By Jim Keck

Hello Folks, 

I hope everyone is gettin’ ready for Thanksgiving next week, and I hope y’all get to have a four-day weekend, as well. If you don’t do Black Friday, you might even want to go fishin’. If you want to catch some specks next week, everything is settin’ up for a great week to go fishin’. We had a new moon a couple days ago, we’ve got some great weather comin’, and the specks’re bitin’!  

I’ve been gettin’ some great reports this past week, and I’m sure it’s gonna get even better next week. Guys’re catchin’ their limits of specks in Lake Woodruff and Lake Kissimmee, and you can catch’ em in Lake Woodruff on jigs and jigs tipped with a minner, as well. 

Most folks’re trollin’ across the lake and fairly puttin’em in the boat! The guys on Lake Kissimmee are catchin’ specks on minners just off the grass line. I’m sure some more specks’ll be movin’ into those areas of the lake as a result of the new moon.  

They’ve started to catch a few more specks in Lake Monroe and Lake Jesup this past week. Most of those specks’re bein caught on jigs tipped with a minner. Fisherfolk’re driftin’ across the deeper parts of Lake Monroe, but you’ll need to use brightly colored jigs to catch’em.  

The Central Florida Millers Marine Bass Anglers fished out of Lake Cypress on the Kissimmee Chain this past weekend. It took more than 22 pounds to win. The big bass of the tournament weighed more than eight pounds. Congrats to the winnin’ team of Jeff Worth and his fishin’ partner Thor Schwiergerath on a great win.  

The fishin’ is beginnin’ to pick up just a little on the Harris Chain. It’s been kinda tough lately, but hopefully, it’ll get better in the comin’ weeks. Some folks’re fishin’ with shiners around the submerged green hydrilla and eelgrass beds throughout the chain. 

They’re catchin’ a few on shiners in the canals, as well. It won’t be long before the bass’ll start to migrate to shallow water to spawn, but for right now they’ll be feedin’ on bait fish, and  gettin’ their bellies full before that time comes. So, be lookin’ for the bass feedin’ on bait fish in your fishin’ agenda. Also, be lookin’ out for the birds divin’ on the bait fish.  

The bass fishin’ on the Butler Chain is doin’ pretty good, as well. Most of the bass’re bein’ caught along the shoreline first thing in the mornin’. You need to use a noisy topwater bait to lure them to bite. Once the sun gets up, they’ll be movin’ to the offshore grass beds and feedin’ on bait fish.  

The bass fishin’ on Lake Fairview is still doin’ good. It’s gotten so good that the Wednesday night guys who were fishin’ the Maitland Chain have moved their tournament over to Lake Fairview, and they are fairly catchin’em!  

If you’re plannin’ a bass fishin’ trip to Rodman Reservoir, remember they’re drawin’ it down right now, so you need to be careful where you launch your boat. The water is gettin’ lower and lower so please be careful out there.  

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope you get a chance to do some fishin’ over the holidays, and I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Just don’t eat too much pumpkin pie! I hope to see you on the water real soon. 

Tip of the week: New Moon! 

SAVE A FEW AND GOOD LUCK!