This bass was caught on 2/9, and is typical of the great fishing in the Fellsmere Lakes.

As expected, the temperatures have dropped and the wind has increased, making fishing challenging, and catching even tougher, through February. We have still managed to catch big bass during these times, but we did have to change our approach. March will probably throw us another curve ball or two in the form of cold fronts and wind, so hopefully something here will help.

Many bass fishermen get tunnel-vision, and believe the way to catch bass is with lures. I used to think the same way until I started guiding in “99″, when my eyes were opened. Another guide called me and needed my help on an all-live-bait 3 day guided corporate trip; I needed the money, but I was not excited about it at all. You see, I had been catching 30-50 fish a day up to 6 lbs. on topwater at Palm Forest for the last week, and the last thing I wanted to do was stare at a bobber; I couldn’t imagine how this could be fun.

Upon arrival I found 7 other guides, 6 whom I had never seen before, with poles out and bobbers flapping in the already 20 MPH+ north winds; at least 3 of them asked me if I was on fish, because apparently they were planning on following me. I didn’t really mind sharing, because I knew they would be gone back to wherever they came from after the trip, so I told them I was on fish, and I told them what I was catching them on. 3 boats idled to the spot where whitecaps were already forming; I knew topwater for me was out, and I doubted the fish would come up for the live baits, either, but I was as wrong as could be. I was still idling when I heard a hoot and looked back; one of the guides had already stopped, dropped, and hooked up with a 4 pounder in 50 degree temps and whitecaps!

I had never done a guide trip with shiners, and I wasn’t about to admit it at the moment, so as I was trying to grab the baits with my bare hands (bring a small net) I was looking at the 2 other guides trying to figure out how deep their floats were, etc. I got in so much of a hurry that I threw the first one out with no bobber; I backlashed, too,  and the shiner flew about a hundred feet and landed right next to another guides boat. It promptly got smashed upon entry. That really raised my eyebrows, and once I successfully got baits out, it was on for myself and the other boats. The other 5 boats eventually joined us in a bass-catching, photo-filled afternoon, and we simply rinsed and repeated for the next 2 days. We ended up with a couple over 10, a nine, and several over 8 lbs.; most were great quality. The customers that were on my boat ended up staying for 2 more days. They called the newspaper, and I was touted as a live-bait fishing expert; I never told anyone except you that that day was my first ever live-bait guide trip, shhh !

IF THE BASS ARE THERE THEY WILL HIT A LIVE WILD SHINER

Why am I telling you this now? Because during the cold fronts I have continued to have good success thanks to live bait; we have still been catching lots of bass on lures, but the quality is hard to come by. Some are still catching big bass on lures when flipped into hyacinth, with 1.5 oz. tungsten weights, but it’s very challenging for customers who want to enjoy their day. The best bet is to fish the deeper holes at Garcia with live shiners when the fronts and wind are here; the prespawn and postspawn females love to suspend there waiting for the right temps to slide up to the flats and onto a bed. Once it warms, go back to the flats, throwing lures and trolling a shiner; you’ll be amazed at how many fish ignore your lure but smash the shiner. I know that this sounds a little easier than it is, so don’t be misled; just call me for more specifics at anytime!!

Capt. Randy Sanders, “the stick martian”
basstrips.com
(321) 544-4534