Some specks are still bitin’ as weather warms

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Hello Folks,

I missed y’all last week as I took a short vacation break durin’ the week and enjoyed some R&R with my wife and family.

While I was away the fishin’ was really good due to the full moon. Folks are still catchin’ a few specks in Lake Monroe and Lake Jesup. Most of the specks are bein’ caught on minners and jigs tipped with a minner.

Davis at Bitters Bait & Tackle reports that folks are still catchin’ a few specks as the season comes to a close. You can still catch specks in the summer but they move to deeper water, so find some deep water and you will be able to catch specks all year long. Davis also reports that with the warmer weather, the panfish are startin’ to bite in most of the lakes in our area. The bluegills are startin’ to go on the beds for some great springtime fishin’. All you need are some crickets and red worms, and you are good to go. Look for panfish to be spawnin’ around or near shell-beds or areas of the lake that have a hard sandy bottom. Once you locate a bed, you will do best to back off from the bed just a little and fish your baits in that area. So get the family and kids and go catch panfish.

Also, I would like to remind everyone that spring started on March 20. This is the time of year that alligators will be more visible and active. Remember these simple steps when you see a gator while fishin’. Never feed an alligator, keep your pets away from water’s edge, swim only durin’ the day, and if you see an alligator, keep your distance. While fishin’ the past few weeks, I have noticed a lot of gators movin’ around and sunin’ on the banks. As a reminder, just be cautious while you are fishin’ in the comin’ weeks. The bass fishin’ has been good for the past few weeks and lots of folks are gettin’ on the water and catchin’ lots of bass. The Harris Chain has been really good along with the Conway Chain and the Butler Chain. My buddy Rick has been catchin’ some nice bass on the Harris Chain. This past weekend, he caught and released several bass up to almost 7 pounds each.

Davis reports that the bass fishin’ has been really good in the Maitland Chain as well. Several of their customers are catchin’ schoolers on Zoom Flukes and suspended jerk-baits. Captain Paul Solomon has been fishin’ the Maitland Chain as well and his customers are catchin’ some nice bass up to 8 pounds each on shiners.

The Conway Chain has been real good for bass as well. The bass are startin’ to school up in the chain. Look for the birds to be divin’ on the bait-fish as the bass will be bustin’ on ’em. Rick and I have been fishin’ the Harris Chain and we have had some good days on the water. We have been catchin’ our bass on plastic worms and by flippin’ the heavy cover with Bitters Muskrat baits. The biggest bass we have caught has been around 5 pounds. We have caught lots of 2 and 3 pounders durin’ our days on the water. The bass fishin’ should continue to be good through April, so now is a good chance to catch your best big bass.

Well, have a great week and I’ll see ya next week. 

Tip of the week: panfish goin’ on the beds.

Save a few and good luck!