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Highlands Today

Midday offers anglers best bite

Full moon affects feeding migration

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By DAVE DOUGLASS

Highlands Today

Published: July 5, 2009

This is the week of the full moon, which occurs on Tuesday at 9:22 a.m., which happens to be 12 hours ahead of the lunar apogee.

The combined events will result in a weak nighttime bite and a stronger than normal daytime full-moon bite — due to the weak nighttime feeding migration the daytime feeding migration increases.

The major daytime feeding migration occurs from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today and keeps the four hour duration for the next three days. The intensity will increase slightly during the same three day period while starting 40 minutes later each day.

The 1-10 Scale Rating will be a six today, possibly a seven tomorrow and if the weather conditions bring a little luck, an eight is not out of reach.

For all you early morning anglers, the bite is a quick one that starts right at safe-light and ends by 8 a.m. The rating might make it to five, the peak time happens right at sunrise.

The evening bite is not unlike the early morning bite in that it is a five on the rating scale but the duration is slightly longer with really no peak time to speak of. It starts at 7 p.m. and ends around 10 p.m., but could start sooner if the stormy weather arrives as it usually does before hand.

Fishing facts
After the summertime full moon occurs the afternoon feeding migration picks up noticeably which when combined with the normal seasonal stormy afternoon to evening weather patterns, usually adds up to some excellent angling experiences. Don't be surprised if more than one trophy bass is landed on your favorite lake later this week.

Fishing formula
The mid-sized to smaller bass are chasing anything with "flash" being retrieved at medium speeds. The larger to trophy-sized bass are in ambush areas within the cover and structures conserving energy in order to digest food.

For this reason they will not strike anything that is moving any faster than real slow and even that might be too fast.

In the last month I have caught seven bass over seven pounds and two over 10 and all of them sucked in the bait as I was "dead-sticking" it for more than 45 seconds after the initial cast or pitch. After the long first pause, it seemed that the pauses had to be even longer in order to be productive, but it was the mid-sized four and five pounders that hit the bait during the end of each retrieval method.

The larger bass are holding in predictable places, meaning your usual targets (such as points and openings) within cover and structure. The key to getting them to take it is to let the bait fall and not move it, but be ready for the very subtle taking of your bait. I didn't feel any of my large Bass take the bait, no click, no tap, no movement at all, just a very heavy feelings as if my line was caught on a rock.

Even after setting the hook on the "rock" she swam ever so slowly, no real hurry, no real fight, just one 20 second attempt of swimming away before she gave up and came to the boat peacefully. It is the high water temperatures and low oxygen levels that have this affect on the large bass.

Fishing flash
Lake Istokpoga's level is at 38.5' above sea level today. Three gates at the S-68 structure are open two feet in order to keep up with Arbuckle Creek's flow on the north end.
Okeechobee's level is approaching 13 feet and with any luck should reach that level by this weekend, today's level is 12.8' above sea level.

Tournament news
The Monday Morning Lake Jackson Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public and launches every Monday morning at 8 a.m. with weigh-in at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $10 per boat with a "winner-take-all" payout. One person or two per boat, three legal (more than 14 inches) bass per boat, and one bass over 22 inches per angler. For information, call Paul Tardiff at 863-385-8007 (home) or 863-273-4062 (cell).

Dave Douglass is a bass fishing guide and secretary of the Florida Freshwater Fishing Coalition Inc. – FLFFC.org. He can be reached at 863-381-8474, HighlandsBassAngler.com, or e-mail him at davidpdouglass@hotmail.com.

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