Freshwater: Bass bite remains strong in Polk County lakes

Fish of the Week

Largemouth Bass – The bass bite is good in most lakes around the Polk County area. Deeper, cooler water and areas with good running water from the recent rain are producing the best bite.

Strike Zone, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Around Polk County

1 Around Lakeland, frog baits and live shiners are producing good numbers of bass at Saddle Creek Park and big bass up to 8 pounds at Tenoroc. Bitter’s Magic Wand plastic worms in Candybug gold color are also producing good numbers of bass again this week. Garlic red worms are producing bluegill and a few shellcracker at Saddle Creek, for the panfish anglers, reports Melinda Lapina at Phillips Bait and Tackle (863-666-2248).

2 At Auburndale, Lake Juliana is producing a variety of fish, including decent numbers of bass, bowfin and a lot of gar. At Lake Ariana, plenty of schoolie bass in the 2- to 3-pound range are being caught on Rat-L-Traps. Around the Lake Alfred area, Lake Rochelle is good for shellcracker and bluegill on red worms and crickets. Bass are also good there on live shiners. Lake Haines is good for big bluegill on crickets. Good numbers of bass are biting on a variety of baits and catfish anglers are getting a good bite as well. Lake Alfred has a good bite for bluegill on crickets and red worms. Good numbers of bass, including three fish in the 8-pound class, were caught this week. Booyah lipless crankbaits, red shad with green glitter color, plastic worms and live shiners are getting the bait there, reports Schelfo.

3 At Winter Haven, bass fishing has been hit and miss on the south chain, but a lot of nice, size fish are biting around the mouths of the canals and areas with running water. Lake Summit is still very good for bass on deep diving crankbaits in the deeper holes on the lake. Live shiners are also producing good numbers of bass there. Good numbers of bluegill are biting on many lakes around the chain and Lake May has been especially good, reports Schelfo.

4 At Lake Hamilton, the bass bite is good at the big lake on black and blue color swim jigs or white color Rat-L-Traps in and around areas with pepper grass. Specks are being caught while trolling with minnows. Bluegill and shellcracker are biting on crickets around buggywhips in 2 feet of water or less. The middle lake is producing bass while flipping black and blue creature baits in the pads and buggywhips. The little lake is producing the best numbers of specks in the deeper wholes and around the brush piles. Minnows and jigs are producing, both while trolling and anchored, reports Kyle Brewer at Hoppy’s by Crossed Industries (863-439-7616).

5 At Lake Marion near Haines City, specks are being caught off the brush piles on jigs. Bluegill and shellcracker are biting crickets and red worms in and around the pads and grass. The best numbers are being caught in shallow water, with clear lake bottom with a depth of less than 2 feet. The bass bite is good on chrome or white color Rat-L-Traps and speed worms in Kissimmee grass with hard bottom, reports Brewer.

6 At Lake Pierce, the bass bite has been good this last week, mostly on topwaters, both early and late in the day. Plastic worms are getting the bite during the middle of the day, along with live shiners. Good numbers of fish up to 7-pounds have been caught. Near limits of bluegill and shellcracker are biting crickets, red worms and grass shrimp, mostly in the pads, reports Chris Beasley at Jennings Resort (863-439-3811).

7 At Lake Hatchineha, there’s a very good bass bite on a variety of artificial baits and live shiners in the running water around the markers leading into Cypress Canal. Bluegill and shellcracker are biting crickets and red worms around the mouth of Lake Marion Creek. A few specks are being caught around the Hourglass, reports Bridgemaster Fishing Products (863-676-1009).

8 At Lake Toho, bluegill are biting in the pads around Whaley’s Landing. Offshore structure such as shell bars and brush piles, are also producing bluegill, Offshore hydrilla around the lake is producing bass on chatterbaits, jerk baits and Rat-L-Traps. Good numbers of bass are biting along the outside grass lines on the west side of the lake. Pad fields around Whaley’s Landing are also producing on flukes and Senkos, reports Grady Johnson (407-205-6719).

9 At Lake Kissimmee, the bass bite has been a little slow, but a few fish are being caught while flipping plastics along the grass lines. The shellcracker bite is good around Jack’s Slough and the 27 Palms area. A few specks have been caught on jigs around the brush piles, reports Bridgemaster’s.

10 At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, panfish anglers are catching good numbers of bluegill and shellcracker on crickets and red worms around the pencil reeds. A few specks are also being caught while drifting minnows in 8 feet of water. Decent numbers of bass are biting in open water on the state marked brush piles, reports Bridgemaster’s.

11 At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, the schoolie bass bite is good along the U.S. 27 side and decent numbers of bass up to 5-pounds are biting to the north by the college. Good numbers of big size shellcracker have been biting on red worms across from Wirt’s Point, reports Cindy Ritchison at Bob's Landing (863-638-1912). Big bass up to 7-pounds have been caught on live shiners around the mouth of Little Crooked. Good numbers of bluegill and shellcracker are still biting on red worms on the bottom around Grassy Island. Some specks are still biting on minnow in deeper water around 20 to 25 feet deep, reports Jim Childress of Big Bass Bait & Tackle (352-207-7520).

12 At Frostproof, at Lake Reedy, the bluegill bite is good on red worms on the bottom in 6 to 8 feet of water. The bass bite is good there while drifting live shiners along the edges of the grass. Red shad color, Carolina rigged plastic worms are also getting a good bite. Lake Arbuckle is producing big bass on live shiners around the edges of the pads. Big 10-inch, black and blue color plastic worms are also getting the bite. The bluegill bite is good on crickets in the pads and in the Cypress trees at the south shore. At Lake Clinch, the bass bite is still good on live shiners along the west shore. The brush piles are producing bass on Carolina rigged plastic worms. Shellcracker are biting there on red worms on the bottom in 12 feet of water, reports Childress.

13 In the phosphate pits near Mulberry, anglers should continue to call ahead, as some of the Fin and Feather pits are still closed due to nuisance alligators. Bass are mostly biting in deeper water as they are following the shad schools and feeding on them. Black and blue color Senkos or Junebug red color worms are getting the best bite, early in the day. As the sun gets higher, both lipped and lipless crankbaits will produce. Shad color cranks have been producing the best numbers, but Firetiger will also get the bite, reports Danny Hamm of Bull Bay Tackle Company. (863-937-3292).