In last Wednesday's report, I reported the event of the new moon as happening the day before on Tuesday — this is what happens when you attempt to write on New Years day and watch football at the same time. The fact is, the new moon happens on Jan. 8 at 11:37 a.m. This means that today, the peak feeding period is at safelight (6:30 a.m.), and if there are clouds or fog in the early morning, the bite session will last longer and be much stronger in intensity. ...more

January 6, 2008

To start off the new year, the Central Florida largemouth bass angler better dig deep into his closet and put on his Canadian thermo-wear. The first major cold front of the year and winter season arrived Tuesday and does change the approach anglers will need to use to set the hook on a decent catch. Time and patience is needed in order to entice bass under the current conditions. The best times of the day to get out on the lake is from sun-up to 2 p.m., with the peak period being from noon to 1 p.m. ...more

January 3, 2008

The last quarter moon occurs tomorrow at 7:51 a.m. and this means that dominate late night feeding migration comes to an end — or at least reduces half in duration and intensity — and the beginning of a midday bite feeding migration. The best time to be on the water for the next three days is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. However, if you have been "on fish" already during the early morning, there is a chance that you might hook into a larger bass between 6-7 a.m., but the chances lessen each day for this to happen. ...more

December 30, 2007

The New Moon occurs today at 5:40 p.m., which means the best fishing time is from 4 p.m. to dark for the next three days. The second best time is about twelve hours later in the morning when the secondary feeding migration takes place. This pattern moves slightly forward (starts later each day) about 30 minutes per day and decreases in intensity during this process – bad news for the daytime anglers and fishermen. ...more

December 9, 2007

For the next three days, you can forget about getting out on the lake early. Instead, spend time preparing for a mid- to late-afternoon bite. This is the week where you get out of bed early to set up the boat, rig up your gear and jump in the tow vehicle when you get out of work and be on the lake just as the bite starts. Since the last quarter moon on last Saturday, the early morning bite steadily decreased and the beginnings of a late afternoon bite formed. Now, with the recent semi-cold front that came into our area Monday night, the already formed late-day feeding migration will increase in duration and intensity. The National Weather Service is also predicting a steady increase of 10 degrees over the next three to four days, and this will also help make conditions perfect for the afternoon angler. ...more

December 5, 2007

Items of interest from Monday's commission meeting include: •A public hearing was set for Dec. 10 on a rezoning for a proposed hotel near North Park and South Frontage roads. If approved, the land will be rezoned to accommodate a four-story, 100-room hotel that will be managed by New Moon Hospitality, according to a city staff report. The public hearing will be during the city commission's 7:30 p.m. meeting. ...more

December 1, 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

November weather has been mild with light winds and sunny days through the middle of the month. ...more

November 28, 2007

The conditions since last Sunday still have not improved much, so the forecast at best, looks the same — a very weak morning bite which lasts until 9 a.m. and after that sheer luck is your only hope. ...more

November 14, 2007

Today begins the second day after the new moon, which occurred on Friday at 11:03 p.m. The projection isn't any better today than it was last Wednesday, I'm sorry to say. So, read it and weep –– if you're a daytime angler. There is a very slight, very early, migration bite in areas known to have a high concentration of fish. The majority of fish stopped feeding four hours before and gorged themselves completely from midnight to 4 a.m. There might be a midday bite, but only the smaller fish will be participating, and very rarely a larger fish. A spawning female bass could be caught, but only if you've won the lottery in the last 2 years. ...more

November 11, 2007