Hello Folks,
Well, we got some cooler weather this week and then it warmed right back up. Ugh! Hopefully, we can get some cooler weather by Thanksgivin’ and on that four-day weekend we can get on the water and catch some specks.
Some folks are catchin’ some specks and we should be catchin’ limits of specks by now but that’s not the case this year. If you want to try and catch some specks, try fishin’ in Lake Monroe, Lake Woodruff, Lake Griffin or Lake Dora in the Harris Chain.
You will have to spend some time findin’ ‘em but they should be in deeper parts of the lake around the drop-offs, or deep holes.
I would use brightly colored jigs tipped with a minner. Folks are usin’ bright orange, chartreuse, lemon-orange and gold ice jigs, with some good results.
If you have a depth finder watch for drop offs and changes in the bottom even if it’s one or two feet. The old river channel in Lake Monroe is a good example of bottom changes and the specks could be in the deeper part of the channel or just off the channel. Once you locate ‘em, keep goin’ back and forth over ‘em until they quit bitin’.
The bass fishin’ is still doin’ good since we haven’t gotten any cooler weather. The best time to catch some bass has been at first light. Folks are catchin’ plenty of bass in the Butler Chain, the Kissimmee Chain, and the Harris Chain.
The bass continue to school up in the Butler Chain and the bass are feedin’ along the shoreline cover on the bait-fish at first light. They will continue to school durin’ the day, but as I reported last week, those little bass are just fun to watch. It’s hard to get close to ‘em and even harder to catch ‘em. If they school up right next to the boat, you will be able to catch a few but make sure your lure matches the bait-fish. Once the sun gets up, you need to move to deeper water and fish the submerged hydrilla and eel-grass beds.
There is a lot of pepper grass in the Butler Chain, so you could try fishin’ a swimmin’ jig or swim-bait over and through the grass and see if you can get a bite. If you go bass fishin’ on the Harris Chain or the Kissimmee Chain and the mornin’ bite is over, try flippin’ the heavy cover with your favorite flippin’ jig. Also, you can try fishin’ with shiners in the mouth of the canals and feeder creeks.
We are supposed to get some rain this week, so look for some run-offs in the river or in the mouth of the canals. By the time next week’s article comes out, it will be Friday and I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgivin’, and hope you get on the water and go fishin’ over the weekend.
See ya next week.
Tip of the week: first light.
Save a few and good luck!
