CENTRAL FLORIDA INLAND

Yes, Forest Fishers, the summer has finally come to an end.  If you braved the heat of the last few months, you would have noticed the signs of good fishing to come.  All the conditions are right, and I expect to hear some interesting fish stories this snowbird season.

As the months get colder, the focus of most anglers shifts to crappie (specks).  While crappie are fatter and school-up more around Christmas, the time to find your best spots is now.  I’ve seen more this summer than ever before, so there should be plenty to go around.

Lake George and the St. John’s River are known to have larger fish than our smaller lakes and rivers.  On the other hand, lakes like Bryant and Halfmoon, give better odds on finding fish quickly.

Crappie are scattered right now,  so slow-trolling jigs or minnows, is the way to go.  Use a fish finder to target ledges and brush piles.  Otherwise, just drop a bait straight down to estimate the depth, and feel for structure.  I always keep one rod in hand to add a bumping action, and put the rest in rod holders.  A 1/16 oz jig head, with a realistic looking body (strait/split tail) is my go-to for vertical jigging.  Curly tail jigs work for dragging behind, and live minnows work for everything.

All debris from the 2017 storm season has now had time to grow algae and support life.  A good size brush pile can hold loads of fish; with different species such as bass and catfish, side by side.  Having a GPS to mark structure is super helpful, but you can also look at your surroundings to remember the basic location.

There’s still plenty of big fish in the shallows this month, and they’re feeding-up for the winter ahead.  The dams at Rodman and Moss Bluff are also big players this time of year.  The rule of thumb is: Fish shallow on the warm days, and deep on the cold.

Fishing the forest can be tricky.  It helps to divide it into areas, and try a different one each outing.  When the fishing’s good on one lake, it’s neighboring lakes will be too.  Clear waters stay the most consistent, but you need to be stealthy and make longer casts on those.  If you have any questions, or are looking for someone experienced to show you around the wilderness areas, feel free to contact me anytime.  Also, I love hearing your crazy fish stories, and would be happy to feature pics that showcase this awesome, unique place.