North Central Florida – January Fishing Report

Alright Forest Anglers, 2019 was one heck of a good year for us, and all of our favorite spots are healthier than they’ve been in decades.  One of the most difficult parts about fishing nowadays, is choosing which body of water you want to explore.  I invested a lot of time last year checking most of the prairies, ponds, and creeks that were dry/low a few years ago.  The trick is to spend a few moments at the shore’s edge, and if you don’t see any minnows, move on.  Tip: If the water is dirty, toss some bread (food that floats) in.  You’ll see them pecking within seconds.

After a year of investigating, the bad news is; pretty much every place I checked was loaded with minnows.  So there are countless spots (over 600 natural lakes) to choose from.  The good news is, it’s speck (crappie) season!  Specks need large, deep water lakes or rivers to thrive.  There are a handful of good lakes to choose from, such as Lake Bryant and Halfmoon Lake.  However, by far the best population of specks are found in the St. Johns River, Ocklawaha River, and Rodman Reservoir.

This year we have a huge advantage on our side, and I can assure you there will definitely be some true giants caught.  Our ace in the hole, the Rodman Reservoir drawdown is underway!  That’s when the whole reservoir is drained down to basically just a small, winding creek. It’s  pretty much like “shooting fish in a barrel”, so I would definitely bring a bass rod along if you go.

There are many different techniques for using crappie jigs and gear, about which I’ll go into detail in next month’s article. All you need right now is some minnows (1 or 2 jigs for back-up), 6 pound test mono on your light action rods, and just get your butts out to Rodman. They start filling it back up on March 1st.  Trust me, you don’t want to miss it!