Key Points
By Jim Keck
Hello Folks,
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that you were able to spend some time with family and friends. I also hope Santa was good to you, and that you got that new fishin’ pole or a bunch of new lures.
The fishin’ is still goin’ strong in most of the lakes in our area. The specks are bitin’ pretty good, and the bass are startin’ to bite even better! Folks’re still catchin’ plenty of specks up in Lake Woodruff and in the St. Johns River. Most of the specks are bitin’ on brightly colored jigs and jigs tipped with a minner.
You can catch some specks in Lake Monroe and Lake Jesup. You need to use those same bright jigs and minners in Lake Monroe. The specks are still in deep water, and you can catch ‘em just driftin’ with the wind or you even can troll for ’em.
The bass fishin’ is pickin’ up in most of the bigger chains in our area, and the Butler Chain is still showin’ out, as I reported last week. You’ll probably catch a lot of small bass, but you always have a chance to catch a big’un, as well. The big females will be feedin’and gettin’ ready to spawn real soon, so now’s a good time to get out there and try your luck.
I want to give a shout out to Austin Nelson on his win at the Wednesday Night Shootout Classic Championship on Johns Lake. Austin caught 15.60 pounds for the win. He beat John Brazell and Mike Bruton by just 1/10th of a pound. John and Mike finished in second place with 15.50 pounds. They also had Big bass, which hit the scales at 8.0 pounds.
Everyone reports what a great year they had fishin’ the championship, and they’re lookin’ forward to next year… which just happens to start in March.
The bass fishin’ on the Headwaters is still really good. A lot of guides are takin’ folks out on four-hour trips, and they’re catchin’ 20 to 30 bass per trip. Most of those bass are bein’ caught on shiners.
The bass fishin’ on West Lake Toho is goin’ great guns. The guides down there are takin’ folks out and catchin’ some nice bass in the 5- to 8-pound range. If you’re lookin’ to catch a big bass, get in touch with Big Toho Marina, and they’ll set you up on a trip.
The FWC is drainin’ the Rodman Reservoir up near the Interlachen area of the state. Rodman Reservoir is off from the St. Johns River. The water is gettin’ pretty low, and some folks are gettin’ outta there, even though they’re still tryin’ to catch their ‘personal best’bass. You need to know how to navigate the reservoir, because it’s full of stumps, laydowns, and sand bars!
One angler reported that he fished up there last week, and he caught 17 bass, includin’ two trophy bass. He reported that he caught all of his big bass on shiners. He put it on Facebook so that you can see those large bass he caught. His name is David Dillman,and he really caught ’em! One was a 12-pounder; one a 10-pounder; and one was a 7-pounder! David reports that this was an epic day on the water, and he says the Rodman Reservoir is on fire! He was able to catch 17 bass in six hours, and not even one of ‘em weighed under 3 pounds! He also reports that the water is really low in the reservoir, and you sure need to know what you’re doin’ in the river or you could lose a lower unit or hit a big log and tear up your boat!
Well, that’s it for this week. I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and you’re lookin’ forward to a great New Year.
See ya next week… or I guess I should say, next year!
Tip of the week: Go Fishin’!
SAVE A FEW AND GOOD LUCK!
