ARCHIVE NEWS & REPORTS

This is one of the strangest reports and articles I think I’ve written in my entire fishing career. The last 2-3 months are typically the busiest of the year and have us running multiple boat trips, and tons of doubles but that just was not the case.  I’ve been on the water with friends and single client trips but with the down time it’s the first time since I was a kid long before I started guiding a decade ago that I can devote so many beautiful morning to the woods in God’s “Other” Country - the water will always be my first love.

 First, I hope this finds all of you and your families well.  As a Navy Corpsman who served TB/HIV “Sunshine Wards” in Cuba back in the mid-90’s for the Cuban & Haitian rafter crisis, being in the fresh air and sunshine is THE BEST place to be to still live life and not live in lockdown or fear.  This is not to be negative to those that want to self-quarantine, I’m not judging, but I know from real life practical nursing and field experience that you’re at very low risk on the water while still practicing safe measures. Last month was the first time in countless trips in something like 5 years that I did not shake hands with Mr. Martin before launching and “high-fives” on yet another awesome bass in the boat.  It was weird but we adapted and overcame it just fine.

 So, with that being said let’s get to fishing on the Kissimmee Chain out of Camp Mack.  May is going to have these fish really settling into their summer patterns big time and hopefully the rainy season starts sooner rather than latter and we can get more water into the lakes.  More water means moving water and moving water is critical when the lake temps are up.  We should be seeing more dragon fly hatches, shad and shiner spawns on the different moon phases which all leads to increased feeding periods, which means more fish in the boat.  Start out your mornings with your favorite topwater lures depending upon which parts of the lakes you’re on.  I like open water early so a Zara Spook or Devil’s Horse is always in play, frogs if you’re in the juggle.  Of course we all switch up to worms, flukes, or swimbaits as the sun gets higher in the sky.

 In Winter Haven I’m always looking for that early morning topwater bite so smaller baits like Pop-Rs or any 4” bait will do.  Here, it’s a broken record but if you don’t have a fluke tied-on, you’re cheating yourself.  That’s not the only bait to throw as crankbaits & swimbaits will always perform, but a fluke is essential in my boat.

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Well here we are just into April and the bass have already moved into their summer patterns.  The fishing and catching the last month have been very steady with lots of families going home with tons of pics of big bass and big smiles.  To me, that’s what counts the most and truly makes my day out on the water.  The key here is finding the bait.  Where you find bait I can almost guarantee that you will find the bass. 

In both Winter Haven and out at Guy Harvey Outpost’s Camp Mack we’ve had some of the most memorable days for kids and family trips in recent years.  We’ve had so many days with people of all experience levels catching the biggest bass of their lives and that is why we do this folks. Being a bass fishing guide will never make me monetarily rich, it’s all about our slogan for over 10yrs in service: “Making Memories One Trip At A Time.”

In Winter Haven you can catch as many fish as your heart desires on topwaters, flukes, jerkbaits, and both shallow and deep diving crankbaits.  With kids in the boat fishing artificial always have several bags of senkos which you can rig-up either Texas or wacky (sideways).  For your flukes and jerkabaits natural whites and pearls are your best bets with a “ghost ayu” a close second.  Once in awhile I’ll “test the waters” as it were with a crazy color pattern on anything from a crankbait to a swimjig just for giggles and it’s always fun when that works.  Don’t be afraid to play around once in awhile and think outside the box.  For your shiners here your best bet will always be ML-L domestic shiners.

Over on the Kissimmee Chain I will still spend most of my time offshore in “deeper” waters with shell beds, eel grass and scattered hydrilla.  Not only are there a lot of fish out there it’s easier for me to give shiners swimming lessons off the back of my 220 Viper while clients fish artificial baits up front.  For lures we always start with several topwater baits from Pop-R’s to prop baits and Spooks in black, gold, and I really like white to change things up ever now and then.  For flukes it’s really hard to beat white in these tannic waters, and if a senko is your thing NEVER EVER leave the dock without a bag full of black & blue baits sticks.  Wild shiners are always a good insurance policy to entice a few extra fish plus it’s always fun watching a bass wake behind a shiner busting it to the surface before engulfing it and running-off.

As always please practice CPR - “Catch, Photograph, and Release”.

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How does it get any better than March in Central Florida? The weather is warming up, and we have Spring Training baseball plus incredible bass fishing, and THAT folks is a winning combination.

Well, February turned out to be a better month weather-wise than was originally predicted by multiple sources. The first week was brutal then it stabilized and so did the bass fishing after that on both the Winter Haven Chains and the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.

So starting out in Winter Haven, we’re still working with a mix of pre and post spawn fish and that makes for great days on the water. The air and water temps should be rather stable - even though we are always subject to cold/storm front for a day or two - which will keep the fish feeding.

I’m a firm believer in fishing offshore over deep vegetation with a variety of shad imitation baits. Flukes, swim baits in your favorite brand, crankbaits, and jerkbaits are all highly effective this time of year. At some point this month the post-spawn fish should start schooling and chasing bait which brings your topwater baits into play. As for fishing with shiners I’ll have a combination of wild native and domestics from 3” to 6” whenever possible and switch them up until the bass tell you what they prefer that day. Some days it flat does not matter, other days they get a little particular as to their dining preferences.

Heading east to Lake Kissimmee and fishing out of Camp Mack I’m expecting a lot of great trips making lots of memories with new and old guests alike. Here, trips are a little more customized for each guest and their fishing preferences. If a client is more focused on strictly artificial baits we’ll be using a combination of hollow body frogs & soft body frogs like Gambler Buzz’n Cane Toads, Gambler EZ Swimmers, senkos, and Zoom Trick Worms. Those are all baits that are highly effective up in the jungle in heavy cover, as well as offshore over submerged vegetation.

For most trips though it’s fishing offshore over eel grass and hydrilla as well as shell beds in open water. On these trips we can effectively fish a combination of both live and artificial baits. I like to give 5”-8” wild shiners swimming lessons off the back of the bay boat while guests fish with lures up front. A few of the best baits are a Spook or Spook Jr, a Devil’s Horse, jerkbaits, bladed swimjigs, and of course you have to have some flukes or senkos on hand.

Please remember to Catch, Photograph, and Release the bass you catch, especially during spawning season. “Let ‘em Go & Let ‘em Grow”

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This is why folks from all over the world come to Central Florida, it's the chance to catch a world-class trophy largemouth bass. This one weighed 9lbs 0oz, was live released back to her home, and qualifies for the Trophy Catch Florida program.

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