Spring has sprung, and this is when the fishing season really gets fun. The bountiful sun shine’s oppressive heat usually brings on the “spring burn”- so remember to wear that UPF gear and don’t forget a pair of polarized sunglasses with good optics.
The Central Florida largemouth bass spawn is in full swing with aggressive and consistently hungry fish. Keys to success are presenting the bait as often as possible and using the colors of the season. Dark Wild Shiner, Motor Oil Shad, and California 420 from Culprit rule the soft plastics game. Rigging can be Carolina style or with a small worm weight sliding down to the bait. If the female bass is not on the bed, she is likely nearby, less than 500 feet away. First and last light of the day presents the most lucrative topwater options. Varying the retrieve rate with Z-Man Chatterbaits helps anglers work the entire water column with one rig. Use these near weed lines and structure. A quick squirt of menhaden oil increases the productivity of any artificial bait, so keep a bottle handy. Spring is also a great time to consider respooling you’re favorite fishing poles. Check out Trik Fish’s co-polymer camo for the castability of braid with the feel and stretch of mono.
The crappie bite remains strong on the Clermont Chain and John’s Lake. You can’t go wrong with artificial offerings like beetle spins, spoons, and smaller hard baits or soft plastics – these will keep you active while the weather is so fantastic. Trolling many jigs behind the boat works great, vary the boat speed and weight size to find the depth the fish are feeding. Start longline trolling around 1.0 to 1.2 mph with 1/16th oz jigheads way back, and 1/8 oz jigheads closer to the boat. Try different colored soft plastic tails until the fish tell you which color.