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05-06-08 TACKLE BOX FISHING REPORT
As water levels slowly descend, local lakes continue to put out big and abundant bluegill. Pleasing catches have been the rule on Orange and Newnan’s, but the 90-bream take from Lochloosa that we saw Monday afternoon ranks as the most impressive bunch of panfish in several days. John and Don Courtney of Hawthorne and Gainesville respectively, pulled the big bluegill and shellcracker from an open-water bed while using crickets for bait. The insects also enticed four big specks for the fishing brothers.
It seems like Orange Lake has produced at least one ten-pound bass every week through the spring season.
Saturday, Cliff Harris became the latest angler to accomplish that substantial feat. The Micanopy rodeo clown (yes, really) hooked the huge bigmouth in the lake’s south end while casting a Texas-rigged plastic worm.
Although conditions too-regularly remain a bit windy for their liking, gulf grouper fishers are finding action tempting enough to endure today’s high cost of offshore trips.
Saturday, the Builders Association of North Central Florida held its 44th Annual Family Fun Fishing Tournament. Despite very rough going offshore, several boats docked at Crystal River’s Plantation Inn with great grouper, making for a close and exciting weigh-in. The three top five-fish tourney limits weighed roughly 43, 41, and 39-pounds in aggregate.
The contest for the biggest individual grouper was even tighter. Each taken on a different boat, the best three fish weighed in at 12.5, 12.3, and 12.2-pounds.
The size of the top grouper taken in another big saltwater tournament held Saturday at Suwannee was strangely similar. A 12.44-pound gag topped the grouper field in the Fightin’ Gator Touchdown Club’s 2008 Fishin’ Tournament.
Sunday, with the gulf considerably less angry, more folks were able to make it offshore and results were even better.
Deep water successes were reported from Steinhatchee, Suwannee, Cedar Key, and Crystal River. The Ken Tenney party had opted to not run out to the grouper grounds in the Builders’ event, but stayed the night in Crystal River in hopes of calmer conditions Sunday. As hoped, the day offered near-ideal weather and the crew hauled in loads of sizable gags and reds.
Glen and Jon McMillan of Gainesville fished off Cedar Keys Sunday. The father-and-son took what they figured would be more than enough bait---10-pounds of frozen squid, a 5-pound box of Spanish sardines, and 4-dozen live pinfish. Anchored in water just shy of 50-feet deep, however, they caught grouper until the bait was all gone. Recounting the trip, the elder McMillan grinned, “I’m still sore.”
Water is clear and the fishing is good in the inland waterway at Matanzas. The ongoing flounder bite at and near the inlet is still the biggest news to anglers. Mr. and Mrs. Rogero of Palatka showed off a beautiful catch of fifteen fine flatfish they fooled with live mud minnows Sunday.
And that’s this week’s report.
Good fishin’ from The Tackle Box.
