![]() Still, this lake, along with these other major lakes, continues to put out fine 25-speck limits regularly. Most of the traditionally-productive spawning cover in Newnans is currently high and dry or in only a few inches of water. During the crappie spawn, slab-sized specks are found best around near-shore cover rather than out deep, where they live the rest of the year. Our best speck lakes (Orange, Lochloosa, Newnans, and Santa Fe) have all been good but the favorite of many, Newnans, has been tougher due to low water. So far this is year, the best all-around speck catches have happened through the second half of February and good action should last through the big moon to arrive on March 7th. Often that’s the February FM - but if this occurs early in the month and conditions still aren’t right, the best spell might well be the next FM arriving in early March. The crappie spawn locally is expected to peak at the second or third full moon of the calendar year. The most prime for catching big speckled perch in shallow water has arrived on our nearest lakes. Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club angler with sheepshead and Spanish mackerel. Over a 48-hour span, he caught and released bass of 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 pounds … a rare accomplishment, for sure. But Lincoln seems most pleased with pulling off the bass fishing equivalent of a baseball batter ‘hitting for the cycle”. The big bites came with these baits: a Megabass Magdraft swimbait (10-02) a small Berkley propbait (10) a “big shad-imitating glidebait” (9) a free rig with a soft plastic lure called the ‘Man Bear Pig’ (9 and 8) and a custom-colored Pro Point 6” The biggest bass have included a few six-pounders, two between 7 and 8, an 8-pounder, three nines, and two barely reaching double digits. While fishing with friends, he has made good catches from various bodies of water ranging from Lake Panasoffkee to Lake Orange. Lincoln’s hot fishing streak started in late January and has continued through last weekend. The lifelong Gainesville angler’s specialty is catching big bass using unusual lures that few others cast … and he has made some of these off-center baits work very well over recent weeks. Ted Lincoln has enjoyed some great bass fishing thru recent days. Bass and speckled perch catches have been generally good, with the best reports coming from Orange and Santa Fe Lakes. Last weekend’s nighttime storms didn’t deliver enough to bring levels up appreciably, but at least lakes whose levels have fallen slowly through this year might not drop further for a while. and would at the very least make hook-and line angling extremely challenging.įinally, after a lengthy dry spell, significant rainfall came to our lakes a few nights ago. Its arrival will bring myriad negative effects …. A huge slug of the weed is forecast to enter the Gulf of Mexico through the Florida Straits. ![]() One might think Florida’s East Coast beaches are most in harm’s way … but the Atlantic Coast will not receive all of the havoc from the dreaded visitor. The giant weed blob stretches across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa to the Bahamas, and is moving west. To be more specific, a 5,000 mile long raft of floating sargassum is approaching Florida and is expected to affect both coasts by summer. Now, another brand new threat is said to be heading our way - the largest seaweed bloom scientists say they’ve seen. Unfortunately, Red Tide is not the only natural menace threatening our coasts. Big Bend anglers are keeping a wary eye on this situation. That this one is already doing its hurtful work in early spring cannot be a good sign. When these dreaded outbreaks develop, it happens most often in late summer. Already this year, an early-season Red Tide outbreak in the gulf is doing considerable damage in the Tampa area. The damage done by these visits from Karenia brevis can negatively impact fishing in the affected area for years. And, not many years ago, the toxic microorganism visited us here in the northern gulf waters. Red Tide outbreaks have played havoc with stocks of beloved fish in the southwest part of the state. If it’s not tiny bag limits and restrictive open seasons, it’s Mother Nature taking her swings. It seems like these days something is constantly shooting at Florida’s saltwater anglers.
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