1 Around Lakeland, Trenton Gilileo and Pauline Jarvis landed two bass — 10.80 pounds and 11.21 pounds flipping wild shiners around points and underwater structure at Saddle Creek Park. Adam Shuck caught a 9-pound bass on a red shad worm along the grass edges at Saddle Creek, reports Phillips Bait and Tackle. Lake Parker continues to turn out bass 7-9 pounds with an occasional 10 or bigger flipping cattails and cane grass. Bass up to 7 pounds at Tenoroc. Specks still good at Tenoroc on lakes 3, 4, 5 and B, and decent at Saddle Creek.
2 At Auburndale, Rochelle and Haines producing a few bass up to 6-7 pounds on topwater lures — frogs (Booyah Pad Crasher), buzzbaits and hardplastic baits — when conditions are right, reports Ron Schelfo at Ron's Tackle Box in Lake Alfred. Bass up to 4-5 pounds decent on bigger of Twin Lakes. Anglers braving the cold bringing in a lot of handsized shellcracker on Rochelle and Alfred, both along shoreline ledges and off docks with red worms.
3 At Winter Haven, mid-sized bass pretty good on Howard, Summit and Shipp, with topwater bite developing when winds aren't kicking up. Ron Schelfo said fishermen hooking up on Cordell Pencil Poppers and Booyah Pad Crasher frogs, or most soft plastic frogs. Specks still strong off dock behind McDonald's on Lake Howard, with a few shellcracker starting to show. Schelfo said fishermen catching catfish while going for specks or shellcracker on south chain. Water low in many canals on south chain, but you can still get through some of them.
4 At Lake Hamilton, mid-range bass most active on days preceding cold fronts. Still a few specks, but soon it will be shellcracker and bluegill.
5 At Lake Marion near Haines City, mixed bag with mostly specks and a few panfish, reports Eileen O'Leary at Bannon's Fish Camp. Shellcracker are bumping shallow lily pads, but no big catches yet. Specks hitting jigs or minnows in the area of Hermit's Dock and the southeast corner.
6 At Lake Pierce, bass and bluegill were decent before cold front, reports Jennings Resort. Bass 2-5 pounds hitting 10-inch worms, spinnerbaits and wild shiners. Some bluegill hitting minnows offered by speck fishermen, who are getting 8-15 per trip 9-10 inches. Just a handful of shellcracker.
7 At Lake Hatchineha, one fishermen released three bass 7-8 pounds up shallow on dark-colored frogs (junebug, watermelon red Horny Toad or Lane Toad-color Cane Toad), reports David Glenn at the Port Hatchineha campground. But bass off and on with cold fronts. Speck fisherman kept a dozen 12-13 inches and threw back smaller ones at hourglass.
8 At Lake Toho, Billy Mount III of Enterprise boated a 10.15-pound bass Sunday in the PVA Citrus Slam, which was won with 19.68 pounds. There was an 11-pounder released on a guide trip with wild shiners, reports Cody Detweiler at Big Toho Marina. Johnny Cisneros and Ismael Garcia produced 18.70-pound stringer Saturday in Mosaic tournament, with a 6-pounder for Garcia. Shad starting to bunch up, which should bring on schooling bite as it warms up. Specks picked up with cold snap in front of Red's. Water down 7 inches in the past week to 53 feet above sea level.
9 At Lake Kissimmee, Joe Bennett released a 12.20-pound bass Friday on a plastic worm while practicing for weekend tournaments, and added a 9-pounder in a law enforcement tournament, reports Leo Cosce at Camp Lester. John Wayne of Club Florida hauled up a 9.90-pound bass and won Florida Bass Federation Nation tournament March 17 with 25 ? pounds. Andrew and John Beeman weighed in 8 ?-pounder Sunday in Camp Mack Team Tournament, won with 24 pounds in 25-30 mph winds. Group from Alabama staying at Grape Hammock caught a lot of bass 4-6 pounds on wild shiners, reports Lacey Chandley. Bass mostly in 3-4 feet around isolated patches of vegetation on worms, Senkos, Flukes and frogs. Report of bass schooling in North Cove. Some fishermen going below State Road 60 locks into the river. Limits of shellcracker bedding in lily pads got a lot of attention late last week before cold front. Patty and Stan Reed brought in a limit of very good-sized shellcracker 1-1 ? pounds Saturday on red worms, Cosce said. He and Frank Kees caught 70 shellcracker in 3 hours last Thursday. Limits fairly common on beds around the lake, including Brahma Island. Specks hanging in there in lily pads/grass on jigs and minnows, and could spawn through new moon, but starting to thin out, Cosce said. Cosce caught 27 specks mostly 10-11 inches with one 14 ? inches Wednesday morning on jigs. No bluegill yet. Water 64 at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
10 At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, Joe McGuire landed a 10.87-pound bass Sunday in the Lake Wales Po' Boys tournament. Bobby Abbatoy and Phil Hayes won with 40.16 pounds for two days.
11 At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, bigger bass quiet over past couple of weeks, but return of warm weather should spark bite.
12 At Frostproof, look for bass to perk up once cold fronts ease off, and that should be soon. Lake Reedy producing bass up to 5 pounds.
13 In the phosphate pits south of Mulberry and Bartow, bass 5-8 pounds are more common now in bedding areas and over rock piles.
