Central Florida Bass Fishing Report Winter Haven LEGOLAND Camp Mack Kissimmee Chain
In case you may not have gotten the notice about the weather here in Central Florida, it’s mighty dang hot! Thankfully, the early morning bass fishing bite is equally as hot.
It is simply a matter of getting out early and “listening” to the fish which brings me to something new we offer this year; we now have early-bird 2.5 hour trips at a discounted rate on lakes all around Winter Haven. This allows people to get out and enjoy the incredible bass fishing that we are world famous for and still get back to the hotel or condo mid-morning and make it to the parks, beaches, or anything else the family wants to do for the rest of the day. I was hesitant to offer this at first but it’s popularity is growing quickly so we’re running with it.
Starting with the Winter Haven South Chain and many of the smaller lakes around town our approach each day depends upon the moon phase and nighttime weather conditions. A new moon and/or cloudy skies equal an excellent early morning topwater bite and conversely a clear full moon means fishing deeper and slower. For either situation you’ll rarely find me fishing shallower than 14’-16’ on most lakes and many times I’ll be out in 20’-30’ throwing a Pop-R.
Having a handful of baits to cover all your bases is easy and you don’t need 38 rods on the deck to accomplish this feat. If you have a Pop-R, fluke, 3”-4” 1/4oz swimbait or grub (does anyone besides me fish these anymore?!), and a deep diving jerkbait or crankbait you’re all set for action. I always prefer natural lighter colors in the spring-fed lakes with good visibility, whites/pearls, watermelon reds, smoke, and I carry chartreuse for an overcast low-light morning. You can look at the solunar calendars or go out and check the pool deck at 0300 if you like but you’ll know what the fish are doing just looking out from the ramp when you launch.
Moving over to Guy Harvey Outpost’s Camp Mack on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes we’re facing a whole different world. Out here in Olde World Florida I like starting offshore over scattered shell beds with hydrilla or eel grass nearby. Ninety-nine percent of the time I’m starting with topwaters but carry a couple totally different options. I have a bigger black & gold Spook and a regular white Pop-R and will mix it up until I know the fish are chasing shad or shiners, and sometimes it’s a mix and both work equally well. Get your black & blue flipping baits ready for the pads and grass once the sun gets up higher after 0930-1000.
You can also get fishing report updates on WPCV 97 Country every Thursday evening with Capt. Scott & Grant Starr.
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