Florida largemouth ??? HELP!! 2024

Rush reply :

First post on bass resource but been following for a long time. Hopefully someone can help me on this one.

Going on vacation next week to Florida. Gonna be fishing some of the local lakes in the area I’m stayin(crescent lake and lake Stella mostly)

Crescent is very tannic, Stella is crystal clear. I managed to catch a few last year but cant catch them consistently. Maybe have one day out of 10 that I can catch a fish or a few fish. Caught them last year flipping reed edges with a summer craw rage bug. Hard to tell what I’m fishing in because the depth/fish finder on boat is broken.

Any help on what to catch them on? Tried 10 inch junebug/black worms, topwater frogs, chartreuse spinnerbaits. Nothing seems to work. Might have something to do with the heat but it’s only chance i get to go down there

thanks !

813basstard reply :

Fish see a lot of bait down here. Not as easy as the magazines all say.

Go as light and natural as you can get away with in open water.

Flip when it gets dumb hot.

There is a new bait called a senko that seems to work.

There are fish in Florida I’ve seen one.

Don51 reply :

Tough time of the year down here. The dog days are upon us. Try to get out at first light. Try topwater, poppers, frogs, etc. Watch for alligators, they love topwater baits! As it heats up go to worms, senko styles, flukes, etc. Slow it down. You should be able to get a few. FL fishing is nothing like Roland Martin shows it to be! ????

Rush reply :

@Don51 I found out alligators loved topwater two years ago when one crushed my whopper plopper. Luckily, I got it back.

Hate to hear it’s a bad time right now. Was Really looking forward to catching a few big girls. I have thrown 10” junebug worms with no luck. You fishing shoreline reeds/pads right now or just open water ? Backed off the bank a few yards a good ways or hugged tight to cover? Docks any ?

Don51 reply :

I kayak fish and also bank fish. Most bass I catch are close to the bank and in cover. Get a few in open water, but not many. Every pond/lake fishes different. You will have to experiment and see what works. It is hot down here now. The bite, if there is one, is usually done by 10 a.m. Good luck!

Rush reply :

@Don51 that’s the time I normally come off the water anyway due to heat.

Mostly time I hear the busting in the reeds on s

all minnows but so think I can’t get to them.

hopefully can figure something out

Fishing_FF reply :

One of the local kayak clubs fished Lake Crescent a little while back. They started punching the shallow cover, but as they weren't getting bites, they moved into deeper water. The group landed over 2 dozen once they found a weedline on some deeper water structure.

I'd use the charts on your depth finder or download Navionics to your phone to help identify the deep water structures, and search around those spots for any breaks or breaklines.

Lake Crescent is reservoir for the St Johns, connected by creeks. If there is current from or into any of these creeks, I would also check those areas, too.

I can't help with Stella as I haven't been there and haven't heard anything about it. It sounds and looks interesting on Navionics, so I may have to make a trip up that way.

Rush reply :

@Don51 I found out alligators loved topwater two years ago when one crushed my whopper plopper. Luckily, I got it back.

@Fishing_FF stella is super clear and the floor is dominated by vegetation with shoreline pads/cattails.

As as stated in post, fish/depth finder is broken and not working (unfortunately) with no way to locate deeper water/underwater structure. Will Navionics help with that ?

Fishing_FF reply :

On 8/9/2019 at 2:16 AM, Rush said:

As as stated in post, fish/depth finder is broken and not working (unfortunately) with no way to locate deeper water/underwater structure. Will Navionics help with that ?

Yep, Navionics will help with that.

(I have the map shaded for depth zones to make them easier to quickly identify)

Before I get in my kayak and when I am bank fishing, I'll turn on the app. It will use your phone's location to plot you on the map. You can even select an area for a navigation guide to pop up for.

WRB reply :

Fix the sonar unit!

Tom

SeaCrow reply :

Try a gold spoon with yellow buck tail around the edge.. Mr Champ has worked for me in the past Good luck

SC53 reply :

Gonna be next to impossible to find any deep water structure without a depth finder. Best you could do would be back off the shoreline and hope for the best. I wouldn’t expect to catch any giants this time of year in Florida but it happens. Especially if you can find them out deeper. I’d just be happy to catch fish in this heat.

As mentioned above, if you can find any current, fish it. Carolina rig would be your friend there. Schoolers should be active for the first hour or so if you can find them. We’ve been catching a few in the St. John’s on flukes and shallow crankbaits around cover.

Fishing_FF reply :

On 8/13/2019 at 7:29 PM, SC53 said:

Gonna be next to impossible to find any deep water structure without a depth finder.

What about trolling spoonplugs?

Using spoonplugs and markers, you could very well create your own contour map of a lake. Various depth running crankbaits on 10-12# could be used as well to find deeper water.

SC53 reply :

Deep divers would help find the deeper grass, that’s kinda what I meant when I said to back off the shoreline. Trolling would be another good way to locate them as well and cover more water ????????

Fishing_FF reply :

Of course having a depth finder would be the primary route, but if it isn’t the OP’s boat or prohibited some other way, we’re on the same lines of thoughts for an alternate method.

All the depth finders at Turkey Lake got fried, so last time I was out there, I had to rely on the Navionic’s maps and switching up some 8’, 12’, and 20’ crankbaits to find the deep breaklines. Slower and a bit tedious, but we were able to find the fish.

soflabasser reply :

Fish at night

Rush reply :

@Fishing_FF is right. Not my boat it’s my father in laws. He has a place in crescent city that we visit every so often.

