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Highlands Today

Fish Moving Into Shoreline Vegetation Areas

Contributed Photo

Dave holds one of several six-pounders he caught on Istokpoga.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 28, 2008

Today at 8:12 a.m., we're one day before the new moon, which means today through Thursday fishing should be good to excellent at the very least.

The daytime major feeding migration occurs from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today and starts approximately 40 minutes later each day. Tomorrow will be slightly better than today providing the lake you're fishing doesn't have a lot of fishing pressure today.

The early morning bite will be fair to poor today since it is just starting to develop. By the end of the week it will be increasing in intensity and duration, especially since the water temperatures have dropped over the last three or four days, and this trend should continue.

If you're planning to be on the lake in the morning, safe-light is your best bet.

From 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., providing there isn't a drop in barometric pressure, should be poor at best if not completely dead.

Fishing Facts

This is the time of year when fish move into shoreline vegetation areas, such as cattails and pencil reeds, during the night to feed.

During the new moon, a lack of light results in fish feeding less successfully. They travel further, look to eat longer, and burn energy with little results. This is the factor in why the new moon daytime migration is so good.

Fishing Formula

The formula I am using today is to be on the water by 6:45 a.m. and at one of the cattail areas within a short distance from the deeper holes in the lake.

The frog-rod will be the first method used with a darker color, cast side-armed in order to keep the frog a few feet off the surface of the water. This allows the force of the cast to propel the frog 10 or 20 feet up inside of the vegetation's edge.

When the bait lands, I drop the rod tip to the water sharply so that the line is also on the water, this makes it easier to gradually walk the frog from one cattail to another, pausing occasionally to shake the line. The frog puts out a vibration when this is done, and if there is a bass nearby, she'll strike.

The second method I'll try is to cast parallel to the edge of the vegetation with a spinner-bait or buzz-bait set-up on a casting-rod.

The line used on the frog and casting rods is 50- to 65-pound test braided so that I can control the fish enough to tire it out, but not necessarily to muscle her out of the vegetation - unless she makes that a possibility by swimming into an open area where control is easily achieved.

In most cases, fish don't make the job easier, but instead wrap the line and themselves around several cattails, which then the key is to try to keep her head near the surface and use the trolling motor to go in and boat her by hand.

Once the sun is fully up and the bite and strikes are slowing down or have ended, I'll move out on the shortest route to the deeper water - two casting distances from the vegetation. Now I use a casting rod set-up with a Carolina-rigged floating plastic and also a rod set-up with a Texas-rigged worm.

The cast is toward the vegetation starting point which allows me to walk the bait down-slope to the holding suspension area the fish use when they are done feeding.

The third method uses the same set-up as the second one, but this time I am positioned in the deepest area using a very slow retrieve and very long pauses, occasionally shaking the bait during the pause period.

Once the peak feeding migration starts - which is around 11 a.m., I will reverse the entire procedure and end up back at the original starting place but will not use the top-water method.

Instead, I start flipping and/or pitching the edge of the vegetation outside line. During the main migration period I'll work several "hot-spots" which I know have held fish over the last two or three weeks. Usually each spot is good for two or three medium to very large bass.

By 2 p.m., I'll be enjoying the 70-plus miles per hour boat ride back to the boat ramp, cooling off and drinking some ice cold water and making mental notes which I'll record once I get to the tow-vehicle.

Fishing Fiction

"Black-colored boat hulls help you catch more fish because fish don't notice the boat as much."

If fish are spooked when they see a boat hull, black would be the most visible color, because it stands out in contrast against the color of the sky and water the more than any other color. The only time of day which black hulls would work would be at night.

During the day or a very bright clear day, a white or light colored hull would be less noticeable, with much less contrast.

A long cast pretty much negates the argument anyway, so I hardly believe it matters in that case, and even flipping and pitching with your shadow in back of you, into vegetated cover, it doesn't matter either.

Things look a whole lot different from the fish's perspective looking into a sunny or cloud sky.

Fishing Flash

Lake Istokpoga's level is at 39.3 feet above sea level, which is above the water schedule for this time of year. SFWM is allowing the higher level since the rising lake level is about a week or two ahead of the management schedule. By Oct. 15, the high level for the year is allowed at 39.5 feet above sea level.

The FFWCC weed management program was only partially completed this past week due to high winds forcing the helicopters to remain grounded. The airboat also could not spray in the high winds. By the end of this upcoming week, weather permitting, the entire program should be finished.

FFWCC now handles the hydrilla treatment and management instead of FDEP. The change in state agencies came about because of freshwater fishery organizations throughout the state teaming up to convince state government to have only one state agency control all aquatic vegetation. The thinking was, since Fish and Game is the state agency responsible for the overall health of the lake, they should be the overall authority in the case of all weed management programs. Last spring the state legislators agreed with the state's lake users and made the change.

Many freshwater fishery organization like SOS Florida Lakes Inc, are making great progress in the formation of a state wide coalition which is directly, proactively, working in cooperation with government at the county, state, and federal levels to ensure the creation of lake management at its finest.

The lake users can make a difference "if" they organize and proactively get involved in the formation of lake management policy.

Fishing Tournaments

The Wednesday Morning Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public. Next event is Oct. 1 on Lake Placid. 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, 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 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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