Joedodge Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 I know our temps aren't extreme here in in the central gulf coast of the state. But do you guys have any luck with bass fishing in the winter or when the chilly temps set in periodically like they do lol Quote
FloridaFishinFool Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 Bass fishing slows down to a crawl in winter. A lot of us just switch over to sunshine bass which are state produced hybrids or their cousin the striper. What is cool about both species of fish is that basically the same lures and techniques work for both. Sunshine bass and stripers like bright, shiny, flashy fast moving lures. They hit like a freight train and fight like one too! Just be careful landing them. They are a strong powerful fish and can cut you up if not careful or just use a net for them. I will even target sunshine bass and stripers in the summer if you know how to find them... I target them for food and to fill up the freezer with them. Quote
Joedodge Posted January 7, 2015 Author Posted January 7, 2015 Oh wow I didn't know we had anything like that Quote
FloridaFishinFool Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 Yep! Check out the FWC stocking program here in Florida on their website: http://myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/stocking/ What I do is download all the stocking reports on the site. I think there are six years worth in there right now. Keep these reports handy. In 2 to 3 years after a report tells you where they put those fish, you can go catch them for sport or food. Here are some of them about to meet the fillet knife... http://myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2014/october/31/fb-november/ FWC hatcheries stocking 3.5 million freshwater fish, spreading a little 'sunshine' Fish Busters' Bulletin Friday, October 31, 2014 Media contact: Bob Wattendorf, 850-488-0520 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) operates two freshwater fish hatcheries, which will stock more than 3.5 million fish again this year, with most being custom-designed striped bass hybrids -- aka sunshine bass. Richloam, at the Florida Bass Conservation Center is the larger hatchery and produces largemouth bass, black crappie, channel and white catfish, bluegill and redear sunfish. The facility, in Sumter County, has an observation area with informative displays that are open to the public during normal business hours. For directions and to learn more about when and where game fish are stocked, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing and select “Stocking Locations/Info.” The other FWC production facility is the Blackwater Hatchery in Santa Rosa County. Blackwater produces largemouth bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, channel catfish and several other species. Other than hybrid striped bass, most of these fish stay in northwest Florida. Last year 1.4 million sunshines and 100,000 pure striped bass were produced. “We know from previous releases these fish will be available for years and provide lots of excitement to anglers,” said hatchery manager Dave Yeager. Hybrid striped bass were first produced in South Carolina by crossing female striped bass with male white bass. Named palmetto bass, they provided a fast-growing sport fish suitable to ponds and lakes. However, in 1971, a few Florida fisheries biologists, lead by Forrest Ware, Chuck Starling and Harrell Revels, conducted a fish-breeding experiment at Richloam, resulting in sunshine bass. Sunshine bass have white bass mothers and striped bass fathers. This provides an advantage in Florida because of the timing and availability of brood fish, allowing fisheries biologists to use them statewide. The FWC stocks sunshine bass to provide a natural control mechanism for forage fish populations like shad, and to create an exciting fishery. All striped bass hybrid fry (baby fish) are now produced at Blackwater. Biologists start each season making sunshine bass, because ripe white bass females become available first, usually mid- February to early March. The first sunshine bass fry are shipped to Richloam or Welaka (a cooperating U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatchery) for grow out, since they are less subject to late freezes that may kill fry. Because demand for hybrids exceeds the capacity for sunshine bass production, when striper females become ripe, Blackwater staff also create palmetto bass. These stocking strategies work well in nutrient-rich lakes with abundant shad, and in urban ponds and fish management areas with lots of anglers, especially when fish feeders are available. This creates excellent recreational fisheries that are fun for kids to catch, and these fish are good eating. Producing striped bass involves mixing eggs and milt by hand and placing fertilized eggs in hatching jars, with constantly roiling water. Once hatched, fry use their yolk-sac for nutrition, but then must be transferred to specially prepared ponds, with abundant microscopic insects to eat, until they are 1.5-inch long fingerlings, and ready for stocking in public lakes. (See FloridaWildlifeMagazine.com/blackwater-hatchery.html for an article by Brandon Basino and to subscribe to FWC’s e-magazine). These hybrids do not spawn naturally, so FWC hatcheries continue to produce and stock all hybrid striped bass. Hybrid striped bass frequently have broken stripes on the front half of the body and straight lines on back, and are deeper bodied than stripers. Biologists examine tooth patches near the midline toward the back of the tongue to make a final identification. White bass have one patch and striped bass have two distinct patches. Hybrids have intermediate characteristics, so sunshines and palmettos have tooth patches that are close together or joined like a figure-8. Distinguishing between the two types of striped bass hybrid can only be done by genetic analyses or knowing the stocking history. Live threadfin shad or shrimp are effective baits, but artificial lures such as crankbaits, jigs, spinners and spoons also do well. Shrimp, squid or even pieces of hot dogs will attract sunshine bass that concentrate around mechanical feeders. A sunshine bass heavier than 5 pounds or longer than 20 inches qualifies for a Big Catch certificate. Blackwater Hatchery also releases Gulf striped bass in the Ochlockonee, Blackwater and Yellow rivers. Gulf striped bass are a unique but naturally evolved form of striped bass that are primarily land-locked and adapted to the warmest temperatures in which any striped bass can thrive. While the native Gulf race of striped bass were once found in all northwest Florida rivers, they virtually disappeared from the Blackwater and Yellow rivers for unknown reasons. However, the FWC has stocked both rivers annually with small Gulf stripers since 1987. Today, a healthy striper population exists. Stripers heavier than 12 pounds or longer than 30 inches qualify for the aforementioned Big Catch program. To learn about top destinations to catch these fish, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing and select “Fishing Sites/Forecasts.” You can learn more about FWC stocking programs atFloridaSportsman.com/blogs/ by selecting “FWC Freshwater Fisheries blog” and following the Hatchery Tracker. Next time you wet a line in Florida’s fresh waters, remember that most fish you catch are naturally spawned and depend on quality habitats, including clean, abundant water and healthy native aquatic plant communities, but some, especially sunshine bass and stripers, are brought to you by FWC biologists and technicians. Quote
FloridaFishinFool Posted January 7, 2015 Posted January 7, 2015 Here is a video of a local central Florida fisherman catching a 9 pound sunshine bass at sunrise on Lake Harney, a lake the St. Johns River flows through. This was taken sometime in probably late March of 2014. Also notice there is another boat in his same general area going after the same species of fish. In this video they incorrectly identify this fish as a striper, but it is in fact a sunshine bass hybrid and the identification is simple. On a natural striper the black lines down the side of the fish are solid and straight. But on a hybrid sunshine bass, those same black lines appear jagged and broken. And that is what you see on this fish- the classic sunshine bass jagged black lines. That is a state of Florida produced fish stocked in the St. Johns river. The sunshine bass and striper are so similar people often just call sunshine bass stripers as seen in this video. Quote
Joedodge Posted January 7, 2015 Author Posted January 7, 2015 Oh wow awesome thank you so much for the info Quote
AVIDBF2015 Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 That was a cool looking bass in that vid. reminds me of a jacked up lake erie white bass. Quote
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