“Just follow the moving water,” McCullough said. “The direction of the tide matters less than the fact that it is moving.”

And, he noted, “They are catching them a variety of ways right now.”

A good game plan, he said, would be to fish the eel grass with soft plastics like a Senko, a toad or a trick worm on points on the outgoing tide, adding that there should also be a good topwater bite over the eel grass. McCullough said the Strike Cane Rage Toad, the Gambler Cane Toad and the Storm Horny Toad are producing good limits of bass right now.

“We’ve got a new moon on Sunday so the water is going to move a lot. Once it starts going out on a nearly new moon it is really going to move,” he said. That, he added means numbers of fish will be caught on Saturday.

“Fishing is going to be good and a lot of fish are going to be caught,” McCullough said. “We’ve had a long, cold spring, but all of a sudden the last three or four days have been in the high 90s here. I think the fish will kick into a post spawn mode, if they have not already.”

Anglers can head north or south out of the Palatka City Docks and expect to catch good numbers of quality bass, he said.

“Both ends are on fire. You just need to stay with the moving tide.”

McCullough said the tournament annually draws more than 450 boats and the goal this year is to top 500 boats.

Billed as the second largest bass tournament in the nation, Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass Tournament has raised more than $2 million for the children’s hospital. The Wolfson Children’s Hospital Bass Tournament Endowment provides for the educational needs of patients and staff and supports equipment purchases for the hospital.

 

Wolfson Children’s Hospital Charity Bass Tournament

Sat, May 16, 2015

St Johns River

Palatka City Docks

(904) 360-4531

http://foundation.baptistjax.com/basstournament