dsw1204 Posted January 23, 2020 Posted January 23, 2020 I am headed down south to Tampa to be visiting my mom and dad in mid-March. I plan on doing some freshwater fishing while I am there. I have no idea what to expect. Now, I am relatively new to fishing, this upcoming season being my second one. Last year was fun and it was NOT unsuccessful. But, bass spawn at a different time in Florida than they do in Ohio, or so I assume. Is mid-March a prime time to do some bass fishing? Does anyone have any recommendations on tactics, types of lures, color of lures, etc.? What temperatures should I expect at that time of year... 70's, 60's? Looking at Google Maps, it looks like there are ponds every 30 yards, there are tons of ponds. Around southern Ohio, almost every pond has a sign that says "No Trespassing". Is that the same down there? I'll still fish at these ponds, but not on someone's private property...corporate property, yes. Also, there's two golf courses (with some nice size ponds) that are walking distance away from where I will be staying. Do people fish on these ponds? There's also a small lake (Lake Dan) that is in the middle of nowhere...about 1/2 mile walk from where I will park the car. There are no building anywhere near it. I am betting it does not get a lot of pressure, there. I am super excited to do some fishing in Florida. I am told the bass are much larger down south than in Ohio. So, any recommendations to a relatively newbie? Quote
Don51 Posted January 23, 2020 Posted January 23, 2020 Go through the posts. A lot of your questions will be answered. The spawn should be over by March. Air temp will be in the 80's, water temp should be around 80. Plenty of posted property. Talk to the locals about spots. And most importantly, if on foot, be aware of your surroundings! There are a lot of critters you need to watch out for. Especially the alligators! Quote
dsw1204 Posted January 23, 2020 Author Posted January 23, 2020 4 hours ago, Don51 said: Go through the posts. A lot of your questions will be answered. The spawn should be over by March. Air temp will be in the 80's, water temp should be around 80. Plenty of posted property. Talk to the locals about spots. And most importantly, if on foot, be aware of your surroundings! There are a lot of critters you need to watch out for. Especially the alligators! Yeah, I have thought about the "critters" to watch out for. Snakes scare me more than the gators, thus I have already bought some snake boots and I am feeling a little more confident about the bank fishing I will be doing. However, I probably should be more concerned of the alligators, although. So, the spawn will probably be over by mid-March? Is the fishing any better or worse after the spawn? Good to hear the weather will be air temps will be around 80*. Good to hear, especially now that current local morning temps are in the teens. I was pretty successful with topwater fishing last season. Really like seeing the blowups, even if I don't hook one up. The Whopper Plopper and the Teckel Sprinker Frog were my most successful baits. Late last year, in my first season, I started fishing with soft plastics and caught some decent largemouths, mostly on crawdads. Will the color of lures make a difference between Tampa and Ohio? If so, what colors do you recommend? Quote
NittyGrittyBoy Posted January 23, 2020 Posted January 23, 2020 Personally, Zoom U-vibe speed worm on 3/16 T-rig, Junebug Weightless fluke for topwater and grass, watermelon. Senko in black and blue or green your choice. Stick with those baits and you'll catch fish. Bass should be on the bank in grass pretty solid by March. Definitely post spawn. As the Water temps warm, Fla bass bury up in vegetation. If your pond hopping you should have no trouble. Quote
Super User Chris at Tech Posted January 23, 2020 Super User Posted January 23, 2020 If you've never done it before, give inshore saltwater fishing a try in Tampa Bay. 1 Quote
NittyGrittyBoy Posted January 24, 2020 Posted January 24, 2020 X2 on the inshore. Everybody needs to hook into a snook at least once in their life. Quote
heyitskirby Posted January 24, 2020 Posted January 24, 2020 1 hour ago, Chris at Tech said: If you've never done it before, give inshore saltwater fishing a try in Tampa Bay. Agreed. Before I moved here I would have never contemplated freshwater fishing while in the Tampa Bay area. Forget the bass and try something different. Quote
NittyGrittyBoy Posted January 24, 2020 Posted January 24, 2020 6 minutes ago, heyitskirby said: Agreed. Before I moved here I would have never contemplated freshwater fishing while in the Tampa Bay area. Forget the bass and try something different. Whoa now. I'm not saying forget the bass ? I'm saying "include" inshore along with your bass pursuits. After all, this is BassResource Quote
Super User Chris at Tech Posted January 24, 2020 Super User Posted January 24, 2020 56 minutes ago, NittyGrittyBoy said: X2 on the inshore. Everybody needs to hook into a snook at least once in their life. Snook have eluded me so far but the reds, trout, jack and tarpon I’ve wrangled so far have me coming back for more. Quote
Super User soflabasser Posted January 24, 2020 Super User Posted January 24, 2020 The golden gate canal is close so you can go there to fish for peacock bass, largemouth bass, various exotics, and other fish. 21 hours ago, NittyGrittyBoy said: X2 on the inshore. Everybody needs to hook into a snook at least once in their life. Snook are one of my favorite fish to catch. They will hit the same lures a bass will hit and you can catch snook both in freshwater and saltwater. Quote
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