How to catch a large mouth bass fishing Florida (The Ultimate Guide).
The best way to catch a large mouth bass is to master using soft plastic lures like, worms, lizards, creature baits and crayfish using a Texas Rig setup. This technique and lure combination will help you catch bass anywhere that you are fishing for them.
The article below will help all bass fishermen catch more fish regardless of where they live. A bass in Pennsylvania will eat a spinner bait as fast as a bass in Florida will!
If you want to learn how to catch a large mouth bass in Florida then you will have to figure out what they like to eat; where they like to hang out; when is the best time to catch them?; What is the best tackle to use to catch them????
I am a fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the ponds and canals in search of bass for over 40 years. This page is going to tell you what I know about catching large mouth bass in Florida.
Okay. Let's get started with my simple tips and techniques about how to catch large mouth bass fishing in Florida waters.
Watch the video below to see shallow water swamp bass action.
The best way to catch a large mouth bass is to master using soft plastic lures like, worms, lizards, creature baits and crayfish using a Texas Rig setup. This technique and lure combination will help you catch bass anywhere that you are fishing for them.
The article below will help all bass fishermen catch more fish regardless of where they live. A bass in Pennsylvania will eat a spinner bait as fast as a bass in Florida will!
If you want to learn how to catch a large mouth bass in Florida then you will have to figure out what they like to eat; where they like to hang out; when is the best time to catch them?; What is the best tackle to use to catch them????
I am a fishing guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the ponds and canals in search of bass for over 40 years. This page is going to tell you what I know about catching large mouth bass in Florida.
Okay. Let's get started with my simple tips and techniques about how to catch large mouth bass fishing in Florida waters.
Watch the video below to see shallow water swamp bass action.
The first thing that you have to figure out when you are learning how to catch a bass is, "Where do bass live?"
You can find bass just about anywhere that there is freshwater. They are in the drainage ditches, canals, lakes, ponds, rivers....... You get the idea. It does not take very long for a new pond to have bass living in it.
Their eggs must stick to wading birds' legs and get transferred from place to place. Maybe their eggs pass right through the birds' digestive system. I just don't know how they get there but within a year of a new pond being dug there will be bass, bluegills, catfish.....
When Florida's rainy season (May-September) arrives in Florida, bass can move with the flood waters from place to place. I have been bass fishing in my front yard's drainage ditch when I was a kid. Sometimes with I would mow the yard after a flood I would accidentally run over a walking catfish or two in the grass. CRUNCH.
Bass will move from small ponds to ditches and eventually into canals and rivers when the water is high enough. In other words, you can go bass fishing anywhere that there is fresh water.
Most of the bass fishing that I have done has been in small ponds and canals around South Florida. Bass will usually hang out somewhere that they can set up an ambush point to catch their prey. I used to take a hard toothed rake clean out a spot in the aquatic weeds in the canal behind my house.
That opening would attract minnows and small pan fish. The bass would wait in ambush in the weeds right next to the opening. I would send a live minnow attached to my cane pole and catch 2-3 pound bass all of the time. The lesson here is to find those openings in the weeds to find probable bass ambush points. It's a safe bet that there will be a bass somewhere nearby.
That opening would attract minnows and small pan fish. The bass would wait in ambush in the weeds right next to the opening. I would send a live minnow attached to my cane pole and catch 2-3 pound bass all of the time. The lesson here is to find those openings in the weeds to find probable bass ambush points. It's a safe bet that there will be a bass somewhere nearby.
Another great spot for bass fishing in Florida is small ponds. I have found that the key to small pond fishing (pond's that you can cast across) is to cast from way up on the bank instead of right by the water. Bass have very good eyesight and will spook easily as you walk down to the water's edge.
Often the bass is waiting in the deeper water for its prey to come between them and the shoreline so they can attack. Many times they are within 5 feet of the shoreline so be stealthy as you approach.
I created a FREE Online Bass Fishing Course that will help everyone from a newbie to the most seasoned bass fishermen catch more bass. You can access the bass fishing course by clicking right here.
Quite often a cast parallel to the shoreline will yield better results than a perpendicular cast. The perpendicular cast will often cause your bait to spook the bass as it comes at them from behind. Once a bass gets spooked they will usually develop a severe case of lock jaw for a while. Often, by the time you fish around the whole pond the spooked bass will be ready to bite again.
