Late summer Florida bass

[gall]

I apoglize if I should have to went to regional with this but girlfriend and I going to Florida week of the 6th of August and was wondering beat way to target them I'll be in the gulf side outside of Tampa close to saddle Park and Tamarac byt she also has a ton of ponds in her neighborhood so mainly will be pond hoping not sure on exact depth of them but I figure frog flip pitching the mats but any other suggestions would be great 

[hawgenvy]

Florida residential ponds are typically shallow, and especially in the summer may have plenty of algae and vegetation. So have weedless and top water baits on hand. For bank fishing Florida ponds, Texas-rigged worms, senkos, flukes, jigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, small swimbaits and frogs can all work. A T-rigged Rage Menace grub with a 1/8 bullet weight has worked well for me this summer. I usually have the most success in Florida ponds starting an hour before sunset, when the fish become more active and may work the shallows. Sometimes a big worm or jig/trailer will catch a big one trying to stay cool out towards the center of the pond.  Floating dead or algal mats create anoxic conditions and don't usually hold bass.  Look for isolated structure, hydrilla edges, emergent plants and lily pads. Those big metal pipes that connect the ponds often have a fat fish guarding the entrance, so stealthfully dangle something plastic in front of the pipe.  Be prepared for the weather to be hot and buggy even late in the day.  I wont even go out if there is not at least some breeze to mitigate the gnats.

[Bucky205]

I am probably going to take some smacks for this. Some feel there is never a time for ive bait.  If I were going to Florida with my girlfriend, after buying 2 non resiident licences, only a couble days to fish, in strange water, and wanted to catch a nice fish.  I would float shiners near the thick stuff.

[gall]

I've fished down there a few times ww last August and fishing was terrible first time three this March started putting a pattern together believe it nor biggest fish 7# got caught off a ned rig and a few 4# off senkos in the shallows since it was an unusual cold front they went shallow to warmer water but as for colors any suggestions on plastics I always hear June bug but mine were caught off gp variants and the bama bug ned rig 

[Turf]

June bug is a solid choice.  Typically when throwing plastics down here whether, uvibes, senkos, swimbaits, etc. I use a darker profile.  June bug as you mentioned, black/blue, watermelon green or red, green pumpkin.  Black/blue is the swimbait color choice I almost always start with.

[geo g]

If they are man made lakes they will usually have a sharp drop off where the excavators were taking out the fill.  Find thick vegetation close to the drop off and fish those edges with a senko, u-vibe, or worm.  Fish it slow and if that doesn't work change the pace.  Fish often stage in these areas moving from the drop off in easrly morning, and into the cover when the sun gets high.  Baits will often get picked up sitting still after the initial fall.,  Use Junebug in dirty to stained water, and watermelon red in clear water.  Many of our rock pits have gin clear water.

 

If your bank fishing don't forget leather boots.  Many snakes out at the waters edge this time of year.  I see snakes almost every bank fishing trip, even in suburban neighborhoods.

[gall]

Thanks guys I think some of the ponds are man made they way they taper our in long points I'll probably have to make a trip to bass pro this weekend to stock up on some baits for me it's a total 180 I'm a smallmouth guy thru and thru so of course I luckily have a lot of green pumpkin variants 

[geo g]

Green pumpkin is not bad down here in clear water.

[gall]

So my biggest problem since we're only going for a short weekend is trying to limit what I take since will only have a carry on and my girlfriend being the trooper she is has let me use mine strictly for fishing ha but the measurements are 18x14x8 so I'm thinking one 3600 for hard baits which will consist of fee frogs few jigs maybe a popper or 2 and also gotta keep it under I wanna say 40# so trying to limit my terminal tackle and soft plastics is a must so with that what soft plastics would you fl guys think is a must have other then senkos and swim baits which I have gambler easys in a few diff colors 

[Turf]

