On Monday, the first quarter moon phase occurs at 3:47 a.m., and along with it starts the beginning of the best "safe-light bite" of the month. ...more

May 11, 2008

"Burma is difficult to describe," said Jean Hehn of Plant City. "It is majestically beautiful with the spires of golden pagodas rising from the green hills along the river; the people are so welcoming with gentle smiles; both men and women are elegant in longyis sarongs; it's a land of rubies, sapphires, jade, dance and music." ...more

February 4, 2008

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Mark Cook. ...more

February 4, 2008

Today, the last quarter moon happens at 5:03 a.m., which causes the major fish migration to take place very early in the morning. A secondary migration takes place in the middle- to late afternoon, which in this particular case really isn't secondary but nearly equal to the primary migration in duration and intensity. The weather conditions will determine which of the two periods produces more fish in the favorite holes on the lake. You might have heard it said that a Junebug-colored bait works in most cases here in Florida. It's a good color to start out with when you're unsure of which color to use. Now, each bait company offers a slight variation of the "Junebug" color. Some are predominately green, and some purple — it's best to use both, and switch if you find that your hook sets are in the corners of the fish's mouth. ...more

January 30, 2008

The first-quarter moon occurred Tuesday at 7:46 p.m., which means the daytime primary feeding migration takes place in the very late morning and continues into the afternoon. The nighttime feeding migration diminishes greatly during the next seven days and this means the daytime angler has much better chances of catching more fish, and larger fish. So, best time of the day to plan your next fishing trip is from 11 a.m. to sunset. If you decide to try mornings, you'd better be on the water by 6:30 a.m. or your chances will be slim at best for success. ...more

January 17, 2008

To start off the new year, the Central Florida largemouth bass angler better dig deep into his closet and put on his Canadian thermo-wear. The first major cold front of the year and winter season arrived Tuesday and does change the approach anglers will need to use to set the hook on a decent catch. Time and patience is needed in order to entice bass under the current conditions. The best times of the day to get out on the lake is from sun-up to 2 p.m., with the peak period being from noon to 1 p.m. ...more

January 3, 2008

The more opportune times to have success on the water are very early and very late in the day. There is still an early morning bite because of the affect of the Full Moon which happened at 1:16 a.m. last Sunday night, causing the major feeding migration to occur in the middle of the night. Now, this is a very large intense migration at this time, meaning there are very good chances that if you're out on the water very early — 6 a.m. — you're best chances of boating your largest fish of the day are good, but still not great. Each day a secondary migration starts to develop and by the weekend, will offer as good a percentage as the early morning session. From 4 to 7 p.m. should produce moderate to good results today and gain in potential every day until Monday, when it becomes mostly a nighttime session. ...more

December 28, 2007

For the next three days, you can forget about getting out on the lake early. Instead, spend time preparing for a mid- to late-afternoon bite. This is the week where you get out of bed early to set up the boat, rig up your gear and jump in the tow vehicle when you get out of work and be on the lake just as the bite starts. Since the last quarter moon on last Saturday, the early morning bite steadily decreased and the beginnings of a late afternoon bite formed. Now, with the recent semi-cold front that came into our area Monday night, the already formed late-day feeding migration will increase in duration and intensity. The National Weather Service is also predicting a steady increase of 10 degrees over the next three to four days, and this will also help make conditions perfect for the afternoon angler. ...more

December 5, 2007

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Mark Cook. ...more

December 3, 2007

Today is the best day out of the next three, since the midnight bite has finally slowed, and there's a larger feeding migration throughout the day. The entire day today should produce a nice, even-feeding bite from safelight to sundown. A slight spike in feeding will take place at mid-day and this should be the best time of the day for a big-bass strike. From Monday to Wednesday, this situation diminishes slightly each day but the early morning bite should remain constant until 9 a.m., then drop off gradually until noon. ...more

December 2, 2007