Rain was welcomed, but windy weather hindered area anglers

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Hello Folks,

Well, we finally got some rain this week, but it was tough fishin’ over the weekend with all the wind we had blowin’ like crazy.

Rick and I fished the Harris Chain on Saturday, and we couldn’t escape the wind no matter which side of the lake we fished. The fishin’ wasn’t too great either. Rick caught four bass and I caught one lonely bass. I think he ran into my bait or felt sorry for me and decided to go ahead and let me catch him.

Before the wind came to town, the fishin’ last week wasn’t too bad. Lots of folks did get on the water durin’ the week, and they were catchin’ some nice stringers of bluegills and shellcrackers. Some of the best spots to catch some panfish have been in Lake Woodruff, Lake Harney and the St. Johns River. Folks are driftin’ mid-lake with crickets and red worms.

You can catch some nice panfish in the Dead River and Haines Creek in the Harris Chain. If the wind isn’t too bad, try the residential canals or the pads on the south end of Little Lake Harris. I did notice on the Harris Chain over the weekend that we found plenty of bluegills beddin’ throughout the chain. We could smell ‘em on the beds, and that was where we caught our bass. Those ol’ bass love to eat bluegills. That’s why you will find ‘em hangin’ around bluegill beds.

The Butler Chain and the Conway Chain have been good spots to fish for bass. Most folks are gettin’ on the water real early in the mornin’ and catchin’ plenty of bass on top-water baits and swimbaits. You will catch some nice bass on plastic frogs, and toads at first light. You can catch bass on swimbaits if you swim ‘em on top of the water and keep that tail churnin’ as you reel it back to ya. Those ol’ big bass love to bust ya on top of the water, so give it a try this weekend.

The Kissimmee Chain has been good for bluegills and shellcrackers and the bass fishin’ has been good if you can get out of the wind. Folks are catchin’ some nice stringers of bluegills and shellcrackers around shell beds and in the pad fields throughout the chain. All you need is some crickets and red worms and you are good to go. Once the sun gets up, you will have to move to deeper water and try a slow sinkin’ Senko-type bait or a Carolina-rigged plastic worm. You can also try flippin’ the hydrilla mats through out the lake. You can also catch some nice bass on shiners around the hydrilla clumps.

We are supposed to get some cooler weather this weekend, so you will have to adjust to the conditions if the cold front comes to town. It’s supposed to get down in the 50s, so you may find the bass more active with the cooler weather.

If you want to catch some bass in the St. Johns River and get out of the wind, try fishin’ the movin’ water from the rain we had this week. You will find the bass hangin’ around the mouths of the feeder creeks. Also, keep an eye out for the bait pods movin’ up and down the river. You will find the bass bustin’ on the bait pods. You will do best with a noisy top-water bait, a swimbait, or a lipless crankbait.

We have a full moon this Sunday so if the weather is good, the fishin’ should be good as well. I hope you get a chance to do some fishin’ this weekend, and I’ll see ya next week.

Tip of the week: bluegills on the beds.

Save a few and good luck!