Hello Folks,
We are almost done with July and gettin’ ready for August. Once we through August and a few days in September, we should be gettin’ some cooler days. It’s really been hot and that’s keepin’ lots of folks from goin’ fishin’. The afternoon rains have been keepin’ some folks off the water as well.
The fishin’ hasn’t been too bad but you need to go early in the mornin’ and take advantage of the mornin’ bite. Some folks fished at night with last week’s full moon. I’m gettin’ some pretty good reports on the bass fishin’ durin’ those times of the day.
Kyle at Bitter’s Bait and Tackle reports that a few folks are catchin’ some nice stringers of bluegills and shellcrackers in Lake Jesup. Most of the anglers are usin’ red worms and crickets to catch ’em, so if you want to catch a few panfish, get some red worms and head out to Lake Jesup this weekend. Kyle also reports that folks are still catchin’ bass in most of the local lakes and in the bigger chains of lakes in our area.
There were two tournaments held on the Harris Chain last weekend and it took right at 25 lbs. to win those tournaments, so it’s safe to say that the bass fishin’ on the Harris Chain is doin’ real good. The bass fishin’ on the St. Johns River has been good as well. Kyle reported that the bass are feedin’ on bait fish up and down the river. Look for areas where the water is flowin’ into the river and you should find some bass feedin’ on bait fish in those feeder creeks as well.
The bass fishin’ has been good on the Butler Chain. Lots of smaller bass are bein’ caught there on plastic worms and slow-sinkin’ Senko-type baits. A few bass are bein’ caught in the Maitland Chain on shiners and artificials. Lots of folks fished there last week at night due to the full moon. It was cooler fishin’ at night and the bass were bitin’ pretty good there last week.
In West Lake, the bass fishin’ is doin’ just OK. The hydrilla is topped out on West Lake and that’s makin’ navigation and fishin’ a little tough down there. They are still catchin’ some nice bass down there and ICAST held a tournament there last week. It took five bass that weighed more than a total of 20 pounds to win. So, if you don’t mind puttin’ up with some hydrilla, you might want to give West Lake a try this weekend.
Well, that’s it for this week. I do hope you get a chance to do some fishin’ this week or over the weekend. Make sure you take along sunscreen, and lots of water and Gatorade to drink so you will stay hydrated while you are on the water. See ya next week.
Tip of the week: lots of liquids.
Save a few and good luck!
