Freshwater fishing: Specks are moving to shallow water and biting well around Polk
1 Around Lakeland, bass fishing was best at Tenoroc on lakes Halfmoon, Hydrilla, Lost Lake West, Tern and 3. Lakes B and 5 also had high catch rates. This past week 25 large bass over 19 inches were reported with seven bass measuring over 22 inches and the largest at 27 inches. Lakes Horseshoe, 3 and 5 had the best speck bite. Panfish action was best at lakes Picnic and 3. The catfish bite was best at lakes Picnic and Pine, reports FWC biologist Paolo Pecora. At Saddle Creek, the bass bite is decent around the park, but there’s a good bluegill bite on red worms. Catfish anglers are reporting good numbers on liver. Around town, Lake Hollingsworth is good for specks on minnows at a depth of 6 feet. Lakes Gibson and Parker are producing more specks on jigs over minnows, on the bottom in deeper water, reports Kyle Stafford at Phillips Bait and Tackle (863-666-2248).
2 At Auburndale, lakes Ariana and Mattie have a good speck bite on minnows, reports Stafford. Lake Juliana is producing a lot of bass along with good numbers of specks. Around Lake Alfred, good numbers of specks are biting at lakes Haines, Echo, Rocelle, Swoope and Alfred. The fish are also moving shallower. Lake Alfred produced an 8-pound bass on a shiner on Monday. Rochelle and Haines are also good for 3- to 4-pound bass on shiners and lipless crankbaits, reports Ron Schelfo at Ron’s Tackle Box (863-956-4990).
3 At Winter Haven, Lake Shipp has been really good for specks at night. Orange color jigs are starting to produce specks on the south chain, reports Schelfo. Lake Hartridge is producing good numbers of specks at night on minnows. Lake Cannon has a good bass bite on offshore grass. Lake Eloise is also good for bass on speed worms and Rat-L-Traps, Capt. Jackson Williams of Action Bass Guide Service (863-326-3232).
What's Biting: Speckled Perch
Good numbers of speckled perch have been caught around the area. The fish are good size and starting to move shallower.
Strike Zones: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
4 At Lake Hamilton, better numbers of specks are biting on minnows and tandem rigs. The middle and little lake have been producing best this past week. The bass bite has improved on the big and little lake with the steady, cooler weather. “Slow worming” the outside edges of the deeper grass lines is producing the best bite. The best colors have been red shad and black with green glitter, reports Micky Ingram at Hoppy’s Marine (863-439-7616).
5 At Lake Marion near Haines City, the speck bite is picking up at night in the troughs and areas with deeper water north of Bannon Island. Some bass are biting in the areas that still have hydrilla, reports Ingram.
6 At Lake Pierce, the specks are starting to move up into the pads. Good numbers and some limits are being caught on minnows, but many of the fish are small and anglers are only keeping about half their catch. The bass bite is still slow. A few fish are biting along the grass lines on plastics, reports Jennings Resort (863-439-3811).
7 At Lake Hatchineha, bass are still hanging around the shell bars at the south end of the lake. Specks are biting on Muck City Tackle jigs on the outside grass lines and in hydrilla in Gator Cove, reports Charlie Wynperle at Bridgemaster Fishing Products (863-676-1009).
8 At Lake Toho, the north end of the lake is producing the best bass bite. Senkos and 10-inch junebug color worms are getting the bite early in the morning. Live shiner fishing is also starting to “heat up” around Kissimmee grass without a mix of hydrilla. Specks are biting on both jigs and minnows in deeper water around the north side, reports Jay Turner of Jay’s Bass Bustin Guide Service. (407-908-4739).
9 At Lake Kissimmee, anglers are catching specks while drifting minnows in front of “Pig Trail” among the many brush piles. The outside grass lines on the south side of Grassy and Bird islands are also producing early in the day. The bass are scattered and scarce. Cover water with a swim jig or a chatterbait for the best action, reports Wynperle.
10 At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, bass are moving up shallow. Cover water with a watermelon red color speed worm for the best results. For the specks, “grab a handful of minnows and drift across the lake until you find the fish,” reports Wynperle.
11 At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, specks were “hot and heavy” this past weekend. Limits of fish were caught around a depth of 25 to 30 feet. The size is averaging 12 inches, but the fish are “real thick” and a few are starting to show roe. The middle part of the lake at night has the best action and minnows are out producing jigs right now. For the bass, the U.S. 27 shore is producing plenty of schoolie size fish. Bigger fish up to 5 pounds, have been caught at the north end around the docks, reports Cindy Ritchison at Bob's Landing (863-638-1912). Little Crooked Lake is producing near limits of specks while drifting minnows in 7 to 8 foot of water, reports Jim Childress of Big Bass Bait & Tackle (352-207-7520).
12 At Frostproof, the speck bite is pretty good at Lake Reedy while drifting minnows and a few are starting to bite on jigs in the pads. Live shiners are producing bass around the pads there and spinnerbaits are producing along the edges of the grass. Lake Clinch is producing “big” specks while drifting minnows in 12 feet of water. Bass are biting there on Carolina rigged worms and shiners in deep water around the brush piles. Lake Livingston is producing some limits of specks while drifting minnows, reports Childress.
13 In the phosphate pits near Mulberry, pits with hydrilla in 5 to 10 feet of water are producing early on shad color topwater Whopper Plopper and Devil’s Horse lures. Later in the morning, switch over to junebug and junebug red color, curly tail vibe worms. The speck bite is decent, but the fish are mostly on the small side. “You really got to weed out the keepers,” reports Danny Hamm of Stones Bait & Tackle (863-940-4898).
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Freshwater: Specks are big and biting around Polk
