Hello Folks, In case you haven’t noticed, it’s hot. The older I get, the hotter it gets. I guess it’s just me but everyone I talk to says the same thing. You definitely have to get on the water early in the mornin’ if you go fishin’. Hopefully, when you go, there will be some type of a breeze blowin’ or you’re gonna get hot. Take along plenty of water and Gatorade to keep yourself hydrated. Folks are still catchin’ plenty of panfish in most of the lakes in our area. Most folks are driftin’ open water with crickets and red worms. I’m gettin’ some good reports from Lake Monroe, Lake Harney, and John’s Lake. Some folks are catchin’ their limits on most days when they go fishin’. Also, I got some good reports on panfish and the bass fishin’ in the Butler Chain. You will catch some bluegills driftin’ open water with crickets. Look for some panfish near the shaded areas of the lake around docks and lily pads. The bass fishin’ is still good early in the mornin’. You need to get on the water at first light and fish around the shoreline cover with plastic frogs and toads. If you can’t get bit, try fishin’ a plastic worm along the shoreline cover. Rick and I like to fish a slow-sinkin’ Senko-type bait if we have some deep water along the shoreline. Once the early mornin’ bite is over, try movin’ to deeper water and fishin’ a Carolina-rigged plastic worm over the submerged hydrilla and eel-grass beds. You might try a drop-shot rig in deep water as well. You can also try flippin’ the heavy cover like thick grass or the shaded areas around docks and cypress trees. Rick and our own John Ricketson went fishin’ this week and they caught a few bass in the Harris Chain. They were flippin’ the heavy grass and docks. John caught one around 4 pounds under a dock. So when the sun gets up, you got to go deep or flip the shaded areas in the lake. Another angler was fishin’ the Harris Chain last week and he caught his bass early in the mornin’ on slow-sinkin’ Senko-type baits and shaky heads. He was mostly fishin’ in deeper water around the submerged eel-grass beds. Well, that should get you goin’ for the weekend, so get up early and go fishin’. See ya next week. Tip of the week: shade. Save a few and good luck!
