Hello Folks,
I hope and pray you are havin’ a great week, and you are plannin’ a fishin’ trip real soon. There are a few folks gettin’ on the water and they are catchin’ some fish. The bass fishin’ isn’t too bad if you go early – or – late in the day. If the afternoon storms don’t come some folks are fishin’ at night. It’s a little cooler, but it’s nice if you have a breeze. One thing about fishin’ at night is you have a lot less boats on the water. Just make sure you have all your lights on so other folks can see ya, so you don’t get run-over.
I got an email notifying me that the FWC has three new openings (breaches) to Emeralda Marsh on the East side of Lake Griffin. The project is now completed, and boaters will have access to two new openings in Lake Griffin. These openings will allow a better water exchange with Lake Griffin, and allow more boaters and hunters access to the marsh. There is a 3rd breach from Haines Creek. Vegetation had to be removed from an old oxbow of the creek to re-establish the connection to the creek. So, now you will be able to access the marsh from Haines Creek. You can also go to the FWC’s website and see pictures of the breaches that were created for boaters, fishermen and fisherladies, and hunters.
Also, the FWC last week released instructions on how to certify a potential new state record largemouth bass. I’m not goin’ into all the ins and outs of how you go about establishin’ a new state record. You can go to their website and get all the information for yourself. I’m goin’ to get in trouble again for writin’ about this, but the state record bass is 17.27 pounds. It was caught by Billy O’Berry in Polk County in 1986. I know that there have been bigger bass caught in the state, but they weren’t certified by the FWC, and that’s why you need to know how to get your record bass certified.
I have been contacted by other outdoor writers concerning bigger bass that have been caught in our state. The state record is still 17.27 pounds. The fact remains that the State of Florida recognizes Billy’s bass that was caught in 1986 as the state record. Billy has had this record for over 30 years. There are anglers and biologists alike that are askin’ when the next state record will be caught in Florida.
If you research the TrophyCatch program, you will see some 15- and 16-pound bass that have been caught in our state, but no one has eclipsed 17.27 pounds. I hope someone catches it in my lifetime, because that would be awesome to see a new state record bass caught. I would love to be the one that does it, but my days are limited on the water now. But, it would still be fun to catch it!
The Florida Bass League held a tournament on the Harris Chain last weekend. The team of Ken Hebb and Kurt Dezzling won the tournament with 5 bass that weighed in at 26.40 pounds. They also had the biggest bass of the tournament that weighed in at 8.23 pounds. Congrats guys on a job well done. In order to fish in this hot weather and catch over 26 pounds of fish, includin’ Big Bass, is no easy feat.
Kyle at Bitter’s Bait & Tackle reports that the folks in his area are fishin’ at night and not so much durin’ the day. Kyle also reports that the bass fishin’ on the Butler Chain is still doin’ good for keeper-size bass.
Well, I hope you have a great week and I’ll see ya next week.
Tip of the week: Stay Cool
Save a few and good luck.
