I never really fished much for Bass until I moved to Florida in 1974. I lived on the west side of the state, just north of Tampa in a town called Spring Hill. Most of the fish that I was catching up North were Perch, Crappies, Bluegills, Carp, and Catfish. One day, I met a Good ‘ole boy from Brooksville, the next town over. He was originally from Alabama, and he got me hooked on Bass Fishing (pardon the pun!).

The local lakes around Spring Hill were loaded with bass, and I was really having a blast fishing them. I bought myself a good set of waders from Montgomery Wards at the time, and used them regularly. Later on, I graduated to a small Jon boat, complete with a 3.5 hp. motor for two hundred dollars. These were two of the best fishing years for me; I had the time of my life!

The Jon boat may have been small, but I could get in some tight spots that a bigger boat would have problems with. After a while it began to leak everywhere… we gave her the nickname, “Titanic”. As I became more addicted to this terrific sport, I continued to upgrade my equipment.

I mostly fished the local rivers in Hernando County, the Withlacoochee, Homosassa, Weeki Wachee , and Crystal Rivers. Every now and then, I would go into Citrus County to Lake Henderson and Lake Hernando. By this time I had joined the Brooksville Bass Busters Club. Going out as a group just made fishing that much better… lots of fun and very competitive. We would hold a monthly tournament, fishing the various waters. I’ve also tried out the Clermont, Harris, and Kissimmee Chain, but my favorite lake for Bass in Florida is by far, Lake Okeechobee. I’ve fished in two tournaments there, placing well in both. The last tournament was held by the West Hernando Bass Club, after which, I became a member.