Kissimmee chain

 The Kissimme chain is alive and well. Here we are in the dog days and still it’s taking 25 plus pounds (5 fish) to win just about every tournament! I have not seen summer fishing this good here in years. Lake Toho seems to be the most consistent lake on Kissimmee chain right now. As long as there’s plenty of healthy open water hydrilla that should continue. Have heard rumors of spraying over the last couple of weeks. Hopefully it’s just a rumor. There’s clean water from big grassy island all the way to the north end of the lake. That’s where most of the good hydrilla is growing. Still a few fish hitting topwater early but getting tougher as most of the fish are moving deeper or into thicker cover. Spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits worth a try early as well fished over open water hydrilla. Texas/Carolina rigged soft plastics are producing the lion’s share now. Junebug, black and blue, and watermelon are always good color choices here. Some of the biggest Bass are being caught flippin’ the deeper matted hydrilla with 3/4 – 1oz Texas rigged craws or creature baits, however bites can be few and far between. Fish attractors are holding some nice fish but be prepared to take a number.
 There’s just a trickle of current in the rivers and creeks now which will put the running water bite on hold until more heavy rains arrive. Still worth checking though especially after a good rain. Good looking hydrilla growing in Lakes Cypress and Hatchineha but a little on the shallow side for the most part. There’s some fish biting along the reedlines early and late, but tough to get bit during midday hours.
 The outside grasslines in Lake Kissimmee continue to produce both size and numbers. Bass are schooling on shad and minnows in and along grasslines early in the morning. These areas change from day to day as the Bass follow the bait schools into new areas. Find one of these schools and you can load the boat quickly. Topwaters and spinnerbaits work well if the fish are busting bait along the outside of the grass. If they’re busting up in the grass you will more than likely have to flip them out depending on the density of the grass. Use smaller baits to “match the hatch” and be patient, you’re trying to get a Bass to eat your lure with ten-thousand little baitfish swimming all around them. As the sun rises higher and the grass bite gets tougher, switch over to a flippin’ stick armed with a 1/2-1oz Texas rigged craw/worm. Flip deeper grass or pad lines. Also a few good fish hanging around open-water structure such as: shell beds, drop-offs, ect… Try a firetiger or shad colored deep diving crankbait or junebug, black and blue, or watermelon Texas/Carolina rigged soft plastics.
 

Winter Haven

 The south chain of Lakes is mostly navigible now but still 2 1/2-3 ft low. All three canals to lake Cannon are impassable for most boats. The north chain of lakes remains impassable with some of the canals being bone dry. I’m afraid it’s going to take a tropical system to fill these lakes up to their normal level. Water restrictions obviously don’t apply to those who have lakefront property on the chain of lakes as they continue to pump out thousands of gallons of water to keep their grass green, even with all the rain we’ve had. I’ve even seen some home owners extending their pipes further into the lake…duh!
 The fishing however remains outstanding on the chain, which suprisingly has, for some time now, been the most consistent public Bass fishery in Polk County. Twenty-five lb limits of fish are being caught consistently, mostly around deep structure. Deep submerged grasses such as hydrilla, eelgrass, peppergrass, coontail, or shrimpgrass all hold fish. Some of these grasses grow out to 15 plus feet deep. There’s also hundreds of brushpiles that have been planted in deep water on every lake of the chain over the years. Natural ledges that drop-off sharply into deep water are also abundant along with many man-made dredge holes. Shell beds or mussel bars hold numbers of big Bass as well. A little time spent watching and learning how to read a depthfinder can and will lead to some hefty summertime catches here. Also GPS makes life a lot easier when you are in the middle of the lake.
 Bass on the Winter Haven chain and surrounding lakes will  go deeper now than at any other time of year. They can be very hard to find and tricky to catch. Crankbaits and Texas/Carolina rigged soft plastics are always king here in the summer months. Keep your lures in contact with whatever cover/structure you are fishing. Use crankbaits that dive deep enough to dig into the bottom and worm weights heavy enough to stay on the bottom. Try firetiger or shad colored crankbaits and junebug or redbug worms for Texas/Carolina rigs. These open water fish, especialy in the clear lakes, sometimes suspend and relate only to baitfish. Find the schools of shad and you will find the Bass with them. Choose a lure that you can fish right through the school. Jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, and spoons are usually good choices. At times a school of Bass will hold up on a peice of structure for a week other times only for an hour or less. They may move only fifty yards or they may move across the lake. Be prepared to do likewise. There’s still a few fish on deeper emergent shoreline cover such as grass, cattails, reeds, and docks in the dirtier water lakes. Try flippin’ 1/4-3/4 oz Texas rigged smoke, watermelon, or junebug craws or creature baits.

Central Florida, where you’ll find beautiful lakes, great bass fishing and Monte Goodman. Monte has made a career of doing what he enjoys and does best as a professional bass guide and successful tournament angler. Guiding and fishing competitively for the past 15 years has given him the experience, skill and knowledge it takes to be a great fisherman. Monte is also a vocal advocate of Florida’s habitat and conservation efforts, supports and practices “catch and release” himself and encourages others to do the same. A member of tournament trails such as FLW, FOMNTT, BFL, and B.A.S.S just to name a few. Credited with well over a hundred local tournament wins, was back to back Angler of the Year in the largest B.A.S.S. affiliated club in the world, and has won numerous Big Bass honors. Monte’s ability to adapt, his versatility and lengthy resume has earned him a reputation anyone would be proud of.

