The more opportune times to have success on the water are very early and very late in the day. There is still an early morning bite because of the affect of the Full Moon which happened at 1:16 a.m. last Sunday night, causing the major feeding migration to occur in the middle of the night. Now, this is a very large intense migration at this time, meaning there are very good chances that if you're out on the water very early — 6 a.m. — you're best chances of boating your largest fish of the day are good, but still not great. Each day a secondary migration starts to develop and by the weekend, will offer as good a percentage as the early morning session. From 4 to 7 p.m. should produce moderate to good results today and gain in potential every day until Monday, when it becomes mostly a nighttime session. ...more

December 28, 2007

I can't believe so many negative articles on Lake Istokpoga. I have people using my boat ramp every day (today a 26-foot pontoon put in with no problem) and last year too. The water isn't that low. The businesses that rely on fishermen are going to go out of business just from all the bad publicity. Last year all the scare about how the lake was going to go down to maybe 35.5 stopped a lot of fishermen from coming over the summer. We went down to about 37.4 and we are now at 38.6. ...more

December 23, 2007

SEBRING — As Florida goes into its second winter of a drought that is expected to persist as far as official projections can go, growers are complaining that ongoing water restrictions are leaving their plants parched. Highlands County Lakes Manager Clell Ford told Highlands Today that Joe Collins, an engineer with Lykes Bros., complained that Lykes could use any water they could get from Lake Istokpoga for some of the crops it was growing. The South Florida Water Management District had shut off the water permits using the lake's canals since October. ...more

December 14, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH — The South Florida Water Management District issued a once-a-week watering restriction for the first time in the district's history, according to a press release the district issued. ...more

December 13, 2007

South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is in charge of how "our" water from this area is to be taken and used in the areas south of us. When there were not as many users of "our" water, supplying them was not the problem as it is today, everyone should realize that the low levels of the lakes in Highlands County is testimony that we can no longer supply the South Florida area with the water they need to exist, and it is now time for them to explore other avenues to get the water they need elsewhere. Nature is not cooperating, and supplying the amounts of water necessary to be able to share with our neighbors to the south without doing major damage to our own ecosystem is no longer possible. SFWMD wants to be able to lower the level of Lake Istokpoga to a level that could easily destroy the lake as we know it today, it's just that simple. We need to forget the politically correct rubbish and just look at it as it is, an impending disaster. ...more

December 8, 2007

Today is the best day out of the next three, since the midnight bite has finally slowed, and there's a larger feeding migration throughout the day. The entire day today should produce a nice, even-feeding bite from safelight to sundown. A slight spike in feeding will take place at mid-day and this should be the best time of the day for a big-bass strike. From Monday to Wednesday, this situation diminishes slightly each day but the early morning bite should remain constant until 9 a.m., then drop off gradually until noon. ...more

December 2, 2007

I'm sure we've all heard or read somewhere that fishing is best three days before a full or new moon and three days after. What most people don't realize is about half the yearly moon events occur at night when most of us don't plan to fish. Such is the case again in December. The new moon happens on the Dec. 9 at 5:40 p.m. and the full moon on the 24th at 1:16 a.m. So is there any good news to deduce from this fact? The answer is yes. ...more

November 28, 2007

SEBRING — Residents, fisheries and businesses around Lake Istokpoga are bracing for another drawdown request that will, if granted, last much longer than the one granted this summer. Even though summer rains made it so that Istokpoga's water wasn't needed back then, the latest request could last until the end of next summer, and it would include the water-intensive spring time when growers and landscapers alike use the greatest amount of water. Highlands County Lakes Manager Clell Ford was not sure how great an impact this deviation would have on the lake, but he was certain it would be consequential if it is approved, unlike the last one. South Florida Water Management District, which manages Lake Istokpoga, asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month to allow for a new drawdown. ...more

November 27, 2007

The full moon occurred on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., which means the mid-day bite should be best, right? Wrong! The major bite occurs during the night because of the lower water temperatures, clear skies enhancing the moonlit night, and the pattern from the past two previous months, which had the new and full moon happening during the late night hours. However, there is a moderate feeding migration taking place first thing in the morning in areas about 5- to 10-feet deep. There is a very slight chance of hooking a bass in more shallow water because of the pre-spawn, but other than that, most likely not. So the predicted best times of the day are from safelight to 10:30 a.m. and from 2:30 to 6 p.m. ...more

November 25, 2007

Lake levels in Highlands County have remained low, and now, as we head into the winter dry season, all lake levels are expected to drop to near record numbers. In some cases, the levels will clearly break the old marks. ...more

November 21, 2007