Central Florida Bass Fishing
We have been fishing several different lakes in the Lake Wales/ Winter Haven area and getting ready for the winter/spring season. Early cold weather this past fall set the crappies into a feeding mode and slowed the bass activity. Frequent fronts have plagued the fisherman and tested his or her ability to pattern those little/big green fish. As an example, a day on Lake Parker found the water temperature at 61.5 degrees and the bass completely turned off, while a few days later, the water temperature had risen to 70 degrees. The change in conditions warmed the bass and increased their activity level, resulting in several bass being caught and released. All fishing is being done with artificial lures. When customers book a fishing trip, we go to the same area with wild shiners to try for a trophy after we’ve located the bass with artificials. We urge folks to practice CPR; catch, photograph, and release to preserve the genetics on a given body of water. With good photos and measurements, a beautiful fiberglass replica can be made, leaving the trophy bass to reproduce.
Many different baits have been working, but the Zoom trick worm has worked the best of us. We have also done well with the Zoom brush hog, both regular and baby sized. Vary your colors according to the water conditions. On clearer lakes go with watermelon or watermelon/ red and in stained or dirty water, use green pumpkin, black, junebug, or redbug. These are guidelines, but do not be afraid to experiment.