Hello Folks,

I hope you’re enjoyin’ your summer and stayin’ cool. It must be because I’m gettin’ older, but this year it’s really been hot, and fall weather can’t get here soon enough for me. 

The folks that are gettin’ on the water are still catchin’ fish. Down on Lake Kissimmee, folks’re catchin’ plenty of shellcrackers in the pads. They’re reportin’ that they’re gettin’ on the water at 6:30 a.m., and they have to quit at 8:30 because they have their limit. Folks, that’s a good problem to have!

I’m also gettin’ reports of folks fishin’ for summer-time specks. These folks’re fishin’ in the northern part of the St. Johns River, and they’re catchin’ some good size specks. 

The bass fishin’ on the Harris Chain is still producin’ some nice bass. The ABA Bass Series held a tournament on the chain over the weekend.

Congrats to Eric Panzironi and Rick Bak on winnin’ that tournament this past weekend. They brought in a five-fish limit that hit the scales at 27.05 pounds. The Big Bass of the tournament was caught by the team of Travis Wolf and Tanner Wolf and weighed in at 7.39 pounds. Folks, that’s a heck of a job fishin’ in this heat and catchin’ a stringer of bass like that, don’t ya think? Congrats, guys, on your win. 

The bass are bitin’ in West Lake Toho at first light. The guides down there are doin’ two-hour and four-hour trips, and their clients are catchin’ some nice bass on shiners and a few on artificials, as well. 

The Wednesday night Shootout on Johns Lake is slowin’ down a little. You’re allowed to bring in three bass to the scales, and it’s only takin’ about 10 to 12 pounds to win. 

The bass fishin’ in the Maitland Chain is best at night. It’s definitely a lot cooler, and the bass seem to bite better at night. So, give it a try if you’re wantin’ to go fishin’. Just watch out for the storms. 

I wanted to give a shout-out to Shaw Grigsby who’s retirin’ this year. I’ve known Shaw for a lotta years. I’ve been friends with him since he started bass fishin’ over 40 years ago. He fished his last professional tournament on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York. There were 90 guys fishin’ last week, and Shaw finished in 16th place. 

Shaw has had a storied career in bass fishin’ tournaments. He has 9 career wins, 64 top tens, and 102 top 20’s. He has won $2,378,915 in his career winnings. He’s a native Floridian from Gainesville. I’m sure Shaw will show up at a few tournaments in his future, but right now, he and his son are removin’ nuisance gators from lakes in Florida. 

Shaw also hosted his own fishin’ show called “One More Cast” which aired on TNN for over 21 years. He’s a master at sight fishin’. He’s also skilled in other techniques of fishin’, but catchin’ bass on the beds is what got him on the pathway to professional fishin’. He is known by his signature mustache and his infectious laugh. He’s gonna be missed on tour, but at 68 years of age and 350 tournaments later, he says it’s time to go gator huntin’!

One of his greatest accomplishments was bein’ inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2017. You can read more about Shaw in an article that Bernie Schultz wrote about him in BassMaster. 

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope you stay cool, and I’ll see ya next week.

Tip of the week: Night Fishin’!

SAVE A FEW AND GOOD LUCK