Hello Folks,
I can’t believe it, but September is here and that means cooler weather and great fishin’ is just around the corner. The fishin’ right now isn’t too bad and I don’t know what’s goin’ on over in Lake Jesup but the specks are bitin’ like crazy again.
Kyle at Bitter’s Bait and Tackle reports that the specks started bitin’ this week and folks are gettin’ buckets of minners and goin’ to catch ’em. You need to fish under the State Road 417 bridge with minners and you should be able to catch a limit. The limit in Florida is 25 specks per person. Kyle reports that limits are bein’ caught just about each day for the folks that have been goin’ over to Lake Jesup.
I asked Kyle why the speck fishin’ has been so good over the summer because it’s usually better in the winter. Kyle thinks the specks have been bitin’ due to all the rain we have been gettin’. The rain has kept the water cooler this summer, and Lake Jesup is part of the St. Johns River system and clean water has been flowin’ through the lake, which helps keep the water cleaner and cooler. I don’t know how true his assumption is, but it makes sense to me. Anyway, get a bucket of minners and go catch some specks.
The bluegills and shellcrackers have definitely quit bitin’ for the summer. We had a great summer for panfish, but the bite has really died off since earlier this summer. Kyle reports that the red worm and cricket sales have slowed down a lot as of late.
The bass fishin’ has been a little slow but if you fish with shiners you should be able to catch ’em. Folks are still freelinin’ shiners out the back of the boat in Lake Maitland and the Butler Chain. You need to fish the shiners over the submerged hydrilla and eel-grass beds throughout the chains. You need to get on the water early or go late in the afternoon if the rain doesn’t run you off the lakes.
The fishin’ on Lake Toho is still an early or late bite. Folks have been catchin’ most of their bass around the hydrilla clumps on the south end of the lake. Also check out the flowin’ water that’s comin’ into the lake from the afternoon rains. Usually you will find some bass hangin’ around those types of areas where the water is flowin’ into the lake. The bass will be feedin’ on baitfish that’s comin’ from the canals. Also, look for bass anywhere you see runnin’ water that’s feedin’ into the lakes from runoffs and feeder creeks.
The St. Johns River is a good place to look for those types of areas to catch some bass as well. A noisy top-water bait, lipless crank-baits, and Carolina-rigged plastic worms all work in those areas.
Well, that’s it for this week. You have a lot of choices to fish this weekend. I hope you get a chance to do some fishin’ real soon. See ya next week.
Tip of the week: specks are bitin’. Save a few and good luck!