Freshwater Fishing (March 28)By DEL MILLIGAN TheLedger.comMarch 29, 2013 11:20 AM1 Around Lakeland, Trenton Gilileo and Pauline Jarvis landed two bass — 10.80 pounds and 11.21 pounds flipping wild shiners around points and underwater structure at Saddle Creek Park. Adam Shuck caught a 9-pound bass on a red shad worm along the grass edges at Saddle Creek, reports Phillips Bait and Tackle. Lake Parker continues to turn out bass 7-9 pounds with an occasional 10 or bigger flipping cattails and cane grass. Bass up to 7 pounds at Tenoroc. Specks still good at Tenoroc on lakes 3, 4, 5 and B, and decent at Saddle Creek.
2 At Auburndale, Rochelle and Haines producing a few bass up to 6-7 pounds on topwater lures — frogs (Booyah Pad Crasher), buzzbaits and hardplastic baits — when conditions are right, reports Ron Schelfo at Ron's Tackle Box in Lake Alfred. Bass up to 4-5 pounds decent on bigger of Twin Lakes. Anglers braving the cold bringing in a lot of handsized shellcracker on Rochelle and Alfred, both along shoreline ledges and off docks with red worms.
3 At Winter Haven, mid-sized bass pretty good on Howard, Summit and Shipp, with topwater bite developing when winds aren't kicking up. Ron Schelfo said fishermen hooking up on Cordell Pencil Poppers and Booyah Pad Crasher frogs, or most soft plastic frogs. Specks still strong off dock behind McDonald's on Lake Howard, with a few shellcracker starting to show. Schelfo said fishermen catching catfish while going for specks or shellcracker on south chain. Water low in many canals on south chain, but you can still get through some of them.
4 At Lake Hamilton, mid-range bass most active on days preceding cold fronts. Still a few specks, but soon it will be shellcracker and bluegill.
5 At Lake Marion near Haines City, mixed bag with mostly specks and a few panfish, reports Eileen O'Leary at Bannon's Fish Camp. Shellcracker are bumping shallow lily pads, but no big catches yet. Specks hitting jigs or minnows in the area of Hermit's Dock and the southeast corner.
6 At Lake Pierce, bass and bluegill were decent before cold front, reports Jennings Resort. Bass 2-5 pounds hitting 10-inch worms, spinnerbaits and wild shiners. Some bluegill hitting minnows offered by speck fishermen, who are getting 8-15 per trip 9-10 inches. Just a handful of shellcracker.
7 At Lake Hatchineha, one fishermen released three bass 7-8 pounds up shallow on dark-colored frogs (junebug, watermelon red Horny Toad or Lane Toad-color Cane Toad), reports David Glenn at the Port Hatchineha campground. But bass off and on with cold fronts. Speck fisherman kept a dozen 12-13 inches and threw back smaller ones at hourglass.
8 At Lake Toho, Billy Mount III of Enterprise boated a 10.15-pound bass Sunday in the PVA Citrus Slam, which was won with 19.68 pounds. There was an 11-pounder released on a guide trip with wild shiners, reports Cody Detweiler at Big Toho Marina. Johnny Cisneros and Ismael Garcia produced 18.70-pound stringer Saturday in Mosaic tournament, with a 6-pounder for Garcia. Shad starting to bunch up, which should bring on schooling bite as it warms up. Specks picked up with cold snap in front of Red's. Water down 7 inches in the past week to 53 feet above sea level.
9 At Lake Kissimmee, Joe Bennett released a 12.20-pound bass Friday on a plastic worm while practicing for weekend tournaments, and added a 9-pounder in a law enforcement tournament, reports Leo Cosce at Camp Lester. John Wayne of Club Florida hauled up a 9.90-pound bass and won Florida Bass Federation Nation tournament March 17 with 25 ? pounds. Andrew and John Beeman weighed in 8 ?-pounder Sunday in Camp Mack Team Tournament, won with 24 pounds in 25-30 mph winds. Group from Alabama staying at Grape Hammock caught a lot of bass 4-6 pounds on wild shiners, reports Lacey Chandley. Bass mostly in 3-4 feet around isolated patches of vegetation on worms, Senkos, Flukes and frogs. Report of bass schooling in North Cove. Some fishermen going below State Road 60 locks into the river. Limits of shellcracker bedding in lily pads got a lot of attention late last week before cold front. Patty and Stan Reed brought in a limit of very good-sized shellcracker 1-1 ? pounds Saturday on red worms, Cosce said. He and Frank Kees caught 70 shellcracker in 3 hours last Thursday. Limits fairly common on beds around the lake, including Brahma Island. Specks hanging in there in lily pads/grass on jigs and minnows, and could spawn through new moon, but starting to thin out, Cosce said. Cosce caught 27 specks mostly 10-11 inches with one 14 ? inches Wednesday morning on jigs. No bluegill yet. Water 64 at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
10 At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, Joe McGuire landed a 10.87-pound bass Sunday in the Lake Wales Po' Boys tournament. Bobby Abbatoy and Phil Hayes won with 40.16 pounds for two days.
11 At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, bigger bass quiet over past couple of weeks, but return of warm weather should spark bite.
12 At Frostproof, look for bass to perk up once cold fronts ease off, and that should be soon. Lake Reedy producing bass up to 5 pounds.
13 In the phosphate pits south of Mulberry and Bartow, bass 5-8 pounds are more common now in bedding areas and over rock piles.
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