Hello Folks,

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you have some time off durin’ the holidays and you get a chance to do some fishin’ as well.

The specks are still bitin’ in most of the lakes in our area. Lots of folks are gettin’ on the water and catchin’ ’em. Lake Monroe and Lake Jesup are producin’ the best stringers of specks. Most folks are driftin’ open water with jigs tipped with a minner. You can also catch ’em on minners with no jigs, too. Folks are still catchin’ ’em off the seawall in Lake Monroe as well.

We have been gettin’ some cooler weather and that’s has the water temperatures droppin’. We have a full moon right after Christmas on Tuesday, December 29. So, with colder water and a full moon, it’s speckled perch time. Lots of folks look forward to this time of the year so they can go speck fishin’. You may find a few specks movin’ into shallow water to start spawnin’, so check those areas while you are on the water fishin’.

Mark at Big Toho Bait and Tackle reports that the speck fishin’ is pickin’ up in West Lake. Again, most folks are fishin’ in the deeper water around Mackinson and Paradise islands. With the full moon comin’ up, look for some specks to move into shallow water as well. Mark also reports that the bass fishin’ is pretty good in West Lake. Most of the bass are bein’ caught on shiners. You need to get some shiners and fish the points off the Kissimmee grass and the edges of the hydrilla. Most of the guides are usin’ 5 to 6 dozen shiners per trip. So, shiners are still the best way to catch some bass.

Kyle at Bitter’s Bait and Tackle reports that the bass fishin’ is good with shiners, too. You can free-line shiners out the back of the boat over the submerged hydrilla and eel-grass beds in Lake Mait-land and in the Butler Chain. You will catch lots of smaller bass in the Butler Chain, but in Florida you never know when those big ’uns are gonna bite. The Harris Chain has been a little hit or miss on the bass. We have been gettin’ some windy conditions lately but that’s also a good time to catch some bass. You need to fish the windy side of the lake with a spinnerbait or a bladed jigs. Make sure you put a small swim-bait trailer on your swim-jig to get it a little more action as you work it around the pads and the grass points. You can also try fishin it around the docks in the chain. The best color has been green pumpkin with a white trailer. You can also try fishin’ a black-blue bladed jig with a small black and blue trailer with glitter. The black and blue is a color that I like to throw on my bladed jigs. It has worked for me in most of the lakes that I have fished here in Florida.

Well, that’s it for this year folks. I will be out of town over the holidays for two weeks. Again, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We all hope and pray for a better 2021. I will be glad to see 2020 go away, I’m sure you all feel the same way. Stay safe and I’ll see ya next year.

Tip of the week: full moon.

Save a few and good luck!