Hello Folks,
By the time you read this report, half of February will be over. I don’t know about you but as I get older, it seems to me that the time sure does go by faster. When I was younger, I could hardly wait till the weekend so we could go fishin’. The days seem to drag on until the weekend got here. Then finally the weekend was here and it was time to go fishin’. I have great memories and fun times campin’ and fishin’ in Central Florida.
The fishin’ has been really good in most of the lakes and chains in our area. Kyle at Bitter’s Bait and Tackle reports the specks have been bitin’ really good and as we move toward the full moon on Tuesday, February 19, that trend should continue. Most of the specks are bein’ caught in Lake Monroe and Lake Jesup. The St. Johns River has been good for specks as well.
Kyle reports that the specks are movin’ into shallow water to spawn. You can catch specks on jigs tipped with a minner or by fishin’ minners naked on a gold hook. You need to fish around the reeds, pads, and laydowns for some good results. Some folks are catchin’ a few specks in open water but most of the bites are comin’ from shallow water. You also need to use brightly colored jigs for the best results.
The bass fishin’ has been really good especially up on the St. Johns River. Bass Master had an Elite tournament up there last week and some big bags of fish were weighed in at the scales. Congratulations to the ageless Rick Clunn who won the tournament. Rick is the oldest professional angler to win back in 2016. He defended his title again in 2019. Rick turned 72 in July 2018. He weighed in a four-day total of 98 pounds and 14 oz. Rick saved his best day on the last day of the tournament. He weighed in five bass that weighed 34 lbs. and 14 oz. total. Also on the last day, he weighed in two bass that were over 9 lbs. each. What a great day on the water for Rick Clunn and all the anglers who get to fish in our great state. That’s why they call Florida, “The Bass Capital of the World.”
Kyle also reports that the bass fishin’ has been good in most of the lakes in our area. You can catch bass on shiners, plastic worms, spinner-baits, and lipless crank-baits. The Kissimmee Chain has been real good for catchin’ some nice bass, as well as the Harris Chain.
My fishin’ partner Rick is fishin’ this week with his son-in-law Greg Fugate and his nephew Chris Holbrook from Kentucky They have fished the Harris Chain, and the Butler Chain so far this week. They are havin’ a great time, and they are catchin’ lots of Florida bass. Chris has been the best of trio so far this week. Chris caught a real nice bass that weighed 8 lbs. and 1 oz.
I will tell you that the week isn’t over. After fishin’ with Rick for the past six years, he is known for catchin’ a big bass. So, guys, hang on to your hats, it could happen on the next cast. Most of their bass are bein’ caught on lipless crank-baits, plastic worms and slow-sinkin’ Senko-type baits.
Well, that’s it for this week. I hope to see you on the water real soon.
Tip of the week: specks are on fire.
Save a few and good luck!
