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zcoker

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Everything posted by zcoker

  1. If you want peacocks, exotics, go south to Lake Ida. If you want decent surf fishing, Juno beach. Snook are always hanging around Juno Pier. Also Boynton Inlet if you like tossing bombers and jigs on the tide flush. Snook and tarpon always there. Go after sunset for the inlet to avoid the incoming boat traffic. 24/hr free parking on the south jetty side. West Palm Beach in particular has nothing really to offer, imho.
  2. Most all my fishing is by kayak deep in the everglades at night, solo. Gators are part of the deal, same with just about every other critter out there. I've been slammed by gators many times in my yak at night, probably because of shallow water running. Don't think ever attacked. I actually look for them because they will tell me where the fish are. Find the gators, find the fish. Where the gators are is where the food is and where the food is, is where the bass are. Same with the frogs. Listen to their sound. The highest pitched area is the roadmap to follow. Gators are very easy to discern at night because their eyes glow bright red--shine a light quickly, see where all the red glowing eyes are at, and then cast to the darker spots, the in-between spots. That way, no lost lures. There's a method to the madness, for sure! Launching into the abyss as the sun vanishes Gators glowing eyes at night
  3. Bring plenty of plastic worms! They’re about the only sure-fire lure for bass. In fact, studies have shown that it’s the only lure that bass cannot remember and will continue to hit even after repeated catches on them.
  4. Those levee roads go for miles and they’re all over the place throughout south Florida, some gated, some not. Best to travel them in a vehicle that does well off-road because it can get rough out there in some places. For the most, the roads are pretty decent. If it’s only gators that you wanna see, hit up Gatorama on US 27. You’ll see more gators in that place to last a lifetime!
  5. Daytime bigguns. Find a levee access point and follow the road. They’re all over the place out there, some gated, some not.
  6. It’s not only the gators but those big fat water moccasins can be just as aggressive! Whatever it is, it’s their world and playing around in it always comes with a risk. I’d advise starting out with daylight fishing before jumping directly into the dark side. Growing eyes in the back of your head does take a bit of time. Besides, you can get just as many fish in the daylight hours as you can during the night. Only difference gonna be all those cars whooshing by on the Tamiami Trail.
  7. I really like the Gill Champion Short finger gloves for fishing. Seem to be holding up better than any other glove, including the top of the line Zenaq fishing gloves. I only used those for a short time when one of them started pulling apart. The Velcro also started to peel off the back. They are comfortable, though, very nice fit. Too bad they don't hold up. But he Gill's are great and have seen abuse as much as anything in both fresh and saltwater, I mean like total destruction yet they're are still as good as new. No sign of any weak points. Easy wash, rinse, and dry. Can abuse the heck out of them yet they retain all functionality as well as fitment. No affiliation.
  8. Most likely not. When I was assisting FWC with the new shark fishing regs, I tried to get them to list it as a rule but they only saw fit to do a recommendation instead for the de-barbed circle hooks. In any case, it makes ALL the difference when releasing any shark. In the case of this particular girl, fight time was probably very long. Tide was most likely going out. Low water over those sandbars up in the Panhandle is a death sentence for any big tired fish. Many have perished that way.
  9. Navarre Beach. 15ft Great White. It’s obvious by the big 24/0 hook that someone had a bad day…or night. Possible post-release mortality. That area has multiple sandbars and a really big shark like this one would have a very hard time swimming back out, especially after a long exhausting fight.
  10. We had a 15 footer wash up here in Navarre Beach, Florida. It’s obvious by the big 24/0 hook that someone had a bad day. Possible post-release mortality. That area has multiple sandbars and a really big shark would have a very hard time swimming back out, especially after a long fight.
  11. Oofos is what I use, the best most comfortable that I’ve ever worn. I go bare when I hit my fishing spots.
  12. This is a great alternative to the heat gun vinyl stuff! The vinyl although nice at first simply doesn't last. Few landings and it’s toast. I’ve already spent about half the cost of the vinyl tape but that was only because my model OT hadn’t came out. This solution is permanent!
  13. Everglades never disappoints! Always a big bite out there, not a question of if but a question of when.
  14. That one just finished eating a big turtle, yep, surprised the heck out of me. Never seen one do that before.
  15. I meant the 8.3, sorry. Better rod with heavier lures from boat. The 8.4 is probably more versatile between the two. 8.6 best rod for casting. Regardless, you need to figure out target species, lure weight thrown, and general area fished. Once you have all that down pat, one of them should fit as close as possible.
  16. I needed the 8.6 for the surf. 8.4 was too short for me because I only surf fish with it and needed the extra lenght for distance. Lightest lures I use on it is about 2-3oz and heaviest is 5. I wouldn’t recommend 5 but I’ve thrown with it. The 8.4 gonna be much better suited for the heavier lures and boats. My rod is setup for all surf species, meaning I can use it for stickbaiting, popping, big sharks, big tarpon, bait fishing, jacks, snook…one rod, one reel sorta deal, ready for anything that swims, or, more importantly, a setup that can be changed on the fly to catch whatever is running in the surf zone.
  17. I know what you mean. Heck, I’m not even an engineer and I could figure that one out lol I’ve sent that reel to Daiwa to be fixed and I’m sure they put on a locking agent but it still failed. Maybe it’s my target species. Maybe so. Sharks can be hard on any reel. Yet I’ve also heard from others about this same problem. Too bad because the rest of the reel is choice!
  18. The Tobizo is the TC86 I’ve had very short fishing trips with the Saltiga. So I don’t use it anymore. The roller bearing screw has come loose three times and when that happens the two line roller bearings loose their magmatic seal, it’s over and the reel needs to be sent out (again) to California, mega shipping charges, a BIG pita! I don’t know why in the world Daiwa deleted the safty screw on their newer reel in favor of a single screw with no safety feature. Shimano has three fail safes in that area! Here’s the Stella compared to the Saltiga. BIG difference! Stella has a screw and then a locking plate and then a locking screw to lock the locking plate…..this kinda redundant engineering is totally worry free! The older Saltiga’s HAD a locking screw but the new ones have nothing. It’s almost as if when near perfection they said, hey, let’s stop here because nothing is perfect!
  19. Yep, gets the job done. I’m using 18k Stella, that or 18k Saltiga. I prefer the Stella.
  20. I use a Zenaq Tobizo 8.6 popping rod to catch all kinds of big sharks from the surf on lures. Nothing much out there other than Hanta 8.6 XH, which I also have. I’ve caught sharks up to 9ft on it. Both of these rods are insane! Whatever needs to be understood about the Zenaq rods, only thing that I can say is to fish one to find out!
  21. Everglades sunrise. Spawning season is here bigguns chewing, slow and low will get those bigger bites, which are more from aggregation.
  22. Turns? Are you asking about the haywire twist? If so, 5 or 6 should do it. Don’t really need more than that.
  23. Popping for sharks in the dark….on a glow in the dark popper!
  24. The calm before the storm. Was actually fishing for big jacks but this guy hit instead. Big barbless bkk’s easy out!
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