Florida shore stalking

[BenCantrell]

Got my first snook in freshwater, same spot where I posted the bowfin and longnose gar previously. It hit a freelined golden shiner.





Also upped my PR for longnose gar. It's not the longest I've caught, but it's definitely the heaviest.



I've been on the hunt for a juvenile tarpon, but on my last attempt I caught the biggest bass of my life instead. It hit a Voodoo Mullet swimbait. 7-8 lbs maybe?



Here's a dump of random FW species.

Brown hoplo


Mangrove snapper


Mountain mullet


Freshwater goby


And a bonus gator that came over when I caught the largemouth bass. He looked around 100 lbs.

[jrodda]

You're really making me wanna plan a trip to Florida with the countless species you've already caught since you've moved. Super cool reports, keep em coming!

[Latimeria]

Yep Ben....  That's pretty damn awesome!  Those are some killer catches! 

I got interviewed by a California reporter when I first started Prehistoric Soul and was asked what state had the best fishing.  I think he thought I was going to say California, but I said Florida because It really is impossible to get skunked, even if you fish with a spinning reel upside down.  lol

Keep the pics and the posts coming!

[xjchad]

This is awesome Ben!
I love seeing all the different species you catch, what a blast!

[vdisney]

Absolutely incredible my man, thank you for sharing

[BenCantrell]

Thanks guys. Yeah I won't lie and say my fishing skills have suddenly improved. It's definitely easier here. I remember being surprised when I moved to San Diego and realized how hard the fishing was - spotted bass for starters, but once you move on to corbina, corvina, surf sharks, etc, jeez. You have to put in a lot of time for few fish. Rockfish from the kayak was the one thing I felt was easy out there.

[skrilla]

Good to see you getting spoiled.

[Donfish]

Yep Ben....  That's pretty damn awesome!  Those are some killer catches! 

I got interviewed by a California reporter when I first started Prehistoric Soul and was asked what state had the best fishing.  I think he thought I was going to say California, but I said Florida because It really is impossible to get skunked, even if you fish with a spinning reel upside down.  lol

Keep the pics and the posts coming!

I concur although Virginia was pretty cool too on the FW scene I only had a little bit of time in each state and Many Many moons ago before google GPS and the internet.
So. California is probably one of the worst FW areas and why most of my fishing life was dedicated to Ocean fishing but I am working on helping the lake I work at now be more productive and gaining support both from locals and the people I work for.
After I have gained a bit more local Data and get with the inland waters biologist in Fresno for DFW I will be proposing a more viable fisheries management plan to the Parks committee up here to cull more crappie than current 'lake' take permits which is far below state regs and stunting our Bass and bluegill production.

Killing it Dude love seeing all that stuff I missed out on. Coolest catch I had in Florida FW was a black Oscar on topwater brokenback rapala