Hello Folks,
It was another great weekend for fishin’ and football, baseball, horse racin’, car racin’, and a fun time to be with family and friends. The fishin’ has been good in most of the lakes in our area and folks are gettin’ ready for the specks to start bitin’.
You can catch a few specks by driftin’ open water with jigs tipped with a minner. If you drift over a good spot and catch some specks, keep driftin’ back and forth over the same area until they quit bitin’. Since the specks are still in deep water, you need to use brightly colored jigs like orange, chartreuse, lemon orange, or a gold ice jig. You need something that will get their attention.
I would try Lake Monroe, Lake Harney, or the St. Johns River for specks. Over the years, these lakes have been producin’ some nice stringers. We still need the water to get a lot cooler and with the warm days this week, it may be a while before we get some cooler water.
The bass fishin’ is still doin’ good in most of the lakes in our area. Folks are gettin’ on the water real early and takin’ advantage of the early-mornin’ bite. You will find bass bustin’ on bait fish along the shoreline and just off the points around the submerged hydrilla and eel-grass beds.
The Kissimmee Chain has been really good for bass and folks are catchin’ some nice bass on shiners fished just off the grassline and around the hydrilla clumps throughout the lake. If we get some rain toward the end of the week, look for some movin’ water in the mouth of the canals and feeder creeks. Carolina-rigged plastic worms and slow-sinkin’ Senko-type baits will get you a bite.
The Butler Chain has been good for some bass early in the mornin’. Folks are fishin’ the shoreline grass with top-water baits and plastic worms at first light. Once the sun gets up, try movin’ out to deeper water and fishin’ the submerged hydrilla beds and pepper grass beds throughout the lakes. Some folks are catchin’ some specks in the deep holes throughout the chain, as well. You need to drift the holes with jigs tipped with a minner. You need to watch your depth finders and look for the specks to be stagin’ somewhere, either on the bottom or around the drop-off. If you can’t locate any fish, move to the next spot and see if any specks are hangin’ around those spots. You should be able to locate a few specks in Lake Butler, Tibet Butler, or Lake Chase.
I hope you get a chance to do some fishin’ this weekend and have a great time on the water.
Tip of the week: bass early.
Save a few and good luck!
