FRESHWATER: Speckled perch fishing turned on around the Polk County area - The Ledger
At Winter Haven, Lake Cannon is producing good numbers of bluegill and some shellcracker; the bass bite is pretty good around deeper structure
Fish of the Week
Speckled Perch — Speck fishing turned on around the Polk County area this week. A number of spots report a good bite.
Strike Zone, 1, 2, 6, 10, 11, 12,
Around Polk County
1 Around Lakeland, at Tenoroc, bass fishing was best on lakes Butterfly, Horseshoe, Lost Lake West, 2 and 3. Lakes Coronet, 5 and B also had high catch rates. This past week there were 34 large bass over 19 inches reported. Four bass measured over 22 inches, with the largest measuring close to 26 inches. The best speck bite was at Lake Legs. The panfish bite was best on lakes Picnic and B. Catfish were also best at Lakes Picnic and B, reports FWC biologist Paolo Pecora. At Saddle Creek, the bass bite has slowed a bit. The fish have moved out to the deeper water rock piles. Slow dragging ribbon tail and trick worms is producing the best bite. "Bunches" of bluegill and tilapia are biting from the banks on crickets and red worms. Good size catfish are biting on liver and night crawlers. Around town, Lake Parker is still producing limits of bluegill and shellcracker shallow around the pads and shoreline grass on grass shrimp and red worms. The bass bite is good there on chatterbaits and Rat-L-Traps in the hydrilla. Flipping creature baits in the cattails though, is producing the big bass. Lake Gibson is good for bass around the docks on Zoom Flukes and jerkbaits. The speck bite is good at Lake Hancock on minnows in deeper water close to the shoreline, reports Kyle Stafford at Phillips Bait and Tackle (863-666-2248).
2 At Auburndale, Lake Ariana has a good bass bite on Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits around the deeper hydrilla and peppergrass at a depth of 6 feet. Big bass are biting there during mid-day while flipping creature baits in thick Kissimmee grass, reports Stafford. Lake Juliana is producing bluegill around shoreline grass and shellcracker on the drop-offs. Drifting minnows in deeper water is producing some specks. Ariana is producing schoolie bass on live shiners, reports Ron Schelfo at Ron's Tackle Box (863-956-4990). Around Lake Alfred, Lake Rochelle is producing bass up to 7 pounds on crankbaits and shiners. Lakes Haines, Rochelle and Alfred are producing good numbers of bluegill on crickets and red worms. Haines and Rochelle are also producing good size specks while drifting minnows in deeper water, reports Schelfo.
3 At Winter Haven, Lake Cannon is producing good numbers of bluegill and some shellcracker. The bass bite is pretty good there on live shiners and crankbaits around deeper structure. Plenty of catfish are biting there at the park. Lake Summit is producing good size bass in the deeper water, reports Schelfo.
4 At Lake Hamilton, the best bass bite has been around the shell beds on the middle lake. Bluegill and shellcracker are biting in the pads and grass on the south side of the big lake, reports Hoppy's Marine (863-439-7616).
5 At Lake Marion near Haines City, early in the morning, there's a lot of schooling bass in the moving water outside the mouth of Marion Creek. Later on, the bass are moving into the reeds, reports Hoppy's Marine.
6 At Lake Pierce, decent size, schoolie bass are biting plastics and a few topwaters on the edges of the grass, early in the morning. Bluegill and shellcracker are biting on the edges of the pads on the east side of the lake. Red worms are getting the best numbers, but crickets are also producing. A few specks are biting minnows at night, under the lights, reports Jennings Resort (863-439-3811).
7 At Lake Hatchineha, bass are biting on the edges of the grass. Pitch a black and blue color Senko rigged on a ¼ oz. weight for the best results. Shellcracker are biting in the pads at Marker 10, reports Charlie Wynperle at Bridgemaster Fishing Products (863-676-1009).
8 At Lake Toho, consistent daily rains in the afternoon are producing good running water and a lot of bass at Shingle Creek. Offshore hydrilla in areas with clean water, at the south end of the lake is producing a good bass bite on a variety of baits. Lanier Point is holding good numbers of schoolie size bass in the morning. Zara Spooks or any bait that imitates a shad will get the bite. The point is also producing bluegill on crickets and red worms around the pads, reports Grady Johnson (407-205-6719).
9 At Lake Kissimmee, with the full moon this past weekend, the shellcracker have been "on fire" in the pads and grass at Lemon Point and the 27 Palms area. Look for shad in the grass at first light and the bass will be nearby. Cast a ¼ oz. swim jig in white color and "keep it up top." The flipping bite is also starting to produce more fish, reports Wynperle.
10 At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, anglers are catching some specks while trolling white color Wack'Em Jigs. A mix of bluegill and some shellcracker are biting in the pads. Bass are active in the early morning and evenings. A Reaction Innovations, Houdini color Skinny Dipper in the grass and pads should get the bite, reports Wynperle.
11 At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, there were good mayfly hatches this past weekend and the topwater bite for bass has been good. Most of the bass are schoolie size in the 2 to 3-pound range. The largest bass reported this week was 6 pounds. There's still a good shellcracker bite on red worms around Grassy Island, reports Cindy Ritchison at Bob's Landing (863-638-1912). There's been a good speck bite this week while drifting minnows in deep water around Wirt's Point. Bluegill and shellcracker are also biting around the point on red worms on the bottom around 12 foot, reports Jim Childress of Big Bass Bait & Tackle (352-207-7520).
12 At Frostproof, Lake Reedy is producing some specks while drifting minnows around the brush piles. Bass are biting there early on topwaters and while drifting shiners on the edges of the grass. Bluegill are also biting on red worms on the bottom at 6 foot. Lake Clinch is producing bass early on Zoom Horny Toads in the grass and squarebill crankbaits along the edges of the grass. Drifting shiners is also producing bass along the west shore. During the day, the deep brush piles are producing bass on Carolina rigged worms. A mix of shellcracker and bluegill are biting red worms on the bottom at about 8 foot. Lake Arbuckle is producing bluegill on crickets around the Cypress trees at the south shore. The pads by the boat ramp are also producing bluegill. Bass are biting in the moving water going in and out of the lake, reports Childress.
13 In the phosphate pits near Mulberry, the early topwater bite is pretty good on River2Sea Whopper Ploppers in Blue Blood color. Shad color, Rebel Pop-R's are also getting a good bite. Later, as the sun rises, work the rocky bars and points with big 10-inch ribbon or vibe tail worms in junebug red color, reports Danny Hamm of Bull Bay Tackle Company. (863-937-3292).
Compiled By: Michael Wilson / Ledger Correspondent
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