Conditions: Excellent
Surface Temp: 70
Clarity: Slightly Tannic 20 Inches
Quick Tips: It’s a great time of year to grab the fly rod and chase all of our local freshwater species. Whether you’re trophy hunting for spawning largemouth or throwing micro poppers for ferocious panfish the bite is on. We’re blessed to have the year-round opportunity to fly fish our local water even in the Winter. More anglers and boaters are beginning to get out on the lakes so targeting smaller more out of the way bodies of water is recommended.
Techniques: When targeting bedding bass it’s as much boat positioning and presentation as it is fly choice. Olive and orange clousers are my favorite because they contrast well against the light sand and bass are very aggressive towards bluegill since they are nest robbers. They’ll be extra skittish so making sure your shadow doesn’t cast into the bed is vital, as is slower movements when moving on the deck. If you can see big momma she can see you. As far as leaders go a 10 ft 12 pound test leader is my favorite. I use a fluorocarbon tippet so it allows the fly to sink faster, is less visible, and is more abrasion resistant than traditional nylon monofilament. When the winds pick up it can be a little difficult to see the beds so switching to throwing streamers on points is a good audible call. Fishing the windblown side has been more successful as the baitfish get pushed along the points and bass will wait for them to come around the point. The trick is to give them different looks from different angles to find exactly how they want the fly presented. The smaller males are the designated security guards and you’ll catch them off the beds first. Boat positioning is key for several reasons. You need to be able to see the fish without spooking them, if your shadow is cast upon the beds the bass will spook if you can see them they can see you. Most bluegill have been caught on size 12 and 14 nymphs such as Hares Ear Nymph and Olive Damsel Fly Nymphs. The topwater bite has been good whenever its isn’t too windy out. My favorite colors are electric blue, white, and olive-these are the local staple. I like to contrast the color of the popper with the sky so on a overcast day I like to start off with lighter colors such as white and on sunnier days darker colors such as black provide a better silhouette for the fish. For leaders a 9 ft 5x or 6x are my favorite sizes since it provides a little more stealth larger line size is ok but I feel you’ll get more bites by downsizing your tippet size. Our local spec fishing has still been going strong with small white wooly buggers and bright bead chain streamers fished either under lights drifting or along deeper grass lines.
Local River Levels: The water level on the Peace River, Econ River, and Kissimmee River are low. The water levels on the Myakka River, Hillsborough River, and Withlacoochee River are low.
Submitted by: Hunter Towery
Peace Creek Guide Service
863-837-7028