# leave ohio..fly to florida and go bassin!!!



## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

well guys just got back from florida, first off did not miss the ohio weather and florida in december is wonderful...oh yea so is the fishing. it cured some of my winter blues ive already developed since the boat has been parked. only fished in the everglades for one morning while i was there for about 4 hours but caught at least 45 fish. we had five lm over 5lbs and one over 6lbs, along with a whole bunch of 1 and 2 lbrs. we also caught about 20 or so of these things i think they were called sitkills, but they looked like bluegills on steroids they were all fat and about 2lbs -2.5lbs, a real pretty fish. caught a couple cats, 3 gars, couple mudfish, and something really big maybe a snook or tarpin that we only seen a glimpse of and it broke 40 lb braid line. but now its back to bundling up and hittin out for some eyes!!!!


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## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

some more pics!
























if anyone gets any cheap skybus tickets to ft lauderdale like i did and wants to fish the everglades let me know i ill give you the number of the guy i went with, very cool guy who knows his way around the swamps


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## Marshall (Apr 11, 2004)

That s awesome, nice fish. Sounds like a blast, also sounds like you got some weird fish too!(giant bluegill like fish). Nice job.


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## fishingredhawk (Apr 14, 2004)

Nice bass. Never bass fished in FL, but would like to in the near future.


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## Phil Carver (Apr 5, 2004)

Man your making me want to pack up and go ! Looks like you had a great trip . If your at the x-mas party , we can get filled in on all the details .


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

real nice bass . i know they call bluegill bream down there and they do get very large.


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## Hummel (Apr 3, 2006)

try catchin a snook or tarpon next time....thats on a different level.
25lb snook on a 2000 shimano with 8lb fireline.


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## Hummel (Apr 3, 2006)

niiiice bass btw....i bet you had a blast.


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## jshbuckeye (Feb 27, 2005)

Ive heard the fish you described and also think they might be called oscars


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## timmyv (Apr 26, 2006)

The fish you caught are actually Tilapia....you missed out on a great meal. They are some of the best fresh water fish to eat. See link below and look at the pics....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilapia


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

Im really fired up now...bad thing is we wont be in Ft. Myers until May


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## RareVos (Jul 29, 2007)

I'll be on Sanibel in March. I've been shopping for guides around the area and they are all pretty expensive.


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## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

oh those "bluegills on steroids" as i referred were called SICKLETTS i think so anyways, but i was told they were in the peacock family. and yes i heard they were very tasty, but everything in florida was just for fun, it was our last of 8 days down there, and we followed the fishing trip up with a visit to the ft lauderdale bass pro shops and restaraunt and the igfa fishing hall of fame. just a great end to a really great trip and a pick me up to get me throught the ohio winter!!


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

RareVos said:


> I'll be on Sanibel in March. I've been shopping for guides around the area and they are all pretty expensive.


Doesnt surprise me one bit...I guess I will have to stick to pier fishing, I heard the new Bass Pro in Ft.Myers is very nice.


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## Fishers of Men (Jul 29, 2005)

RareVos said:


> I'll be on Sanibel in March. I've been shopping for guides around the area and they are all pretty expensive.


Want some saltwater action do ya?
pm me and I'll give ya my buddies # and hook ya up. He's licensed.


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## RareVos (Jul 29, 2007)

Fishers of Men said:


> Want some saltwater action do ya?
> pm me and I'll give ya my buddies # and hook ya up. He's licensed.


Yeah, fishing the mangroves or flats, etc. Check yer PM's...


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

I think they are referring to popular aquarium fish called ciclids, pronounced sicklids. I think that oscars are in the ciclid family.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Im currently in the Naples area and will be for the foreseeable future...Let me tell you, it's going to be HARD to leave!

It's been in the Mid 80's for the past three weeks and today something really strange happend...It rained!!! 

Joking aside if your going to come down here fish SALTWATER. While those biggun bass may be tempting (nice Piggies btw  ) EVERYTHING saltwater fights like a Musky. Got a 3lb ladyfish the other day (member of the tarpon family) and it litterally smoked my drag for the 1st 30 seconds, then went airbourne on me 5 or 6 times. Easily outperformed any smallmouth i've ever hooked into...by a longshot. 

And yea..The Ft. Myers Bass Pro is only 10min away, Im already on a 1st name basis with all the cashiers! (j/k j/k j/k)


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## Flyfish Dog (Nov 6, 2007)

Awesome fishs caught there! Just looking at this got me all riled up! Be heading down for a month in Feb. with dog, kayak and flyrods in tow. Going to try to get as many species I can get.


