Hurricane Irma and the following heavy rains have flooded the St Johns River. The last time we had such great volumes of water was in 2008 this year the water does not want to drain at the time of writing this forecast, the Seminole County boat ramps are closed. Although high water reduces angler access to popular fishing grounds, the Central Florida Shad and Crappie Derby will go as planned. The Derby begins November 1, 2017, and runs for four months until February 28, 2018. This catch-photo-release tournament awards Men, Women, and Youth Divisions for both shad and crappie. The only way to enter is visit one of the signup locations listed in the full-page ad this month. You will need the official photo token and ruler to enter your winning fish!
Shad don’t typically show up until Christmas, so let’s talk crappie fishing! Grab your ultralight poles and spool some 8lb. test monofilament. Tie on a 1/16th ounce jighead with your favorite colored soft plastic 2” tail (don’t forget to tip this bait with a live minnow). Trolling speeds vary but .8 to 1.5 mph works great if you have a GPS. Drifting minnows under a cork on a #2 Tru-Turn hook is the most popular method. Look for larger female crappie to stage in the 6-10 foot depths that are near shallow water. Males will be in shallow prepping the beds, and the females will bunch up within 100 feet of the bedding areas in the deeper water. Marking the school with your GPS, then trolling back and forth is a great way to fill the cooler. Florida limit is 25 fish per person. Make sure you take a picture of the big fish on the Derby Ruler, then a selfie with the fish – then enter your fish at https://coastalanglermag.com/orlando. Good luck in the Derby!
