By Jim Keck
Hello Folks,
Well, we made it home from vacation. We visited friends and family in Tennessee and Virginia. It was just as hot there as it was here. The best thing about comin’ home from vacation, is gettin’ to sleep in your own bed. It seems to me that no matter where you stay on vacation, nothin’ beats sleepin’ in your own bed!
I talked to Kyle at Bitter’s B&T and he reports that the fishin’ has slowed down some since I left for vacation. The bluegills and shellcrackers are still bitin’ in Lake Kissimmee. Folks are gettin’ on the water early at first light and catchin’ their limits by 10 a.m.
Most of the panfish are bein’ caught on red worms and grass-shrimp. You can catch some on crickets, as well. So if panfish is your thing, now would be a good time to go get ’em.
The bass fishin’ on the Harris Chain is a little slow right now, but if you get on the water either early in the day or late evenin’, you can catch some on top-water baits.
You need to use a noisy top-water bait to attract the bass. Once the sun comes up, you’ll need to fish in deeper, cooler waters to catch ’em. You’ll have to fish the submerged hydrilla and eel-grass and the shell-beds located throughout the chain. You’ll find some bass under the docks throughout the chain, as well. You have to skip your bait under the docks and let it sit for a while. Just give those bass a chance to find it.
Fishin’ in the summertime, you want to be very patient, and don’t get in a hurry to move your bait. You gotta give that bass a chance to make up his mind as to whether he’s gonna eat it or not.
The fishin’ on West Lake Toho has been doin’ pretty good for this time of the year. The guides are catchin’ some bass on shiners, and some trips are producin’ some nice bass on artificials.
You need to get on the water early and fish the edge of the hydrilla mats with a slow sinkin’ Senko type bait. The bass are gettin’ into the thick hydrilla mats later in the day, tryin to get out of the sun. You’ll do best by flippin’ the heavy mats with your favorite flippin’ bait.
The bass fishin’ on the Butler Chain has been good for a lot of the smaller bass. You’ll catch a good’un about every fourth or fifth bass.
Last week’s Wednesday Night Shootout at Johns Lake produced a few bass. Congrats to Don Fisher and Mike Bruton on their three-bass limit that hit the scales at 9.1
