Lake Kissimmee & Winter Haven Florida Bass Fishing Report July 2021
First off we’d like to “welcome” all of new vacationers down here in Central Florida, and “welcome back” all of the many seasoned vacationers in our area. It is still strange trying to get tourists back down here but we are open and doing everything we can to make memories happen on the water. It seems like cabin fever had set-in on most of the country and we are here to offer the cure!
In Winter Haven on the South Chain of Lakes, and a handful of the stand alone lakes, the largemouth bass have been out chasing schooling bait fish for many weeks now in deeper waters. It is definitely a “morning bite” that we are chasing out here with most trips leaving the dock by 0630. There are two reasons for that: first is that the bass are out feeding at sunrise most days, the second is that we’ve had requests for trips less than 4hrs so that the anglers can get back to their hotels or condos to meet the rest of the family and get to the parks or beaches in the morning still. With that said, some people are not early risers and like to fish from 0900 for a couple hours and still catch good fish before it gets too hot, then head back to the hotel, we can accommodate that also.
Back to catching these green beasts, 99% of our trips offer both live and artificial baits. With our 23’ bay boat we can easily give shiners a “swimming lesson” off the back of the boat in rod holders while guests can have the entire front deck to fish artificial baits along the grass lines and deep water springs. Our best baits this time of year are Pop-Rs, flukes, Z-Man & Gambler swimbaits, jerkbaits, and senkos. We mostly fish clear spring-fed lakes with a good 6’-10’ of visibility so natural colors and lighter lines are in order. You can use “heavy” gear but most of these fish get very line and tackle shy so downsizing is key. Besides, we’re not trying to horse a fish out a hyacinth mat or bulrush points, we’re in mostly open water.
Heading over to Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina, and RV Resort on the Kissimmee River we’re talking about fishing in Olde World Florida at it’s finest. This is were we can truly get lost in the world catching big bass with the alligators, eagles, and osprey. Here we still give shiners swimming lessons earlier in the morning while throwing bigger black & gold topwaters or sub-surface baits, Gambler EZ Swimmers, Spooks, etc for the first few hours. After that most guests opt for heading into the jungle and some combat fishing with frogs, jigs, flipping worms, and EZ Swimmers in the heavy grass and pads.
Capt. Scotty Taylor
855-FL-GUIDE (855-354-8433)
Website: TMCGuideService.com Email: scott@TMCGuideService.com
Capt. Scott Taylor is the Senior Pro Guide for Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina & RV Resort as well as an Official Partner & Guide for VisitCentralFlorida.org, the Polk County Tourism Board
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