LAKE EUFAULA

worked vertically in suspended fish will also create some action.

Crappie, are not liking the dirty water. Minnows tipped on a jig suspended in the school will get a bite.

Pan Fish will be eating crickets, the normal shallow bedding areas are high and dry now. Shell crackers will be on the flats bedding on the next full moon, wigglers are the bait of choice here, you will also get a good mess of squealer cats as they feed on the “Cracker’s” eggs. These are the best eaten fish in the river.

Mud fish are spawning and hitting everything thrown at them, including eating any cut bait on a catfish jug. They do put up a good fight.

Remember the 23rd annual Lee King Memorial Bass Tournament coming up September 16th. Go to www.alclassic.com and get an early boat number. The river promises to be up and in good shape by then. Help us support our efforts to find a cure for Niemann-Pic disease and support our post 9/11 combat wounded and PTSD heroes. Enjoy God’s great outdoors.

Take your kids, grandkids or your neighbor’s child fishing and make those memories you will hear around the supper table for years to come.

Pray for all our folks in uniform and their families as they go out daily to protect us. Pray for one another. God taught us to love all mankind, not all this hate, we are hearing from our leaders.

God Bless & Good Fishn’

Water Level 187.18 msl Water Temperature mid 70’s Water Clarity Heavy stain to muddy

Lake Nottely

Forecast By:Will Harkins- Getfishingguide.com | Williamharkins11@gmail.com

We made it! Finally, to the warm, sunny days of summer. On Nottely, this means one thing…topwater time! June is typically the best time all year for aggressive, heart pounding blowups from giant bass. Up shallow, offshore, schooling bass, or bream eaters, they will all hit on top. While bass will eat on top all day, the key times are early in the morning and right before dark. The low light conditions are perfect for bass ambushing prey. As the sun gets higher, these fish will become more lethargic, not quite as willing to chase bait as they are in the mornings. When chasing big largemouth, I will start with a buzzbait and a popper style bait. The Tackle HD buzzbait or the old Pop-R popper are two baits I will have on the boat all June. A tip for the buzzbait is removing the skirt and adding a soft frog or swimbait as the trailer. This gives bass more definition and substance to key onto. If they are not eating the buzzbait, I will slow down with the popper. While pockets and creeks are typically most productive, these baits will work anywhere there is shade and cover. Overhanging trees, laydowns, and docks will all produce quality bites. As the sun rises and the day warms up, you may have to slow down or fish a little deeper than you would typically. Dragging the ol trusty shakey head or drop shot will always generate bites. Once again, shade lines or cover, like brush piles or creek beds will hold the most bass in the middle of the day. For seeking a truly gi- ant bite, look for bluegill beds. These spawning bluegills are easy meals for big bass. The same bait can catch these fish, but I like to throw in a big glide bait or bluegill imitator, like a jig. June can be some of the best fishing all year for numbers of bass, so get out there early and Get Fishing! #Godsgotthis

Lake Level: full pool.

Temp: 75-78 degrees

Clarity: Clear

FISHING THE EVERGLADES AND MORE!

By Gary Turner “Tight Lines and Squeal every time.”

Blake yelled “IT’S A FISH, IT’S A FISH!” I could hear the reel screaming, then it dawned on me, it wasn’t on Blake’s rod! It was on a rod I had baited with a big threadfin shad, cast out, and then stuck in the rod holder. The rod was bent over as far as it could go. I pulled it up hard and cleared the rod holder. I hollered at Amy to come get this fish! She came and grabbed the pole and started reeling, but the fish was still pulling out more line than she was reeling in! She was yelling excitedly that this was a good fish, and I told her I thought it was probably a good Clown Knife! She was gaining on it now! We got it boatside and netted it. Her first Clown Knife fish!

We fished all over Lake Ida in Delray Beach, Florida. Blake, Amy, Benji and myself were exploring some new canals and docks that I don’t usually fish on Lake Ida. Normally when I go with my guide friends, Capt. Johnny and Capt. Adam, they hit the best trophy Peacock Bass spots. Benji had brought his boat from South Carolina, and so we were going to check lots of other small canals and docks. We went to the back of one canal and Benji reels in a Jaguar Cichlid! That has been on my bucket list for several years and has been more elusive than my first Sailfish! We saw a couple more Jags but they scattered in the clear shallow water. We also saw several Blue Tilapia, but didn’t catch them either. We all caught several good Peacock Bass, some Largemouth Bass, Mayan Cichlids, and several other species.

The next day Dewayne and Tina, Blake’s parents, arrived with their boat with a slight problem. Just as they arrived in Palm Beach the leaf spring on Dewayne’s trailer broke. They limped it to the hotel. The next morning, Dewayne, Benji and myself set out for Home Depot for a temporary fix so we could continue on our mission, some serious fishin! With an 8-foot 2x4 cut in half and a pack of ratchet straps, after a few minutes jacking up the trailer, we placed the boards in the frame, ratcheted down to secure the boards and off we all went to the lake. Oh, and along for the adventure was Zim, Blake’s dog, the 100-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback. We all launched on Lake Ida and set out to catch some fish. Everyone caught fish all day, and then we decided to go to the Everglades the next day!

The forecast for the next few days was rain, and when I say rain, I mean serious rain! We hit the Glades wide open, we had 2000 crickets! Those fish whacked all the crickets and tons of worms. Then we went to jigs. Capt. Johnny has given me some Zman jigs and we started wearing out the fish on those too. Benji caught another Jaguar and then Dewayne. I saw where they were and BOOM! My first Jaguar Cichlid was on the line! We went on to catch tons of everything! We fished the Glades for two days in the rain and sun and rain! We caught over 500 fish! Benji and Blake cleaned over 100 of them. That evening Benji and Amy headed home for an appointment that had been overlooked. Dewayne, Blake, and I headed back to Lake Ida, in the monsoon, to fish. I caught my biggest Snakehead yet that day. We also caught some really nice Peacock Bass. Dewayne went to the trailer place and got parts, while Blake and I fished a little more. When Dewayne got back, he took the old springs off and we came and helped him reassemble the boat trailer for the trip back to South Carolina. That last evening Blake and I were headed to Capt. Johnny’s in Pompano Beach, Florida to pick up a kayak and to eat at Calypso. Well, it was raining pretty hard, and I missed several exits landing us in FT. LAUDER-

DALE. The skies opened up and the water poured out. The roads were filling up, small cars were flooding out. We pulled into a gas station to watch the wake made by cars going past. It was crazy! We eased along to Johnny’s, avoiding stalled cars, and picked up the kayak. Then we eased back up to Boca Raton and called it a day. We didn’t know it yet, but we had witnessed the 1000year flood. This was quite the epic adventure fishing trip! Get with some of your friends and take a fishing trip. Whether with a guide or just on your own,

GO FISHING!

I’m not sure what next month’s article will be on but remember, if you have an empty seat on your boat that needs filling, shoot me an email and maybe it will be about fishing with you!

If you want to see Amy’s catchon video or other videos I have done, check out my YouTube channel here youtube.com/@FishingWithGary.

You can reach me at gary@purgeright.com

Please remember, if you are not going to eat it, don’t kill it.