Hello Folks,
Well, we have been gettin’ some afternoon showers and that’s been helpin’ out the lakes in our area. I noticed the ponds and the retention ponds gettin’ plenty of water, too.
All the rain has got the water flowin’ into the St. Johns River via the feeder creeks. You will find the bass hangin’ around those areas bustin’ on the bait-fish. If you get on the water real early, fish those types of areas for some early-mornin’ action. Look for movin’ water in all the lakes like West Lake Toho where the water will be feedin’ into each lake or an area like Shingle Creek. Water flowin’ into the lake is usually a good spot to try and catch some bass.
The bass fishin’ has been a little slow in John’s Lake. You can still catch some bass but you need to get on water real early. Rick was out there last week and caught five bass up to 3 lbs. each. Most of the bass were caught on slow-sinkin’ Senko-type baits. Watermelon with red glitter has been workin’ the best.
The bass fishin’ on the Butler Chain has been a little slow, but a few bass can be caught on shiners and trick worms. Paul Solomon, who is a guide on the chain, was out last week and caught 10 to 12 bass on Trick Worms. The best color to use has been watermelon red glitter. You need to fish real slowly durin’ this time of the year. Let that worm soak a little. We call that dead stickin’, which means your worm lays there for a while.
If you want to catch some panfish, get some red worms and crickets, and head out to your favorite fishin’ hole to go fishin’. You need to fish open water and drift the lake until you get on ‘em. Once you find ‘em, keep driftin’ over the beds or the area where you caught ‘em.
Folks, I wanted to take a moment if I may and recognize some fishermen we have lost in the past 10 days. Please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers. First was my good friend Wayne Swindle. We lost Wayne last week on July 27. Wayne was at a friend’s house doing some paintin’. I would talk to Wayne every week on my way home from work. He was a great fisherman, husband, and father who will be missed by a lot of folks in our area. Wayne had a passion for fishin’. At his memorial service, it was said that Wayne was either fishin’, gettin’ ready to go fishin’, or watchin’ fishin’ on TV. We will miss you, Pro Wayne.
We all lost another good friend by the name of Joe Kremer. He grew up in the Bear Lake area. Joe was a great fisherman on the BFL Gator Division tournament trail. He was well respected in the fishin’ community and loved by all that knew him. Joe was a good husband, father, and grandfather. Joe fought the good fight against cancer for two years before goin’ home on July 29.
We also lost a good friend in our community of Apopka. Sonny Millikan was the owner of Millikan Battery here in Apopka. Sonny was always available to help you out with a battery or tell ya a good story. Sonny loved to fish, and I had the pleasure to fish with him when he belonged to the Apopka Bass Club. Sonny also loved to fish over at Homosassa on the Gulf Coast. He was an avid fisherman, and a great friend to all who knew him. He will be missed by all of us here in Apopka. Sonny passed on August 3 while at the beach with his family. Please keep all these families in your thoughts and prayers in the days to come.
See ya next week.
Tip of the week: Take the family fishin’.
Save a few and good luck!
