By Brian Pentecost

I’m a Florida born largemouth bass fisherman. At nine years old, I caught an 11.2 pounder. Since then they have all been smaller. I have caught many 8 pound plus fish in the sunny waterways of Florida, but I had no grasp of how hard my fishing transition would be when I moved up here about 6 years ago. It took about 2 full years of discouraging fishing trips for me to try and finally reach out to fellow fishermen on the internet. I needed to ask them what it was that made these Illinois Bass so much different than their southern counterparts.

Number 1

They are not as aggressive. While this is a general statement, it is also a fact 90% of the time….the pressured fish up here require angling skill to catch, proper lure presentation most of the time, and a general knowledge of the mechanics of weather. The northern strain largemouth bass is generally harder to catch than the Florida strain.

Number 2

The seasons are different in Florida or in any southern state. Fall….is fall here, Spring is Spring, but in Florida it’s almost always game time. The ice does not impede bass in any way. They actually mock spawn several times a year making bed fishing a possibility and mind numbing experience when anything like a 60 degree night rolls through the Florida waters. Fish actually seem to be more sensitive to cold than the hardened bass of the Midwestern region of the country.

Number 3

I was different. I am a different fisherman. I frog fish even to this day. In October, November, and yes even in December, I was throwing a frog. I’ve learned a lot in this last year. But that frog always hops in Florida waters and these fish up here are hardwired to kill that high protein food source. I’ve had to adapt and figure out new ways to entice cold water bass to strike an artificial lure. I have recently had some major successes in the negative ambient temperatures using tiny micro jigs with trimmed trailers.

I had the best fishing year of my life in 2013. I broke many personal records and most were up here in Illinois. What happened? What did I do differently? I approached fishing from a more biological and scientific method. I studied home courses like Buck Perry’s Guidelines to Fishing Success. I also studied maps. I studied the mating, feeding and seasonal homes of the fish I sought after. I also networked and fished with as many anglers as humanly possible as I could fit into my schedule, and most of this next season is already solidly booked with tournaments and fishing excursions with some of the best sticks on the planet.

Midwest bass fishermen are something else. Kudos to you. Go to Florida and shock the world, because in my humble opinion you are all the best fishermen and women in the United States. I thank you for all the great knowledge and friendship you have bestowed upon me.

Brian Pentecost

Online Contributor

Brian Pentecost, 35, a native Floridian, has had some stellar successes in the Midwest, but these exploits did not come easy. It took about 2 full years of re-education and learning new techniques for him to figure out the Midwest bite. Since 2013 he has been fishing competitively and attempting to conquer the many waterways of Illinois and Wisconsin. Brian uses hand crafted lures and smaller boutique craftsmen to create lures and soft plastics that mimic nature in the best possible ways. We look forward to see what Brian will do during his double tournament series and personal fishing exploits this year. You can visit Brian on Facebook at his FishingForFishy page.