March 2022 – The Villages Freshwater Fishing Club

2022 Villages Bass Fishing Tournament

In picture perfect weather, 51 anglers took part in the 12th annual “Villages Bass Fishing Tournament” held Tuesday, March 22nd.
The three ponds fished in this year’s event were Bonita, Miona, and Duval and despite the fact that fish were a little reluctant to bite anglers recorded seven Largemouth Bass with a combined weight of 16lbs. 8oz.
We were very fortunate once again to have professional photographer Ron Pearce attend and photograph this year’s event. To see his outstanding work, Click Here

Additional photos were provided by V.P. Jamie Fowler.

The awards banquet was held Friday, March 25th at Colony Cottage Recreation Center. As in the past, The Oakwood Grill provided some great food before the winners were announced.

**Club President Randy DiSanto Announcing This Year’s Winners**

This year’s results:

1st Place: Robert Carter Jr, 2 fish, total weight, 6lbs.-15oz. (Bonita Pond)

2nd Place: Len Durcholz, 2 fish, total weight, 4lbs.-7oz. (Bonita Pond)

3rd Place: Larry Nisivoccia, 1 fish, total weight, 2lbs.-1oz. (Bonita Pond)

Honorable Mentions:
Dave Jenkins, 1 fish, total weight, 1lb.-14oz. (Bonita Pond)
Neil Parkhurst, 1 fish, total weight 1lb.-10oz. (Bonita Pond)
Big Fish Award: Robert Carter Jr. 3lbs.-11oz. (Bonita Pond)

A special thanks to all who volunteered to make this year’s event another success

Rob Husson

Freshwater Fishing Club March Meeting

This month’s guest speaker was Capt. Zack Slankard of Z.S. Fishing Charters. Zack’s presentation was very informative and those in attendance went home with a wealth of information.

Topics discussed were rod and reel selection, line type and weight, and bait color. Zack has had recent success with Z Man’s newest offering, the Jack Hammer.

Although similar in appearance to the original Chatterbait, this updated version features a much faster action on retreive. Zack always adds a soft plastic trailer and has had some excellent results. At the end of the meeting, a guided trip with Capt. Zack was raffled off. The two lucky winners were Bill Rice and Chip Austin.

**Bill Rice / Capt. Zack / Chip Austin**

Looking forward to a future report with the results of their trip. Capt. Zack’s contact information can be found by clicking on the “Guides/Tackle/More” tab at the top of this page.

Rob Husson

Fish Of The Month / February 2022(And More Cool Stuff)

The bite that came in the last week of January lasted longer than one would think. From start to finish, February turned out to be a winner, just ask FFC member John Schwartz. On a recent trip to Lake Griffin this former west coast angler quickly learned why Bass is King here in Florida. While fishing a 4″ black with blue curly tail soft plastic worm on a drop shot rig and working the beds, John spotted some activity. After working one particular bed for about fifteen minutes this beast hit and hit hard. After some thrashing and splashing and a trip under the boat, this big gal finally made it to John’s scale.

**John Schwartz / 10.8lbs. / Lake Griffin**

The magic number, 10.8 lbs. That converts to 10lbs. 12.8oz. and worthy of being called February’s “Fish Of The Month” WTG John.

More February “Honorable Mentions” include Wayne Barksdale reporting an 8lb. 2oz. Lake Griffin catch, and Frank Martines and Eric Wilson both reporting 7+ pounders taken from Villages ponds.

**Wayne Barksdale / 8lbs. 2oz. / Lake Griffin**

**Frank Martines / 7lbs. 8oz. / Villages Pond**

**Eric Wilson / 7.2lbs. / Villages Pond**

Another February report came from Capt. Grady Maynard with the results of the guided trip that was raffled off back at our December meeting.

A total of 14 Bass were taken on the February, Lake Harris outing, by winners Terry Kimmel and Mike Haessley.

The monthly club trip to Lake Harris and Lake Eustis consisted of four boats and all boats reported some great fishing that included Bass, Gar, Bowfin, and Crappie. Big bass was 5lbs.

Now here’s something we don’t see often. While doing a little evening fishing south of CR 466A, FFC member Chip Austin landed six big Crappie and lost four more while tossing crankbaits and traps. Right time, right place.

***Chip Austin / Villages Pond Crappie***

The February fishing clinic was small in numbers, but those who braved the chilly temps picked up some great information. Warmer weather is coming.

**February Fishing Clinic / Miona Rec. Pond**

The Villages Outdoor Expo was held February 24th and 25th at Everglades Rec. Center and was very well attended.

***Max Wolpert and V.P. Jamie Fowler / Villages Outdoor Expo 2022***

Club President Randy DiSanto, Vice President Jamie Fowler, and FFC members Jim Strange, Ken Robinson, Max Wolpert, Conrad Ettmayer, and Rob Husson took turns answering questions during the two-day event.

Thanks to all who have reported and sent in pics. Keep them coming.
Rob Husson

NOTE: To stay on top of what others are doing just click on the tab marked “Fishing Forums” at the top of this page and sign up. There is page for reporting your catch, general topics, and kayak fishing.