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Bass Eating Through The Heat

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 11, 2008

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.

Despite hot weather and warm water, the bass bite throughout Central Florida has stayed steady. From Lake Tarpon to Lake Toho, bass numbers have been excellent, with fish being caught up to 7 pounds.

The Kissimmee chain has benefited from the recent rains, and with an increase in water levels, bass have responded. Early in the morning, fish are being caught working the grass lines and submerged vegetation. As the sun gets higher, the fish tend to hide in the shade, making it a little more difficult to get a bite. A shiner or plastic worm has been catching the majority of fish, but a few schooling bass are taking topwater and jerk baits.

Bluegill catches have slowed somewhat but there should be one more good late-summer spawn with the full moon. Crickets are hard to beat but wigglers are catching their fair share also. When the bluegill move off the beds, they spread out. Anglers are picking up a few at a time but still getting limits if willing to work a little harder.

On the saltwater side, redfish on the flats are steady and should only improve as the summer winds down. Working Berkley Gulps around mangroves on high water has been a solid tactic and fishing them on jig heads in the potholes are also catching fish up to 32 inches around Perico and Palma Sola in Manatee County.

Bruce Jacobs, Denny Phillipus and Mike Riffey got on a strong trout bite Thursday fishing the long sand bar in the south part of the bay near the Manatee River. Using live shrimp and Berkley Gulps, they caught 45 trout from 12 to 25 inches.

For more information,

contact Mark Cook at

tribfishing@aol.com.

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