I almost most often fish Berkeley grass pigs on weighted gam swimbait hooks (sometimes weightless), your EZ swimmers will be great.  Often throw senkos texas-rigged weightless on either 4/0 or 5/0 gam offset hooks.  Throw zoom u-vibes with the same setup.  The extra tail action is sometimes the subtle difference they are looking for.  Also don't hesitate to work the u-vibe rapidly across top water over and around grass/pads, etc.  Can often find a top water bite using this method.  Lastly I throw zoom super flukes with the same weightless setup in the same color patterns we mentioned above.  For me in the places that I am typically fishing it's all about staying as weedless as possible.  You will be pulling through tons of grass, hydrilla, pads, etc.  Thick vegetation is almost everywhere down here, plan accordingly in terms of line type and test.  For my soft plastics I'm fishing in this manner I use PP 15lb braid with about a 6' leader of 17lb flouro.  While frogging I use a heavy 7' rod with 65lb braid, straight to the frog.  Some say 40lb-50lb is plenty and others rely solely on 80lb for frogging, I like the happy medium.  Typically if I throw these 4 different styles at them one is bound to work.  You likely aren't going to be doing a lot of pitching, punching or flipping from the shoreline so I would recommend you stay weedless and weightless and work the through the bottom and ledges as Geo stated earlier.  In areas with less grass/weeds you can certainly use bullet weights as well to change your drop speed but personally I tend to stay weightless down here.  Many guys throw larger 7"-10"+ worms as well both in the ribbontail or straight variety but I've had better success fishing 5"-6" senkos.  Sometimes even 3.5" senkos depending on the day.  

 

I'm originally a PA boy as well, born and raised.  It's a whole different game down here as I'm sure you are aware.  Where I would typically spend a entire day throwing jigs up north, down here I'm either swimming a weedless swim jig or I'm likely not fishing a jig.  Hope this helps. Good luck out there. 

[gall]

Turf thank you so much that honestly helped a lot on narrowing down my bait choices a whole lot which is good for me and also those presentations let me lack less overall with terminal tackle I do know I had luck in the bama bug color or the general as bps limes to call it just tough to find stick baits  in that color i noticed

[Turf]

No worries, always glad to help.  I know that yum dinger has the bama bug color.  Affordable and reliable as well.  I have a few.  Also a good color choice.  

[gall]

That's what I like about the color it's the best of both worlds ha just slim pickings up this way for that color 

[Wurming67]

Go real early or real late it's been brutally hot as every summer is.

[soflabasser]

On 7/27/2017 at 6:36 PM, Wurming67 said:

Go real early or real late it's been brutally hot as every summer is.

 

Good advice.This is what I have been doing mostly this summer, along with night fishing.

On 7/25/2017 at 3:05 AM, gall said:

So my biggest problem since we're only going for a short weekend is trying to limit what I take since will only have a carry on and my girlfriend being the trooper she is has let me use mine strictly for fishing ha but the measurements are 18x14x8 so I'm thinking one 3600 for hard baits which will consist of fee frogs few jigs maybe a popper or 2 and also gotta keep it under I wanna say 40# so trying to limit my terminal tackle and soft plastics is a must so with that what soft plastics would you fl guys think is a must have other then senkos and swim baits which I have gambler easys in a few diff colors 

 

 

Here's some lures you can bring for South Florida bass fishing;

 

1.Hollow belly frog

2.Topwater popper

3.Spinnerbaits

4.Jerkbaits

5.Flukes

6.Senkos

7.Trick worms

8.Swimbaits

 

These are proven lures in South Florida and you will have plenty of space left over for more lures if you want.Have fun!

[gall]

So for hard baits since I had to pack it with my. Rods so it consist of wp crippled killer a popper small pad crasher regular pad crasher and popping pad crasher swim jog and a vibrating jug sadly ifs a 3" tube so I had to be able to squeeze them into that luckily if I need anything there's the Tampa bass pro close by 

 

Soft plastics some craws swim baits bitters u vibe bitters 7" curly tail senkos a few tubes for good measures I tried to compress it all into a gallon ziplock bag 

[hawgenvy]

If I had just one bait to pick for Florida summer pond fishing it would be a Strike King Twin Tail Rage Menace in Candy Craw, T-rigged on a 4-0 EWG with a pegged 1/4 oz weight. It's been ridiculous all summer.

