After fishing with you, I took some of your advise. Downsized everything like you said, 10lb test with a 1/0 hook and caught three small ones (non-keepers) early in the morning then at about 5:30pm I caught this one on a fairly large shiner. Still, for a new moon and fairly low light conditions most of the day, considering all the cloud cover I thought I would’ve caught more, proving what you told me that some lakes are just set up to be more productive than others. Thanks!!
Brian Boswell
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Thanks Brian,
Glad you put some of the techniques to good use…Nice Bass!
Florida is considered one of the top destinations for bass fishing in the United States.
Florida is the go-to state for bass fishermen, especially when big fish are the goal. Its lakes and rivers are full of plant life, and the water stays warm throughout the year, allowing bass to continually put on weight. They also are the dominant game species in many of Florida’s waters, so anglers don’t have to search for a good bass hole. These attributes have made the waters of Florida the prime destinations for tournament and casual anglers alike.
Lakes Overview
Many lakes in Florida have bass in them, but some are particularly productive and well known. They are the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes (lakes Kissimmee, Toho, Cypress and Hatchineha), Lake George, Lake Istokpoga and Lake Okeechobee. The Kissimmee chain, located in central Florida, features vast beds of emergent and submerged vegetation that hold bass throughout the year. Bass roam the edges in the early morning and under low-light conditions, and move into the shade created by the vegetation when the sun shines. A good way to hook bass is to flip and pitch plastic worms and jigs into holes in the vegetation. Lake George, located in northern Florida, is the second largest lake in the state. The lake has a drop off that begins in six to eight feet of water, and anglers are wise to begin there. Cast along the drop off with lures like spinnerbaits and crankbaits, then slow down and fish a jig or plastic worm once fish are located. Lake Istokpoga is located in southern Florida. Islands dot the lake, and the grass that grows in the water around the islands is one of the best places to find bass. Fish the edges of the grass with topwater baits when the light is low, or pitch a plastic worm or jig into the vegetation when the sun is shining. Lake Okeechobee in central Florida is the most well-known bass lake in the state. Fish the huge expanses of vegetation, keying on the edges, holes, and places where two types of vegetation meet. Though many anglers focus exclusively on the vegetation, the lake features deep-water channels that also hold bass. Anglers who find and catch bass in deep water often find most success with a crankbait.
Geography
Florida heats up during the day, particularly during the summer. When the air gets warm, so, too, does the water. That is why bass in Florida lakes tend to feed most aggressively early in the day when the water is at its coolest point. Bass will feed along vegetation edges or in areas of moving water, and anglers should work topwater baits like poppers and buzzbaits if there is no wind. If the wind ripples the surface of the water, select lures like spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits. In general, the best bite occurs before 10 a.m, but the fishing has the ability to linger on throughout the day.
Dock Considerations
The boat docks that line Florida’s lakes provide year-round cover and shade, as well as ambush points for bass. The best docks are near deep water, and bass can be found on docks throughout the year. These docks are complex structures built over a sloping bottom. Anglers should work jigs and plastic worms around dock pilings, or tie on a tube jig and skip the lure as far underneath the dock as possible. The tube falls slowly through the water and attracts bites from bass that are not aggressively feeding.
One of the most well known and most productive methods for catching a monster bass in Florida is to use heavy tackle and a live shiner. The rod and reel should be heavy action and capable of handling big fish, and the fishing line should be at least 20-pound test. In areas of sparse vegetation, the shiner can be fished below a bobber. Where the vegetation is heavy enough that it makes fishing with a bobber difficult, the shiner can be hooked and allowed to swim freely. Some anglers prefer this method in all cases. The best areas to fish live shiners are shallow and full of vegetation.
Warning
Hydrilla is perhaps the most common type of vegetation in lakes in Florida, but many anglers avoid it because it grows so thick and can foul lures and become wrapped around trolling and boat motors. But it provides an abundance of shade, protection, and ambush opportunities for bass, so they use it. Anglers should first fish the edge of hydrilla beds with quick-moving lures like spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, and topwater baits. If the edges fail to produce, tie on a jig or plastic worm and target the holes and openings in the hydrilla. Be prepared for a quick strike from a big bass.
