Largemouth Bass -- Milder weather has the bass moving shallow and preparing for the upcoming spawn. Bedding bass have seen in a number of lakes around the area and a good bass bite is being reported throughout the Central Florida region.
—Strike Zone, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
1 Around Lakeland, at Tenoroc, bass anglers had the best success this past week on lakes, 3, 5, and Butterfly. Most of the bass reported were in the 12- to 14-inch range with two large bass over 23 inches. Jerk baits and plastic worms are the most productive. Speck fishing was best on lakes 5, B, C, F, and Legs. The best lakes for panfish were Lakes 5, Cemetery, Picnic, and Pine and the best lakes for catfish were Derby, B, and Legs, reports FWC biologist Keaton Fish.
2 At Auburndale, Lake Ariana is good for specks while drifting with minnows. There’s been no limits, but good size fish. Some specks were caught at Lake Juliana. A few bass also caught there and there’s some fish on the beds. All of the lakes around Lake Alfred have a good speck bite. “There’s plenty of specks from both the docks and by boat,” reports Ron Schelfo at Ron’s Tackle Box (863-956-4990). Bass are on the beds in Lake Alfred.
3 At Winter Haven, some bass are showing up on the beds on the south chain. The mid-day bite has been best. The best lakes this past week were Lakes Howard, Eloise, Shipp, and Winterset. “All four of those lakes have fish on the beds,” reports Schelfo. There’s plenty of specks being caught on minnows and jigs in chartreuse and pink colors. The mouths of the canals around Lakes Howard and Lake Shipp are best, reports Schelfo.
4 At Lake Hamilton, speck fishing is pretty good on all three lakes. The fish are moving away from the open water and jigs are starting to produce well. Bass are starting to move shallow and soft plastics are producing near the shorelines.
5 At Lake Marion near Haines City, the water temperature has dropped and the fishing has been slow. One angler fishing from a dock at the edge of the grass had 15 specks Sunday night on minnows. “Half of the fish were small and half were good eating size,” reports Eileen O’ Leary at Bannon's Fish Camp (863-422-1223).
6 At Lake Pierce, the specks are starting to pick up again after the extreme cold weather. “More people are out fishing and there’s more fish being caught,” reports Jennings Resort (863-439-3811). Anglers are averaging 10-15 fish per outing on minnows fishing just outside the lily pads.
7 At Lake Hatchineha, bass fishing has improved and the fish are starting to move into shallow water. A slow presentation with topwaters and small plastics is best. “One group yesterday had 25 fish with the largest weighing 7 pounds,” reports Leo Cosce at Camp Lester (863-696-1123). Speck fishing has been a little on the slow side. The fish being caught are good size.
8 At Lake Toho, big bass are staging heavily in boat cuts and runs near spawning areas all over Lake Toho. Live shiners are best, but dark colored worms worked slowly, will also produce fish. The speck bite is going strong. Most catches are still coming from the deeper areas of Lake Toho. Chartreuse jigs and minnows are best, reports Capt. Bill Whipple of Lake Toho Tackle Company (407-928-2529).
9 At Lake Kissimmee, “The water is cold, around 55-59 degrees. This moved the bass out of the shallows and onto the mussel bars, the mouths of the kicker trails, and hydrilla around North Cove. Zoom Ol’ Monster worms in Junebug color and Booyah lipless crankbaits in gold shiner color have really produced this past week,” reports Charlie Wynperle of Kissimmee Bass Series at Bridgemaster Fishing Products (863-676-1009). Anglers should note, there is a 200 boat tournament out of Camp Mack this Saturday.
10 At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, bass fishing has been pretty good. Flukes and Senkos in watermelon red color with a 3/16 oz. weight, worked slow in the reeds is best. For the specks, drifting the center of the lake with minnows is producing the most fish, reports Wynperle.
11 At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, speck fishing has picked up since the extreme cold weather. Night fishing with minnows in open water is best and jigs are better during the day. “There’s been no limits, but the fish are good size. Anglers aren’t keeping any fish under 12 inches,” reports Cindy Ritchison at Bob's Landing (863-638-1912). Bass are starting to move onto the beds on the U.S. 27 side of the lake. Flipping with soft plastic creature baits, worms, and flukes is best, reports Ritchison.
12 At Frostproof, the bass bite at Lake Reedy has been pretty good while trolling or drifting with live shiners in four to six feet of water. Lake Reedy also has a good speck bite in shallow water around the lily pads on minnows. Lake Buffum has a good speck bite in deeper water while trolling and drifting with jigs tipped with minnows, reports Jim Childress of Big Bass Bait & Tackle (352-207-7520).
13 In the phosphate pits near Mulberry and Bartow, “I spoke with Bobby Lane. He caught some nice specks drifting with minnows while fishing with his family in the old P-6 pit south of Mulberry,” reports Bartow High School Fishing Team Coach Derek Boswell (863-513-8877). "The bass have become more active since the weather warmed up."