The bite on the Harris Chain of lakes is starting to heat up. Largemouth bass and specs are moving, brought on by the cooler temperatures we saw in early January. In fact, the 2018 New Years’ Arctic blast we experienced triggered a very notable wave of pre-spawn largemouth activity. Robust females are be- ing caught in canals, marshes, backwaters, and on their adjacent flats. Some fish still holding just off the first significant drop are within a few weeks of being ripe for bedding. Shiners are always a good bet when targeting bass but artificial baits like rattletraps, chatterbaits, fluke style jerkbaits and swimbaits are also working well. Big Lake Harris, Eustis and Lake Griffin have all been producing good fish. Lake Dora and the smaller connecting lakes have been hot catching Crappie the last several weeks. Crappie are still being taken around marked “fish habs” but by the time this report is published better numbers will be moving into the pad fields of the rivers, creeks and canals especially on new and full moons. Suspended minnows and bright colored jigs tipped with a min- now have been the ticket when targeting these tasty panfish. A wise angler watches the New and Full moons early in the year as they typically trigger a spawn- ing run. This year there is no full moon in February but there are two full moons in both January and March. A February without a full moon only happens about four times in a century. Make sure to register for the Shad and Crappie Derby while buying your minnows, it runs through the end of the month and is free to enter. Now get out there and catch a winner! 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. 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 in the bass bed when the fish picks it up. My favorite color is a bright colored 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 due to the bigger fish have a big appetite and want feed without exerting a lot of energy. Crappie bite – Kissimmee chain – look for the crappie to be spawning in shallow water around vegetation 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 (preparing) 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 and you will find the big females will come in. One other thing to check is, 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.
Enjoy February Big Fish month!
