Hello Folks,
I hope you are havin a great week. We are headed for some great weather and some great fishin’. Fall begins this week and we have a cool front headed our way, so I’m lookin’ forward to the change. The fishin’ is what I call in transition time. The weather is gonna change and the fishin’ is gonna change as well.
Right now, the bluegills and shellcrackers are bitin’ like crazy on West Lake. The panfishin’ is usually a spring and summer thing but right now the panfish bite is on. Mark at Big Toho Bait and Tackle reports that he is sellin’ lots of red worms and folks are gettin’ on the water and catchin’ ’em.
The best spots have been between markers 24 and 26. Mark reports that there is a shellbed in that area of the lake and folks are catchin’ ’em like crazy. So, if you want to catch some panfish, you need head down to West Lake and get in on the action.
Mark also reports that the bass fishin’ is a little slow. You can still catch some bass on shiners and Ole Monster worms around the hydrilla clumps and flippin’ the mats.
Kyle at Bitter’s Bait and Tackle reports that folks are catchin’ specks in Lake Monroe and Lake
Jesup. The specks are still bitin’ under the State Road 417 bridge in Lake Jesup on jigs and jigs tipped with a minner. You can also catch some specks in Lake Monroe on jigs.
We have been gettin’ a lot of rain on the east side of town and the water is flowin’ pretty good in the St. Johns River. The bass are feedin’ around the mouths of the feeder creeks and around the shellbeds where the water is flowin’. Look for bass feedin’ on the baitfish where you have flowin’ water.
The bass fishin’ on the Butler Chain has been pretty good. My neighbor John Langevin and his nephew Chet are still catchin’ some bass in the Butler Chain. They have been fishin’ the off-shore grass beds and catchin’ 15 to 20 bass each trip. John caught a nice four pounder on their last trip.
The bass fishin’ on the Harris Chain has been hit or miss. What I mean is one day the bass are bitin’ and the next day, they don’t or won’t bite. You can still catch some bass, but you are gonna have to put the trollin’ motor down and move around until you locate them.
Kyle was fishin’ the Harris Chain last week and he had a pretty good day on the water. He was flippin’ heavy cover and was able to catch some nice bass in the 2 pound to 3 pound range. Kyle also had his string stretched a little with a 10 lb. 2 oz. bass. She kinda caught him off guard because he wasn’t expectin’ to catch one that big. He said he got a little excited when he saw her come up by the boat. You know how it goes, you goin’ along the shoreline and catchin’ a few bass and then get the bite of the day. It can happen in a heartbeat. I have always said if you bass fish in Florida, you never know when a big bass is gonna bite. I’ve seen people, includin’ me, miss a lot of big bass because they weren’t expectin’ a big bass to bite.
If you fish for bass, it’s gonna happen. I always try to be ready but sometimes you just aren’t ready for a big bite.
Well, that’s it for this week. I hope you get a chance to do some fishin’ this weekend or next week. See ya next week.
Tip of the week: be ready.
Save a few and good luck!
