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Warm Winter Results In Good Bass Action

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By FRANK SARGEANT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 12, 2007

Winter sometimes makes largemouth bass fishing tough. Particularly in the two or three days after a cold front blows through, the bright sun, north wind and abrupt pressure changes can make it nearly impossible to get a bite in Florida's shallow lakes.

But this year there have been no real cold fronts, and thus bass have not gotten into the typical winter cycle.

In fact, it's just as likely you'll catch a fish on topwater in 2 feet of water along the shores, a pattern that's usually reserved for spring and early summer.

And as Tampa Tribune correspondent Mark Cook has pointed out, we're very likely to see heavy spawning on the new and full moons this month, because the water temperature is near perfect. Spawning periods are sometimes altered or even wiped out when strong cold fronts come through from December through March, but that has not been an issue this year.

Anglers looking for a trophy fish can't do much better than Lake Kissimmee, which puts out hundreds of bass 8 pounds and up each winter and spring. Another good bet is Lake Rosseau, on the Withlacoochee River near Dunnellon. Rodman Reservoir and the tributary Ocklawaha River are always productive. And for those who enjoy catch-and-release, the Stick Marsh near Vero Beach is unbeatable. Lake Okeechobee also puts out lots of big fish every year, despite pollution problems.

All of these venues yield lunkers most frequently to anglers who fish live shiners - but not just any shiner. Most bass experts agree the wild shiners caught in Florida lakes are far superior to domestically raised shiners. They are often larger, have a deep golden color and are much more active on the hook. It's a safe bet to say that more than half of the 10-pound-plus bass caught in the state every year are caught on wild shiners.

Anglers after trophy bass usually choose large minnows, eight to 10 inches long. These are typically fished on a 5/0 or larger hook and on line testing 30 pounds or more. The heavy gear is needed to pull the fish out of the thick cover where they're most often hooked.

Probably the second-most effective big bass lure is a large plastic worm, fished on a single hook and Texas-rigged, meaning the hook is run through the head of the worm, then turned, and the barb hidden in the belly to make the lure weedless. This lure, typically eight to 10 inches long, is hopped along bottom around spawning areas, on drop-offs and along the outer edge of hydrilla beds.

There continues to be some controversy about fishing for bass during the spawn, but the spawn here is so spread out, running roughly from December through April, that avoiding it would mean closing almost half the year to angling.

In any case, biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission repeatedly have indicated that there seems to be no impact on bass populations from fishing during the spawn. So long as the water quality is good and native vegetation is in good shape, bass populations thrive. Anglers release nearly all the largemouth bass they catch, so even though pulling fish off the beds likely disrupts a single spawn, these fish usually survive and return to the shallows to bed again, so the cycle of reproduction is completed.

A single pair of bass can produce tens of thousands of offspring. If only two of those survive to adulthood, the population remains steady.

SEEING THE LIGHT: Alligator hunter Phil Walters is among a number of outdoors people pushing the conservation commission to open late summer/fall alligator hunts to daytime hunting. Currently, hunters can hunt only at night.

"Georgia has allowed daylight access to alligator hunting since its inception in 2001 without noticeable issues," Walters said. "There's no reason Florida can't do the same."

And, Walters pointed out, the restriction on night hunting only increases the number of complaints from waterfront homeowners, who are disturbed by the airboats often necessary to get into the shallow waters where gators are found. Walters said 24-hour hunting also would make law enforcement easier and make it simpler for hunters to navigate the sometimes-tricky swamps and rivers where gators are most abundant.

ETC.: The Snook Foundation's holiday banquet and fundraiser is tonight at 6:30 at Snookers Grill, 606 N. Pinellas Ave. in Tarpon Springs. The $25 ticket includes dinner. All snook anglers are welcome. For more information, visit www.snookfoundation.org. ... Tightlines Tackle, 6924 N. Armenia Ave. in Tampa, holds a women's shopping night from 6-9 tonight. The free admission includes wine, snacks and special deals on men's fishing gear; (813) 932-4721.

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