Regulations
Anglers are allowed to keep five bass per day from Florida waters, and only one of those fish can be 22 inches or longer. There are certain regional regulations like on Okeechobee, too. In south Florida, anglers may keep only one bass 14 inches or longer. In waters south and east of the Suwannee River, any bass less than 14 inches long must be released immediately. Finally, in waters north and west of the Suwannee River, in any creek, tributary, or stream of the Suwannee River, and the Suwannee River itself, any bass less than 12 inches long must be released immediately. See the regulations for a map, and for any lakes with special regulations.
BY BOB WATTENDORF, WES PORAK and RICK STOUT • FOR FLORIDA TODAY • July 12, 2009
Truth is — it isn’t that simple. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists, as well as other fishery research experts, have understood for years that stocking fingerling bass (1 inch to 1.5 inches long) rarely improves fishing. However, the FWC now appears to be on the brink of a breakthrough.
When Richloam Hatchery in Sumter County was renovated, it was reborn as the Florida Bass Conservation Center (FBCC). Among the new roles and challenges was to expand on pioneering research done by FWC biologists that enable scientists to produce larger advanced fingerling bass (about 4 inches long).
There were always occasions when stocking fingerling bass worked, and the FBCC continues to provide fish for those situations. For example, stocking fingerling bass into a new reservoir or community pond built for that fishing, or into a lake following a drought, a fish kill, or habitat restoration program can restore a population more quickly than natural reproduction.
However, making bass stocking a more effective management tool in other circumstances requires larger hatchery fish, so they can eat a greater variety of prey. Being bigger also is an advantage because fewer predators can eat them.
But the problems have been significant. First, largemouth bass are typically spawned naturally in hatchery ponds because they don’t respond well to hormones, such as those used to spawn striped bass.
Additionally, small bass are cannibals, and don’t like artificial foods, such as those fed to catfish and trout. Therefore, bass were historically grown in fertilized outdoor ponds with lots of zoo plankton (tiny floating animals such as insect larvae). Predators, including minnows, insects and frogs, ate the eggs and baby fish. As the young bass grew larger, other predators such as birds began feasting on them where they concentrated in outdoor ponds.
The FBCC was designed to intensively culture largemouth bass indoors using state-of-the-art technology to avoid their demise by predators outdoors. The FBCC has the potential to produce more than 1,000,000 advanced fingerling largemouth annually.
Through research, scientists found a way to trick bass fry into eating artificial food.It was discovered that by crowding fry together and feeding them live brine shrimp (the size of a gnat) they’d go into a feeding frenzy and be less choosy in what they ate. That allowed researchers to mix in artificial food that was about the size and color of the brine shrimp. Once the bass fry began eating the artificial food, it was easier to progressively train them to take bigger pellets as the bass grew in size.
Unfortunately, during the 1990s, survival of pellet-reared bass was low once stocked into Florida lakes. Liver disease and other problems were linked to poor nutrition. FWC personnel worked with a university nutritionist to develop an artificial diet similar to a bass’ natural diet. The custom feed has more digestible fats and appropriate vitamins that have virtually eliminated liver disease in hatchery bass.
Although vigorous, healthy hatchery fish should survive better in the wild, resolving the diet problems led to another concern — domestication.Research showed that pellet-reared largemouth had difficulty capturing prey in the wild. To reduce this problem, largemouth bass are now fed live fish at the hatchery for a week before stocking.
A lack of experience avoiding predators also may reduce survival, so researchers are attempting to teach hatchery bass to stay away from things that might eat them.
Other research has improved culture conditions, fish health management, handling and hauling protocols. Now scientists are comparing survival rates between hatchery fish that are simply stocked at a boat ramp in the traditional manner, versus those distributed into vegetated habitats around the lake, so they are more dispersed and avoid predators more easily.
The time of year when fish are stocked also is important. Bass and other fishes, invertebrates and amphibians typically reproduce at a relatively specific time, often triggered by seasonal factors such as water temperature, day length, lunar cycle and water levels. In this way, nature provides bass with the correct size prey for the young to get a fast start on life. If hatchery fish are stocked too early, prey may not be available, and if stocked too late prey may be too big — and even turn the table eating bass fingerlings.
This occurs earlier in the southern end of the state compared to the Panhandle. Moreover, there is evidence that bass, such as other naturally evolved animals, have adapted genetically to these subtle differences, so it is important fisheries managers deal with these unique stocks differently so we don’t adversely affect the gene pool. That’s where the ability to adjust water temperatures in the spawning areas at the FBCC comes in, by allowing offspring from parental fish from different areas to be ready for stocking at the most opportune moment.
