The rest is history. By the time Bob moved from his old house in Tamarac, he was catching bass with regularity. Although he currently lives nearly 10 miles farther north, he’s continuing the tradition with a vengeance.

From its walkable banks to thraty hookups, Sarah Botto enjoys Parkland's bigmouth draw.

Look at a map of Broward County and try to envision a line running from Powerline Road in Pompano Beach to Sawgrass Park and the eastern edge of the Everglades. Rotate the line in a north-south direction and you’ll create a rectangle that stretches from Commercial Boulevard at its southern edge to Hillsboro Boulevard in Deerfield Beach. That, roughly, is where Bob fishes.

Don’t put the map away yet. In fact, take a closer look at the inhabited portion of northwest Broward. Once you’ve located Parkland, Tamarac and Coral Springs, you’ll see the waterways. Bob often bragged about the big bass he caught there. Unfortunately, I didn’t give it much thought before recently learning he’d released a 5-pounder on a popping bug. The real kicker was that he’d caught several big fish in his own neighborhood. As he described it:

“I was fishing with my grandson who I’d rigged up with a spinning rod. My fish hit right off the bat. Naturally, I was concerned that he couldn’t flycast and would lose interest. I solved the problem, casting for him and hooking the fish. He reeled them in, which at his age, was plenty.”

Big fish normally get my attention. But when I asked Bob about numbers, he didn’t skip a beat:

“Just the other day, I caught 17 in a little over an hour. I was fishing in Parkland at the time. However, a week or two earlier I Ianded 13 in the same length of time in Tamarac.”

I asked if he fished public water: “Sure. Although some of my spots are located in gated communities, there’s an easement. Besides, you can always use a boat or canoe.”

That reminded me how Bob currently owns a well-equipped bass boat. He seldom uses it though, preferring instead to fish from the bank. Like he says: “Why should I? Bank fishing’s a lot easier and just as productive.”

Keep in mind that in most instances, Florida’s freshwater fish belong to the public. Nevertheless, neither Bob nor I would encourage anyone to trespass on private property. I might add that I’ve noticed the refreshing lack of posted warnings. But if you prefer to fish from a boat, Bob has a few suggestions:

“I used to launch in the C-14 canal at the intersection of Southgate Boulevard and Rock Island Road. Once you know the area, you can go all the way from Palm Aire [an immense condo project just west of Powerline] to the Sawgrass Expressway, and north from C-14 to the [North District] hospital.”

That’s at least 30 miles of waterways. What makes it worthwhile is that all offer reliable fishing.

Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Everglades biologist John Fury sees Northwest Broward as a diamond in the rough: “Motorists who drive by these waterways have no idea of the excellent bass fishing. For the most part, these are box-cut canals that offer none of the characteristic littoral habitat that largemouths prefer. The species, however, is adaptable, which also means that if there’s a die-off in one part of the system, it doesn’t take long for the fishing to recover.”

When I quizzed John about seasonal water fluctuations, he reassured me in no uncertain terms:

“Changes in water levels aren’t as significant here as they are in the Everglades. That means rain or drought don’t affect the fishing nearly as much.”

John Fury may be a largemouth expert. However, it was Bob who reminded me that bass aren’t the only gamefish that inhabit these waters.

“I’ve caught peacocks in Tamarac and Margate, especially where the side canals enter the C-14. Actually, at one time I had some pretty good fishing there.”