bcosselman Posted May 17, 2017 Posted May 17, 2017 Ill be in south Florida come the last week of September, can anyone offer any canal fishing/small pond advice on places/baits to fish from shore. My girlfriend and I will have a couple of days to fish and we would love the chance to catch some good large mouths and even a peacock! Any advice and suggestion is greatly appreciated! Thank you! 1 Quote
frogflogger Posted May 17, 2017 Posted May 17, 2017 senkos and frogs would be my first choice - almost any fresh water canal in so. Fla. holds bass of surprising size. Quote
Captain Phil Posted May 17, 2017 Posted May 17, 2017 I have been fishing Florida canals all my life. All bodies of water in Florida contain bass. When I was a kid I caught tons of bass from the back of a sewage plant in NW Miami. The water coming out of that plant had 2 feet of soap suds and bass were everywhere. Canal bass are much easier to catch than lake fish and will readily hit most any lure fished right. There are a couple of baits that you should try. The most effective bait for these fish is a 6-8" plastic worm. Try it without weight on a spinning rod with 8-10 pound line. Add weight until you find fish. The second bait I would try would be a Rapala minnow in gold or silver. Again, throw these lures on light spinning tackle. These canals are usually pretty clear, so downsizing your line will help. Any canal you can fish is worth a try. Good Luck! 1 Quote
bcosselman Posted May 19, 2017 Author Posted May 19, 2017 Is it worth getting a guide for lake Toho or Okeechobee? Or can you fish from shore at either or some close by ponds for some good ones? Quote
Super User geo g Posted May 20, 2017 Super User Posted May 20, 2017 5 hours ago, bcosselman said: Is it worth getting a guide for lake Toho or Okeechobee? Or can you fish from shore at either or some close by ponds for some good ones? I would definitely get a reputable guide for Okeechobee. Water is low and it can be dangerous with rock walls in some spots. Also the bass move around so much with weather fronts, you need up to date info on the latest patterns. Quote
Captain Phil Posted May 20, 2017 Posted May 20, 2017 Okeechobee and Toho are both huge bodies of water with very little in the way of bank fishing. However, I have caught some nice bass fishing from the rim canal near Belle Glade when the water is flowing. Other that that, I would definitely hire a guide. Make sure you tell the guide what kind of fishing you like to do and what you expect. When I was guiding most of the problems came from miscommunication. Not all of us are mind readers. 1 Quote
Turf Posted May 22, 2017 Posted May 22, 2017 Weston has a load of areas where you can get some nice fish from the bank. The canals and small lakes around there are all seemingly loaded with Peacocks as well as Largies, in addition to many others. I've had some success at Markham Park as well, there are a bunch of places to bank fish however they mostly contain Largies in those lakes. I've seen fewer peakcocks in there but they are there. There is however a canal to the west of Markham that usually has quite a few peacocks in it. Otherwise Holiday Park and Alligator Alley have some good spots for bank fishing as well. Just completely depends on where you are staying and how far you are willing to travel. Barring that you aren't staying on the beach you likely will have canals / lakes around you that will be holding both bass you are after. Quote
bcosselman Posted May 24, 2017 Author Posted May 24, 2017 We will be staying in west palm beach for a couple of days and then making our way down to the keys. I don't mind traveling a little bit to find a good place that she can cast easy from shore. Thanks everyone for the help it really is greatly appreciated. Quote
topwaterrob Posted May 24, 2017 Posted May 24, 2017 On 5/17/2017 at 0:40 AM, bcosselman said: Ill be in south Florida come the last week of September, can anyone offer any canal fishing/small pond advice on places/baits to fish from shore. My girlfriend and I will have a couple of days to fish and we would love the chance to catch some good large mouths and even a peacock! Any advice and suggestion is greatly appreciated! Thank you! check back here as your trip gets closer.... Maybe someone will be able to dial you in... Quote
Stanley Posted June 30, 2017 Posted June 30, 2017 Does anyone know about the E1 Canal that runs along 441/SR7 from Boca area up past Okeechobee Blvd? I cant find any info on it and all the years I drove that stretch, I never seen anyone fishing. There are several small offshoots from it also. Cant see on a map if it connects to any other water system or not. Its very close to my house and it has easy access off the road. Be a great place to just kill 20min or so. Maybe I will just chance it and try it one night. Quote
Bassfishin91 Posted July 19, 2017 Posted July 19, 2017 Here in South Miami / Kendall area my best success have been with worms, super flukes or crank baits. For peacocks i recommend fast moving baits like jerk baits and crank baits, definitely try top water. Nothing like watching a peacock destroy your lure on top water. If all else fails live bait will catch em for you. Quote
