Freshwater fishing: Specks continue to heat up across Polk County, in both size and number
1. In Lakeland, specks are loving minnows with a lot of action being seen on lakes Hollingsworth, Mattie and Gibson. Shiners have produced nice-sized bass at Saddle Creek. Lake Wire has seen an active bass bite using chartreuse pepper lizards at Lake Wire, reports Phillips Bait and Tackle (863-666-2248).
2. In Auburndale, specks have been active at night on Lake Ariana, use minnows. In the Lake Alfred area, lakes Haines and Rochelle have been good for specks day and night with some big specks. Use lipless crankbait in royalty color or shiners for bass or specks on Lake Rochelle, reports Ron Schelfo at Ron’s Tackle Box (863-956-4990).
3. Around Winter Haven, fishing for bass off the dock or from a boat on Lake Cannon has been good. Fishing the mouth of the canals has produced a lot of specks and bass, reports Schelfo. Capt. Bill Goudy Jr. (888-629-2277) reports big groups of summertime fish are now breaking up and transitioning to shallower water with the drop in temperatures. Use Texas Rig Worm, jerk bait and chatter bait for bass. Shiners on a bobber are always a good choice, cast in seven to 10 feet of water over submerged grass for a chance at a big bass.
What's Biting: Speckled Perch
Live minnows have produced the best results, usually early in the morning or at night.
Strike zones: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12
4. In Lake Hamilton, no report available.
5. At Lake Marion near Haines City, no report available.
6. At Lake Pierce, catching a few specks in deep water in the early morning or late evening. There have been a few small bass, but specks are the name of the game right now, reports Chris Beasley at Jennings Resort (863-439-3811).
7. At Lake Hatchineha, the specks are hitting while trolling a Slab Runner baby shad lure and drifting minnows. There have been good bass reports using a Frankenstein Customs chub worm in black and blue flake, reports Bridgemaster Fishing Products (863-676-1009).
8 At Lake Toho, bass are hitting shiners, fluke senkos, speed worms and Carolina Rig on the shell beds or outside edges of deep hydrilla, reports Capt. John Leech at Bass Online (888-629-2277).
9. At Lake Kissimmee, the specks are starting to move into the Kissimmee grass around 27 palms. Use a Muck City Tackle “cocaine jig” or live minnows. The bass are popping frogs early in the morning on New Berkley Swamp Lord or Gambler setups. Try flipping the outside grass using a Mat Dawg or Bridgemaster 5-inch breadstick or 6-inch cheddar stick, reports Bridgemaster Fishing Products.
10. At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, the best speck fishing has been found at night using live minnows. For bass, try casting Copper Red Barts or New Wave Frogs around the Kissimmee Grass, say the folks at Bridgemaster.
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11. At Crooked Lake in Babson Park, speckled perch are hitting drifting minnows on Little Crooked Lake, while the bass bite has been so-so. For bass, use Carolina Rig Worm along the top edge of the Kissimmee grass. On Big Crooked Lake, the speck bite has been solid in 25 to 30 feet of water while anchored or drifting minnows. Bass have been hitting shiners on the edge of the grass. If you know where the brush piles are, Carolina Rigs will also yield a good bass bite, reports Jim Childress of Big Bass Bait & Tackle (352-207-7520).
12. In Frostproof, on Lake Clinch, the speck bite has been good drifting minnows on open water in 25 to 30 feet. Bluegill and shellcracker bite is still going strong on redworms on the bottom. The bass bite remains strong with the West side of the lake seeing more action using Carolina Rig worms. Lake Arbuckle’s speck bite has been really good on minnows in about 6 to 8 feet of water. The bass bite has been OK with the best bait being a 10-inch black and blue worm around the lily pads, according to Childress.
13. In Mulberry, the best fishing is still offshore throwing lipless crankbaits in a shad color. Fish are being caught on topwater plugs like a Whopper Plopper. Junebug and black and blue Senkos are doing well. A few specks are starting to bite in open water in the pits drifting minnows. No limits are being reported, but the speck size has been good. The next big cold front should produce better numbers, reports Danny Hamm of Bull Bay Tackle Company (863-937-3292).
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Speckled perch are loving live minnows and open water around Polk
