Freshwater: Bass bite still able to withstand extreme heat in Polk County lakes

Fish of the Week

Largemouth Bass – Extreme, sustained hot weather has water temps very high, but the bass bite is still decent both early and late in the day or around deep-water holes or structure.

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

Around Polk County

1 At Saddle Creek, fishing for bluegill and shellcracker is good on crickets and red worms around the park. The catfish bite is good on doughballs and liver. Around Lakeland, lakes Bonny and Crago have a good bite for bluegill and shellcracker. Bonny is also producing bass early in the morning on topwater frogs. At Tenoroc, Lake B has a good bass bite on live shiners. Lakes Cemetery and Picnic are producing decent numbers of bluegill and shellcracker on crickets, reports Melinda Lapina at Phillips Bait and Tackle (863-666-2248).

2 At Auburndale, Lake Juliana is producing plenty of bluegill, mostly on red worms. Good numbers of catfish are also biting on red worms at the boat ramp area. Around the Lake Alfred area, Lake Rochelle is producing good numbers bluegill and shellcracker on crickets and red worms. It’s been too hot and humid for most bass anglers, but crankbaits and live shiners are producing a few fish early and late in the day, reports Ron Schelfo at Ron’s Tackle Box (863-956-4990).

How the catch has been: 2 fish biting consistently in Polk lakes

3 At Winter Haven, the canal between lakes Cannon and Idylwild, by the Moose Lodge is producing some bluegill. Lakes Cannon and Shipp are producing bass and catfish for shoreline anglers. The mouths of the canals around the south chain are producing bass on lipless crankbaits and live shiners, both early and lake in the day, reports Schelfo.

4 At Lake Hamilton, at the big lake, the bass bite is good early in the morning on white and chrome color Rat-L-Traps on the shallow buggywhip lines. Flipping the pads with dark color, big creature baits is also getting decent numbers of bass. Bluegill are biting in the pads in 3 feet of water or less on crickets. Some specks are biting in the deeper water on minnows. The middle lake is producing some bass in the grass on straight tail worms in lighter colors. Bluegill and shellcracker are being caught around the cattails on red worms. At the little lake, the bass bite is slow. A few specks are being caught while trolling minnows and jigs in the middle of the lake. Bluegill and shellcracker are biting in the pads and Kissimmee grass in 4 feet of water or less on crickets, reports Kyle Brewer at Hoppy’s by Crossed Industries (863-439-7616).

5 At Lake Marion near Haines City, bass are being caught in the pads and cattails in water at a depth of 5 feet on chartreuse color crankbaits and white or black and blue swim jigs and chatterbaits. The bluegill and shellcracker bite is slow, but a few are biting, mostly on red worms. Some specks are being caught in water 6 feet deep while trolling with minnows, reports Brewer.

6 At Lake Pierce, a few bass are biting at first light and through the early morning on topwater lures and plastic worms. A few good size shellcracker and some very skinny bluegill are biting on red worms and crickets mostly around the pads and around Catfish Creek, reports Chris Beasley at Jennings Resort (863-439-3811).

7 At Lake Hatchineha, a few anglers are catching shellcracker in the pads around Marker 13 in Gator Cove. Bass are still being caught on the shell bars at the mouth of Cypress Canal. Throw a shad colored square bill crankbait for the best action, reports Charlie Wynperle at Bridgemaster Fishing Products (863-676-1009.

8 At Lake Toho, deeper water hydrilla around the edges of the vegetation and some of the brush piles are still producing the most consistent bass bite. Speed worms, 10-inch plastic worms and live shiners are the best baits. A few bass are biting topwaters at first light. Shellcracker and bluegill are still biting around the shell bars at Mackinson Island and also around some of the channel markers, reports Capt. John Leech of Bass Online (888-629-2277).

9 At Lake Kissimmee, bluegill and shellcracker are biting in the pads in shallow water at Lemon Point and North Cove. Look for the other boats with panfish anglers and mix in with them. Bass fishing is really tough with the warm water temps. Cover water while casting until you get a few bites, then slow down, reports Wynperle.

10 At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, bluegill and shellcracker are biting in the pads and that bite will pick up during the new moon phase. Look shallow and keep an eye out for the pads bumping. Bass are active at first light. Cover water with a watermelon red color Skinny Dipper swimbait for the best action, reports Wynperle.

11 At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, there’s a big mayfly hatch on the lake right now and the topwater bite for bass is good all over at first light. Bass are also biting in deeper water on the drop-offs at the north end and along that deeper shoreline. The bluegill and shellcracker bite is pretty good as well early and late in the day, reports Cindy Ritchison at Bob's Landing (863-638-1912). There’s a good bass bite on freelined live shiners, both early and late in the day at the mouth of Little Crooked and along the south shore. Bluegill are biting around Grassy Island on crickets and red worms on the bottom at 8 to 10 feet. Specks are being caught around Wirt’s Point while drifting minnows at a depth of 20 feet, reports Jim Childress of Big Bass Bait & Tackle (352-207-7520).

12 At Frostproof, at Lake Arbuckle the bluegill bite is still good in the pads on crickets and red worms around incoming water. The Cypress trees at the south end are still producing as well. The bass bite is good on white color spinnerbaits and big, black and blue worms in and around moving water. At Lake Reedy, the bluegill bite is still good on crickets and red worms in moving water, flowing in and out of the lake. Bluegill are also biting red worms on beds on the bottom in 6 feet of water. The bass bite is good at the south end on chatterbaits along the edges of the grass. Topwaters are also producing a few bass early in the morning along the south shore. A few specks are biting while drifting minnows at a depth of 8 to 10 feet. Lake Clinch still has shellcracker biting on the bottom in 12 feet of water. Both bluegill and the red ears are biting on the southwest shore. A few specks are being caught while drifting minnows in open water. The bass bite is good on Carolina rigged plastic worms on the brush piles, reports Childress.

13 In the phosphate pits near Mulberry, water temperature has been consistently around 91 degrees. A few bass are biting at first light on topwaters, but the best bass bite is offshore in deeper water. Black and blue Senkos in water at least 6 feet deep is producing. A few anglers are having success trolling Rat-L-Traps on the deeper drop-offs as well, reports Danny Hamm of Bull Bay Tackle Company. (863-937-3292).

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Freshwater: Polk County lakes still producing bass bite despite heat