Kissimmee Chain and West Lake Toho: The bass bite is right on schedule. The females are in shallow water spawning on the beds. This is the best time to put the trolling motor in and hunt for bass beds. Late morning is best. One of the most important tools is a good pair of polarized glasses to cut the glare off the water. Bait of choice will be anything that you can see the bass picks up while it is on the bed. My favorite color is a white Senko. Most fish are being caught in the Kissimmee grass in 2 to 3 feet of water. Sandy areas are best. Live wild shiners will produce even bigger bass during the spawn. I prefer wild shiners 8 to 12 inches long. The bigger fish have a big appetite and want to feed without exerting a lot of energy. Take advantage of this time of year and catch a big one.
Crappie bite on the Kissimmee Chain: Look for the crappie to be spawning in shallow water around vegetation like lily pads, reeds, and Kissimmee grass. The males will be the first ones in, competing for spawning areas. The males will be smaller and their tails will be all shredded up from fanning the beds. The male crappies will be aggressive, ready to eat anything near their bed. Bait of choice is minnow on a gold hook under a float. Now the key is to keep coming back every few days to find the big females. One other thing to check is the outside the edge of the grass line, sometimes when the males are in shallow the female crappie will slowly move in and you can really work them over. Minnow tipped jigs are great for both lily pad fishing during the full and new moon phases as well as trolling open water.
