The AA crew has been on an interesting journey across a large part of the state on a mission to complete the little known but quite challenging Florida Black Bass Slam! This unique accomplishment consists of catching the spotted, shoal, Suwannee and of course largemouth bass. The terrain that these fish are found in is varied and at times remote. I personally decided to take on this obscure task earlier this year and as an added bonus, I tracked down the Peacock bass in South Florida as well. Though the Peacock isn’t a true bass(colorful member of the cichlid family), it was still fun walking through the exotic world of Miami’s canals to find it.  

     Back on task for the true basses, I began with the Suwannee in the month of April on the Santé Fe river near High Springs. Though this bass is relatively plentiful in the area, the river itself was dreadfully low from drought and I found myself having to walk miles across dry river bed to get to fishable waters. Throw in large spiders and plenty of ticks along the way and you start to get the picture of how challenging it can get out there. But it’s also a great excuse to see more of Florida’s underappreciated back country like the serene Holmes Creek far into the panhandle’s arm or the Chipola River which offers the added excitement of real Florida rapids. Then there’s the mysterious Dead Lakes near the coast with its monolithic cypress stumps to fish around for largemouth. By the end of your slam accomplishment you really will feel like you’ve been on a wonderful voyage!

    Of course there are sobering signs of our country’s recent harsh economic hardship too along those back highways and small towns you pass through, the sad images are all too real in the abandoned businesses and homes that litter the countryside too frequently in your travels. These are surely painful reminders to put your angling adventure into proper perspective. Still, there is personal satisfaction and admiration from a select few who know what it takes to take on the little known test to complete the unique Florida Bass Slam! For even in these challenging days, we certainly could all use a brief respite from time to time to still pursue those angling goals that upon accomplishing will always manage to make us smile and brag once again.

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