Get Out Early For Best Fishing

During the waning full moon phase two fish feeding migrations develop both in duration and intensity at the same time. This is the perfect scenario for both the early morning and late evening anglers, although the later group's success rate will be greater due to the fact that water temperatures along shoreline areas will be the optimum degree for triggering the entire food-chain to feed.

Both daily feeding migrations will provide anglers with a stable fish-migration pattern due to stable weather conditions over the past week, which are also forecasted to continue into this week.

There is a small weather front moving through our area on Tuesday evening which should produce a dropping barometer throughout the afternoon, which should cause fish to migrate in mass in known feeding areas. For this reason Tuesday should turn out to be the best fishing day out of the next three days.

The best major feeding migration of the day occurs in the late evening hours from 4 - 8 p.m. over the next three days at which time it will start to decline quickly by the weekend. Today the bite rates a 7-8 on the 1-10 scale and by Tuesday reaches a 9 and perhaps a 10 just prior to the arrival of the low pressure system.

The second best major feeding migration of the day occurs in the early morning hours from 4 - 7 a.m. over the next three day period, but will increase steadily in duration and intensity and by midweek become the major feeding migration of the day. Tuesday morning should produce the best results over the next three days. A rating of 6- 7 today is likely and by Tuesday morning an 8 rating could occur. By the weekend a rating of 10 can reasonably be expected.

Nighttime anglers will experience a drop in rating from 9 and 10's last week to 5 and 6's this week. This decline will continue until the end of the month when the new moon occurs.

The least productive time on the water will occur during the midday hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a good time to motor around the lake checking areas for new plant growth development, and visual signs of recent aquatic plant treatments. Both factors can greatly contribute to the success ratio of the Florida angler.

Fishing Facts

During the Florida spring season aquatic plants start to expand and thrive providing new health "cover" for fish to reside in. As this occurs, the daily-feeding migration-routes of fish are created - essentially the plant expansion leads the way of the feeding fish. More often than not, this remains constant and similar, not varying much from year to year in most lakes.

Fishing Fiction

"There are no fish in this lake!" This is not true, but if the speaker knew not to fish recently chemically-treated areas, he wouldn't speak such falsehoods which he knows are obviously not true.

Fishing Feature

Throughout the past month I have talked with many anglers on several Highlands County lakes, both at the boat ramps and out on the water. On a few of the more popular lakes anglers express a common displeasure that occurs because of one irresponsible action.

The dialog goes something like this; I ask, "Hey how's your day been so far?" The angler pauses and replies, "Well, I spent several hours fishing the west side shoreline where fishing was really good a few weeks ago, and found nothing, not even a bite, and then someone came along and told me the County sprayed there just a few days ago, so my kids and I wasted our money and the day on this lake, sure wish I had known this before hand."

I replied, "In the local paper in the sports section there is a fishing column on Wednesday and Sunday which usually provides the lake manager's contact information so anglers can have access to the latest information on County lakes and ...."

Before I can finish my reply he angrily interjects, "I shouldn't have to contact the lake managers about what work they do on my lakes, I already pay their salaries, they should contact me, not the other way around."

Conversations like this one are all too frequent for me - almost daily most weeks - as I fish lakes that have active aquatic weed management programs. It is my opinion that this person has a valid reasonable point. All that the weed management personnel would have to do to benefit the lake-user citizens who pay their salaries is to educate the public lake-users at all the lake-access points, i.e. boat ramps, docks, piers, parking lots, and trails and walkways. A legible map, with an understandable ledger, that clearly distinguishes all the treatment areas of the past month and all the immediate treatment areas of the upcoming month would promote a pro-active positive relationship between the public lake-user taxpayer and the government he employs.

Your Lake Manager's Contact Information:

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

Vicki Pontius Parks and Recreation Director - Highlands County, 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

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 Crooked Lake 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.