week . ..good thing you're
> going to the Keys Shoeman...











We flew above the Red Tide blooms offshore of Tampa Bay. Here’s how it looks.


From above, the toxic algal blooms lingered for miles just offshore of Pinellas County this weekend




www.tampabay.com


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)




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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

Another nice batch, Dave!

My morning commute




















Fishing kinda sucked, but the scenery was nice!


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Shoeman said:


> Another nice batch, Dave!
> 
> My morning commute
> 
> ...


Conditions were probably the best since we been here. Same with the the bite. Still better than sitting in the trailer.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Been cold lately. Bites been cold also.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

piketroller said:


> Tastes better than crappie. Hope you kept it.


Nope. I don't enjoy cleaning them as much.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

.


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## piketroller (Oct 24, 2016)

stickman1978 said:


> Nope. I don't enjoy cleaning them as much.


I always though those were the easiest things to clean. Pull the skin off with pliers and then the ribs were so thick you couldn't screw up with a regular knife.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

piketroller said:


> I always though those were the easiest things to clean. Pull the skin off with pliers and then the ribs were so thick you couldn't screw up with a regular knife.


Maybe I am doing it wrong.


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## 6Speed (Mar 8, 2013)

stickman1978 said:


> Maybe I am doing it wrong.


Probably are. Get one of them southern country boys to show you. It goes real quick after you've skinned a few dozen of em....


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## piketroller (Oct 24, 2016)

stickman1978 said:


> Maybe I am doing it wrong.


No time like the present to start practicing.

The bullhead fillets from Reelfoot Lake used to have a pinkish color to them. Probably still do, but I haven't been there since 2006. When having fish fries with family and friends with the haul from those trips, everyone agreed the bullhead we're way better than the crappie. I'd spend way more time on those trips running limb lines and trot lines than crappie fishing. But our bullheads up here in Michigan aren't anywhere near as good.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

piketroller said:


> No time like the present to start practicing.
> 
> The bullhead fillets from Reelfoot Lake used to have a pinkish color to them. Probably still do, but I haven't been there since 2006. When having fish fries with family and friends with the haul from those trips, everyone agreed the bullhead we're way better than the crappie. I'd spend way more time on those trips running limb lines and trot lines than crappie fishing. But our bullheads up here in Michigan aren't anywhere near as good.


Ok will try the next one. Friend catches quite a few Blues off the dock. He says them are the best. I have eaten my share of catfish and like it usually someone else has cleaned them though.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Friend painted this likeness of me.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Fish are moving in closer to shore. Spawning time.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Friend caught a nice blue off the dock.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Nice cool evening with a bit of a breeze to keep the mosquitoes at bay and catch a few fish. Got bit off twice by them pickerel.


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

piketroller said:


> Tastes better than crappie. Hope you kept it.


Better then crappie ?! Must be some type of special cat fish. I've had both and cats were always cooked by my neighbor from Mississippi. They were excellent, not crappie excellent though..


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

snortwheeze said:


> Better then crappie ?! Must be some type of special cat fish. I've had both and cats were always cooked by my neighbor from Mississippi. They were excellent, not crappie excellent though..


At work we always served it Cajun Blackened. Was pretty dam good.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Making the morning run.


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