BCline Posted July 20, 2017 Posted July 20, 2017 On 6/30/2017 at 11:15 AM, Stanley said: Does anyone know about the E1 Canal that runs along 441/SR7 from Boca area up past Okeechobee Blvd? I cant find any info on it and all the years I drove that stretch, I never seen anyone fishing. There are several small offshoots from it also. Cant see on a map if it connects to any other water system or not. Its very close to my house and it has easy access off the road. Be a great place to just kill 20min or so. Maybe I will just chance it and try it one night. I drive this road nearly every day during my compute from Loxahatchee to Deerfield Beach. I have seen many bucket fishermen but only a very few targeting bass. I stopped once after an argument with my wife so was in no hurry to get home, but the only thing biting that day were the sand gnats. I am certain that canal holds quality bass, if you find a hot spot please post it here. Quote
Super User soflabasser Posted July 25, 2017 Super User Posted July 25, 2017 On 5/17/2017 at 0:40 AM, bcosselman said: Ill be in south Florida come the last week of September, can anyone offer any canal fishing/small pond advice on places/baits to fish from shore. My girlfriend and I will have a couple of days to fish and we would love the chance to catch some good large mouths and even a peacock! Any advice and suggestion is greatly appreciated! Thank you! Welcome to the forum. September is a great time for bass fishing in South Florida and you should have a great time. Almost any freshwater canal system in Miami Dade County- West Palm Beach should offer good fishing. The C-4 canal offers good largemouth bass fishing,with a good chance at catching peacock bass. The Kendall/Homestead region is well known for peacock bass, I suggest you do some research on this area since its loaded with big peacock bass. Some good lures to bring for largemouth bass are hollow belly frogs, poppers, zoom horny toads, swimbaits, flukes, spinnerbaits, and senkos. Some good lures to bring for peacock bass are jerkbaits, crankbaits, and poppers. Don't be afraid to use live bait if your goal is to catch a trophy peacock bass or trophy largemouth bass, since in the end of the day a +8 pound largemouth or +5 pound peacock bass is more impressive to catch than a sub 8 pound largemouth or sub 5 pound peacock bass. Quote
Stanley Posted August 11, 2017 Posted August 11, 2017 On 7/20/2017 at 11:23 AM, BCline said: I drive this road nearly every day during my compute from Loxahatchee to Deerfield Beach. I have seen many bucket fishermen but only a very few targeting bass. I stopped once after an argument with my wife so was in no hurry to get home, but the only thing biting that day were the sand gnats. I am certain that canal holds quality bass, if you find a hot spot please post it here. I stopped off at a few locations between Boyton and Lantana Rd. So far, nothing. Did some top water frogs, spinners, and spoons. Next trip out will be some rapellas and plastics. I seen a few fish swim by but it was all Gar. I did find one person who was familiar with the area and they said the only bass they ever caught has been small dinks and not a lot. No snakeheads has been found either. Surprised there isnt more fish in there since many of the connecting canals goes to the canals along the Turnpike and some run all the way into Lake Osborne and Lake Ida. Spent some time on Google Earth following all the tributary canals and where to get in them. Access is very limited. Also, this is part of the LWDD (Lake Worth Drainage District), so info and maps are not widely available as other canal systems in S Fla. I ended up talking with someone at FWC about this area. Quote
Super User soflabasser Posted August 14, 2017 Super User Posted August 14, 2017 @bcosselman September is only 2 weeks away and the peacock bass fishing is extremely good right now so you should have a great time when you come here. This past weekend alone I caught several peacock bass, with the biggest one measuring 22.25'' in length. I am fishing canal systems in Miami Dade County and Broward county.Use the techniques I mentioned earlier and you should do well. Quote
bcosselman Posted August 22, 2017 Author Posted August 22, 2017 On 8/14/2017 at 6:09 AM, soflabasser said: @bcosselman September is only 2 weeks away and the peacock bass fishing is extremely good right now so you should have a great time when you come here. This past weekend alone I caught several peacock bass, with the biggest one measuring 22.25'' in length. I am fishing canal systems in Miami Dade County and Broward county.Use the techniques I mentioned earlier and you should do well. Thank you, and everyone for the great advice! Im looking forward to much needed R&R and bent rods after this deployment. Even had a rod and reel sent to me so I could just cast into the dirt, I have the itch for sure!. Ill be sure to post pictures and information on how I did when I return back from our trip. THANKS AGAIN! 1 Quote
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