Hello Folks,
I hope everyone had a great week this past week. I wanted to take a moment and put a few thoughts together about my friend John Peery.
It’s been my privilege to be part of The Apopka Chief newspaper and remember how John and I interacted together over the years. We would either be talkin’ about fishin’, the Blue Darters, or his Tennessee Vols. John and I always enjoyed those conversations. I will miss those conversations and his presence on the the Blue Darter sideline. It was my honor to know “Apopka John,” and our prayers go out to his wife Grace and the family.
The fishin’ hasn’t been too bad either. If you want to catch some bass, the Harris Chain has been producin’ some nice bags of fish. The BASS Master held a tournament on the chain last week. Lots of bass were caught and it took 39lbs-13ozs. to win over 2 days.
Congrats to Matt Messer from Kentucky for his win on Saturday. Two weeks ago, Matt was wondering how he was goin’ to pay for his 2024 tournament entry fees. After collectin’ $42,467.00 dollars for his win and an automatic berth in the 2024 Bassmaster Classic in March, Matt should be in good shape for next year.
Matt caught all of his bass in Lake Griffin. On day one, he caught a 7lb.-14 oz. bass, and a 7lb.-2oz. bass. On day 2 he caught his limit of 5 bass but wasn’t able to catch a big one. He lost a 7 pounder durin’ the second day, but he just kept grindin’ it out and it paid off for him at the weigh-in.
Congrats are also in order for the FWC’s School Fishing Club Program. They gave 50 Florida schools a grant to support outdoor education. Along with the conservation project curriculum, the schools are also provided basic fishing gear, best fishing practices, and fish handling of fresh and saltwater fish.
Also, our Governor, Ron DeSantis, announced a 50% discount for Florida State Park Passes and certain Hunting and Fishing Licenses. The program is called the “Great Outdoors Initiative”. So beginning October 14, 2023, until January 13, 2024, you will be able to enjoy Florida’s State Parks and do a little fishing. To get all this information please go to the FWC’s website and take advantage of this great opportunity to explore Florida at a discount.
The fishin’ on West Lake has been doin’ good especially if you are fishin’ with shiners. Foaks are catchin’ some big bass around the submerged hydrilla beds throughout the lake. The bass fishin’ on the Butler Chain is still pretty good for numbers. I haven’t heard of too many biguns bein’ caught as of late. Fish the shoreline cover early in the mornin’ and then move to deeper water as the sun gets up.
The bass fishin’ is gonna’ get better now that we are getting’ some cooler weather. Hopefully the speck fishin’ will pick up with this cooler weather. A few folks are lookin’ for’em but they haven’t found a good school of’em yet.
Well, that’s it for this week. Have a great week and try and get on the water and do some fishin’.
Tip of the week: Go Fishin!
SAVE A FEW AND GOOD LUCK