Kissimmee Chain

 Pick your poison on the Kissimmee Chain right now. Many 20 lb. and even a few 30 lb. five fish limits have been brought to the scales recently in tournaments. Topwater, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, soft plastics and anything in between will catch a few fish. Daily rains are keeping the water temperature down and the Bass activity up. Many different patterns are producing big fish and lots of them, almost resembling a springtime bite right here in the dog days of summer. Areas in or around current are hard to beat. Just about all the creeks and canals that feed the lakes are flowing strong. Even out in some of the mid-lake areas current can be detected especially around trails or cuts through the vegetation. The running water bite in and around the canals/rivers should continue to be good so long as the rain keeps falling. Crankbaits and Texas/Carolina rigged soft plastics will produce. Remember to let the current move your lures downstream.

 Bass are feeding heavily on shad early in the mornings along outside grasslines in Lake Kissimmee. Throw topwaters and spinnerbaits for about an hour then switch over to a flippin’ stick armed with 1/2-3/4 oz weight and black and blue craw as the action slows. The grassline bite can be painfully slow through the mid-day, however it may produce a monster anytime. There’s a few fish offshore on shell beds and brushpiles but not a very consistent pattern right now probably due to higher, cooler water.
Lake Tohohas by far been the hottest lake on the chain. Unlike Lake Kissimmee, Toho has abundant offshore vegetation. Hydrilla is growing all over the lake. In some areas it’s submerged in others it’s matted up in 8 ft of water. Try topwater early along the edges of the hydrilla. Weedless frogs fished over the mats can be very productive. You need a strong 7 ft. or longer heavy action rod with at least 50 lb braided line to wrestle a giant Bass out of a dense hydrilla mat. I use Deep South Rods 7′ 2″ froggin-riggin rod, it’s super strong yet has just enough tip to get the proper action out of your bait. After the topwater bite slows flip a 3/4 – 1oz Texas rigged soft plastic through the hydrilla mats. Also try finding the deeper submerged edges of the hydrilla and throw Texas/Carolina rigs. Fish very slowly along the bottom. Lipless crankbaits also are worth a try ripped through the submerged vegetation especially if there’s some chop on the water. Unfortunately I’ve heard rumor of hydrilla treatment on Toho which may make this hot action short-lived.     

      
Winter Haven Chain and surrounding lakes

 If you like fishing offshore structure, catching really big Bass, and can take the heat, then Winter Haven is the place to be in August. With the exception of the spawn season I don’t think there’s a better time of year to catch a trophy Bass here or most anywhere for that matter. During this time a Bass’ metabolism is running at a higher rate than at any other time of year. Therefore they eat more and in turn become heavier. What makes these lakes a cut above most other lakes in summer is the amount of deeper offshore structure for the Bass to relate to and the huge schools of threadfin shad and for them to feed on. Crayfish are a big item on the menu as well. Also bream, which is what the larger Bass are feeding on, move to deeper structure during summer to feed on mussels and other crustaesians. Find a school of bream and you can bet there’s at least a few big Bass hanging around them. With that in mind choose your lures accordingly. Deep diving crankbaits and carolina/texas rigged worms are hard to beat. In green water lakes bream tend to be lighter in color so use lighter colored lures such as shad or faded chartreuse colored crankbaits. In clearer water bream are usually darker so you may want to try a darker hues such as purple or blue to mimic them. Shad colored baits are more universal and usually are effective in both water types.
 Although Bass will relate to any hard bottom structure just fine, if there is some form of cover available on the structure, it will make that good spot a great spot. Whether it’s submerged grass, brush, or anything else the key is making contact with your lures. In the green lakes fish the 6 – 12 ft range and 8 – 16 ft range. Use crankbaits that will reach the bottom and remain there for at least 1/3 of the retrieve. Keep that bait digging in the sand and bouncing off any object it may encounter. Fish soft plastics slowly along the bottom. Slow dragging using your trolling motor can be very effective. Use larger worms 7-10 in. Redbug, junebug, blueberry, and watermelon are always good color choices.
 Boat docks are another alternative. Look for docks in or close to deeper water. Pitch texas rigged creature style baits as far beneath them as you can. Also spinnerbaits and shallow running crankbaits can be productive around the docks.

Central Florida, where you’ll find beautiful lakes, great bass fishing and Monte Goodman. Monte has made a career of doing what he enjoys and does best as a professional bass guide and successful tournament angler. Guiding and fishing competitively for the past 15 years has given him the experience, skill and knowledge it takes to be a great fisherman. Monte is also a vocal advocate of Florida’s habitat and conservation efforts, supports and practices “catch and release” himself and encourages others to do the same. A member of tournament trails such as FLW, FOMNTT, BFL, and B.A.S.S just to name a few. Credited with well over a hundred local tournament wins, was back to back Angler of the Year in the largest B.A.S.S. affiliated club in the world, and has won numerous Big Bass honors. Monte’s ability to adapt, his versatility and lengthy resume has earned him a reputation anyone would be proud of.