Winter is here – all the migrating birds have arrived. The State has been busy working on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes removing sandbars. The first one is at the mouth of Shingle creek. Hopefully it should be done by the beginning of December.
West Lake Toho Bass fishing is turning on! They are going into spawn mode and feeding heavily to gain weight; the best place to fish will be in the Kissimmee Grass. The males have been moving into shallow, sandy areas to compete for spawning ground. The bait of choice will be plastic baits, flukes, trick worms
and vibe worms. The best colors to use are watermelon seed, watermelon red and June bug. Another good location for catching big bass will be in open water near the hydrilla patches. The bait of choice will be rattle traps, chrome with blue back. Another spot to fish is Goblets Cove. There is less hydrilla to navigate through with a boat and should hold some really big fish.
The Alligator Chain of Lakes for Crappie fishing is turning on too. Fish the flow at the mouth of the canals. Also, the crappies are still in open water and will remain there until the end of December. Your best methods for catching crappie this time of year will be trolling multiple rods with jig heads tipped with minnows. If you cannot find the Crappie in open water, move to the outside edge of the Kissimmee Grass.
