Hey gang! Hope everyone is having a great summer. This is definitely a time for enjoying down time, vacationing with your family and friends. Hopefully you are finding lots of time to bend a rod.
To say that it’s hot is and understatement and there is very high water. So what does this all mean? Let’s break it down. Summertime usually means early mornings and late evenings. This is when the bite is BEST, but this doesn’t mean you can’t get a bite during the day. I have found that you can get bites all day. It’s just not as good and your going to have to work for them. The high water means there are areas with too much current. However a the right amount of current in the summertime can definitely be your friend.
Moving water produces oxygen and pushes food towards hungry hot bass. I don’t feel like chasing them. Another area of focus are the depths. The deeper cooler parts of the lake or canals that have some moving water are where the fish will be. These will be the areas that you should concentrate on to find the best quality fish. Here are some of the areas where I have found some of the better quality fish.
#1 – Lake Okeechobee: Even with all the spraying going on, the toxic algae blooms, the loss of grass and cover, Lake Okeechobee still earns number one as it’s producing some of the largest bags being caught in South Florida. These fish are being caught way in. Look for cleaner water in the grass and bluegill beds. I like swim jigs with some type of craw trailer. Throw popping frogs and traditional topwater baits where they can be worked. I also like dragging worms on the bottom in areas where you suspect bedding fish to be.
#2 – Mile Marker 35 off I-75: Work the pads with swimbaits, burner worms, frogs and weightless big worms. This is great time of year to pitch sinkos around the pads and lay downs. In this area, if you can find the right amount of current, you’ll find concentrations of fish.
#3 – Holey Land: The Holey Land lakes are known for their deep ledges where some double digit bass have been caught. Some of the best ways to catch giant bass in the summer is to work big worms like the Big Nasty weighted down. Folks are also catching fish in the pads with sinkos and flukes.
#4 – Sawgrass Recreational Park: When the pumps aren’t running, fishing here can be very good. My favorite baits in that case are small sinkos and flukes. Swim them through the pads. Jerk baits will also definitely shine here.
#5 – Everglades Holiday Park: All techniques mentioned above are working here at the park. Something else to keep in mind this summer when your trying to find fun stuff to do with the kids is that Everglades Holiday Park & Sawgrass Recreational Park have small boat rentals to go fishing or exploring the beautiful Florida Everglades.
Please help keep our fisheries litter and line free.
Til next time, tight lines and bent rods!
Capt. Neal Stark
(954) 822-1481
Fishing with America’s Finest, Inc.
“Changing Lives One Cast at a Time.”
501(C)(3) Non-Profit Organization, FEIN #45-5494005
www.FishingwithAmericasFinest.org
fwaforg@gmail.com
American Everglades Guide, Inc.
www.AmericanEvergladesGuide.com
aeguideinc@gmail.com