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Bass Spawn Around The Corner

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 10, 2007

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Mark Cook.

Local guides and fishermen are seeing more and more buck bass moving through the shallows, which means the larger females aren't far behind. Our winter weather patterns have been somewhat unpredictable with unusually warm weather so far. This could trigger an earlier spawn, possibly kicking off with this month's full moon.

A tournament on Lake Kissimmee this past weekend saw excellent numbers with bass up to 8 pounds. Bass are being caught flipping the grass lines or lily pads although the larger fish seem to be just off the edges.
Lake Tarpon arguably the most consistent bass lake in west central Florida during the past six months is still producing 12-24 fish on half-day trips. Wild shiners are the top bait of choice as the females are looking to fatten up before the colder weather sets in.
Speckled perch have been hit or miss depending on where you are fishing. The Kissimmee chain has been giving up limits on minnows particularly at night and decent numbers during the day. The usual haunts of Bird, Brahma and Grassy Islands have been the main focus of crappie anglers.

On the saltwater front, redfish are staging in the potholes and swash channels around lower Tampa Bay. The mouth of the Manatee River is seeing lots of snook action as water temperatures are still hovering near 70 degrees. The artificial reefs in the Bay were kind to Joel Capps and Ronald Davis as they caught grouper, grunts and sheepshead on a day trip last week.

For charter trip information, contact Mark Cook at (813) 846-9277 or send an e-mail

to tribfishing@aol.com.

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