 

[gall]

Welp I might cut back on the number of plastics I take yet again ha this whole personal bag thing is killer so I got trick worms mixed gp craws some senkos in June bug gp and wrf a couple swimbaits and j feel like I'm missing something 

[Turf]

On 8/1/2017 at 9:14 PM, hawgenvy said:

If I had just one bait to pick for Florida summer pond fishing it would be a Strike King Twin Tail Rage Menace in Candy Craw, T-rigged on a 4-0 EWG with a pegged 1/4 oz weight. It's been ridiculous all summer.

 

Solid choice as well.  You hawgenvy do you ever through the twin tail weightless?  Just curious, I rarely find myself throwing weights unless I'm punching or trying to alter my drop speed to trigger a bite. 

[hawgenvy]

3 minutes ago, Turf said:

 

Solid choice as well.  You hawgenvy do you ever through the twin tail weightless?  Just curious, I rarely find myself throwing weights unless I'm punching or trying to alter my drop speed to trigger a bite. 

I always use at least a small weight because in my own head I believe that with a weight the tail wiggles better when the grub drops, such as after you first cast it or when you yo-yo the bait. Otherwise you have to retrieve it to get the swimming motion from the rage tail flanges. Also, I tend to get bites soon after the bait hits the water, as it drops head first for the bottom. Anyway, my preferred retrieve is swimming it along the bottom, and the weight keeps it down there. I always separate the little tail connector to maximize swimming action.  I haven't even tried the Menace Grub weightless, but maybe I will.

[geo g]

5 hours ago, Turf said:

 

Solid choice as well.  You hawgenvy do you ever through the twin tail weightless?  Just curious, I rarely find myself throwing weights unless I'm punching or trying to alter my drop speed to trigger a bite. 

 

 

I have had good luck on the Rage Craw slowly swimming in contact with the bottom.  I put a light bullet weight in front to protect the nose of the bait as it goes through and around, all the vegetation scattered on the bottom.  Big bass love this little craw.

[gall]

We haven't gotten out much yet but I did pack some paca craws and other little craws from my sm gear I'll have to try ti get out and get some menace grubs we're gonna go out tonight and within the neighbor her folks live in its like 20*ponfs all a short run between so I'm gonna toss everything including the kitchen sink 

[Turf]

1 hour ago, geo g said:

I have had good luck on the Rage Craw slowly swimming in contact with the bottom.  I put a light bullet weight in front to protect the nose of the bait as it goes through and around, all the vegetation scattered on the bottom.  Big bass love this little craw.

 

All good advice! Thanks.  Going to switch it up tomorrow and try some different techniques.  Heading out to Lox early and am going initially try a rage craw with a 1/4 ounce bullet since I already have them, like you mentioned.  Also going to be throwing ribbit frogs on top and larger profile soft plastic swimbaits.  Hunting for the big girls tomorrow.  Could go either way tomorrow but you never know unless you give it a shot I guess.  

[geo g]

57 minutes ago, Turf said:

 

All good advice! Thanks.  Going to switch it up tomorrow and try some different techniques.  Heading out to Lox early and am going initially try a rage craw with a 1/4 ounce bullet since I already have them, like you mentioned.  Also going to be throwing ribbit frogs on top and larger profile soft plastic swimbaits.  Hunting for the big girls tomorrow.  Could go either way tomorrow but you never know unless you give it a shot I guess.  

 

 

Good luck Turf.  My last two trips to the Lox Road Ramps have been tough.  A handful of small bass early, but no big girls.  My biggest recently have been at the cuts with some flow coming out of the flats.  Most people I have talked with, have had the same experience at Lox.

[gall]

So went out for a little tonight nor aa long as I would have liked due to a few reasons so I didn't get a chance to fish so I gave up ha sadly but there's about 20 ponds in the neighborhood but I realized I won't get the chance before I gotta head back thanks everyone for the tips and suggestions the plus side I always got my smallmouth