HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope Santa was good to everyone. For those of you that received new electronics like echo sounders with side scan for Christmas, now’s the time to try them out. If you’re like me you’ve already bypassed the instruction booklet and went straight to the quick start pages. Lakes Talquin and Jackson present a totally different dynamics when using electronics. In theory it’s the same but the thick vegetation in Jackson is anything but easy to read. There are similarities in some areas of both lakes but for the most part, if it’s Jackson you want to learn now is the time to do it.
Really good bass fishermen on Lake Talquin have already mastered the art of finding deeper structure. It’s there that those limits of bass weighing over 20 pounds are brought in from year round; now’s your chance to make a move. If you’re at all familiar with the lake you’ve probably fished the “Big Ledge” or “Straw Hill” or the “Iron Curtain”. These areas produce for all the same reasons. Bait, current, depth and association to other nearby areas like flats or creeks. There are literally hundreds of areas like this just waiting for you to discover their secret hiding spots. Not all productive ledges drop like a brick wall. Some great areas slope, or have a specific type of cover or rock that hold bait and that’s why the bass will be there. This time of year you’re not looking for bait as much as structure, and with all the docks and bluff walls on Talquin, you’ll have a lot to cover. Next month we’ll touch on some of the better places to use those electronics as the big girls stage, before moving into creeks and flats for the spawn.
Until next month, be safe have fun and ALWAYS wear a life jacket while boating.
JR MUNDINGER
(850) 296-4071
www.fishtallahassee.com
fishtallahassee@yahoo.com