Often the bass is waiting in the deeper water for its prey to come between them and the shoreline so they can attack. Many times they are within 5 feet of the shoreline so be stealthy as you approach.
I created a FREE Online Bass Fishing Course that will help everyone from a newbie to the most seasoned bass fishermen catch more bass. You can access the bass fishing course by clicking right here.
Quite often a cast parallel to the shoreline will yield better results than a perpendicular cast. The perpendicular cast will often cause your bait to spook the bass as it comes at them from behind. Once a bass gets spooked they will usually develop a severe case of lock jaw for a while. Often, by the time you fish around the whole pond the spooked bass will be ready to bite again.
When fishing for bass in rivers you will most likely have to contend with some sort of water flow. This changes the equation for finding bass. In rivers, the bass will most likely be lurking behind some sort of structure (sunken log, grass mat, dock piling.....) facing into the current. Bass are lazy and they would prefer for their food to come to them instead of the other way around.
Cast up current for best results when fishing rivers with a lot of current. Try a few casts to each ambush point that you find. Try a top water lure, a mid water lure and a lure on the bottom before leaving. In other words, fish the entire water column if the spot looks real fishy.
If the fish are 15 feet down and you are sending a top water plug over them they will not come up that high in the water column to hit it. Remember bass are lazy!
Cast up current for best results when fishing rivers with a lot of current. Try a few casts to each ambush point that you find. Try a top water lure, a mid water lure and a lure on the bottom before leaving. In other words, fish the entire water column if the spot looks real fishy.
If the fish are 15 feet down and you are sending a top water plug over them they will not come up that high in the water column to hit it. Remember bass are lazy!
The video above is about How to catch a large mouth bass fishing in Florida.
We are lucky enough in Florida to have many amazing large lakes to fish for bass in. Okeechobee being the biggest. The great thing about large lake bass fishing in Florida is that you can find many different places to get on big bass. Except for peacock bass who like the middle of the day to become active, most bass feed early and late in the day the best.
With this in mind it is a good idea to hit the shallower waters early and late and the deeper waters during the middle of the day. This depends upon water temperature where you are of course. When its cold the bass will want to get warm. When its hot the bass will want to cool down.
Remember that fish are cold blooded just like an alligator or a snake and use their surroundings to regulate their body temperatures. Visit the Pro Fishing Tips page to learn more about getting the right tackle to maximize your fishing fun.
With this in mind it is a good idea to hit the shallower waters early and late and the deeper waters during the middle of the day. This depends upon water temperature where you are of course. When its cold the bass will want to get warm. When its hot the bass will want to cool down.
Remember that fish are cold blooded just like an alligator or a snake and use their surroundings to regulate their body temperatures. Visit the Pro Fishing Tips page to learn more about getting the right tackle to maximize your fishing fun.
What do bass like to eat? To catch a bass you will have to offer it something that it wants to eat or kill because it is in its territory. Nothing has worked better for me than a live wild shiner or a bluegill. One of these live baits presented under a bobber or free lined is irresistible to a bass.
I have also caught many bass using a crawdad under a bobber. It just depends on the lake. If the lake that you are fishing has very few crawdads then that bait won't work as well as a bait the bass are used to feeding on.
What is the best artificial fishing lures to use for bass? Now this is a subject that bass fishermen love to argue about. My answer to this question is use whatever bait that you are most confident and proficient with. Most of my big bass have been caught using a Texas rigged worm or salamander or a Carolina rigged worm or salamander.
I like a salt impregnated worm when using a Carolina rig. The salt makes the worm float above all of the gunk on the bottom of the lake or wherever you are fishing. My favorite color is purple but I have used pumpkin with lots of success too.
My advice is to keep a few different colors with you and try them until you find the one that works best. Also have different sizes because sometimes a smaller presentation will work better than a larger one and vice versa.
You really only need to have 3 different colors in your tackle box.
- You will need watermelon colored soft plastics for clear water conditions. Watermelon is translucent and having light pass through the bait is best for clean water scenarios.
- You will need green pumpkin colored plastics for stained water conditions. Green pumpkin is a more opaque version of the watermelon and gives a better silhouette for bass to key in on.
