Pro Angler Trevor Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Fishing was the guest speaker. He discussed his line of rods. He also markets reels. The rods have gained respect among all anglers, amateur and pro, alike. They are available at Brooker’s Bait Bait and Tackle in Leesburg.
Jan Windscheffel was the lucky raffle winner of a Fitz rod.
Fitzgerald discussed several different baits and methods of fishing them. Currently very popular, is the Ned Rig. It can be fished slow or fast, but generally on the bottom.
Frank Martines used a Ned Rig to catch his 12lb. 11oz. monster Bass in a Village pond.
Various trailers can be used on the Ned Rig.
Fitzgerald also discussed the Buzz Bait. The Buzz Bait is a shallwow running, noisy bait that is effective in Florida.
The Wacky Rig was also discussed. The wacky rig is a very popular way to rig a plastic worm. This is when the hook is centered on the body of the worm, causing the to sag evenly on both sides. Sometimes anglers will prefer the hook to be off-center but most of the time it’s centered.
There are a few different ways to rig a wacky worm. The first way is to simply pierce the hook through the center of the worm. The biggest problem with rigging wacky worms this way is they get torn up pretty quickly.
That was always the traditional method to wacky rig a worm, but as the rig gained popularity more effective ways emerged. Now, more often than not, you’ll see fishermen using o-rings to wacky rig.
An o-ring is small rubber ring that slips over the worm so that the hook can attach to it instead of piercing the worm. Some anglers choose to still pierce the worm so that the ring acts as the reinforcement. The rings are put on with an o-ring tool that can be found just about anywhere that sells tackle, as pictured to the left.
Fitzgerald’s favorite knot for joining a Fluorocarbon leader to braid is the FG knot. It has a very small profile so it goes easily through the new micro guides. http://bit.ly/2vzvE0B
Trevor Bailey was recognized for his long service as Membership Chair. He performed this important job for 12 years. He is replaced by Larry Griffin.
Club president, Randy Disanto and outgoing Membership Chairman, Trevor Bailey 
Larry Griffin and Trevor Bailey
FLASH
Trevor Fitzgerald wins the FLW tournament on the St. John’s River just days following his appearance at The Villages Freshwater Fishing Club.
Jerry Lester
Thanks for the pictures of the net-rig and the FG knots
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Thanks, Tom. I tried to provide more detail than I usually do. Jerry Lester
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I thought this was a very informative meeting. I liked learning about the fg knot. I looked it up and it looks easy to tie.
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I meant to include information on the FG knot. Thanks for reminding me.
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