Clock Out, Get Your Angling In After Work

With the last-quarter moon happening this Friday at 10:29 a.m., anglers who work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. won't miss out on the best time of the day to go fishing.

The last-quarter moon phase creates the "last" hours of daylight bite - which makes it easier to remember how the moon affects the feeding habits aquatic life.

The major feeding migration occurs from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This is ideal for the anglers getting out of work around 3 p.m. who'd like to do a little fishing before they kick back at home for the day.

As I mentioned in last Sunday's column, the late afternoon bite is greatly enhanced because it occurs at the same time as the daily high water temperature. The simple fact that all fish have an optimal temperature range where they feed most aggressively, should be a major factor in the angler's preparations this time of year.

The Florida Largemouth bass feeds most aggressively when water temperatures are between 65 and 75 degrees according to several studies and articles I've read. And from my own experiences and in talking to many anglers, the information and data confirms those study findings 100 percent.

The weather forecasts predict medium to low wind speeds over the next four days, so the later afternoon to evening periods should provide ideal lake conditions for anglers to get out on the lake by dock or boat and try some top-water baits as the sun goes down.

Some of my greatest fishing memories take place 30 minutes after the sun has set and the clouds across the sky are reflecting the spectrums of the setting sun, and the sounds of a gurgling jitter-bug is interrupted by the sound of a sudden thrashing of water as a bass attempts to bend the rod out of my hands by engulfing my top-water bait and swimming for deep water.

Fishing Facts

During the Florida winter season, the afternoons provide the ideal water temperature for feeding. However, the wind speed must be considered. A mild to non-existent wind will allow the warmed water to remain at the surface and even more so along shorelines. This will cause fish to move into those areas to feed - the entire food-chain migrates until they locate this natural occurrence.

A medium to high wind will create a wave action which will mix the warmed surface water with the much cooler deep water and push the cooler water into the down-wind shorelines. However, the upwind shorelines in most cases will remain unaffected and should provide areas of ideal feeding migration which anglers can identify and target.

Fishing Formula

Anglers should plan on fishing the secondary staging areas of the fish migration routes which lead to key shoreline areas. They are usually a few feet deeper and less than 100 yards from the known and proven fishing holes in the shoreline areas.

Lighter rods, lines, sinkers, hooks, and baits, rigged using one of, Texas, Carolina, or drop-shot, methods are suggested in these deeper secondary holding areas where fish suspend before and after feeding to digest their meals.

Heavier rods, lines, sinkers, hooks and baits, should be set-up using a Texas style plastic rig with weights and without, which is determined by the thickness of the vegetative cover and water depth within your favorite shoreline fishing hole.

Fishing Fiction

"Sonar units accurately and correctly locate and show fish on their LCD graph screens."
Nothing could be further from the truth.

The fact is, bait fish swimming or suspending in a tight pattern grouping, will be identified by sonar as a large fish. Also, fish lying on the lake bottom will go unnoticed because sonar simply shows them as part of the lake bottom terrain. The real benefit of using sonar is to clearly understand the structure of the lake bottom area of fishing holes and surrounding areas which directly influence those areas of success.

Once in a while the sonar screen does identify correctly a large concentration of fish - suspended and not feeding on anything you throw at them. But then again, maybe it was just vegetative debris the wind and waves grouped together which holds one feeding fish.

Fishing Feature

In speaking with several Central Florida Highlands County anglers this past week, it became clear that they all were experiencing the same levels of success when fishing for bass or crappie.

To catch a limit of Crappie, anglers had to move to more shallow depths (approximately two to three feet more shallow) to locate a concentration of the tasty panfish when temperatures dropped significantly; otherwise they were finding them in 8-10 feet of water. Interestingly, white jigs out-performed live bait overwhelmingly, no matter what type of lake being fished.

To catch a limit of bass, anglers had to locate pre-spawn areas and play the waiting game in order to instigate a protective strike by the female and not the male. Otherwise, everyone reported a few smaller-sized bass caught in their favorite fishing holes.

If someone is catching large bass, they aren't telling too many people, and they're not weighing them in at the tournament scales.

Your Lake Manager's Contact Information:
Clell Ford, Highlands County Lakes Management Specialist - 4434 George Blvd, Sebring, Florida 33875. Phone: 863-402-6545, Email: Cford@hcbcc.org

Vicki Pontius, Highlands County Parks and Recreation Director - 4344 George Blvd. Sebring, Florida 33875. Phone: 863-402-6812, Email: VPONTIUS@hcbcc.org

Steven Gornak, Biological Scientist IV, Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Sub-Section, Division of Habitat and Species Conservation - 3991 SE 27th Court, Okeechobee, FL 34974. Phone: 863-462-5190 (SunCom 761-5190), Fax: 863-462-5194 (SunCom 761-5194), Mobile: 863-697-6256, Email: steven.gornak@myfwc.com

Fishing Tournaments

The Wednesday Morning Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public. Next event is today on Lake Josephine. 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.