Bass bite remains steady in Polk as Hurricane Ian approaches

Around Polk County

1 Around Lakeland, at Tenoroc, bass fishing was best on lakes Derby, Waterlou, Wetland and C. Lakes Butterfly, Halfmoon, Horseshoe, Picnic, 2, 5, A and B also had high catch rates. This past week there were 14 large bass over 19 inches reported. Five of the largest bass measured over 22 inches. The best speck bite was at lakes Picnic and B. The panfish bite was best on lakes Cemetery, Derby, Horseshoe, Picnic, 5 and B. Catfish were best at Cemetery, Derby and B, reports FWC biologist Paolo Pecora. At Saddle Creek, over the weekend and early this week, good numbers of 4 to 5-pound bass were caught on small shiners. Watermelon red and junebug red plastic worms also produced good numbers of bass around the park. Plenty of catfish were biting on chicken liver and dough baits. “After the storm, we hope to be back open on Friday morning. We have plenty of worms and crickets and are expecting a fresh shipment of shiners and minnows on Saturday morning. The biggest concern for anglers after the storm will be floating and dislodged debris in the water here,” reports Melinda Lapina at Phillips Bait and Tackle (863-666-2248).

Fish of the Week

Largemouth Bass— The bass bite was steady before the approaching storm. After the hurricane, areas with moving water will provide the best bite, but anglers should be very cautious of submerged and floating debris.

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

2 At Auburndale, before the storm, both lakes Lake Ariana and Juliana were producing decent numbers of schoolie bass on lipless crankbaits. Around the Lake Alfred are, all the area lakes have been producing good numbers of specks. The bass bite was good through Tuesday with the approaching storm. Anglers should note, after the storm live bait will be hard to come by for the next week or so, reports Ron Schelfo at Ron’s Tackle Box (863-956-4990).

3 At Winter Haven, the mouths of the canals were producing some specks and panfish. Bass were active around the mouths chasing the panfish. Before the storm, good numbers of bass were biting around the south chain. “After the storm, with my past experience, once conditions settle, bass fishing will be very good with all the running water around the chain,” reports Schelfo.

4 At Lake Hamilton, over the weekend the bass bite was good in areas with clean, moving water. Crankbaits, vibrating jigs or slow rolling worms on the bottom produced the best numbers. Topwaters such as Zara Spooks, weightless swim baits and hollow body frogs also produced, both early and through the day. Specks and bluegill were also biting around the moving water. After the storm, the bass will move into higher, shallow water. Anglers should be especially aware of submerged and floating debris in those areas, reports Hoppy’s Marine (863-439-7616).

5 At Lake Marion near Haines City, before the storm, hydrilla mats were producing a good bass bite around the lake. Running water around Marion Creek was also producing. The creek area should produce really good action after the storm settles, reports Hoppy’s Marine.

6 At Lake Pierce, no report was available this week.

7 At Lake Hatchineha, before the storm, more and more speck anglers were having success trolling minnows and jigs at the Hourglass and around Gator Cove. Areas with running water ,around the shell bars were producing steady numbers of bass up to 5 pounds, reports Charlie Wynperle at Bridgemaster Fishing Products (863-676-1009).

8 At Lake Toho, there’s a lot of running water right now on the lake and that will only increase with the hurricane’s impact in the next couple of weeks. After conditions permit safe boating and angling, anywhere there’s running water, you’ll be able to catch plenty of bluegill and bass. The best baits to throw are a Carolina rigged and a Texas rigged plastic worm or crankbaits such as a Rat-L-Trap. Offshore grass is also still producing a good bass bite, but the running water is where you’ll want to target for the best numbers and a chance at a trophy size fish, reports Grady Johnson (407-205-6719).

9 At Lake Kissimmee, speck anglers were catching decent numbers around scattered grass. Try the School Bus area and around Lemon Point for the best numbers. Bash fishing is tough unless you concentrate on running water and that will remain so for a while after the storm. The lake was extremely high and current was ripping, even before Hurricane Ian, reports Wynperle.

10 At Lake Walk-in-the-Water, October is almost here and after the storm settles, the speck bite should be very good. Drifting minnows with as many poles as possible will produce good numbers around the center of the lake. Bass fishing is picking up with the rising water and will continue to do so after the storm. Set up in front of the creek and drag a black color, Carolina rigged Zoom Magnum trick worm for the best action, reports Wynperle.

11 At Crooked Lake at Babson Park, over the weekend good numbers of bass up to 6 pounds were caught early on flukes in shallow water around 3 foot. Plenty of schoolie bass were biting on the U.S. 27 side. Docks at the north end, in water around 10 to 12 feet deep, were producing on junebug red and watermelon red color, 10-inch worms. After the storm, anglers should be very careful around flooded cow pastures for submerged fence posts, along with other floating and submerged debris around the lake, reports Cindy Ritchison at Bob's Landing (863-638-1912).

12 At Frostproof, the bass bite at Lake Clinch has been very good. Topwaters and shiners have been producing early around the grass on the west bank and around incoming water. During the day, Carolina rigged worms were good on the brush piles. The bluegill and shellcracker bite was good on red worms on the bottom in 8 to 10 feet of water. Specks were biting while drifting minnows at 8 to 10 foot. Lake Reedy has a good bass bite around moving water and bluegill were biting good on crickets and red worms. Lake Arbuckle was good for bass around moving water and that will only get better after the storm clears. The bluegill bite there was also good around the pads and in the Cypress trees at the south shore. The water was already high and over the boat ramp on Tuesday. Anglers should be careful with continued rising water, reports Jim Childress of Big Bass Bait & Tackle (352-207-7520).

13 In the phosphate pits near Mulberry, before the storm, the topwater bass bite had really turned on. Popping frogs along the banks in water around 3 to 4 feet deep and around hydrilla patches produced good numbers. Junebug red color worms and black and blue Senkos in deeper water were also good. After the storm, anglers should be aware many of the pits, especially to the south, may have roads that are inaccessible, reports Danny Hamm of Bull Bay Tackle Company. (863-937-3292).

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Bass bite remains steady in Polk as Hurricane Ian approaches