Report
by Capt Ed Bussard
Bass Challenger Guide Service
www.basschallenger.com
St
Johns River - July 2, 2009
The wind has been blowing and the spinner bait
bite is unreal. We still have a lot of shad in the river and the
fishing is steady as long as you are around the bait. The past
week we have had plenty of rain and wind mixed and some days there
was just a little to much of the both to fish more then a few hrs
in the morning.
This is the time of the year when you see one
trip reporting 25 fish and the next trip reporting 7 fish. This
has a lot to do with the experience the fisherman has on each trip.Summertime
bass fishing with artificial baits can be a great thing but you
have to remember that it is a lot different then casting shiners
out during the winter and spring and catching fish. Cast placement
will play a major roll in the fish caught on the artificial trips
during the summer months. If you can cast and hit the object you
are casting at your day will be a lot more successful. If you lack
the ability to make accurate cast you may not catch the amount
of fish you have been reading about in my reports. I have tried
a few shiner trips the past two week's and it's just not working
out to catch these fish.
If the wind is blowing get out the spinner bait
and start chunking and you will catch fish. The rattle trap bite
is on and off. We have been able to catch 5 to 10 fish in the early
am on a rattle trap but once the sun gets above head that bite
goes a way. A c-rig has been useful from time to time if the fish
are located in the right spots to allow you to fish it.
The water is dropping a little each day but we
still have high water conditions for this time of the year which
is great. I still have days open in July and the fish are here
to catch.
St
Johns River - June 20, 2009
It has been busy the past week and the fish have
been biting very well. I had the pleasure of spending the day with
Brant Rustich a Major League pitcher for the NY Mets Brants friend
Erica joined us for the trip and we had a ball catching about 25
fish with many in the 3 to 5 LB range. Most were caught on a Texas
rigged worm but the rattle trap bite was good first thing in the
morning. Next day I had a customer wanting to learn the St Johns
River we didn't spend a lot of time fishing but we did catch about
15 fish in between stops. Most of the fish were caught on a Texas
rigged worm as well but we also caught a few on a spinner bait.
One of the things that I feel is very important during the summer
is being on the water everyday and finding plenty of areas that
are holding fish.
During the summer months even if I only have 3
days a week booked I am still on the water 5 or 6 days looking.
I have learned over the years that in the heat of summer you must
have a number of areas with fish in order to make your clients
happy. Wind will play a major roll in the fish biting during the
summer heat and just because you have found fish in one area that
doesn't mean they will bite everyday, but if you have 5 or 6 good
areas to try in a day you will always have a successful trip.
We are backing off on the big fish pictures until
the water cools off a little. With the water temps hitting the
high 80's I have found the past week that holding a big fish up
for just one picture after a hard fight it can take 10 minutes
to get that fish to swim a way on it's own.
Tip of the week
I have finally found a Worm Hook that can take all the abuse the
river can offer. The VMC Fast Grip Straight Shank Worm Hook #7253BN
3/0 is unreal. I have been trying everybody's Worm hook the past
year as I just haven't been able to find a strong enough 3/0 hook
to hold up to braided line and big fish but this hook has passed
all the test this week. I am a firm believer that a small sharp
hook is by far better then a big gap hook when trying to penetrate
the bone in the mouth of a large fish. I also found that the price
of $2.99 for 8 hooks is unbeatable.
St
Johns River -June 14, 2009
The past three days I have had a blast fishing
with UK Mike.
Nice thing about
the folks from the UK is nothing seems to upset them. Mike has
caught some great fish the past few days and LOST some great fish
as well.
Mike insisted
each day that I fish along with him so we teamed up on them and
went to work.Rattle Traps, C Rigged Worms, Texas Rigged Worms all
seemed to work well and the heat of the day was just as good
as the early morning.Today was the best day with somewhere around
30 fish up to 9 pounds.Many Many 4 and 5 pounders as well. Shell
Beds off the main river are key right now as the shell crackers
are still spawning.I have some days open next week so if you are looking
for some great summer time bass fishing on the St Johns River please
give me a call.And remember the St Johns River is only minutes from
Orlando, Disney World and Daytona Beach
St
Johns River -June 14, 2009
The
fishing the past week has been a little slower as far as big fish
but the numbers are still very good. Best fish this week was 7
3/4 LBS caught by Mike from the UK.
The rattle trap fish are eating it up but most
are running 2 to 3 pounds with a 4 or 5 every now and then. The
Bigger fish are still coming on a Spinner Bait if the wind blows
(which it hasn't this week). We are catching some good fish without
wind, but you have to fish a worm VERY SLOW. Shell Beds are still
the key to catching the better fish. The water level is the best
I have seen it in years for the summer fishing and I expect it
to stay this way all summer. I still have some days open this month
so if your looking for that Summer Time Florida Trophy Bass please
give me a call.
St
Johns River -June 5, 2009
The fishing continues to amaze
me everyday.This week has been unreal to say the least.We only
had one day out of four that we didn't catch a fish over 9 pounds
and we have averaged 25 to 40 fish a day with many 3 to 6 pounders.
A Bitters Bait and Tackle 7.5 Junebug Bluetail Worm rigged with
a Gambler Rattle Weight has been a great Bait as well a White 1/2
oz spinner bait. We have been catching a lot of fish in the trees
and around the mouths of creeks. The water is up almost 4 ft from
3 weeks ago and this high water and good current has cooled the
water temp 10 degrees.This will be one of the best summers for
Big Trophy Bass that we have seen in many years because of the
water being this high this early in the summer.
My good friend
and client Gary Clark of Kissimmee Florida joined me today for
6 hrs and caught these two beautiful St Johns River Trophies. The
biggest was just a tad under 10 pounds.Both fish were caught on
a Texas Rigged worm.
The Area of the
St Johns River I guide on is only minutes from Orlando Disney
World and Daytona Beach.I still have days open in June and July
St
Johns River -June 1, 2009
I spent the day on the water with
my Good Buddy Mickey B and his friend John from SC. The fishing
was red hot just like the air temp We caught them the entire day
with about 40 fish being caught between the three of us. Biggest
was bumping 10 lb. on the certified Boga Grip. And guess what I
caught it. I have spent the past 5 months guiding clients and my
grandson to big fish and I must say it felt good today catching
this beautiful fish. I also caught one just over 8 pounds. The
best 5 fish between the 3 of us would have went between 35 and
40 pounds. All caught on a Bitters 7.5 Junebug Bluetail Worm with
a rattle weight. Mickey Lost another big fish at the boat on a
spinner bait that looked to be in the 10 lb range. Large Flats
just off the main river seem to be the key areas for the bigger
fish today
but we did catch quite a few fish in the main river today as well. Vacation
is over and it's back to guiding tomorrow. I still have
days open in June and July and the BIG TROPHY BASS will continue
to bite right through the summer months with the high water we
have on the St Johns River.
The St Johns River
is only minutes from Orlando Disney World and Daytona Beach.
Take a look at our 2008 and 2009 Trophy page at www.basschallenger.com to
see what summer Trophy Bass Fishing In Central, FL is all about.
Thanks
From Capt Ed Bussard
Bass Challenger Guide Service Guiding
Clients
To Trophy Bass In Central Florida For Over 29 Years.
www.basschallenger.com
Office 407-273-8045 or Cell 321-377-2013
