Hello Folks,
Well, we are gettin’ some rain and some sunshine most days. We need the rain, but not too much. The St. John’s River is still very high, but hopefully, folks will be able to start fishin’ Lake Monroe for some specks.
The X-treme Bass Series held their championship up at Palatka, last weekend. Congrats to the team of Chad Schoreder from Zephyrhills, and his fishin’ partner Anthony Cilladi from Oviedo. They went wire -to-wire for the win in Palatka. The duo weighed in a two-day total of 50.31 pounds. They won a 2025 Blazer 625 boat, a Mercury 250 Pro XS outboard package worth $77,000 dollars. Chad and Anthony were the divisional champions on the Lake Toho division. They were fishin’ for the championship and the Fitzgerald Fishing Team-of-the-year title.
There were 110 teams in the championship held on the St. Johns River. Also, they were fishin’ for the Michael J. Blocher Memorial Award. With their win on the St. Johns River, they clinched both of those prestigious awards. Again, congrats to Chad and Anthony on their big win.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced today that November is Manatee Awareness Month. I know what you are thinkin’: “Hey Jim, there aren’t any manatees in my lakes.” Well, they are all over the St. Johns River and, believe it or not, I saw one last year while I was fishin’ in Lake Beauclair. I also had a witness and after talking to folks about my sighting, folks told me that they have seen manatees in the Harris Chain as well.
As fall temperatures drop, manatees start makin’ their way to the Florida Springs power plant discharge areas and other warm water sites to stay warm durin’ the winter. When the temperatures start to rise, they will be on the move again roamin’ our lakes and rivers. So, the FWC is lettin’ us know that you need to “go slow and look out below” for the manatees when you might be fishin’ in these areas. One more thing is, if you come upon a manatee that is in distress, please give the FWC a call and let them know you spotted a manatee that needs help.
I talked to Kyle at Bitter’s Bait & Tackle and he reports that not many folks are fishin’ due to the high water in their favorite lakes in our area. There are a lot of ramps still closed. You need to make sure before you go fishin’ that there is a ramp that’s open so you can launch your boat. The Butler Chain is still closed, but the Maitland Chain of Lakes is open again.
Well, folks that’s it for this week. I hope to see you real soon on the water.
Tip of the week: “Go slow and look out below.”
Save a few and good luck!
