The best of the speckled perch spawn has probably finished for the year. The water is still a bit chilly for bluegills to congregate in earnest, for their spring and summer-long spawns.
If you’re a freshwater angler in Florida, you’re likely focused on just one primary target. Card-carrying members of Bass Nation are fired up these days for what we always expect to be the Number One bass-catching time in our lakes and rivers. When the fish move in, shallow and territorial, they are usually very ‘catchable’, and that’s why catch-and-release is thankfully practiced by almost everyone these days. Now, the earliest wave of spawning largemouths has come and gone in our waters–and it produced great catches of Lake George, Rodman Reservoir, and Lake Santa Fe, and Lochloosa heavyweights. By mid-February, we had seen pictures of Rodman bass to 10.33, Santa Fe whoppers to 11.10, and also double-digit fish from both George and Lochloosa. It has long been said that the largest female bass spawn earliest, and in my experience, there does seem to be some truth there. However, while the average SIZE of the bedding females might dip a bit, the overall NUMBERS of fish crowding the spawning shallows definitely increases in March. Everything hinges on the weather and water temps relative to moon phase, but most years, March probably sees the biggest numbers of baby-making bass here in North Florida.
While they might strike almost any lure pulled over or near their beds, we generally catch the early-spring bass best with soft plastic lures of one kind or another. Rigged weedless (usually Texas-style), the worms, lizards, craws, and tubes are best able to bounce through the cover that the spawners will usually be around. They’re also more effective than open-hook baits while motionless on the bottom, and sometimes, motionless on the bottom is the trick. Everyone seems to have a different idea as to the most effective lure colors, and as tackle salesmen, we’re kinda glad of that. Green Pumpkin and black/blue combinations are always popular. Some bassers buy ‘pearl’ or white so they can see their bait and its position relative to the bed better. But the numerous variations of the ‘watermelon’ color are annually the top sellers.
In our area, we have enjoyed a few straight years of normal or above-normal rainfall and nice resulting lake levels. A few months ago, however, our needed rains started to dwindle. At present, most of our lakes are still accessible with vessels up to the size of bass Boats, but the shallowest (like Newnan’s) aren’t. One more reason it’s so nice to have a couple of top-notch reservoirs like Rodman and Rousseau nearby. Their levels are maintained as desired.
Gary Simpson
Gary’s Tackle Box
352-372-1791
Garystacklebox.com
garystacklebox@gmail.com