Florida Speck Bite Starting to Turn On

Highlands Today newspaper fishing report for November 16 follows:
[url=http://highlands.tbo.com/MGBHBV3V2GE.html:58ab5]http://highlands.tbo.com/MGBHBV3V2GE.html[/url:58ab5]

To add to this article here, I got three Specks last Saturday afternoon drift fishing a deep bridge. My fishing buddy and me got about 12 Specks today trolling. Specks are still in or over deep water but the ones I have been catching were suspending at depth mostly between three to eight feet. I suspect that after these two cold fronts forecasted to move through cool the water, there should be some Specks moving into the shallows http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif. I have to admit that I have not been catching Specks on the lakes, yet http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/biggrin.gif.


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Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL

"Flip a fly"

I'm a little late posting these Highlands Today newspaper fishing report articles but here they are:

November 30 Fishing Unpredictable Lately In Highlands
[url=http://highlands.tbo.com/sports/MGBPJD1SMGE.html:0098f]http://highlands.tbo.com/sports/MGBPJD1SMGE.html[/url:0098f]

December 7 Slowly Starting To Improve
[url=http://highlands.tbo.com/sports/MGB3F40UWGE.html:0098f]http://highlands.tbo.com/sports/MGB3F40UWGE.html[/url:0098f]

The newest one (not really a fishing report but a business report) is December 11 A Dream That Now Ends. There is no available link for the article but D.O. "Red" Norton explains his misfortune of trying to keep his tackle shop open. He opened the shop just after last year's hurricane season. The article is pretty long about Red's work on opening the tackle shop and his advertising including as he says, "Business was good! Every month, more and more customers visited the store, and every month our inventory got larger and larger." But, "There were plenty of naysayers who warned me repeatedly that running a retail business in this area could be tough, particulary in the summertime, but hey, life was good, and it was hard to imagine business falling off." By May his business had declined in sales and customers. The snowbirds had flown the coup and he had to run the business in the slow, hot, summer months. He tried running sales (now with a huge inventory) and promotions to hang on until the snowbird migration in September. Then came the 2005 hurricane season and gasoline price spikes slowing sales even more not only effecting transients but locals as well. "My daughter and I spent the day watching our live bait die. Cold fronts, mixed with unusually warm weather plagued fishermen, and as sales continued to plummet, by November, it became clear financially that we could not continue in business. Reds will be closing its doors for good on Dec. 23." He still has a lot of tackle to sell at rock bottom prices and he gives his thanks to his customers.

Final note from Red, "Although we are closing Reds, I'll still be around. I live in Avon Park and plan to continue living here. Its the greatest place in the world!"

"And I'll still be writing articles for The Highlands Today newspaper, teaching classes on fishing at South Florida Community College, providing bass fishing guide trips and fishing tournaments on our area lakes and building custom fishing rods."


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Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL

"Flip a fly"

From this article in the main Tampa Tribune sports section (not in the Highlands Today section), you would think that the Speck bite is great but we just had another cold front move through here in Highlands County so just before the front, the Specks would not bite anything. I mean they had lockjaw. Maybe now that the front has moved through, hopefully the Specks will be biting http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif.
[url=http://tampatrib.com/sportsnews/MGBXFSP9EHE.html:522dc]http://tampatrib.com/sportsnews/MGBXFSP9EHE.html[/url:522dc]


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Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL

"Flip a fly"

New fishing report from the Highlands Today newspaper by D.O. "Red" Norton for Dec. 21.

Fishing Hot On Area Lakes
[url=http://www.highlandstoday.com/MGBSHLWVGHE.html:eab45]http://www.highlandstoday.com/MGBSHLWVGHE.html[/url:eab45]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif.


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Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL

"Flip a fly"