HOT
Lake Minneola (Clermont): bass on live shiners. Lake Minneola has been very good for bass right now, and shiners are the bait. Fish docks, isolated weed clumps, matted grass, and the cypress edges. Stop by Get Hooked Bait and Tackle for fresh shiners before you head out.
Lake Harris and Little Lake Harris (Leesburg area): bass and crappie. Lake Harris covers about 13,800 acres, and with Little Lake Harris the two total more than 15,000 acres. Our Florida Bass Charter just fished Little Lake Harris. We caught about 5 bass an hour, averaging 3 pounds, with the biggest at 6.5 pounds. FWC says that as the water cools, bass move off their summer areas toward drop-offs next to shoreline vegetation and the mouths of canals and rivers. Crankbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits, and Texas-rigged soft plastics are good choices. Lake Harris has also been one of the better crappie lakes recently.
Lake Toho (Kissimmee): moving water. Toho is about 18,800 acres, and the water was around 73 degrees as of today. FWC says the mouth of Shingle Creek, the St. Cloud canal, and Partins Ditch have produced bass after rain. Without moving water, fish native vegetation like bulrush and Illinois pondweed, and the open pockets in the hydrilla. Golden shiners, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and plastic worms are the go-to baits.
WARMING UP
Crappie. FWC expects crappie fishing to pick up with the first good cold fronts, and some anglers are already catching them. We expect mid-November through February to be great. On Harris, troll open water near drop-offs and fish the attractors. On Toho, drift live minnows near the mouth of Shingle Creek, Little Grassy Island, and Goblets Cove.
SLOWING DOWN
Summer patterns. The shallow summer spots are fading as the water cools, so follow the bass toward drop-offs and moving water.
Visit Get Hooked Bait and Tackle at 358 Story Rd Suite A, Ocoee, FL, or call (407) 347-3072 for live bait, tackle, and advice.