- You will need something dark like black, purple or June bug colored. This color is best for contrast in dirty and dark water scenarios.
The video below will teach you tips and techniques for Carolina and Texas rigs.
In general, a larger bait works better in the Winter months than a smaller bait. The fish need more to sustain them in the Winter. Smaller baits will usually work best in the Summer months. Don't be afraid to try both but this generalization is usually proven to be true time and time again for me.
My second favorite bait is a spinner bait/buzz bait because it enables me to cover a lot of water to find where the bass are hiding. For whatever reason a white one seems to work best for me. I will usually start with a fast retrieve and then gradually slow it down if the bass are not hitting.
When the bass are bedding a buzz bait run near the beds will crush the bass as they try to kill it to protect their eggs. This often leads to some of the better top water strikes that you will get.
Many bass fishermen love to use a crank bait to catch a bass. I have had a lot of success with crank baits but unless I plan on eating the bass, I don't like to use lures with treble hooks. Too often they will swallow the lure or it will damage one of their eyes during the fight.
This being said a crank bait is another great bass fishing lure that covers a lot of water to help you find the fish. They are also a great bait to fish various depths in the water column. Just use the smaller lipped crank baits to stay shallow and bigger lipped crank baits to go deeper.
A frog lure is another favorite of mine when fishing lily pads or floating grass mats. Frog lures are mostly weed less which allows you to get up in some thick lily pads and vegetation when hunting for bass. I like to work a frog very slowly from pad to pad.
Frogs work great along a shoreline as well. a Carolina rigged floating frog works great in the gunk along a shoreline. I will usually try a dark frog when fishing a shoreline and a white frog or light bellied from when fishing lily pads or floating vegetation.
There are plenty of successful bass fishermen that swear by bass jigs. I have never had much luck fishing with this lure. It might be because I don't try it very often and I am therefore not proficient using it. When I want to punch through some thick grass to target the bass underneath, I will just use a Texas rigged crawdad instead with a heavy bullet wait. That works best for me anyways.
When is the best time to go bass fishing in Florida? This depends on where you are in Florida. When the bass are getting ready to spawn they must eat a lot. Bass in Florida start bedding when the water temperatures get up to 60 degrees and stay there for at least a week. They will keep bedding until the water temperature gets up to about 80 degrees.
So if you are in Tallahassee the water temperatures will obviously stay lower longer than they will in Miami. It's all about the water temperature. Once they begin to bed they will aggressively defend their territory which leads to some amazingly vicious strikes. They will try to kill your lure.
So if you are in Tallahassee the water temperatures will obviously stay lower longer than they will in Miami. It's all about the water temperature. Once they begin to bed they will aggressively defend their territory which leads to some amazingly vicious strikes. They will try to kill your lure.
I live on the Treasure Coast of Florida and April through May is the best time of year around here to catch big bass. If we have a warm Winter the bite can get really good in March. If it is a really cold Winter the bite will sometimes start later in April; It's all about the water temperature where the bass are.
Watch the video below and get the best tackle for bass fishing in Florida.
Watch the video below and get the best tackle for bass fishing in Florida.
When is the best time of year to catch a large mouth bass?
This question has lots of answers depending upon who you are talking to. Instead of going through all of the logic of what time period is best for what size of bass I will break it down into water temperatures.
I think that there are 4 temperature zones that matter for catching bass. They are less than 50 degrees; 50 to 55 degrees (pre spawn); 55 to 60 degrees (spawn); more than 60 degrees (post spawn).
When these water temperatures will occur in your area is obviously reliant upon what latitude you live at so I made some general videos below for each season.
Watch the videos for each season and you can decide which one is best for you based upon where you live.
Let's start with Winter bass fishing.
The video below is all about Spring bass fishing.
This video below is all about Summer bass fishing.
The video below is all about Fall bass fishing patterns.
If you want to learn more about the specific seasons for bass fishing in more detail, then you can read the other articles that I have written about each one. You can just click on the links below and they will take you to those articles.
Winter Fishing for Bass
Spring Fishing for Bass
Summer Fishing for Bass
Fall Fishing for Bass
What is the best tackle for large mouth bass fishing?
The best tackle for largemouth bass fishing depends upon where you are catching them and what baits you are using. I will run through a few different scenarios that will require different tackle for each.
