Freshwater fishing: Speckled perch remains best bet for Polk

1 Around Lakeland, at Tenoroc, bass fishing was best on lakes Half Moon, Shop, 5 and C. Lakes Tern and B also had high catch rates. This past week 14 large bass over 19 inches were reported. Speck fishing was best at lakes Cemetery, Legs and 4. The best lakes for panfish were Derby, Picnic and Legs. Those lakes were also best for catfish, reports FWC biologist Paolo Pecora. At Saddle Creek, bass are starting to move up shallow around the park and the catfish bite has been good. Around town, Lake Parker has a good bass bite and specks are biting in open water on minnows and grass shrimp. Lake Hancock is producing good numbers of specks, reports Phillips Bait and Tackle (863-666-2248). 

2 At Auburndale, speck fishing is good just about everywhere. Lakes Alfred, Haines and Rochelle are producing plenty of limits on minnows both day and night, but night has been best. Decent numbers of bass have been caught and shiners are producing best, reports Ron Schelfo at Ron’s Tackle Box (863-956-4990). 

3 At Winter Haven, good reports of specks are coming from lakes Cannon, Hartridge and Shipp this week. Bass up to 5 pounds have been caught around the south chain on shiners. Lake Cannon has been one of the better lakes for the bass, reports Schelfo. Specks are biting all over the south chain on minnows and small jigs. Lakes Howard and Shipp have produced the best, reports Caribbean Bay Bait & Tackle (863-292-9755).

4 At Lake Hamilton, specks are moving in shallower on all three lakes and they’re biting minnows early in the day around the pads. At night, minnows under the lights, in open water is best. The bass bite is pretty steady. Chatterbatis, plastic worms and swimbaits are producing around cover and the isolated pad fields, reports Mickey Ingram at Hoppy’s Marine (863-439-7616). 

5 At Lake Marion near Haines City, good size specks are biting minnows at night in open water and also along the north side of Bannon Island. During the day, minnows are producing outside the Kissimmee grass lines on the east side of the lake. Bass are biting swimbaits and chatterbaits along the grass lines and around the mouths of the canals, reports Ingram.

6 At Lake Pierce, anglers are getting about 8 to 12 specks an outing on minnows in open water during the mornings. Night time numbers are better, up to 30 fish a trip. There’s not too many anglers fishing for bass, but a few fish are coming off the attractors, reports Jennings Resort (863-439-3811).

7 At Lake Hatchineha, specks are being caught while drifting minnows around the Hourglass. The canal between lakes Cypress and Hatchineha has been producing specks at night. The bass bite has been slow with the consistent pattern of cold fronts, reports Charlie Wynperle at Bridgemaster Fishing Products (863-676-1009).

8 At Lake Toho, specks are biting on minnows and trolled jigs in deep water out in front of the marina. Bass are “staging” on the edges of the Kissimmee grass. Black and blue color Senkos and white chatterbaits have been the best baits. Deeper water at the south end by Brown’s Point has been producing. Bluegill and shellcracker are biting worms on the bottom off Paradise Island and in the channel outside of Richardson’s Fish Camp, reports Capt. Brent Kirkendall of Horizon Fishing (727-505-4340).

9 At Lake Kissimmee, early in the morning try a Spro Frog out in front of the pad lines for bass up to 8 pounds. As the sun rises, flipping creature baits in the isolated grass patches should produce. Specks are still biting while drifting minnows around Marker 9 and on jigs and minnows in the pads around North Cove, reports Wynperle.

10 At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, specks are biting at night around the brush piles on minnows under the lights. Bass are “staging” off the reed lines. Cover water with a Zoom Houdini swimbait or a gold and black color Rat-L-Trap, reports Wynperle.

11 At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, night anglers are getting limits of specks on minnows fishing deep around 25 to 30 foot. Day anglers are getting around 12 to 20 fish a trip. The best areas are just outside the cove and to the north around the college. Some schoolie bass are biting along the U.S. 27 side, reports Cindy Ritchison at Bob's Landing (863-638-1912).

12 At Frostproof, Lake Livingston has a good speck bite while drifting minnows. Lake Reedy is producing specks during the day on minnows and at night while anchored under lights. Lake Arbuckle is still decent for specks while drifting minnows, but the fish are scattered. The bass bite has been good at lakes Clinch and Reedy on square bill crankbaits and shiners. Reedy produced a 9 pounder this week, reports Jim Childress of Big Bass Bait & Tackle (352-207-7520).

13 In the phosphate pits near Mulberry, flipping and pitching creature baits in heavy cover is producing a decent bass bite. Swim jigs in watermelon red color and minnow imitation lures are also getting the bite. Rat-L-Traps and Spro Aruku Shad rattling baits are also producing in water 5 to 10 feet deep. The speck bite is steady on jigs tipped with minnows, slow trolled over the ledges and humps.