Fresh Polk County Fishing Reports

If you have never experienced the incredible bass fishing that Central Florida has to offer you owe out to yourself to book a trip today! With the cooler lake temps in the 69-71* range the bass are on a feeding frenzy most days and we are catching them on both artificial baits and shiners slow trolled behind the boat. Surprisingly we have already had one major spawning period earlier this month. December is typically a minor wave compared to say February but this fish felt the urge already. With that, they are not only feeding on the local native shad but they are also chasing bluegills even though that is more a defense mechanism because they like to raid the beds. Flukes, swimjigs, rattle traps, topwaters are all coming into play and the fishing is a TON of fun. Now is a great time to not only put good numbers in the boat but also the quality of fish is really on fire. I would not be surprised if we put a couple of Trophy Catch Program (8lb+) in the boat thru the end of the month, we've already come close by a few ounces already.

The weather has cooled some and lake temps have dropped but the big bass are biting.

Book your trip to have a chance at a trophy like this!

One of the best and most accurate memes I’ve seen online the last few weeks goes something like this: “It’s almost fall in Florida and you know what that means? Nothing. Absolutely Nothing. It’s still Florida and it’s hot.” Considering it’s 91 outside as I sit under the fans on the lanai writing this I couldn’t agree more. Although we’ve had a scare with Hurricane Dorian and there is some activity in the tropics the Farmer’s Almanac is forecasting a drier and warmer month. Let’s hope it’s not drought-type dry because that can have some adverse effects for the big lakes. The smaller, deeper, spring-fed lakes won’t feel the pressure. So let’s get to the fishing in these conditions and start on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes fishing out of Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina, and RV Resort. The water is falling slightly but the river is flooded so bad south of the Hwy 60 lock that there is not a lot of room downstream to store much more. That being said keep your fingers crossed that they don’t drop the lakes too much. As it stands there is an awesome morning topwater bite in scattered pockets around pads and kissimmee grass, as well as out in open water over shell beds, eel grass, and contour breaks. This is the time to throw your favorite black and gold Devil’s Horse, Spook, or any other bigger profile topwater including bigger Pop’Rs. Once the sun gets up high, and depending upon wind or cloud cover that game will end and it’s time to switch to swimjigs and Gambler EZ Swimmers. Flipping junebug or black & blue senkos is always a safe bet around pads, outside grass lines, or holes in the hydrilla. Moving back to Winter Haven and the South Chain I don’t really expect to feel too many effects from the weather. Many of these lakes are insulated from pattern changes because they have deeper water, deeper vegatation, and are spring fed. All of that means you may not always bust them up top but they are always there and you can find fish actively feeding. Now to clarify, I will still have a Pop-R or Jumpin’ Minnow tied-on every single trip out no matter what. I will also have my usual arsenal of flukes, 1/4oz jig heads and smaller swimbaits, both shallow and mid-depth crankbaits, and more than likely a jerkbait or two. Here, I’m 99% sure to have all of these in more natural colors in the white/pearl, watermelon reds, chrome/black back families.

One of the best and most accurate memes I’ve seen online the last few weeks goes something like this: “It’s almost fall in Florida and you know what that means? Nothing. Absolutely Nothing. It’s still Florida and it’s hot.” Considering it’s 91 outside as I sit under the fans on the lanai writing this I couldn’t agree more. Although we’ve had a scare with Hurricane Dorian and there is some activity in the tropics the Farmer’s Almanac is forecasting a drier and warmer month. Let’s hope it’s not drought-type dry because that can have some adverse effects for the big lakes. The smaller, deeper, spring-fed lakes won’t feel the pressure. So let’s get to the fishing in these conditions and start on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes fishing out of Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge, Marina, and RV Resort. The water is falling slightly but the river is flooded so bad south of the Hwy 60 lock that there is not a lot of room downstream to store much more. That being said keep your fingers crossed that they don’t drop the lakes too much. As it stands there is an awesome morning topwater bite in scattered pockets around pads and kissimmee grass, as well as out in open water over shell beds, eel grass, and contour breaks. This is the time to throw your favorite black and gold Devil’s Horse, Spook, or any other bigger profile topwater including bigger Pop’Rs. Once the sun gets up high, and depending upon wind or cloud cover that game will end and it’s time to switch to swimjigs and Gambler EZ Swimmers. Flipping junebug or black & blue senkos is always a safe bet around pads, outside grass lines, or holes in the hydrilla. Moving back to Winter Haven and the South Chain I don’t really expect to feel too many effects from the weather. Many of these lakes are insulated from pattern changes because they have deeper water, deeper vegatation, and are spring fed. All of that means you may not always bust them up top but they are always there and you can find fish actively feeding. Now to clarify, I will still have a Pop-R or Jumpin’ Minnow tied-on every single trip out no matter what. I will also have my usual arsenal of flukes, 1/4oz jig heads and smaller swimbaits, both shallow and mid-depth crankbaits, and more than likely a jerkbait or two. Here, I’m 99% sure to have all of these in more natural colors in the white/pearl, watermelon reds, chrome/black back families.

The summer bass fishing in Winter Haven continues to stay hot! It is all about the morning bite and we are catching good numbers of fish and big fish too every day out. We’re catching bass on artificial baits as well as shiners so we recommend 2-3 dozen shiners min for each trip.