NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

July 21, 1999

CONTACT: Fred Cross (850) 265-3676

BEST FISHING BETS FOR JULY - SEPTEMBER 1999

WebMaster's Note: This info is also available on our Northwest Region Fishing Sites/Forecasts Page, along with additional descriptions of the site, local contacts and maps.

HURRICANE LAKE: Our creel census clerk on Hurricane Lake has been recording some excellent catches of bluegill and redear sunfish (shellcrackers). Successful anglers are using light or ultra-light tackle with crickets and earthworms for bait. Some anglers are catching larger bluegill by detaching the spinner on a small 1/32 or 1/16-ounce Beetle spin and fishing the lead headed jig with a cricket or chartreuse-colored grub, three-to-four-feet below a cork. This little rig appears to be highly effective when compared to using only a cricket for bait.

LAKE VICTOR: Fishing pressure and success during the past several months has not been as high as anticipated. Earthworms, wigglers, and crickets should be the preferred baits for bluegill and redear sunfish (shellcrackers). Fish early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and use light or ultra-light tackle. Catfish can be taken using chicken livers, and if you have time to bait an area the day before with dog food or hog pellets to improve your fishing. For daily fishing reports contact Riddle Bait and Tackle at (850) 956-2444.

LAKE JACKSON: Largemouth bass fishing should be good mainly in the evening hours or right at dawn using top water, crankbaits and *do-nothin* worms. The lake is extremely low and access is a problem. Good catches of sunfish, both redears and bluegills have been reported.

LAKE TALQUIN: Striped bass should be in the creeks, especially Ocklawaha. Fish top water or bucktail jigs. Bluegill and redear sunfish will continue to bite good on earthworms and crickets. Largemouth bass fishing has been slow all spring and should continue until late fall.

OCHLOCKONEE RIVER LOWER AND UPPER: Bluegill and shellcracker are the best bet with the low water levels. The river is filled with logs and tree tops but find the deeper holes and fish on the bottom around this debris with wigglers, crickets and crawfish. It may require several moves to find fish. There are plenty of channel catfish in the river. You need plenty of tackle to fish this river.

APALACHICOLA RIVER: Flathead catfish fishing has been superb. Good catches have been coming in on live sunfish and golden shiners. A 24 hour flathead catfish tournament held Memorial Day weekend yielded 353 tournament participants and over 1500 pounds of flatheads were caught. Largest flathead came in at just under 36 pounds.

NORTHWEST FLORIDA RIVERS: Bluegill fishing has been good in area rivers, such as the Escambia and Yellow rivers. Anglers should try the backwaters off the main channels and the delta marshes at the river mouths. Good catches of bluegill have also been seen in the upper sections of the Escambia River. Bluegill fishing should continue to be good throughout the summer. Bass fishing has also been fairly good and should continue to be good, depending upon river conditions. Bass anglers should try the delta marshes, especially in the early morning and late afternoon on a falling tide. Bass fishermen should also try the grass flats of the mouths or rivers. Good lures to use on the flats include spinner baits, in-line spinners and soft-bodied weedless jigs.

LAKE SEMINOLE (Jackson and Gadsden counties): Striped bass and hybrid fishing in Lake Seminole will decline through the summer months as the larger fish seek refuge in springs and cool water creeks to survive hot summer temperatures. The springs in Lake Seminole and the Flint River are closed to fishing from May 1 to November 1. Smaller stripers and hybrids will school in the lower lake, especially near the dam where there is faster current. Length and bag limits for stripers, hybrids, and white bass in Lake Seminole follow those established by Georgia Department of Natural Resources: an aggregate of 15 fish, of which no more than two may be 22 inches or longer. Largemouth bass will move to deeper water around old creek and river channels. Look for largemouth bass to school in the main body of the lake along with hybrids, stripers, and white bass. The limits for largemouth and other black bass are 10 fish per day all of which must be a minimum of 12 inches total length. Look for schooling fish in the early morning and early evening. Watch for birds working schools of baitfish and cast spoons or diving plugs to fish under the bait, or work poppers and surface plugs near baitfish. Bream and shellcracker will continue to bed sporadically through the summer, particularly around the full moons each month. However, look for panfish to also move towards deeper water as the summer progresses. Beat the summertime heat by fly fishing for bream along deep banks after dark using glow bugs. The best action will be around the new moon or overcast nights.

OCHEESEE POND (Jackson County): This lake just north of Interstate 10 and south of Sneads is recognized for its tremendous sized bluegill and largemouth bass fishing. For bluegill, fish early and late along the cypresses especially near the shoreline with light line and grass shrimp or wigglers (or earthworms) as bait. It*s common to see 3/4-to-1-pound bluegill caught there. Largemouth bass will certainly hit in the late afternoon or early morning but for a completely different trip go out at night around the full moon with top water baits such as a musky-sized Jitter Bug, Devil*s Horse, or Sassy Shad. The lake is large and filled with cypress trees so make sure and take a compass.

UPPER APALACHICOLA RIVER (Jackson, Gadsden, Calhoun, and Liberty counties): Striped bass and hybrid fishing will taper off as larger fish seek cool water refuge during the heat of the summer. Small hybrids and stripers will continue to school in the river throughout the summer, particularly along sandbars in the early morning, but the stripers may not be keeper size (18-inch minimum). The bag and size limits for striped bass, hybrids, and white bass in the Apalachicola River is 20 fish per day, only three of which may be striped bass, and stripers must be a minimum of 18 inches total length. There is no size limit on hybrids or white bass. Largemouth bass and panfish will move to the deeper channels and larger tributary creeks as the water temperatures increase. Fish deep for the best success.

LOWER APALACHICOLA RIVER (Gulf, Liberty, and Franklin counties): Striper and hybrid numbers will decline through the summer months, although smaller fish are still available in the lower reaches of the river and its tributaries: East River, St. Marks River, and Little St. Marks River. During December and January, GFC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 180,000 phase II (8-to-12 inch) striped bass into the Apalachicola River and Intracoastal Waterway. While these fish won*t be legal size until next year, they should provide plenty of light tackle opportunities through the summer. Best bets for catching hybrids and stripers in the lower river is bottom fishing with shrimp, live or fresh, near the mouths of the Apalachicola, St. Marks, Little St. Marks, and East rivers, and along the Gulf County Canal and Intracoastal Waterway near Port St. Joe and White City. Fish the outgoing tides for best results. Thirty-five striped bass surgically implanted with ultrasonic or radio transmitters were also released in these areas to aide biologists in learning more about movement patterns and critical habitats for this species. Each fish is also marked with a yellow tag inserted just posterior of the spiny dorsal fin. If you catch one of these fish, please return it to the water immediately and report your catch. If you keep the fish, notify the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission so that the transmitter may be recovered and re-used. The bag limit for stripers, hybrids, and white bass is 20 fish per day aggregate, but only three may be striped bass. There are no size limits on hybrids or white bass. Largemouth bass and panfish will move to deeper water as the summer progresses, although bream and shellcracker will continue to spawn throughout the summer. Bag and size limits for largemouth bass are five fish per day and a minimum size of 12 inches.

DEAD LAKE (Calhoun and Gulf counties): Largemouth bass and panfish will move to deeper water as the summer progresses, although bream and shellcracker should continue to spawn sporadically throughout the summer. Largemouth bass will likely school on shad as they move between the lake and the Apalachicola River. Fish the old river channel and creek mouths for best results. Also, be on the lookout for stripers and hybrids moving through Dead Lake to the upper Chipola River in search of cooler water.