Hello Folks, We are havin’ some great weather and the fishin’ has been really good in our area. The specks are slowin’ down a little but I got one report from Captain Joe than he has one of his best anglers that comes into the shop and reported that he is catchin’ beddin’ specks in Lake Beauclair, and Lake Carlton. He is also catchin’ some beddin’ specks in the Apopka Beauclair canals. So, if you want to give it a try this weekend would be a good time to go. Get some jigs and tip ‘em with a minner and go speck fishin’. You need to fish around the pads, laydowns, reeds, or around the docks. You can also drift the lakes just off shore and see if you can catch some specks. If the weather continues to be warm, it won’t be long before the bluegills and shell-crackers go on the beds. Most of the beddin’ bass are done spawnin’ and they will be movin’ just off the shoreline and they should be hungry. Look for post-spawn bass in your favorite lakes. Folks have been catchin’ some bass and hybrid bass in Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River. You can catch ‘em on spinner-baits, swim-baits, and shallow runnin; crank-baits. If you fish the river, try the feeder creeks, and the mouths of the canals, especially if you can find some runnin, water after the rains. You can also catch ‘em on shiners if you want to use live bait. Also be on the lookout for bait pods movin’ up and down the St. Johns River. You will find the bass bustin’ on baitfish and they will hit a noisy top-water bait, or a lipless crank-bait. The Harris Chain has been providin’ some good stringers of bass. You can catch some nice bass on swim-baits, and Carolina-rigged plastic worms in Lake Eustis, Lake Harris, and Lake Dora. Once the sun gets up, you might try flippin’ the heavy cover with a plastic worm, or a crawdad-type bait. The Kissimmee Chain has been good for bass fishin, too. You can catch bass early in the mornin’ along the shoreline on top-water baits, and throw back into the pads, and sparse grass with a top-water toad or frog. Once the early mornin’ bite is over, you need to move to deeper water and fish the hydrilla clumps, and the submerged eel-grass. You can catch ‘em on swim-baits, plastic worms, and Carolina-rigged plastic worms. The Butler Chain is still producin’ some nice stringers of bass, too. Most of the bass are bein’ caught along the shoreline, on plastic worms, and swim-baits. Once the sun gets up, you might try a Carolina-rigged plastic worm, around the submerged hydrilla and pepper grass patches throughout the chain. You can catch ‘em the same way in the Conway Chain, too. The new moon is next week so this weekend should be a good time to get on the water and catch some fish. See ya next week. Tip of the week: early mornin’ bite. Save a few and good luck!