Update in week so far. Fished hard the past four mornings from daybreak till around 10 but man is it hot. I can handle heat but humidity is killer.

No fish for me (no live bait), father in law caught one on salt springs today on wild shiner. But I’m anti live bait (for bass) and love the lure life.

Tried flipping and pitching a SK rage bug (summer craw) and zoom ultravibe speed craw (junebug), chatterbait (green pumpkin w/ golden bream zoom fluke trailer (trust me the actions incredible)), whopper plopper (bone) missed one blow up at salt springs, chrome blue back rat-l-trap, golden chrome RES, and a big EZ gambler (forty miner) and a few other staples. Nothing in the reeds/pads, backing off and dragging the bottom.

Any help would be great, I appreciate the help from all you guys

@SC53 been throwing a few flukes. Haven’t threw any square bills but thought about it. Tried lipless but believe it or not lipless and I have never gotten along. Never really got the knack of it. And I’m also one if the rare anglers that have never tied a Carolina rig on. Even though my bass mafia box is full of the stuff for them.

soflabasser reply :

On 8/8/2019 at 12:26 PM, 813basstard said:

Fish see a lot of bait down here. Not as easy as the magazines all say.

Go as light and natural as you can get away with in open water.

Flip when it gets dumb hot.

There is a new bait called a senko that seems to work.

There are fish in Florida I’ve seen one.

Good advice. I find it funny how northerners think they can waltz on in to Florida and expect to catch a 8 pound or better bass on the first day of fishing in Florida. Even with a very good guide you are not guaranteed a big bass. Yes some get lucky but it is not common. You really have to earn a bass in Florida, especially from public waters during the Summer. Northern strain largemouth bass are definitely easier to catch compared to Florida strain bass at least based on my experience. Fishing at night can be a game changer, as well as learning how to fish heavy aquatic vegetation.

Rush reply :

@soflabasser absolutely agree. They are a harder to fish for than northern largemouth. But definitely consider that not all northern bass are easy either. They are heavily pressured. And I mean heavily. Many tournaments in my home waters have ended in a draw and entry fees given back to each angler. Not a single weighable fish. That’s in dog days of summer and they can be in 6 inches of water or 100 foot and just as hard due to crystal clear water. Funny enough I have seen people dress in all camo and literally not budge while fishing to catch them. One sign of movement and their gone. You have to earn some of them too. I’m sure you know more about the Florida bass as I know more about the northern bass, but trust me, some of them can be a headache to figure out too.

Im not saying I’ve never caught them here in Florida. I have but they are difficult from day to day this time of year. I have caught my fair share of brutes in Florida. I consider myself above average angler but always learning. I’m simply trying to up my game and keep up to date on what’s the trending patterns right now and advice to better myself as an angler in Florida as I could give you advice on bass in deep Kentucky lakes to improve your game. Definitely want the fishing in Florida to be more consistent and easier to break down.

Don51 reply :

soflabasser......Bingo! People that come down from the north have watched too many Roland Martin/Scott Martin shows! ????

Fishing_FF reply :

Are you flipping and pitching or punching heavy cover?

Are there afternoon storms up that way?

Have you tried using the Navionics and some crankbaits to find deepwater or offshore weedlines?

Seen any schoolies feeding on shad in what appears to be open water?

SC53 reply :

On 8/15/2019 at 12:46 AM, Fishing_FF said:

Are you flipping and pitching or punching heavy cover?

Are there afternoon storms up that way?

Have you tried using the Navionics and some crankbaits to find deepwater or offshore weedlines?

Seen any schoolies feeding on shad in what appears to be open water?

What FFF said.

Rush reply :

Yea I been using the Navionics as stated. It has been helpful. Finally got on a few yesterday. No size but fished for 2 hours and had 5 bass and a bowfin. Finally got them located now to tear them up. Their doing stuff differently everyday. One day their busting on bait next they ain’t even a ripple on the surface from any fish.

Fishing_FF reply :

On 8/16/2019 at 12:36 AM, Rush said:

Yea I been using the Navionics as stated. It has been helpful. Finally got on a few yesterday. No size but fished for 2 hours and had 5 bass and a bowfin. Finally got them located now to tear them up. Their doing stuff differently everyday. One day their busting on bait next they ain’t even a ripple on the surface from any fish.

Awesome!

Welcome to Florida where everyday is a new pattern. Not always but it can certainly feel that way.

The shad in the St Johns can get quite large, and it can be difficult to get an artificial lure in the bait pods that bass will hit when there is the abundance of large live bait. Sometimes a hair jig, a spinnerbait, or a swim jig will do the trick. Other times you need the super size spook. Still other times a fluke or big swimbait does the trick.

If the Navionics maps are correct, and you've found deep water structure that has fish, don't be afraid to upside or downsize. Think something like a 12" T-rigged worm dragged along the bottom, a 4" Senko on a light C-rig, or a 4" Roboworm on a weedless dropshot.

SC53 reply :

I’ll probably regret this but try a big flutter spoon where they were busting prior.

Fishing_FF reply :

On 8/16/2019 at 3:51 AM, SC53 said:

I’ll probably regret this but try a big flutter spoon where they were busting prior.

Nah.....a big Lake Fork spoon with a stinger treble doesn't work. LOL

The only time I don't have a set of spoons with me is when I'm bank fishing.

Good catch!

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Florida largemouth ??? HELP!! 2024

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