In 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 that the fish will pick up. My favorite color and soft plastic is a white senko. Most fish are being caught in the Kissimmee grass in 2 to 3 feet of water. Sandy areas are best. Bass will go back to the same bedding areas, and in a month’s time, several bass will use the same bed over and over. Live wild shiners will produce even bigger bass during the spawn. I prefer wild shiners 8 to 12 inches long because the bigger fish have a big appetite and want to feed without exerting a lot of energy.
The crappie bite is right on time in the Kissimmee chain. Look for the crappie to be spawning in shallow water around any 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 the 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 the female crappie stack outside, then slowly move in and you can really work them over. Florida crappie bag limit is 25 per person any size.