Advanced fingerling largemouth reared in ponds on live aquatic organisms and stocked into Gadsden County’s Lake Talquin fed on fishes more successfully and grew faster than their wild counterparts during their first year of life in the reservoir. At the end of the first year, hatchery fish composed 40 percent of the bass that survived from that year’s spawn during a year when 25 fish were stocked per acre.
Five years after supplemental bass stocking, hatchery fish accounted for 20-27 percent of bass caught in tournaments. Research is being conducted in Lake Talquin to determine whether pellet-reared hatchery bass will survive as well as hatchery fish reared on live feed.
The Lake Talquin study has provided optimism that stocking advanced sizes of largemouth bass at the appropriate time will become a more widespread and successful management tool. Information gained from research and adaptive management is critical to long-term success of bass stock-enhancement programs. Specific spawning strategies are being used to protect the genetic integrity of Florida bass populations.
A new boat ramp just reopened to the public on Lake Hatchineha. From the looks of things they’re still doing some renovations but it’s always nice to have another ramp. There’s plenty of parking and you don’t have to drive down a dirt road meaning you don’t have to clean off all the dirt on your boat when you get home.
I had to check it out today and fished Hatchineha. Much to my surprise, I didn’t catch a single fish out of the reeds. Instead, I caught about a dozen fish doing everything under the sun. The fish were definitely biting, but nothing over 2.5 pounds. I caught my first and biggest fish about 30 minutes into the day flippin in Kissimmee grass with a junebug silver Gitem Sugar. I’ve been flippin a lot lately so I broke out a green pumpkin chatterbait with a swim senko trailer and caught a bunch swimming it next to pads. I then checked out the inside of the weed line and caught 3 fish on a frog.
All in all, I like having the new ramp and will keep it in the rotation. It’s free and open all day every day. What more could you ask for? View Larger Map
BassOnline.com is Florida Fishing largest Freshwater Guide Service, specializing in Florida bass fishing in many Florida lakes, canals and rivers for largemouth and peacock bass.
To learn more about Florida bass fishing, visit Bass Fishing Blog
By Bob Wattendorf, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Saturday January 31st, 2009
If you are like me, you’ve probably heard, “You should have been here yesterday; the fishing was great,” more times than you can count. And if like me, you’re tired of that phrase, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has come to the rescue.
FWC biologists continue to give anglers the best advice on the location of some of the sweetest honey holes to cast a line in Florida. That means you might be the next one bragging about a whopper of a day spent fishing.
Fisheries biologists used a variety of clues, including the recent fishing history of various lakes and rivers based on creel surveys, Big Catch angler-recognition records and electrofishing results. They also evaluated habitat conditions, water flow and young-of-the-year survival from the previous year to suggest the top destinations for 2009. Lists of the best places to go for bass, crappie, bream, catfish and stripers are posted at MyFWC.com/Fishing/Forecast. In addition, regional biologists check with local fishing guides and bait-and-tackle shops quarterly (January, April, July, October) to get insights into how major fisheries are producing and what anglers are using successfully on a variety of lakes and rivers throughout the year. The same Web site will give you access to that information, along with local contact numbers for up-to-minute updates.
Here’s a brief overview of the sites FWC biologists are recommending to the angling public for 2009, but remember at any day the bite can be on in a different time and place – from a small community pond to 470,000-acre Lake Okeechobee. With over 7,700 named lakes in Florida and 12,000 miles of fishable rivers, streams and canals, you’re never far from an opportunity to relax and wet a line – time that is always well spent communing with nature.
Site
Size and Counties
Featured species Apalachicola River/Lake Seminole
106 miles, 37,500 acres; Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Liberty
striped bass, channel, flathead and blue catfish
Grab a friend or relative and try out one of these sites, or investigate a local water hole to create your own list of top fishing destinations. Then pass it on to whoever will listen and let them know the fishing was great – yesterday. Always remember: A bad day fishing beats a great day at work.
BassOnline.com is Florida Fishing largest Freshwater Guide Service, specializing in Florida bass fishing in the Florida lakes, canals and rivers for largemouth and peacock bass.
To learn more about Florida bass fishing, visit Bass Fishing Blog
