Florida - January

[fishblitzer]

Going bass fishing while down on a family trip to Florida in the early part of January. I'll be fishing Lake Kissimmee and I am not real sure how to approach finding the bass or what lures to start with. I'll have my boat so I won't be bank fishing. I am not from Florida and I hear the fishing is a lot different down there. I've read that the water is muddy and there is a ton of grass.

 

I usually try to fish a chatterbait or spinnerbait around grass and muddy water(which is rare). I'll also fish a jig if I can get away with it and if it is too matted I throw a frog or weedless topwater. How do you all think these techniques would work on Kissimmee? I know it is hard to predict what the fish will be doing but I am just looking for a starting place for the lure selection, I can adapt as I need to based on the conditions. Do the bass start to bed there that early?

 

 

Thanks,

Fishblitzer

 

[BassinLou]

Going bass fishing while down on a family trip to Florida in the early part of January. I'll be fishing Lake Kissimmee and I am not real sure how to approach finding the bass or what lures to start with. I'll have my boat so I won't be bank fishing. I am not from Florida and I hear the fishing is a lot different down there. I've read that the water is muddy and there is a ton of grass.

 

I usually try to fish a chatterbait or spinnerbait around grass and muddy water(which is rare). I'll also fish a jig if I can get away with it and if it is too matted I throw a frog or weedless topwater. How do you all think these techniques would work on Kissimmee? I know it is hard to predict what the fish will be doing but I am just looking for a starting place for the lure selection, I can adapt as I need to based on the conditions. Do the bass start to bed there that early?

 

 

Thanks,

Fishblitzer

 

January can be touch and go with cold fronts. Fronts will shut our fish down for a few days. If its multiple fronts its going to be a loooong week. As far as spawning goes, I could be mistaken, but I haven't heard of Central FL bass spawning in January. 

[davecon]

Haven't fished Kissimmee in years, that being said, if we have a lot of cold weather, thats our cold, not yours, and then it warms up in January they might move up to spawn.

Recommend you fish the greenest hydrilla you can find, use a lot of soft plastics, and fish SLOOOOW.

Cold fronts can really shut them down for several days.

Other than that the standard fare is dark colored or watermelon plastics, plastic swimbaits, lipless cranks,spinnerbaits, and don't overlook the good old Devils Horse.

Just stay in or near thick vegetation, especially on any type of point.

Have fun and good luck.