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## timmyv (Apr 26, 2006)

The Tilapia is in the ciclid family as well...same w/ the oscars...they both are shapped like a fat bluegill...but the tilapia has closer coloration like a blue gill and are more common in florida then oscars...oh well all still fun to catch.


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## LoweBoat (Apr 14, 2004)

Nice fish! Where do I sign up? I got to get out of this crappy weather.


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

Isnt that just sickening that you caught more quality bass than most bass anglers get in a long, long time in Ohio in a few hours. Nice, nice fish. Now im really Jonesin' for my first bass trip of the year to Guntersville in March.


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## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

oh i know i caught two of my personal best, in one morning..and watched my fiancee reel in another that wouldve been. i loved fishing in the everglades..but you know i love gettin out fishing in ohio also,, i make the best of it and enjoy most of the trips out. wish i could fish erie more, i would have bigger fish under my belt, something about that lake makes me sick though..literally haha sick every time i get on it haha. you know though, here in central ohio, yea its not florida, but we have alot of water to fish in and we should consider ourselves lucky as per some others who do not have the available fishing resources we have here.


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## jgaylord (Oct 13, 2004)

I love to fish Central OH, but Florida can be pretty cool. Heres a sampling what my twenty year old son and his buddy managed to snag from my boat off Naples, FL, last August.

Big Permit
14' Bull shark
48" Cobia
God knows how big, Jewfish (Goliath Grouper)

I'm too old and fat to handle that kind of stuff!


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

RareVos said:


> I'll be on Sanibel in March.



I'm envious. I spent two weeks there with the family over the winter holidays 3 years ago. I have never been anywhere that I enjoyed more where I wasn't fishing or hunting. The shells are amazing.

I did see a few fish caught from the beach, don't know what they were.


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## Nikster (Mar 14, 2007)

Sent Ya a PM Danshady, for Ur guide's info. 

Please feel free to answer any/other answers for all to see, it may help those wanting to do the same thing????????????????????????? 

My Story;

Going down with my buddy (wife) 1st./2nd. week in Feb. *JUST TO CATCH STUPID FISH!* Got 1 lead on a guide to hit the Mangrove swamp (share a boat) , to get in there when the tide mix's the salt water & fresh water together & fish come in to feed. 
A friend of a friend type thing brought back 42lbs. of various fillets last year doing this. Using his gear (Bass) he brought along. Went out on some party boat & brought in BIG groupers 16/20/22lb. range & some others with wierd strange names (using their gear)?????? BUT GOOD EATING STUFF.

Any info; *ANYONE* has to post or would like to, I'm sure myself & others would find it helpfull?

*THANKs IN ADVANCE*, Nik


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## jgaylord (Oct 13, 2004)

Hey Nickster, you can make an entire fishing vacation out of the Naples fishing pier. It's about 1,500 feet long, and it's FREE! Your saltwater license and snook stamp are included. Not only is it one of the most beautiful places on the planet, the fishing is out of this world. I had several days in a row last summer where I landed a dozen or more snook up to 38". In addition to the snook, you can expect spanish mackerel, snapper, big tarpon, sharks of all species and sizes, goliath grouper, kingfish, etc., etc., etc.,


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## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

we were in a part of the glades where it was a lil deeper water, the bass were prespawn and holding a little bit deep. the guy told me feb will be great, so lucky you. i was in ft lauderdale area. most guides down there from what i gathered fish pretty heavy line, we had some with flourocarbon line, dont know what test though, but i had some baitcasters with 65 lb braid on them. they fish alot of grass and lilys and stuff. the mangroves will hold more snook and tarpin..but the guy i was with said if you fish those parts of grassy thick swamps youll catch snook and tarpin and a few bass but they will be big. the guy i was with was brett isackson cell # 954-445-4516 office # 954-771-3682 and web page www.bassonline.com
if your going fishing for fillets i def would suggest staying with the offshore saltwater, the swamps and mongrove roots will be ok too for snook tarpin redfish and such i guess some bass too maybe even a few peacocks. although the guide i was with said those sickletts or whatever they were"bluegills on steroids" were comparable to crappies and if you fished for them you could catch 200 of them in a morning averaging 1-3 lbs is what we were catching


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## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

and oh yea, if anyone goe s to ft lauderdale and goes fishing with brett be sure to mention dan jenkins from columbus ohio, u know tryin to get that referral discount...next time im gonna go fish the mangroves one day and fish peacocks the next day..so u know, hook a brother up!!!!!!! haha


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## CaptNate (Jul 19, 2006)

Great fish. Nice report...
Can't beat feeshin in the winter where it's nice and warm.


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