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Highlands Today

Camp Out In Active Areas While Fish Are In Transition

Contributed Photo

Dave holds a 5.5-pound bass, the largest fish he's been able to land over the past three weeks.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 23, 2008

We enter the week of this month's new moon, which happens on Thursday at 4:55 p.m. and means good news for the early morning anglers.

As the moon wanes and fish feed less successfully due to lack of moonlight, the daytime feeding migration increases both in intensity and duration. The downside, however, for this week is that the moon moves to its furthest point from the earth, therefore minimizing the effects the new moon will have on fish migrations.

Today, the major daytime feeding migration occurs from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and rates a 5 or 6 on the scale of 1 to 10. However, each day this will improve as the feeding intensity and total duration increase due to more fish working longer and harder to satisfy their appetites.

Another factor that should expand the projected duration period is the water temperature. Since the latest cold front, water temperatures have dropped into the 50s and by mid-afternoon climb into the lower- to mid-60s. This "slowing" of metabolism will cause fish to feed more slowly and for longer durations. The bite intensity might be slow, but the number of strikes should remain constant: one strike every 20 minutes over a larger area than usual, for a three-hour period.

Each day this morning bite will start about 40 minutes later and last about 40 minutes longer. If water temperatures climb back into the 60s during the early morning hours, be looking for this trend to improve - more bites, more often.

The nighttime anglers should be out on the water by sundown as the evening bite starts at about 7 p.m. and lasts to 9 p.m. Be expecting this session to start early due to the daily high water temperature prompting fish to feed more vigorously due to the perfect temperatures in the mid-60s activating their fastest digestion and energy.

All fish should be in the most shallow areas so far this season due to the mid-50s water temperatures. In the shallows, the temperatures will climb first and this is where the food chain will migrate to in order to thrive as the highest level.

Fishing Facts

The bait action that best attracts fish when water temperatures first drop to new season lows is a very slow drop with a long pause, and an occasional shake or rattle to attract the slow moving fish migrating through the area.

Fishing Formula

The key to success is to locate an active area and camp out there.

Be expecting to wait longer than you want to, and don't lose heart when the strikes don't come very often. Fish are in transition right now and it will be a few more days before they start to regroup and become predictable as far as a distinguishable pattern.

Fishing Fiction

"Everyday there are areas of the lake where fish feed aggressively in large numbers, all you have to do is find those areas."

This saying is not always true, especially when fishing after a cold front when fish abandon their current established migration-feeding pattern and search for the best lake environmental conditions for their metabolism speeds.

On days like today, there will not be areas of the lake where large numbers of fish feed all at the same time aggressively, such as boating six fish (one or two large) within 30 minutes. However, this upcoming Thursday might be a totally different story - hopefully it will.

Fishing Feature

In speaking with several local bass anglers this past week, the same common thread ran through all of their stories, namely that only the small fish were feeding, and not many at the same time. The only way they could get the fish to bite was if they used really small baits using a very slow retrieve.

Similar sentiments came from the crappie anglers, who likewise had to move more shallow only to locate very few fish resulting in half-stringers at best - "if they were lucky."

For those of you who might think that this slow bite condition is peculiar to just your favorite lake, the anglers I spoke with were from Lake Toho, Kissimmee, Walk-In-Water, Jackson, Istokpoga, and Okeechobee.

So you're not alone here - the fish have all conspired against the anglers and area boycotting central Florida anglers .

Fishing Flash

Lake Istokpoga's level is currently at 39.5 feet above sea level, which has been consistent for the last two months.

Last week, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC), combined with Highlands County Parks & Recreation's weed management office, completed a major hydrilla management treatment plan in several areas on the lake by helicopter and airboat using Aquathol Super K contact herbicide.

Helicopter spraying of the larger areas was completed on Wednesday, and since then there's been a strong wind out of the north which will move the chemical southward from the target areas.

For this reason, fish will move northward out of those areas and should not be too far away. So, if you happened to "be on fish" within those hydrilla areas, your fish moved to the north to the next healthy vegetated area. Areas south of the target zones will be greatly affected as the chemical will be blown downwind for quite a distance.

If you happen to need a map of the treatment areas, you can print copies online at sosfloridalakes.org.

Fishing Tournaments

The Wednesday Morning Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public. Next event is Nov. 26 on Lake June. Time: 7:30 a.m. to noon. Pay at ramp - entry fee $30.00 per boat. One person may fish alone if you do not have a partner. For information, contact Paul Tardiff at 863-385-8007 (home) or 863-446-1310 (cell), email bassbutchie60@aol.com or call Dwight Ameling at 863-471-3305.

Dave Douglass is a bass-fishing guide and bass tournament angler and CEO of S.O.S.-Florida Lakes, Inc. He can be reached at 863-381-8474, or e-mail him at davedouglass@sos-floridalakes.org.

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