September is the month that we turn the corner on exhausting heat. Because it is so warm during the day, it is important to start your fishing trip early. The first three hours of daylight will usually be the most productive. Also, fish don’t move as fast as normal with water temperatures ranging in the eighties. So, slow your retrieve down – be more patient. Look for shad bait activity, especially at ambush spots like points, creek mouths, and where channels diverge. Target areas where there is a significant drop from the pad line out.
There are a number of lures, plastic, and live baits that you can count on to catch bass and bluegill. The Devils Horse (100 series) in various colors is topbaits-notch surface bait. Remove the front spinner and trade out the hooks for Gamakatsu trebles. Work the lure slowly, gently popping the eye downward so that it throws up one little bead of water, mimicking a needle- fish nipping the water with its bill. Culprit and Bass Assassin worms in 7.5-inch dark colors are standard plastic bait that yields good bass catches. Rig the worm Texas style with 1/8 oz bullet weight and a laser sharp hook. Gambler’s 4 inch Cane Toad and Ugly Otter are heavy chunks of rubber that can be cast without weights and will ride a little higher in the water on the retrieve. All these baits are good in heavy cover like lily pads, hydrilla and eel-grass. Of course, we can never leave out live bait as a great method for catching bass. Wild river shiners are very popular.
Bluegill are a great warm weather fish and can be found in abundance on the shell beds during full moon or shore lines of rivers and creeks any other time. Crickets, live worms and 1/32 oz Beetle Spins are always popular and productive baits for the feisty bluegill and shellcracker. But there is another deadly method. Accardo Tackle makes a 211 Bream Killer with a #6 hook that works great on a fly rod. Black, chartreuse, and yellow are the best colors. These have long rubber “legs” which are at- tractive to panfish.
Forecast by:
Capt. Bryn Rawlins
Highland Park Fish Camp
2640 W. Highland Park Rd. DeLand, FL 32720 www.Highlandparkfishcamp.com
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