Let's say that you are fishing some heavy cover like thick weed mats, lily pads or cattails. To get a big bass out of that kind of cover will require a rod with some backbone and a reel with some decent drag.
If you are a spinning reel enthusiast like me then you will need a 4000 series reel filled with 50 pound braided line. You will want to couple this reel with a 7 to 8 foot medium/heavy rod. This set up will give you a good chance to pull a swamp donkey out of the thick vegetation.
If you are bait casting reel enthusiast then you will want to find one with at least 10 pounds of drag and a 7:1 gear ratio filled with 50 pound braided line. You will want to couple that with a 7 to 8 foot medium/heavy bait casting rod. This is the set up that you will need to get a bass out of thick cover.
If you are fishing the banks of some little pond or canal for bass that are under 5 lbs. and there is no structure or cover for the bass to get wrapped up in then you can downsize your set up.
You can get away with a 2500 series reel loaded with 8 to 10 pound braided line or mono filament line and a 7 to 8 foot medium action rod. Everything depends upon the size of the fish and the fishing environment.
What is the best gear for bass fishing?
If you are going to be fishing for bass all day you will definitely need to protect your eyes and skin from the sun's harmful rays. Polarized sunglasses are a must for largemouth bass fishing. A high end pair of sunglasses will run about $250 and a lower end pair will run you about $25 with glass lenses. You can find them with plastic lenses for about $5 at Walmart.
I have a $250 pair of Costa polarized sunglasses that I got for my birthday and they definitely give you more performance and are a higher quality overall. I wouldn't say that the $250 Costas give me 10 times more polarization than the $25 pair but they are definitely better and more sturdy.
Whatever price range you decide to go with you must wear polarized sunglasses or you can not sight fish for bass on the shoreline. The polarized lenses eliminate the glare on the surface of the water so that you can see under the surface.
The best color lenses for inshore and dirtier water scenarios are amber, rose and copper. If you are fishing super clean and clear water or you are fishing offshore a blue or a gray lens is best.
You will also want to stock up on UV performance fishing shirts to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. These shirts have built in sunscreen and are moisture wicking which means they evaporate your perspiration more efficiently keeping you cool on those hot days on the water.
My company has a large selection of sun protection performance fishing shirts for you to choose from. Click on the visit our store link below to check them out.
Best bass fishing lakes in Florida:
There are a lot of good bass lakes all over Florida. The reason why bass are such a popular game fish is because they live in just about every lake, canal, pond, river, ditch or any place else where there is freshwater and something for them to eat.
The list below is just my opinion based upon me fishing them or from other bass fishermen telling me about them or from research. The bottom line is that there are plenty of big bass to catch in all of the lakes mentioned below.
FUN FACT: Bass fishing is the number one fishing related money maker for the state of Florida. It pulls in more fishermen than all of the other fresh water and salt water fish. Bass fishermen account for almost 2 billion dollars in revenue for Florida. Thank you Mr. Bucket Mouth.
The list below is for those bass fishermen that want to catch a trophy bass in lakes that consistently produce trophy catches. The list starts in the southern part of the state with Lake Okeechobee and ends near Tallahassee with Lake Talquin.
- Lake Okeechobee
- Lake Kissimmee
- Lake Monroe
- Lake Harris
- Stick Marsh
- Lake Istokpoga
- Lake Toho
- Lake Tarpon
- Lake George
- Crescent Lake
- Rodman Reservior
- Lake Talquin
Conclusion:
Bass are an amazing game fish that Florida is lucky to have in all of our bodies of fresh water. When I say all of our bodies of fresh water, I mean ALL of our bodies of fresh water.
You can catch a bass in a little drainage ditch or a large lake. You can catch a bass in a canal or a pond. You can catch a bass in the middle of the city or out in the country. They are literally everywhere. That fact is probably why the bass is the most sought after game fish in the United States.
If you are ever bored and need something to do, go catch a bass. I guarantee that wherever you are sitting in Florida, there is a bass within a few miles of you that you can catch.
All that you need is a rod and reel and a few different lures. I usually bring a bag of purple worms or salamanders, a couple of spinner baits and weedless frog. Those three kinds of lures will catch bass just about anywhere that you are fishing.
I hope that this article helps you catch more bass or at the very least have more fun trying. Let's get some lines wet Florida!!
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