If you’re looking for a place to fish this winter, consider Florida. Our state is saturated with lakes, rivers, ponds and streams, and nearly all offer good angling opportunities … no matter the season.
In many instances, you’ll find the habitat much like other parts of the country. We have lots of docks, grass, lily pads and cypress trees — cover types that I’m sure are familiar to most of you.
Even better, the Sunshine State is full of trophy-size fish. For that reason, many out-of-state anglers plan annual pilgrimages to our more popular destinations — like the Harris Chain, Kissimmee Chain, Okeechobee, St. Johns River, Headwaters and others. And if their timing is right, many will score the fish of a lifetime.
But as good as the fishing can be, not all who make the trek are rewarded … especially during the dead of winter.
Florida — like many angling destinations — can be unpredictable. Cold fronts, hurricanes, droughts and even fishing pressure can negatively affect our fisheries. So to improve your odds, let’s discuss a plan to deal with these potential hazards.
First things first
Because Florida stretches hundreds of miles from north to south, its climate can vary dramatically. While the fishing may be great up until a cold front hits, once the high pressure and frigid temperatures set in, that bite can instantly disappear.
Not all cold snaps will kill the bite, however. In fact, the first few cool spells can actually improve it. But once water temperatures fall into the 50s and a series of strong fronts pass through, you could be looking at a serious challenge. Therefore, I suggest you try to plan your trip accordingly. Include a long-range weather forecast and, if things look iffy, consider rescheduling.
If that’s not an option and severe weather coincides with your arrival, there are still ways to make it a productive trip.
Angling in current
One of the best ways is to fish in current. Although it may seem counterintuitive, moving water is actually more stable than still water, and Florida-strain largemouth are much less affected by cold, high-pressure conditions in moving water.
Our state has countless rivers, creeks and streams on which to explore, and they can provide a safe harbor when the weather turns sour. The most famous is the St. Johns River, which flows from Blue Cypress Lake, some 300 miles north to Jacksonville, where it drains into the Atlantic Ocean. Considered one of Florida’s premier bass fisheries, it features numerous connecting streams and riverine lakes, plus a plethora of canals.
On Florida’s Gulf Coast are numerous tidal rivers, including the Suwannee, Homosassa, Apalachicola, Withlacoochee, Hillsborough and others — all offering bass anglers the chance to test their skills in current.
Lakes, too, can offer opportunities to find current — especially when there is sufficient rainfall. Inflow occurs through feeder creeks, spillways, ditches and drainage canals. And no matter how insignificant the flow, Florida-strain largemouth tend to group up where new water enters any lake or pond.
Stillwater lakes
Let’s assume you’re on a lake with no current. What then?
If threatened with harsh north winds, your best bet is to seek out protected shorelines — banks facing south that can serve as windbreaks. But be forewarned! Our wintertime weather patterns can cycle quickly, so be sure to consider other parts of the lake should the wind switch.
Many of Florida’s lakes feature canal systems, which can also provide protection from cold, blistering winds. Even better, they can be extremely productive. Our bass will seek out these protected waters during the winter, many times in preparation for an early spawn.
If the wind lays, weedy flats are a good bet this time of year. Fields of submerged hydrilla, peppergrass, eelgrass and lily pads can hold massive numbers of fish … some of which could be trophy sized. Shell beds, too, can be productive during the winter months. Find them on hard bottom, particularly near in and outflows, or outside points of emergent grass.
Docks and cypress trees are another option. For whatever reason, bass tend to hold on wood in cold weather. Floating rafts of thick, matted vegetation can also be good. Wintertime bass often hide beneath canopies of matted hydrilla, hyacinths, duckweed, water lettuce, even mud tussocks, and they are often among the biggest in the lake.
Tackle to take
I’m sure these various cover types are familiar to a lot of you. Approach them much the way you would back home, with the same lures.
Lipless and shallow-running crankbaits can be very effective in and around submerged grass or over muscle beds. When I’m fishing submerged hydrilla or eelgrass, I want the lure to make intermittent contact with the cover. There’s something about ripping it through stranding grass that triggers even the most lethargic bass into biting, and the strikes can be vicious. Among my favorites are a Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap, Shimano Yasei Chaos Crank, Bantam BT Spin and Macbeth series — all in variations of silver, gold, red or chartreuse.
When the grass is too thick for a crankbait, I’ll switch to a white, black and blue or green-pumpkin ChatterBait tipped with a matching Yamamoto Zako trailer. A tandem-bladed spinnerbait is another great choice. My preference is for those I designed for Hildebrandt, including The Blade and Tin Roller — 1/2- to 5/8-ounce sizes with gold and silver blades.
Jerkbaits are another excellent choice for wintertime bass. I like Shimano’s World Diver, World Minnow and Zumverno in variations of gold and silver. There’s something about their Flash Boost and Scale Boost features that make them irresistible to bass, especially when water temperatures plummet.
If you’re out ahead of a front and the conditions are balmy and warm, by all means try topwaters. Poppers and prop baits can be excellent choices in pre-front conditions. Fish them slowly with plenty of patience. They can produce throughout winter, so long as the water is reasonably warm and clear. For whatever reason, Florida bass love to feed up and topwaters fished patiently can provoke the big ones into biting.
Swimming frogs and toads like the Frog Factory Ribbit are also good producers, as is a Yamamoto Speed Senko. All of these are excellent for covering water, especially over shallow, weedy flats.
If a severe front hits and the bite gets really tough, that’s when I pull out the long rod and punch through matted cover with a compact, heavily-weighted flipping bait — like a Yamamoto Flappin Hog or Fat Baby Craw, either in junebug, black- blue glitter or some variation of green pumpkin. If that fails, I’ll switch to a lightly weighted Senko or perhaps a Roboworm rigged shaky style or on a drop shot.
The key with any of these is to fish super slow, dead sticking them around likely targets — such as pad stems, dock pilings, seawalls, cypress knees, shell beds or open holes in the grass.
Again, these lures and techniques should be familiar to most of you. So apply them with confidence … as if you’re on your own water. And remember to work around the conditions. Do that with some patience and you’re likely to hook into the biggest bass of your life.
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