Erratic Weather Totally Disrupts Normal Patterns

The first-quarter moon arrives today at 7:46 a.m. and with it comes the start of an excellent early-morning feeding migration.

However, the recent cold-front negatively affects the natural lunar influences on fish just enough perhaps to cancel them out.

The good news is that the barometric pressure will drop from 5 to 7 a.m. today, triggering a few fish to feed - the ones which didn't feed enough prior to the arrival of the cold-front. The northeast winds today and tomorrow will be a problem on the larger lakes with a predicted low of 10 mph and a high of 20 mph. By choosing a north or east boat ramp - if possible - you'll be neutralizing most of the wind affects.

Tomorrow through Saturday the weather will correct itself and create a positive affect on the lunar event.

On Thursday, expect to see significant improvements in both the early-morning and late-evening bites - increase from 2 to 5 on the 1-10 scale - although I would bet that the evening session does better than the morning due to the higher water temperatures produced by the afternoon sun.

The best two days to be on the lake is Friday and Saturday.

The winds will calm and come out of the southeast and south, and the water temperatures will have returned into the lower sixties, and the lunar phase will produce an aggressive early-morning bite - the lunar perigee occurs at 3:08 p.m. Saturday.

The early-morning bite is the main feeding migration period of the day this week and it occurs from 5 - 9 a.m. with a peak time of 6:30 - 7:30 a.m., or safe-light to sunrise. Each day, it will build in duration and intensity until Sunday when the waxing of the Full Moon starts to reverse this trend. Today's rating might reach a 4 on the 1-10 scale, but tomorrow expect a rating of 5-6 and on Friday and Saturday a rating of 7-9.

The late-afternoon bite is the secondary feeding migration period of the day this week and it occurs from 5-9 p.m. with a peak time of 6-7 p.m.

Unlike the morning bite, this one weakens significantly in duration and intensity each day as the arrival of the full moon begins to cause fish to feed during the night hours. This will become more apparent as water temperatures rise and return to normal.

The nighttime bite currently is almost non-existent on account of the low water temperatures and lack of moonlight, but this is about to change to the better. Slowly over the next seven to 10 days the arrival of the full moon will create the "main feeding migration" of the day. This will be further enhanced by the positive timing of the predicted weather pattern which forecasts daytime-high temperatures in the lower 80s, which will return the water temperatures back into the mid-60s - perfect feeding temperature for fish.

Fishing Facts

Erratic winter weather patterns in Florida will completely disrupt normal fish feeding migration patterns.

The disruption severity is defined by the amount of migration route the fish will use daily. Cold temperatures produce little travel distances and hours of suspension. High winds force fish to relocate to protected areas not affected by wave action. Sudden wind-direction changes cause fish to move from one side of their established protected cover to the other side.

Extremely sharp temperature increases accelerate fish metabolisms, which triggers feeding, which trigger migration route travel, which uses energy and causes more appetite and longer feeding migrations. When there is complete calm - total lack of wind - fish will move to oxygen rich areas and take cover when hearing anything unnatural as the lake becomes a giant eardrum for the fish.

Fishing Formula

Because of the fast-changing water temperature over the next seven days, "bait action" is the key to success. The angler must determine the proper speed and depth to use during the retrieve process. Long pauses with short, quick, burst of bait action, work in sub-60s temperatures. Slow steady speeds with occasional pauses starts to produce when temperatures reach the lower-sixties. Once the water reaches the mid to upper-60s, the retrieve action can be moderate to fast with no pauses.

The further away from the boat you cast the better your chances are of no affecting the normal habits of the feeding and/or striking fish, especially when water temperatures are below the seasonal norm.

Fishing Fiction

"The Bass Spawn is over because of the exceptionally cold weather fronts we've had this year."

The opposite is true.

Because there was not enough time in between cold fronts for fish to complete the spawning process, fish will attempt to spawn again in accordance with weather patterns. Also, bass that spawned back in October and November will spawn a second time in March and April.

During the past five years, the largest bass caught in Highlands County were post-spawn fish in the months of June and August. Both females were over 28 inches and in the 15 to 16 pound range even after spawning. Both would have been state records if caught with pre-spawn additional weight. The official state record is 17.27 lbs. There have been many caught well above this mark but the anglers did not qualify their catch officially with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Your Lake Manager's Contact Information:

Clell Ford, Highlands County Lakes Management Specialist - 4434 George Blvd, Sebring, FL 33875. Phone: 863-402-6545, Email: Cford@hcbcc.org

Vicki Pontius, Highlands County Parks and Recreation Director - 4344 George Blvd. Sebring, FL 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

Tournament News

The Outback USA Crappie Tournament is open to the public and will be held monthly.The third event will be on March 14 and 15. Entry fee is $5 and anglers can fish any lake of their choice and weigh-in on any day at Outback USA at 14021 US-27 South. Application can be picked up at Outback USA which is half way between South Sebring and Lake Placid, on route 27S. Store hours are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.

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).

The Wednesday Morning Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public. Next event is today at Lake Placid Time: 7:30 a.m. to noon. Pay at ramp - entry fee is $30 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 863-273-4062 (cell), email bassbutchie60@aol.com or call Dwight Ameling at -863-471-3305.