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Speck Season Right Around the Corner

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 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.

Each fall brings several of my favorite things. Cooler weather, football and speckled perch season, just to name a few. While catching monster bass or redfish is a treat, there's something about being out on the lake with a cool breeze, a soda and a minnow dancing under a slip bobber that really gets me excited. Sure it's still a month or so away, but it's never too early to start scouting and getting ready for fall/winter crappie fishing.

While specks are normally targeted during the colder winter and spring months, some of the largest fish are caught in October, November and December. Numbers aren't normally as good, but size can make up the difference.
Lake Tarpon guide Lenny Crispino says minnow sales soon will start picking up.

'Right now, we sell a few pounds of minnows a week, but by October and November it jumps to 10 or 20,' Crispino said. 'Our lake doesn't seem to produce the numbers you find on the Kissimmee chain, but it's not uncommon to see fish caught in the 2- to 3-pound range on a consistent basis.'
Lake Tarpon anglers fish the deeper holes in the lake with minnows under a bobber for the most part, but several anglers fish 1/32 - or 1/16 -ounce Superjigs on or near the bottom.
Lake Kissimmee already is producing good speck numbers near Marker 7 on minnows, with most of the fish coming at night. Other excellent local specks holes are area phosphate pits like Teneroc and the Medard Reservoir and the Tampa Bypass Canal.

For more information, contact Mark Cook at tribfishing@aol.com.

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