Hello Folks,  

I hope everyone is enjoyin’ this great weather we’ve been havin’… nice and cool in the mornin’ and then gettin’ up in the 80s durin’ the day! Those cool breezes in the heat of the day… Folks, that just makes for a great day on the water! 

John over at Bitter’s B&T reports that anglers are gettin’ out there and catchin’ some specks, catfish, and bass. He also reports that they’re still catchin’ plenty of specks under the 417 bridge in Lake Jesup. And, they’re catchin’ as many catfish as they are specks, and these on minnersaround the pilings! 

The shellcrackers are on the beds in Lake Monroe, and, due to the low water, folks’re havin’ a tough time just gettin’ out to the beds. If you can just get your boat into the shallow water, you should be able to get your limit of shellcrackers.  

The bass’re still schoolin’ in the north end of the St. Johns River between Astor and Hontoon Island. Most of those bass’re bein’ caught on topwater baits early in the mornin’ and then lipless crankbaits durin’ the day. Some of the big bass are bein’ caught in with the schoolers, as well.  

Lake Fairview is still hot for bass fishin’. Lots of the guides are takin’ their clients over there, and they’re catchin’ plenty of bass on shiners.  

The bass fishin’ is also still doin good in the Butler Chain. Folks’re pullin’ in plenty of bass on chatterbaits, slow sinkin’ Senko type baits, and plastic worms. Some of the bass’re schoolin’ up durin’ the day, so make sure you have a lipless crankbait tied on to one of your rods… just in case they start schoolin’ around the boat! 

There were 15 boats entered in the Wednesday Night Shootout on Johns Lake last week. Congrats to Matt Cochrane and Zack Tuckfield on their win with three bass that hit the scales at 10.45 pounds. They also had Big Bass that weighed in at 5.55 pounds.  

West Lake Toho must’ve gotten more rain down there than we did, because there’s some water flowin’ out of Shingle Creek. The bass’ll be hangin’ around those areas just feedin’ on the baitfish that are bein’ washed out from the creek. And, if you can find some runnin’ water, you’ll usually find some bass in there! They’re also catchin’ plenty of bass down there in the early mornin’ on topwater baits. You’ll do best with Zara Spooks, Devils Horse, and buzz baits. And you can catch ’em on spinnerbaits, flukes, and trick worms.  

The shellcrackers are still bitin’ down in Lake Kissimmee (east of Lake Wales in Osceola County) on red worms around the pads. The folks who’re gettin’ out on the water real early are bringin’ in their limits by 10 am!  

John over at Bitter’s B&T also reports that there is a shad spawn goin’ on down at Lake Okeechobee, and folks’re catchin’ lots of bass along the edge of the shoreline, as well. Some of those anglers are pullin’ in up to 100 bass per day! Wow! Assumin’ that’s true, you might just want to make a trip down to the “Big O” and have loads of fun… catchin’ those bass!  

The bass fishin’ has also been really good in the Headwaters west of Fellsmere, and the guides are puttin’ folks onto 30 to 40 bass per trip! Most of those bass’re bein’ caught on shiners and chatter baits.   

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope y’all get a chance to do some fishin’ this week or even over the weekend. From all the reports I’ve been gettin’, the panfish and bass are bitin’! So, let’s go fishin’! You can even make it a family affair! The kids’ll love it now that the weather is warm and breezy out there on the water.  

Tip of the week: Enjoy this great weather, and let’s go Fishin’! 

SAVE A FEW AND GOOD LUCK!