1 - Around Lakeland, a couple of nice stringers on Lake Parker in Sunday tournament, with bass up to 7 1/4 pounds. Jack Alward and Willard Combee won with 18 3/4 pounds casting junebug worms in Lake Crago on edges of rock bars that dropped from 6-7 feet to 10-12 feet, and runners-up were flipping cattails in 4-5 feet, Combee said. Bass up to 22 inches at Tenoroc in lakes Horseshoe, Hydrilla, 3 and Lost Lake West casting junebug worms, surface lures and lipless crankbaits, reports Tenoroc Manager Danon Moxley. A few bass 4-6 pounds at Saddle Creek Park early on crankbaits around open-water bars or flipping, but action is slower this week, reports Stacy Roberts at Phillips Bait and Tackle. Bluegill numbers remain good, but size is lacking, at Saddle Creek, Lake Parker, Lake Bonny and Peterson Park. Limits of bluegill, if you keep them all, on Parker at mouth of canal going into Lake Crago, Roberts said. Panfish fair at Tenoroc on Cemetery, Picnic, 5 and B. Channel catfish best on B and Derby at Tenoroc. Small catfish good at Saddle Creek, along with tilapia.
2 - At Auburndale, bluegill are turned on just about everywhere, with limits of real nice-sized bream on Rochelle and Haines with crickets since the full moon, reports Ron Schelfo at Ron's Tackle Box in Lake Alfred. Bass hit or miss, but Rochelle good bet casting lipless crankbaits (lemon-lime Xr-50s), frogs and Flukes, or slowly dragging 10-inch worms off bottom. Speck fishermen picking up a half-dozen early mornings, but excellent size, on Lake Van using heavy weights to get jigs or Strike King Bitsy Minnows toward the bottom, reports Stacy Roberts.
3 - At Winter Haven, Stan Adams boated a 9-pound bass in Thursday evening tournament on south chain and teamed with Robert Gatlin for almost a 4-pound average. Ron Schelfo said there were seven bass over 5 pounds in the tournament, mostly on Flukes and frogs with lakes Shipp and Howard producing. Limits of bluegill on Lake Eloise and off dock at park on Lake Howard, reports Stacy Roberts. And pier on Howard behind McDonald's a good bluegill spot this week, Schelfo said.
4 - At Lake Hamilton, hardly a fishermen in sight. I was at the Lake Region golf course on the west shore on Sunday and I didn't see a single boat on the lake.
5 - At Lake Marion near Haines City, bluegill action was excellent over the weekend but tapered off this week, reports Eileen O'Leary at Bannon's Fish Camp. One angler brought in 14 bluegill and one shellcracker Monday afternoon. Hot spots are the creek in the northeast corner and the gazebo in the southeast corner. Grass shrimp have been the best bait.
6 - At Lake Pierce, 14-year-old Jared Young of Plant City released an 8 1/4-pound bass last Thursday, reports Jennings Resort. Bluegill fair on grass edges with crickets.
7 - At Lake Hatchineha, bluegill and shellcracker still pretty good in lily pads/grass on crickets and red worms. Bass in submerged hydrilla until the sun comes up casting soft-plastic jerkbaits. But creeks aren't running, and there's no running water at Cypress Canal.
8 - At Lake Toho, a few bass flipping junk mats and thick grass with 1- 1 1/2-ounce weights and creature baits, but nothing over 5-6 pounds and not a lot of bites, reports Cody Detweiler at Big Toho Marina. Bluegill good on crickets, grass shrimp and worms in grass/lily pads. Water temperature 90-91 degrees in afternoon.
9 - At Lake Kissimmee, James Pearson anchored a 33 3/4-pound stringer with an 8.61-pound bass in Camp Mack Open Saturday, a week after winning Accent team tournament with 30-pounds-plus. Schooling bass 4-6 pounds early mornings in isolated spots on Flukes and Senkos, an early morning flipping bite, and then open-water brush piles and mussel bars, reports Leo Cosce at Camp Lester. Combined limits of bluegill mixed with shellcracker between two anglers in lily pads over weekend and still going this week, Cosce said. Panfish anglers doing pretty good for bluegill and shellcracker around Brahma Island, reports Grape Hammock. Speck fishermen picking up 10-12 apiece in an hour at first light on outside grass lines with jigs, Cosce said.
10 - At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, bluegill have been the most consistent bite, with a few bass up to 5 pounds early and late. Specks in 6 1/2-7 1/2 feet slow-trolling Ron's Zip jigs (white/orange, hot pink, white/blue) tipped with minnows.
11 - At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, bass have been running small for the most part, with a few up to 3-5 pounds on the outer grass edges casting 8- or 10-inch worms, reports Cindy Ritchison at Bob's Landing. Open-water ledges, brush piles and drop-offs are holding bigger bass. Bluegill have been hit or miss, but no big numbers. Not many fishermen launching boats this week.
12 - At Frostproof, pretty slim pickings for bass on Lake Reedy for Lakeland Junior Bassmasters Saturday. Bass mostly 12-16 inches.
13 - In the phosphate pits south of Mulberry and Bartow, very few fishermen out in the dog days of summer with the school year approaching.
