By Jim Keck

Hello Folks, 

By the time the paper hits the stands, it will only be 20 days until Christmas! The older I get, the faster Christmas comes every year. I remember when I was growin’ up, I thought Christmas would never get here, or it sure seemed like forever.  

The weather has been great for fishin’, and, yes! I did get on the water over the Thanksgivin’ Holidays. I was able to fish with my soon-to-be grandson-in-law. We fished the Harris Chain, but it was a slow day on the water for us. We only caught three bass, but I sure enjoyed just bein’ on the water. The fishin’ on the Harris Chain has been pretty good for most folks, it just happened to be a slow day for us.  

Kyle at Bitter’s B&T reports that folks are startin’ to catch some specks in the Harris Chain. Most folks are trollin’ with jigs tipped with a minner. The best lake to catch a mess of specks in has been Lake Eustis.  

Folks are catchin’ some specks in Lake Monroe and Lake Jesup, as well. Most folks are trollin’ with jigs tipped with a minner. The hot spot for specks has been up near Highbanks Marina and in Lake Woodruff up on the St. Johns River. Folks are trollin’ for specks and catchin’em on jigs tipped with a minner.  

Kyle fished Johns Lake on Monday of this week. He reports that he caught 12 specks and 10 bass. Congrats, Kyle. Sounds like a good day on the water.  

The Wednesday Night Shootout on Johns Lake will be holdin’ their championship on Johns Lake this weekend, Saturday, Dec. 6. So, if you’re plannin’ a trip to Johns Lake, I would go durin’ the week.  

The bass fishin’ on Lake Fairview is still producin’ some nice stringers of bass. The Wednesday night tournament on Lake Fairview is takin’ about 15 to 16 pounds to win. You’re only allowed to weigh-in three bass, so those are some good weights for three bass.  

The bass fishin’ on West Lake Toho is doin’ good right now. Most of the bass are bein’ caught on shiners. Many of the guide trips are catchin 20 to 30 bass per trip. Most of those bass are bein’ caught around the submerged hydrilla beds.  

The specks are bitin’ pretty good in Lake Kissimmee these past couple of weeks. Folks are driftin’ with minners and jigs tipped with a minner. You can also catch some specks just off the grass-line with minners.  

The bass fishin’ on the Headwaters Lake is doin’ real good. I’m gettin’ plenty of reports that folks are catchin’ some very nice bass on shiners. You can catch some bass on artificials, too. If you don’t want to use shiners, you can try fishin’ a chatter-bait or a spinner-bait. Also try fishin’ a swim-jig in certain areas of the lake.  

We had a full moon this week on Thursday, Dec. 4. The fishin’ should be really good this week and into the weekend. The weather could factor into your time on the water. They are callin’ for rain showers on Saturday and Sunday. As long as the lightnin’ isn’t around; you might get a little wet, but folks have caught some big bass on days like that. 

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope to see you on the water real soon.  

Tip of the week: Full Moon.  

SAVE A FEW AND GOOD LUCK!