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Highlands Today

Morning Bite Best Bet

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Dave Douglass

Published: July 6, 2008

Because of the Florida afternoon summertime heat, the real-time best week for fishing is during the week of the First Quarter Moon phase.

This week the very early morning bite turns on in a huge way for two reasons, the day before hard rains caused a variety of foods to be washed into the lake, and little by little the lake levels rise which causes fish to move to vegetation it could not access previously.

The best time to be on the lake is from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. with the peak time at 8:30-9:00 a.m..

Depending on the weather factor during the morning, this peak could be extended to near noon time.

If you have access to the internet and have time to check out the numerous weather websites, it is possible to know exactly when and if the lake you want to fish received rain prior to your fishing trip. This is essential information if the Florida Bass angler is to be successful during the rainy season.

Fishing Facts

The Florida Rainy Season adds a new challenge for the Florida Anglers to factor into the data analyzed when forming a strategy. Extremely hard rains and usually more than once in a six hour period, takes place on our lakes effectively changing the natural timing of aquatic life. The Lunar Cycle influence sets the stage for the event, but the weather determines the start and end time of the event.

This week since we are in an early morning bite phase, if the rain comes twelve hours before we start fishing, the chances are fairly good that the moon-phase-peak time will be unaffected. However, if the rain comes just six hours before, you can bet that the tail end of the morning bite will be the new peak time, and be much less in intensity and duration.

The reason for this is because during the summer, Bass feed every night along shoreline vegetation areas as a norm. If it rains during this process, the quick-barometric-pressure drop triggers a much more intense feeding frenzy, causing Bass to gorge longer than usual. By the time you get out there, six hours later, you end up being the equivalent of a pizza man attempting to deliver a pizza to a group of people just finishing a Thanksgiving dinner.

The smart pizza man waits an extra 4-6 hours before he attempts to deliver a pizza after a feast.

Fishing Report

If you're getting discourage lately, not able to find the usual fish in the usual places at the usual times, you're in the majority. The reports are all the same, "I threw everything I had at them, including the kitchen sink - I couldn't buy a bite." This is the "Usual" for this time of year. While we all take cover from the afternoon heat and extreme rain storms with lots of lightning, the fish are feeding heavily without interruptions from us. If you can happen to be on the lake during the rain and be lucky enough to not have lightning threatening your life, you will catch fish.

Fishing News

Lake Istokpoga's level is at the "High Pool" of the water management schedule - 38.25' above sea level. This means South Florida Water Management will be releasing water "as needed" to maintain this schedule during the hurricane season.

Experienced Highlands County anglers know this means there will be and is, a current flowing through the lake from the north to the south end S-68 Spillway. Bass follow current, so be factoring this into your strategy if you plan to fish this lake.

The Hydrilla treatments two months ago, have accomplished what they were designed to achieve - target areas are void of growth. Due to the fact the lake is so shallow - 4-foot average depth - wind-produced-wave action, has also removed the decaying plant matter from those target areas in all directions, back and forth depending on the wind direction. For this reason the turbidity level throughout the entire lake is very high. Visibility through the water column is less than a foot. This means non-targeted Hydrilla areas are experiencing a "die-back" event, where suspended decaying plant matter covers the leaves to the point that the usual summertime growth is greatly hindered. Instead of the usual 4-6 inches of growth per stem on the plant, there is little if any, growth. Instead the plant fights to survive or dies back.

This process is called, "Shading" and is common only on large shallow lakes where wind affects over 75 - 85% of the water column throughout the majority of the lake. For this natural phenomenon, the chemical Hydrilla treatments achieve a substantial additional positive affect, in essence getting more mileage out of the lake management budget.

SOS Florida Lake, is an non-profit organization which has several members monitoring all areas of the lake consistently. They have found that all Hydrilla areas spayed with Aquathol Super K contact herbicide, have produced enough suspended decaying plant matter to affectively control non-targeted areas in all directions from the targeted areas, two or three miles from all five areas.

The plant management mindset -- that once the Hydrilla started to grow back in the north end of the lake like wildfire and quickly becomes a very large problem - is not taking into account this process caused by a fast acting contact herbicide which breaks down the plant quick enough to form very large particles of suspended solids which blankets plants all through the lake enough to slow the natural growth significantly.

An aggressive Aquathol treatment plan needs to be designed using this factor as its basis. Schedule treatment events, both in frequency and total acreage targeted, that calculates this natural process.

SOS directors believe a plan of 4-6 treatment events - small as possible, affectively maintaining less than 20-25% total lake plant coverage - should be scheduled to take into account the winter Bass anglers who arrive on planned vacations during January through March, Six 1000 acre treatments events, with each event comprised of four or five 200 - 250 acre target zones, will keep the natural shading process working throughout the lake year round.

Fishing Tournaments

Wednesday Morning Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public. Next Event: July 9 on Lake Josephine. Time: 7:30 a.m. to noon. Pay at ramp - entry fee $30 per boat. One person may fish alone if you do not have a partner.

Next week the tournament will be held on Lake June.

For information, contact Paul Tardiff at (863)385-8007 Home, Cell (863) 446-1310 bassbutchie60@aol.com or Dwight Ameling at (863)471-3305

Dave Douglass is a Bass fishing guide and

Bass tournament angler

CEO of S.O.S.-Florida Lakes, Inc.

Phone: 863-381-8474

Email: davedouglass@sos-floridalakes.org

Websites: reds-bass-fishing-guides.com and sos-floridalakes.org

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