The only way to tell fall has arrived in Florida is the color change in the lilly pads, a few leaves falling from less than half of the trees, and nights that have become bearable.  The good news is that has started the waters cooling off slightly, but just enough to get the bass to start schooling up.  I noticed it on this last moon just before I was ready to call it a day around 11:00 am.  It is still too hot during the day to stay much longer than that, but I had to cast into them for a bit.  The sad thing is I didn't have anything in the boat that day that they really seemed that interested in.  Oh, we caught a few on swim baits and a few on live shiners, but nothing to brag about, so I won't.

After we get some substantial fronts through to cool the waters even more, get your small bait gear ready for some chunking and winding into hoards of schoolies.

 

MY APOLOGIES!

Sorry that I have totally neglected the blog for so long, but my wife and I have been so busy with our businesses that there is hardly time to blog.  Working 30 hrs/week at a tackle store around scheduled fishing guide trips, keeping up an online tackle store (www.moretackle.com), and promoting/selling at tackle shows for our manufacturing company's rod holders (www.katydidfishingproducts.com) - doesn't leave very much 'spare' time.

Fishing has been unpredictable lately because of such a fluctuation in the water levels.  Since Isaac skirted Florida and dumped a fair amount of rain the runoff has clouded the water and pushed it up into higher grasslines, but then they open the flood gates and the water drops again.  Pretty good fishing while the water is moving, but still dirty unless you can get into places where the grasses are filtering it well.

The summer heat has been sweltering this year, too.  You know it's gonna be a rough day when you start sweating outside and the sun hasn't even come up yet!  It's just too hot to eat, even for the fish.  Soon though it will start cooling down a bit at night which will stir their instincts to bunch up into schools and start fattening up for the winter months.  Fall fishing can be a blast if you like catching a lot of numbers.  Getting the bigger ones takes a little extra patience, since they still lurk below the smaller ones, waiting for their leftover kills.

I should have more to discuss when things get busier.  Until then, fish really early, really late, and watch some football inbetween ... or consider a fishing trip further north where it's cooler and more enjoyable.