Hello Folks,
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and maybe you had a chance to try out the new fishin’ rod and reel. Maybe you got some new lures to try. Whatever you got, I hope you got what you wanted this Christmas. The specks are bitin’ and folks are gettin’ on the water and catchin’em. Kyle at Bitter’s Bait & Tackle reports that the folks that are comin’ into the shop and gettin’ a bucket of minners are doin’ real good in Lake Monroe and Lake Jesup. Most of the specks are bein’ caught in Lake Monroe driftin’ open water with minners. A few specks are bein’ caught on jigs tipped with a minner.
Please make sure you use a bright colored jig that’s gonna get those ole specks’ attention. I also got a report that a few specks are bein’ caught in Lake Kissimmee, too. A few specks are movin’ into shallow water to spawn. We have a new moon on Monday, the 30th, so that will help get those specks to bitin’, too.
The bass fishin’ has been real good down at The Headwaters. Folks are catchin’ 30-plus bass on shiners and a few big’uns are bein’ caught as well. If you haven’t fished “The Headwaters”, you need to put it on your list of places to go bass fishin’. It will be an opportunity you won’t soon forget.
The bass fishin’ has been pretty good on the Harris Chain and the Kissimmee Chain. Most folks are fishin’ with shiners, tryin’ to catch their personal best. This is the time of year when you have a chance to catch and release a big bass.
Make sure you are registered with TrophyCatch.com to record your bass, if it’s over 8 pounds. You can get all the information at their website, on how to weigh, measure, and get a picture of your bass. Once you submit your bass, and it’s accepted, you will get a letter of recognition and some gift cards for your entry. If you live in Florida this is a great program and you can win some great prizes, too.
The Maitland Chain bass fishin’ is doin’ good. Lots of bass are bein’ caught throughout the chain. Most of the bass are bein’ caught on shiners free-lined out the back of the boat. You need to free-line your shiners over the submerged hydrilla and eel-grass throughout the chain.
The bass fishin’ on the Butler Chain is doin’ real good as well. You can catch quite a few of small bass around 1 to 1.5 pounds on a variety of baits. You should try fishin’ the shoreline grass at first light and move to deeper water as the sun gets up. Try and find some submerged hydrilla beds or pepper grass beds. They usually hold plenty of bait-fish and the bass will hang around those types of areas feedin’ on the bait-fish.
Well, that’s it for this week. Again, I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and you are lookin’ forward to 2025 with great enthusiasm, and excitement.
See you next week.
Tip of the week: Shiners for big bass.
Save a few and good luck!
