When getting ready for our monthly articles, I often look back at my calendars/journals, and of course previous articles to look for patterns. And unfortunately, this winter has followed a pattern for 2 years in a row now that is not nice. Honestly, I’m ready for the good old-fashioned Florida sunshine and warm weather that we all expect. For example this is an excerpt from last year that I no longer wish to repeat.
“On to REEL business: I’d like to officially welcome everyone to Spring here in Central Florida! It has been a weird ‘winter’ with more cold fronts with the high winds and cold nights. It seems that as soon as we would get back to a good stretch of 70’s-80’s temperatures that got the post-spawn bass thinking summer patterns, Jack Frost would pay us an unwelcome visit and the bottom would fall-out again. With April upon us I expect the fishing to stabilize and get back to normal patterns of topwaters, swimbaits, flukes, while changing your patterns as the sun comes up and the day progresses.”
Once again we’re hoping that April will bring about some warm weather and stable water temps that help keep the bass biting so much that every guest leaves the dock smiling with a ton of pictures, and memories that will last a lifetime.
So, to follow the ”glass is half-full” scenario for Winter Haven and the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes: In Winter Haven we’re focusing on swimbaits, flukes/jerkbaits, and swimjigs from the shallower eelgrass and pads out to the hyrdilla. The topwater bite will eventually come around on a consistent basis but for now we have to be patient.
Heading over to Camp Mack’s River Resort and the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes we are going to take a different approach. For the golfers in the crowd, these lakes play a little different at the green. In Winter Haven, lakes will have a depth of 15ft or more with hydrilla that the bass roam. On the Kissimmee Chain that is “generally” not the case, but far from the rule. Most of our fishing will be done up in the 2’-5’ range. I’m looking for a combination of healthy pads, kissimmee grass, eelgrass, and hydrilla. If there happens to be a nice reed head in the area, my trolling motor is locked on a course directly for it.
For the heavy cover “combat” fishing that I love to do up in the jungle, as it were, it’s time for frogs and Gambler EZ Swimmers. Of course, you can never go wrong flipping a Strike King Rage Craw or Senko when you see the pads and grass.
Submitted By: Capt. Scotty Taylor
TMC Guide Services, llc • 855-354-8433
Scott@TMCGuideService.com • TMCGuideService.com
Capt. Scott is the official guide for
VisitCentralFlorida.org & Camp Mack’s River Resort