Hello Folks,
Let’s start this column off with some great news.
If you have been wantin’ to try your luck at fishin’, this weekend is your opportunity to get on the water and do some fishin’. The State of Florida, in combination with the FWC, is giving you a weekend to go fishin’ with no fishin’ license. On April 6 and 7, you can go cast your lines for bass, specks, bluegills, shellcrackers, and catfish, and you don’t need a freshwater license to go fishin’. So if you have been waitin’ for a chance to do some fishin’, this weekend is your chance to go. You do need to make sure that you follow the rules such as seasons, bag and size limit that apply to the fish you are goin’ to catch. You can visit MyFWC.com to find areas to fish, boat ramps, or a pier where you can go fishin’. I hope you get a chance to go this weekend, and good luck.
Kyle at Bitter’s Bait & Tackle reports that a few folks are fishin’ off the seawall in Lake Monroe for some specks. They are fishin’ with minners tryin’ to catch a few before the bluegills start bitin’. We have a new moon this comin’ Monday, so that might get those bluegills headed to shoreline to spawn. Kyle reports that not too many folks are fishin’ for bluegills, but it won’t be long before they go on the beds.
The bass fishin’ is doin’ pretty good on most of our lakes. My son Tim fished the Butler Chain with his step-son A.J. last weekend and they caught around 15 bass up to 3 pounds. They caught most of their bass on chatter-baits, and slow sinkin’ Senko type baits. The bass fishin’ on the Harris Chain has been good to real good if your name is Bobby Bakewell. More about that later. Most of the bass are bitin’ on chatter-baits, jerk-baits, and plastic worms. You need to get on the water early and take advantage of the mornin’ bite. Once that ole sun gets up, the bite is gonna slow down.
I would like to give a shout out to all the fishin’ community who showed up for the celebration of life tournament for Brian Slover. Congrats to Bobby Bakewell and his fishin’ partner for winnin’ the tournament with 5 bass that hit the scales at 31.97 pounds. Bobby said on his Facebook page that he felt like Brian was with them all day long. Bobby and his partner donated all the money they won back to Brian’s family to help them recover from this tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brian’s family during this time, and it was an honor for those of us who knew Brian and his family. God Speed, Slovers.
As everyone knows, spring began on March 19th. We have the month of April and May to enjoy some great weather, and some great fishin’. Summer will begin on June 20 of this year. If you have lived in Florida very long, you know when summer gets here, it’s gonna be hot and humid. So, for the next couple of months, take yourself and your family out on the water to do some fishin’. The bluegills will be bitin’ all summer long, and the family will have a great time catchin’ ‘em.
Well, that’s it for this week. I hope to see you on the water real soon.
Tip of the week: New Moon on the 8th.
Save a few and good luck!