Fishing Around Polk CountyBy DEL MILLIGAN TheLedger.comAugust 8, 2012 9:59 PM1 - Around Lakeland, a couple of nice stringers on Lake Parker in Sunday tournament, with bass up to 7 1/4 pounds. Jack Alward and Willard Combee won with 18 3/4 pounds casting junebug worms in Lake Crago on edges of rock bars that dropped from 6-7 feet to 10-12 feet, and runners-up were flipping cattails in 4-5 feet, Combee said. Bass up to 22 inches at Tenoroc in lakes Horseshoe, Hydrilla, 3 and Lost Lake West casting junebug worms, surface lures and lipless crankbaits, reports Tenoroc Manager Danon Moxley. A few bass 4-6 pounds at Saddle Creek Park early on crankbaits around open-water bars or flipping, but action is slower this week, reports Stacy Roberts at Phillips Bait and Tackle. Bluegill numbers remain good, but size is lacking, at Saddle Creek, Lake Parker, Lake Bonny and Peterson Park. Limits of bluegill, if you keep them all, on Parker at mouth of canal going into Lake Crago, Roberts said. Panfish fair at Tenoroc on Cemetery, Picnic, 5 and B. Channel catfish best on B and Derby at Tenoroc. Small catfish good at Saddle Creek, along with tilapia.
2 - At Auburndale, bluegill are turned on just about everywhere, with limits of real nice-sized bream on Rochelle and Haines with crickets since the full moon, reports Ron Schelfo at Ron's Tackle Box in Lake Alfred. Bass hit or miss, but Rochelle good bet casting lipless crankbaits (lemon-lime Xr-50s), frogs and Flukes, or slowly dragging 10-inch worms off bottom. Speck fishermen picking up a half-dozen early mornings, but excellent size, on Lake Van using heavy weights to get jigs or Strike King Bitsy Minnows toward the bottom, reports Stacy Roberts.
3 - At Winter Haven, Stan Adams boated a 9-pound bass in Thursday evening tournament on south chain and teamed with Robert Gatlin for almost a 4-pound average. Ron Schelfo said there were seven bass over 5 pounds in the tournament, mostly on Flukes and frogs with lakes Shipp and Howard producing. Limits of bluegill on Lake Eloise and off dock at park on Lake Howard, reports Stacy Roberts. And pier on Howard behind McDonald's a good bluegill spot this week, Schelfo said.
4 - At Lake Hamilton, hardly a fishermen in sight. I was at the Lake Region golf course on the west shore on Sunday and I didn't see a single boat on the lake.
5 - At Lake Marion near Haines City, bluegill action was excellent over the weekend but tapered off this week, reports Eileen O'Leary at Bannon's Fish Camp. One angler brought in 14 bluegill and one shellcracker Monday afternoon. Hot spots are the creek in the northeast corner and the gazebo in the southeast corner. Grass shrimp have been the best bait.
6 - At Lake Pierce, 14-year-old Jared Young of Plant City released an 8 1/4-pound bass last Thursday, reports Jennings Resort. Bluegill fair on grass edges with crickets.
7 - At Lake Hatchineha, bluegill and shellcracker still pretty good in lily pads/grass on crickets and red worms. Bass in submerged hydrilla until the sun comes up casting soft-plastic jerkbaits. But creeks aren't running, and there's no running water at Cypress Canal.
8 - At Lake Toho, a few bass flipping junk mats and thick grass with 1- 1 1/2-ounce weights and creature baits, but nothing over 5-6 pounds and not a lot of bites, reports Cody Detweiler at Big Toho Marina. Bluegill good on crickets, grass shrimp and worms in grass/lily pads. Water temperature 90-91 degrees in afternoon.
9 - At Lake Kissimmee, James Pearson anchored a 33 3/4-pound stringer with an 8.61-pound bass in Camp Mack Open Saturday, a week after winning Accent team tournament with 30-pounds-plus. Schooling bass 4-6 pounds early mornings in isolated spots on Flukes and Senkos, an early morning flipping bite, and then open-water brush piles and mussel bars, reports Leo Cosce at Camp Lester. Combined limits of bluegill mixed with shellcracker between two anglers in lily pads over weekend and still going this week, Cosce said. Panfish anglers doing pretty good for bluegill and shellcracker around Brahma Island, reports Grape Hammock. Speck fishermen picking up 10-12 apiece in an hour at first light on outside grass lines with jigs, Cosce said.
10 - At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, bluegill have been the most consistent bite, with a few bass up to 5 pounds early and late. Specks in 6 1/2-7 1/2 feet slow-trolling Ron's Zip jigs (white/orange, hot pink, white/blue) tipped with minnows.
11 - At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, bass have been running small for the most part, with a few up to 3-5 pounds on the outer grass edges casting 8- or 10-inch worms, reports Cindy Ritchison at Bob's Landing. Open-water ledges, brush piles and drop-offs are holding bigger bass. Bluegill have been hit or miss, but no big numbers. Not many fishermen launching boats this week.
12 - At Frostproof, pretty slim pickings for bass on Lake Reedy for Lakeland Junior Bassmasters Saturday. Bass mostly 12-16 inches.
13 - In the phosphate pits south of Mulberry and Bartow, very few fishermen out in the dog days of summer with the school year approaching.
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