New moon, weather improve fishing

For the last week of July, anglers can expect fishing conditions to be as good as summertime fishing can be here in Central Florida.

The new moon arrives Saturday at 1:40 p.m., which is always the best time of the month to go fishing, and the weather forecast looks typical with lots of sun and heat producing scattered afternoon storms.

The only unusual phenomenon is that instead of the wind direction rotating clockwise on a daily basis for the next week (out of the south today and west tomorrow, etc.), it will be rotating counterclockwise daily (out of the south today and east tomorrow). All in all, unless it is significantly overcast over the next seven days, there will be excellent fishing conditions.

The main feeding migration of the day occurs during the morning hours when the sunlight starts energizing photosynthesis and dissolved oxygen rates climb. This one solar factor alone will cause fish to form large concentrations in feeding areas, not to mention the other significant lunar factor of no moonlight.

Those two fishing factors alone will put the one-in-10 scale rating in the eight to nine range for sure.

The best time to fish over the next four days is from safelight to noon, with a peak period happening from 7:30 to 9:30 this morning. This feeding migration peak period will move later into the day by about one hour per day over the remainder of this week.

The rating today will reach seven at the peak period, while the daily average is five to six. Tomorrow through Saturday, the daily average rating climbs to seven and the peak period to nine. Depending on the amount of sunlight, the peak rating this weekend could reach 10.

If you can't fish during the morning, there is always the second feeding migration of the day, which occurs from 7 to 10 p.m. The peak period is from 8 to 9 p.m. and will have a rating of four to five that should remain unchanged until next week when it begins to improve. The average rating otherwise will be three to four in the evening hours.

The worst time to fish is from 2 to 7 p.m. when the rating drops to the daily low of two. The only way fish would be biting during this time of day is if the mornings end up being extremely overcast and the afternoons perfectly sunny. In which case you can take two to three points away from the morning forecast and tack it onto the afternoon outlook.

Looking ahead to next week's fishing conditions, the current morning bite will move into the midday to afternoon hours, and the early morning and late evening feeding migrations will begin to strengthen. The lunar perigee arrives and improves the late evening fishing.

Fishing facts

The bottom line truth about fishing in Central Florida during July and August is this: When the lake's plant life is operating at full speed in the bright sun, so, too, will the fish be operating at full feeding speed.

The old fishing adage that overcast days make for great fishing don't work here in Florida in the summer. The water temperatures are too high and oxygen levels too low for this adage to apply this time of year.

Fishing flash

The Mystery Bass Weight Contest is under way again with a new bass featured on the Mystery Bass page on HighlandsBassAngler.com. Email me the correct weight in pounds and ounces (i.e., 17 pounds 4 ounces) and win a half-day bass fishing trip on a lake of my choice. So far I've had receive emails with guesses ranging from two to 15 pounds, with five guesses coming within three ounces of the correct weight.

Lake Istokpoga's level is currently at 38.25 feet above sea level, down from last week's level of 38.30 feet. One gate is open at the S-68 spillway to maintain the lake's level below the high-pool mark of 38.25 feet until the beginning of August, when the high-pool mark is raised gradually for 30 days to 38.50 feet.

Tournament news

The Tuesday Morning Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public. Next event is Lake Jackson on Tuesday. Launch time is at 7:30 a.m. and weigh-in time is at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $15 per boat, to be paid at the ramp. For information call Paul Tardiff at 863-273-4062.

The Friday Morning Bass Tournament, June, Placid, Clay is open to the public. Next event is on Lake June on Friday. Launch time is at 7 a.m. at the west ramp; weigh-in is at noon. Entry fee is $20, to be paid at the ramp. Optional big bass fee is $5. For information, call Chris King at (860) 306-9789 or (863) 659-1144.

Contact information

Vicki Pontius – Highlands County recreation director, (863) 402-6812, vpontious@hcbcc.org

Clell Ford – Highlands County lakes management specialist, (863) 402-6545, cford@hcbcc.org

Steven Gornak – Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lake biologist, (863) 462-5190, steven.gornak@myfwc.com

Erica Van Horn – FFWCC Weed Management Division, (863) 534-7074, erica.vanhorn@myfwc.com