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Morning anglers nab the best fish

First-quarter lunar event best period of the month

Highlands Today file photo

This week should offer a good experience for early-morning anglers as the feeding migration period will last throughout the mornings.

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By DAVE DOUGLASS

Highlands Bass Angler

Published: July 26, 2009

The majority of anglers will tell you that the best days of the month to go fishing are during the weeks of the new and full moons. However, Florida anglers will beg to differ with that opinion during the summer months, when daytime temperatures reach the mid-90s and water temperatures aren't far behind.

Trying to endure the sun and heat index at 2 p.m. is not factored into the various fishing charts, the majority of which don't take into account the angler's geographical locations or seasonal conditions.
For this reason the first-quarter lunar event equals or exceeds the new and full moons during the summer months, with results that earn the title of "best angling period of the month."

The fish, while being influenced by the lunar events, will be forced to adjust its natural lunar feeding habits and feed when weather conditions are most suitable for fish on the lower end of the food chain. This happens to occur the most during the week of the first-quarter moon, when the early-morning bite excels throughout the entire week in both intensity and duration.

Therefore, the major feeding migration this week will occur the entire morning. On Sunday, the peak period occurs from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., and rates about a 6 on the 10-scale. Monday, the peak starts 30 minutes later — but lasts 30 minutes longer — and builds to a 7-8 rating. The rest of the week's migrations will continue to improve as the lunar influence triggers fish to feed at the same time that the sun causes plant habitats to heavily produce oxygen.

As far as the afternoons and nighttimes are concerned, well, I wouldn't recommend venturing out on the lake for the purpose of catching fish. But some recreational boating and swimming on Lake Jackson is certainly some advice I'd consider giving.

Fishing facts
Every five years the U.S. Census Bureau conducts the "National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation." Here are some of the results:
(Note – "Days" means fishing days spent by individual anglers)
- Florida provided 46.3 million days of recreational fishing in 2006 = 1st place.
- 4.8 million days of non-resident angling (tourist days) = 1st place
- There are 885,000 non-resident anglers = 1st place.
- Anglers 16 years and older totaled 2.77 million = 1st place; however, since 2001 there has been an 11 percent decline from 3.1 million anglers.
- $4.4 billion spent on Florida angling in 2006 = 1st place.
- In 2006-07, 1,188,092 angler licenses were sold in Florida = 1st place.
- 630,078 freshwater angling licenses were sold in 2006-07 = 1st place.
- In 2006, a total of 2.77 million anglers fished in Florida and 1.55 million licenses were sold, which demonstrates the degree to which Florida gives away its No. 1 fishery in the form of free provisions, such as senior exemptions, resident saltwater anglers' exemptions, cane pole and shoreline exemptions.

Now when you consider how great this fishery is that we live in — and factor in the first-place numbers that our fish and wildlife personnel's salaries have a national rating of 49th out of 50 states — it demonstrates all the more how enormously rich Florida's fishery is.

Despite the fact that we have handed over our fishery to overworked and underpaid caretakers, our natural fishery continues to supply No. 1 rankings. But the question arises: Just how long will this continue, as more and more people use the fishery each year and we pay so little to maintain the fishery's richness?

Remember the old saying, "You only get what you pay for"? When will we understand what the other 49 states already do? Well, probably when our rating drops and Texas, California, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Louisiana all move ahead in the next national census.

Fishing flash
Lake Istokpoga's level is at 38.30' above sea level Sunday with all gates closed. South Florida Water Management District reports the current average rainfall this month is 4.93 inches. The Lower Kissimmee watershed average is currently 5.24 inches. The July average is 6.35 inches, and with any luck, we might get that 1.11 inch of rain before next weekend and reach — at the very least — the average for July.

With just about six weeks left in the hurricane season, the present weather patterns and models don't provide encouraging data that suggests Florida would experience a major rain event. I suppose when the major rain events return to our state it will be on the 2004-scale pattern — four extreme storms, less than a month apart.

Your Lake Manager's Contact Information:
Clell Ford: Lakes Management Specialist, Highlands County, 4434 George Blvd., Sebring, Florida 33875. Phone: 863-402 6545, e-mail: Cford@hcbcc.org
Vicki Pontius: Parks and Recreation Director, Highlands County, 4344 George Blvd., Sebring, Florida 33875. Phone: 863-402-6812, e-mail: Vpontius@hcbcc.org
Steven Gornak: Biological Scientist IV, Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Sub-Section, Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, 3991 S.E. 27th Court, Okeechobee, FL 34974. Phone: 863-462-5190 (SunCom 761-5190), Fax: 863-462-5194 (SunCom 761-5194), Mobile: 863-697-6256, e-mail: steven.gornak@myfwc.com

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 or two persons 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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