Go Where the Fish Are – Monthly Fishing Forecast

Note: The following post is a new regular feature you can find here on Catch Central Florida. Monte Goodman, from Central Florida Bucketmouths guide service will be providing regular fishing forecasts to help you know where to find the fish in Polk County. So, now that you know where they are…it is up to you to catch them.

 Kissimmee chain

 The Kissimme chain is alive and well. Here we are in the dog days and still it’s taking 25 plus pounds (5 fish) to win just about every tournament! I have not seen summer fishing this good here in years. Lake Toho seems to be the most consistent lake on Kissimmee chain right now. As long as there’s plenty of healthy open water hydrilla that should continue. Have heard rumors of spraying over the last couple of weeks. Hopefully it’s just a rumor. There’s clean water from big grassy island all the way to the north end of the lake. That’s where most of the good hydrilla is growing. Still a few fish hitting topwater early but getting tougher as most of the fish are moving deeper or into thicker cover. Spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits worth a try early as well fished over open water hydrilla. Texas/Carolina rigged soft plastics are producing the lion’s share now. Junebug, black and blue, and watermelon are always good color choices here. Some of the biggest Bass are being caught flippin’ the deeper matted hydrilla with 3/4 – 1oz Texas rigged craws or creature baits, however bites can be few and far between. Fish attractors are holding some nice fish but be prepared to take a number.
 There’s just a trickle of current in the rivers and creeks now which will put the running water bite on hold until more heavy rains arrive. Still worth checking though especially after a good rain. Good looking hydrilla growing in Lakes Cypress and Hatchineha but a little on the shallow side for the most part. There’s some fish biting along the reedlines early and late, but tough to get bit during midday hours.
 The outside grasslines in Lake Kissimmee continue to produce both size and numbers. Bass are schooling on shad and minnows in and along grasslines early in the morning. These areas change from day to day as the Bass follow the bait schools into new areas. Find one of these schools and you can load the boat quickly. Topwaters and spinnerbaits work well if the fish are busting bait along the outside of the grass. If they’re busting up in the grass you will more than likely have to flip them out depending on the density of the grass. Use smaller baits to “match the hatch” and be patient, you’re trying to get a Bass to eat your lure with ten-thousand little baitfish swimming all around them. As the sun rises higher and the grass bite gets tougher, switch over to a flippin’ stick armed with a 1/2-1oz Texas rigged craw/worm. Flip deeper grass or pad lines. Also a few good fish hanging around open-water structure such as: shell beds, drop-offs, ect… Try a firetiger or shad colored deep diving crankbait or junebug, black and blue, or watermelon Texas/Carolina rigged soft plastics.
 

Winter Haven

 The south chain of Lakes is mostly navigible now but still 2 1/2-3 ft low. All three canals to lake Cannon are impassable for most boats. The north chain of lakes remains impassable with some of the canals being bone dry. I’m afraid it’s going to take a tropical system to fill these lakes up to their normal level. Water restrictions obviously don’t apply to those who have lakefront property on the chain of lakes as they continue to pump out thousands of gallons of water to keep their grass green, even with all the rain we’ve had. I’ve even seen some home owners extending their pipes further into the lake…duh!
 The fishing however remains outstanding on the chain, which suprisingly has, for some time now, been the most consistent public Bass fishery in Polk County. Twenty-five lb limits of fish are being caught consistently, mostly around deep structure. Deep submerged grasses such as hydrilla, eelgrass, peppergrass, coontail, or shrimpgrass all hold fish. Some of these grasses grow out to 15 plus feet deep. There’s also hundreds of brushpiles that have been planted in deep water on every lake of the chain over the years. Natural ledges that drop-off sharply into deep water are also abundant along with many man-made dredge holes. Shell beds or mussel bars hold numbers of big Bass as well. A little time spent watching and learning how to read a depthfinder can and will lead to some hefty summertime catches here. Also GPS makes life a lot easier when you are in the middle of the lake.
 Bass on the Winter Haven chain and surrounding lakes will  go deeper now than at any other time of year. They can be very hard to find and tricky to catch. Crankbaits and Texas/Carolina rigged soft plastics are always king here in the summer months. Keep your lures in contact with whatever cover/structure you are fishing. Use crankbaits that dive deep enough to dig into the bottom and worm weights heavy enough to stay on the bottom. Try firetiger or shad colored crankbaits and junebug or redbug worms for Texas/Carolina rigs. These open water fish, especialy in the clear lakes, sometimes suspend and relate only to baitfish. Find the schools of shad and you will find the Bass with them. Choose a lure that you can fish right through the school. Jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, and spoons are usually good choices. At times a school of Bass will hold up on a peice of structure for a week other times only for an hour or less. They may move only fifty yards or they may move across the lake. Be prepared to do likewise. There’s still a few fish on deeper emergent shoreline cover such as grass, cattails, reeds, and docks in the dirtier water lakes. Try flippin’ 1/4-3/4 oz Texas rigged smoke, watermelon, or junebug craws or creature baits.

Central Florida, where you’ll find beautiful lakes, great bass fishing and Monte Goodman. Monte has made a career of doing what he enjoys and does best as a professional bass guide and successful tournament angler. Guiding and fishing competitively for the past 15 years has given him the experience, skill and knowledge it takes to be a great fisherman. Monte is also a vocal advocate of Florida’s habitat and conservation efforts, supports and practices “catch and release” himself and encourages others to do the same. A member of tournament trails such as FLW, FOMNTT, BFL, and B.A.S.S just to name a few. Credited with well over a hundred local tournament wins, was back to back Angler of the Year in the largest B.A.S.S. affiliated club in the world, and has won numerous Big Bass honors. Monte’s ability to adapt, his versatility and lengthy resume has earned him a reputation anyone would be proud of.