Hello Folks,
As I write this week’s fishin’ article, we are goin’ to get some of the coldest weather of the year this week. If you thought you had the fishin’ figured out on whether the specks were on the beds or off the beds, I can assure you they will be off the beds after this cold front comes to town. They are callin’ for mornin’ temperatures in the 30s until Saturday and then it’s gonna warm up to the 50s. So if you decide you want to go fishin’ for some specks, you will have to cover a lot of water wherever you go fishin’.
Captain Joe reports that before the cold front, folks were catchin’ some specks in most of the lakes in our area. If you do go speck fishin’, try Lake Dora and Lake Beauclair around Deer Island. Also Lake Dorr in the Ocala Forest has really been hot as of late. Also, I know it’s a bit far, but folks are catchin’ plenty of specks in Lake Panasoffkee. Lake Panasoffkee is west of Wildwood off State Road 44. Lake Woodruff has been really good for specks over the past two weeks. Some folks are catchin’ their limits and one angler caught one last week in the 3 lb. range.
Closer to home, folks are catchin’ some specks in Lake Harney and Lake Jesup. Most of the specks are bein’ caught on jigs tipped with a minner. Brightly colored jigs are still workin’ the best. Lake Monroe is producin’ some nice specks but you need to be careful and watch the wind this weekend.
You can get some nice swells on the lake when the wind gets up and you don’t want to get caught out on the lake in windy conditions.
As far as the bass fishin’ goes, it could be real good or it could be a tough day on the water. After the cold front comes through, we are having bluebird skies and those ole Florida bass will get the lockjaw. If you do go bass fishin’, you might want to take along some shiners. You will have a better chance of catchin’ a bass on a shiner after a cold front. You might try fishin’ the residential canals or the mouth of the canals in your favorite bass lake.
The Kissimmee Chain has been producin’ some nice stringers of bass before the cold front. You need to try and find some offshore grass beds or some hydrilla clumps throughout the lake and free-line a shiner around those areas. Also, check the shoreline cover, especially if you have plenty of bait-fish along the shoreline. You will see the bass feedin’ on the bait-fish and that will be the key to locatin’ some bass. Try a noisy top-water bait early in the mornin’ and swim-baits durin’ the day. You will have to cover a lot of water until you find some bass that will bite. You could also try a Carolina-rigged plastic worm around the eel-grass and hydrilla beds.
If you go bass fishin’ in the Butler Chain or the Conway Chain, you may find the bass just offshore after the cold front. You could also find ‘em in a deep hole where the water may be cooler than the shoreline and if you do find ‘em stacked up, try jiggin’ ‘em with a jiggin’ spoon. You might just have one of your best days on the water if you can find some bass schooled up in a deep hole.
Well, that’s it for this week. Please be careful on the water this weekend and bundle up for some cold weather.
Tip of the week: deep holes for bass.
Save a few and good luck!
