Hello Folks,
The 4th of July weekend is on the way – a weekend of celebration of the birth of America’s independence where we can go fishin’ or boatin’ or barbecuin’ to celebrate our independence. I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy our freedom, where we get to do all these things and enjoy this three-day weekend.
From all the reports I’ve gotten, the fishin’ has been great. I was over at Bitter’s Bait and Tackle to talk to Kyle and Rich about the upcomin’ weekend. They reported that folks are catchin’ plenty of bluegills and shellcrackers in Lake Jesup and in the St. Johns River.
Most of the panfish are bein’ caught around the pads and the laydowns. They also reported that the specks are bitin’ again. They said folks are catchin’ specks in Lake Jesup and in the river. Most of the specks are bein’ caught with minners under the State Road 417 bridge in Lake Jesup. They ran out of minners and had to order more to meet the demand of folks goin’ speck fishin’. So, if you want to catch bluegills or specks, this weekend would be a great time to go fishin’.
The bass fishin’ has been goin’ strong in most of the lakes in our area. Folks are catchin’ bass in the Harris Chain. The Extreme Bass Series held its last tournament on the Harris Chain out of the Buzzard Beach boat ramp. There were 19 boats that fished the tournament that day. Congrats to A.J. Herrera and James Ford on their win. They weighed in five bass for a total weight of 22 lbs. Eric Panzironi and Rick Bak finished second in the tournament with five bass that weighed in at 21.63 lbs. They also had the big bass of the tournament that weighed 8.69 lbs.
I just happened to run into Eric at Bitter’s Bait and Tackle, and Eric reported that he lost a bigger bass than the one he weighed in for big bass, so, the bass fishin’ on the Harris Chain is doin’ really good. I know it’s a little farther to go, but the bass fishin’ in Orange Lake Lochloosa has been hot. The Extreme Bass Series held its monthly tournament there in June. The winnin’ team of Tom Morgan and Dale Kendrick weighed in five bass that hit the scales at a total of 33.43 lbs. Also, they caught two bass that weighed more than nine pounds. There were three bass that weighed in more than nine pounds There was one bass caught that was over 11 lbs., and two bass caught that weighed more than 12 lbs. I would have to say the bass are bitin’ in Orange Lake/Lochloosa.
The Butler Chain is doin’ good for numbers of bass. My neighbor, John, and his nephew, Chet, caught and released 30 bass on their weekly trip to the Butler Chain. The biggest bass was around three pounds. The bass fishin’ on John’s Lake is doin’ pretty good as well. Folks are catchin’ some nice bass late in the day just before dark-thirty.
We are headin’ into summer as fast as we can go, so make sure you have plenty of water and G atorade with you while you are fishin’. I hope you and your family have a great 4th of July weekend and I’ll see ya next week.
Tip of the week: go fishin’.
Save a few and good luck!
