Hello Folks, Well, folks, I hope you had a chance to get on the water last weekend or you are goin’ to this week because it’s gonna get cold. We are goin’ back to the 30s this week and the weekend is supposed to be cold as well. So if you want to catch some specks, now is a good time to go fishin’. Folks are still catchin’ some specks, but the reports that I’m gettin’ tells me they ain’t on the beds yet. With the cold front this week, they won’t be goin’ on the beds anytime soon. Captain Joe reports that the folks in his area are catchin’ specks in Lake Monroe and Lake Jesup. Most of the specks are in mid-lake and folks are driftin’ those areas with jigs tipped with a minner. Lake Harney has been good for specks, too. The same colors are still good, pink, lemon-orange, chartreuse. Green with gold flecks, has been a hot color this past weekend. Lake Griffin on the Harris Chain has been real good for specks as well. Folks are still catchin’ some specks in Lake Dora, and Lake Beauclair around Deer Island. The bass fishin’ on the Harris Chain has been good. It’s been takin’ a five bass limit weighin’ over 20 lbs. to get in the money. The bass are startin’ to go on the beds in the Harris Chain accordin’ to two bass fishermen I talked to this week. They are seein’ bucks on the beds and the big females are gettin’ ready to do their thing as well. I was fishin’ this past weekend with Rick in the Butler Chain and we didn’t see any beds in shallow water at all. We caught and released 15 bass up to 3 lbs. and the bigger bass didn’t show any signs of spawnin’ yet. The water temperature where we fished started out at 57 degrees and it warmed up to 62 degrees later in the day. Captain Linda had a guide trip this week and her clients caught and released several bass between 2 lbs. to 5 lbs. They did manage to catch a real nice 10-pounder on a spinnin’ reel they were fishin’ with. The clients had their own rods and reels and the reel had 12-lb. test line on it. They had the fight of a lifetime gettin’ that bass to the boat without breakin’ the line. That was the biggest bass they had ever caught while fishin’ in Florida. The big female bass was full of roe and after a few pictures, she was released back to the water to spawn. May I suggest to everyone that if you do catch a big bass, take a picture and get her back in the water as soon as possible. Please handle her with care so she can do her thing and keep the bass population growin’ in our state. Well, folks, I hope you have a great week and if you do go fishin’, dress warmly and be careful on the water. See ya next week. Tip of the week: cold weather on the way. Save a few and good luck!
