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Fishing: Around Polk County
1. Around Lakeland, Mike Fields weighed an 81⁄2-pound bass at Big Fish Outfitters caught at Lake Crago on a Storm Chug Bug on Saturday. He released the fish. A 9-pound bass also reported from Lake Gibson on a watermelon red Zoom Super Fluke over the weekend. Bass up to 25 inches on wild shiners at Tenoroc in lakes 4, F and Hydrilla, reports Brian Fleming. Lake 3 has been slow. Bass up to 6-8 pounds at Lake Parker, reports Bob Stone, flipping cattails with plastic craws and lizards (smoke, Smokin' Blue). Bass 3-5 pounds at Saddle Creek, but not good numbers. Specks up to 11⁄2 pounds at Saddle Creek Park, with one boat getting 34 on Monday in the back side behind the playground with smaller minnows and jigs, reports Phillips Bait and Tackle. Also a few specks at Lake Bonny. Specks slowed down during bad weather, but picking up again at Tenoroc, Lake Parker and Crago. At Tenoroc, lakes 3, 4, 5 and B producing specks (10-inch minimum) on minnows and jigs.
2. At Auburndale, a few big bass popping up, with a 9-pounder by Will Evans on north Winter Haven chain in Sunday tournament. Bass up to 68 pounds at Lake Agnes.
3. At Winter Haven, bass guide Monte Goodman reports fish up to 9 pounds on south chain late last week flipping shallow vegetation around bedding areas. Bass also hitting spinnerbaits, Rat-L-Traps and jerkbaits around grass lines and submerged vegetation on south chain. Warming trend should see more big bass this week on south chain, Eagle Lake and other city lakes.
4. At Lake Hamilton, specks and bass excellent before foul weather over weekend, and better again on Tuesday and Wednesday, reports Chain O'Lakes Bait and Tackle (863-439-3885) in Dundee. Specks hitting minnows or Hal Flys and Tiny Shad jigs around grass.
5. At Lake Marion near Haines City, specks slow Sunday and Monday, but back it Tuesday with boats getting 15 per trip on minnows and jigs fishing on edge of grass and around lily pads, reports Ray Chase at Bannon's Camp. Bass up to 4 pounds on jerkbaits, and flipping shallow vegetation. First signs of shellcracker on grass shrimp this week, said Chase.
6. At Lake Pierce, stage set for good action on bass and speckled perch. Few specks on minnows around grass and hydrilla south of island, reports Jennings Camp.
7. At Lake Hatchineha, bass pros in Classic found this lake slowest of the four by far Friday through Sunday. But Kevin VanDam did well in Lake Cypress on Strike King 3⁄8-ounce Premier Plus spinnerbaits. Specks in lily pads on north shore and north of Catfish Creek, reports Leo Cosce at Camp Lester. And specks in Lake Cypress along south shore between Cypress Canal and Canoe Creek, said Cosce. Hydrilla spraying in Hatchineha this week.
8. At Lake Toho, numerous bass 9113⁄4 pounds caught by Classic pros, most of them sight fishing beds. Preston Clark's 11-pound, 10-ounce bass and a 9-pounder on Friday hit a pumpkinseed Zoom Big Critter Craw. Flipping mats proved to be waste of time in Classic. Chartreuse-and-white spinnerbaits (1⁄2-ounce Hildebrandt) produced plenty of bass 2-3 pounds around open-water weed islands and cattails in northern half of lake, but top three finishers were in Lake Kissimmee. Classic pros said 80 percent of spring spawn is over, that post-spawn patterns working best.
9. At Lake Kissimmee, the chain's namesake proved best producer in Classic, with top three all in Kissimmee or river below State Road 60 locks. Luke Clausen was fishing 6-inch junebug Mann's HardNose plastic worm on 16-pound-test Sunline fluorocarbon at Jack's Slough, catching spawning bass he couldn't see around isolated vegetation. Rick Morris, who was second, was working cattail points in river with white/chartreuse, 3⁄8-ounce Chatterbait. And Ron Shuffield, who took third, was using Gambler Cane Toad and Stanley Ribbit frog over thick hydrilla and mixed vegetation. Aside from Classic, Tom Murphy boated 101⁄4-pounder on Bass Striker Kissimmee blue worm, reports Leo Cosce at Camp Lester. Speckled perch excellent, best on jigs, with one boat bringing in five-gallon bucket full of 121⁄2- to 14-inch specks, said Cosce. Specks very shallow around new moon, in as little as foot of water, at Philadelphia Point, Brahma Island, School Bus, North Cove between Osceola Slough and 7 Palms, northwest side of Bird Island, and east side of Rabbit Island around lily pads and grass, said Cosce.
10. At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, bass seem to be slower coming around here last 10 days, but warm weather this week should get them going. Still catching specks at night.
11. At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, no lunkers this week, but fair numbers of bass 4-6 pounds on shiners along deeper grass edges and in, reports Cindy at Bob's Landing. Fishermen getting 20 good-sized specks per night. A few bluegill.
12. At Frostproof, bass fishermen working shallow flags, reeds and cattails at Lake Reedy, Lake Buffum and Lake Arbuckle with jerkbaits, Horny Toads, Senkos and Flukes.
13. In the phosphate pits south of Mulberry and Bartow, good numbers of bass up to 9 pounds over submerged sand bars over past week. But bite has been inconsistent. Lake 1 at Hardee Lakes Park yielding a few bass up to 5 pounds on Baby Brush Hog in shallow flags.
COMPILED BY DEL MILLIGAN