We start most Bassmaster Elite Series seasons in Florida, and every year I’m reminded that there’s nothing else like it. That’s good, and it’s bad – good because the state can produce some extraordinary weights and bad because these are the most unpredictable, fickle bass I’ve ever chased.
The mystery of Florida-strain fish in Florida is made more confounding by the fact that our tournaments take place during some phase of the spawn. I’ve discussed the spawning cycle down there with a lot of really good anglers from within Florida, and the thing that continues to stand out is simply how long the spawn lasts, especially in South Florida. I’ve seen beds down there as early as January and as late as April. Some people I trust have said they’ve seen them even later than that.
While spawning fish can act weird anywhere, there are more factors at play in the Sunshine State than anywhere else. In Texas, under similar conditions, if you find a group of fish, and then between practice and the tournament that area gets muddied up due to rain or wind it might affect them, but you can still expect to catch some fish.
In Florida, on the other hand, it can be devastating. A good example of this took place early in my career at an FLW tournament on Okeechobee. The first day I crushed them on a topwater and sat in third place. I knew that my primary area was really strong. Everyone who fished in there caught them, and there were more fish moving in.
The next day, though, they wouldn’t come up to eat. The water was only 2 feet deep so it wasn’t like they couldn’t find the lure. It’s just that they didn’t want to break the surface.
I salvaged the day with a swimbait, but I left more confused than ever. The first day, when I had done so well with a surface lure, was bright and sunny. The second day, when they wouldn’t touch it, was foggy and calm. Anyplace else, that would’ve improved the topwater bite, but for some reason at the Big O it shut it down.
Despite my continuing confusion, Florida is much more good than bad. I treasure the multiple top 10 finishes I’ve earned down there against the best of the best, and I relish the opportunity to go anywhere big bags are caught regularly. I will not be surprised if we see multiple 30-pound bags in these upcoming events, and no one bats an eye at a 20-pound limit.
We just have to hope the conditions stay stable throughout our stay. That’s a big ask, since this time of year is notorious for rapidly-changing weather, but there’s nothing worse than finding a big group of quality fish and realizing that an incoming front is going to change everything in a matter of days.
They’ll be less affected by changing weather at Seminole than they are at Okeechobee, but if things line up correctly you can expect to see some great weights and some incredible footage on Bassmaster LIVE.
