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Highlands Today

Slow Trolling Will Pay Off In Afternoon

Contributed Photo

Richard Flis holds a four- and five-pound bass caught in the Istokpoga Hydrilla.

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Dave Douglass

Published: February 3, 2008

The new moon happens this Thursday at 3:44 a.m., which spells bad news for daytime anglers and fishermen.

The best bite period of the day starts at about noon and builds slowly throughout the afternoon and never really reaches a high level of intensity or duration. The main daily migration occurs at night, from midnight to 3 or 4 a.m.

As always this time of year, there is a remote chance this week of an early-morning big bass in the known areas to hold regular larger bass, but you'll still need a good amount of luck on your side to boat one.

Your better chances are from 2 p.m. to sundown.

In the deeper, clearwater lakes try using a light Carolina rig to troll very slowly in six to 12 feet of depth — and I'm talking very slow: one or less on the trolling motor speed control.

The larger bass are in sloped staging areas in grass on the upwind side of the lake.

If you don't find them holding in locations like this, move closer to shorelines and look for the protected bedding areas. Once you locate a smaller male bass — if he's legal size — put him in the livewell temporarily and try for the female.

Please treat her with great care and return both bass back as unharmed as possible, and don't forget to bring along a camera to preserve your fish story for generations to come.

Other News

SOS Florida Lakes Inc., of which I am an officer, held a meeting Thursday night at the Lorida Civic Center.

This March marks the complete of their third year in serving the citizens of Highlands County. Their work has produced great results for all who fish Lake Istokpoga. The Hydrilla management plan the D.E.P. now implements is a direct result from SOS's constant promotion of an "Adaptive Management Strategy" which is designed to speed up the topped-out areas' natural dying process, treating 400-600 acre plots instead of eradication of 2000 acres in one massive treatment event.

Another much-needed accomplishment was to create and facilitate lake management inter-agency transparency; promoting and enabling all government agencies to be on the same page working in an ordered plan together. Kiosks supplied by SOS members and affiliates — Chip Boring of RE/MAX Reality of Sebring — provides the lake users with all the lake management agency work plans ahead of time enabling them to fish non-treated areas, saving them money and better chances of a great day on the lake.

Now if you're a tournament angler who likes to work the competitive art in Hydrilla, SOS hopes you understand how hard they worked to create and preserve a Hydrilla management plan to benefit you and all who like to fish this prime area of the lake. If you don't like Hydrilla, you're out of luck until a chemical company genius comes up with a product which doesn't harm agriculture while eradicating this aggressive evasive weed.

SOS wants everyone to know that they fought hard to keep the DEP from treating during the months of the bass spawn. However, because of mapping subcontractors' loaded schedule, the treatments were pushed from January to this month. The FFWC is also going to be continuing their work on the West Wall, Big Island, Henderson's Point, Spring Lake, and Lykes Cove.

Full detailed maps are provided on their Web site and be available at the boat ramps — visit the "Information" Web page.

The SFWM deviation request which was just approved six inches higher than originally asked for by SFWM, was a direct result of the constant objections SOS members filed with USACE Headquarters, Atlantic Division, and Jacksonville District, commanders. Because of the unrelenting efforts on the part of the SOS officers, dozens of hours spent appealing to ACE paid off by an approval giving back six inches of lake depth. It could be the six inches lake users need to keep using the lake longer, hopefully just long enough to last until rains return.

SOS has many great things planned for this year which will benefit all the citizens of Highlands County, they hope you'll check them out — your lake is their lake.

Tournament News

The Wednesday Morning Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public. Next Event is Feb. 6 on Lake Josephine from 7:30 a.m. to noon.

Pay at ramp — entry fee is $30 per boat. One person may fish alone if you do not have a partner. For information, contact Paul Tardiff at 863-385-8007 (home), 863-446-1310 (cell) or e-mail bassbutchie60@aol.com. You can also contact Dwight Ameling at 863-471-3305.

Extreme Bass Istokpoga Division will be holding its second event of the new season today at the U.S. 98 Istokpoga Park ramp in Lorida. This is a members-only tournament.For more information, contact John Woods at 863-412-9095. You may join at the ramp — cash only — prior to safelight launch. Weigh-in time and place is at 3 p.m. at the U.S. 98 boat ramp.

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