Are The Recent Rains Throwing Your Patterns Off?

[Casslaw]

I live in Wesley Chapel, near Tampa and the immense amount of rain we have gotten recently has thrown me off.

My small local lakes lakes are WAY up, and I was in Winter Haven on Lake Reedy last Saturday and got skunked! When I fished tournaments there I didn’t bring a bag to the scale if I didn’t have close to 20 pounds!

Ive noticed not only is the water way high but the water temps are 5-7 degrees lower than my log books tell me.

The fish i see in deep water all seem to be hovering on the thermocline and are not catchable for me.

No topwater bite at all in the am, only the pm.

How are are you guys adjusting or do I just suck?

[Davecon]

Illness in the family has curtailed my fishing as of late but I normally quit bass this time of year and switch over to snook at night. That should tell you how much I know about beating this heat bass fishing. Years ago I had several deep water honey holes that produced well this time of year but no longer have access. Many many many years ago I fished the Fin and Feather phosphate pits around Mulberry. It was brutal - fish only bit from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Fishing was unbelievable but it was ungodly hot. 30 to 40 bass averaging 3 to 4 pounds per trip on crankbaits. Lost access to that too. Now I just fish for snook at night and do honey-do’s until the weather cools off. Sorry, that’s all I got !

[Casslaw]

I’m sorry to hear about the Iillness in your family, my mother passed in March from cancer...her passing is the reason I got a boat again because my brother and I just plain needed to have some fun!

I do love some night time snookin’! My biggest snook (on this coast) came under the bridge leaving Clearwater beach where everyone fishes from shore. 37” of awesome! My neighbor has a brother that lives on the east coast and I’d like to hit some of those monsters!

I used to have the pass pass to the phosphate pits in Mulberry, except the ones we fished it was ONLY flipping that gave up fish, and we did catch some monsters there! That was late 90’s though.

Its rare for me to find all the fish suspending right on the thermocline even first thing in the morning, but that’s what I’m finding. Even the schooling bass are smaller, smaller groups and they don’t stay up long.

Summer in Florida! Good luck to you and your family.

[Davecon]

Thanks for the good wishes. Everybody is healing well and I’m piddling with the boat and fishing tackle, going pretty much stir crazy. Been thru this before and know that things will get better soon. Just can’t wait for the weather to cool.

I’m in Riverview so it’s a pretty long haul for me but if I was closer I’d head to the Rainbow river. Water temp remains pretty much 72, it’s beautiful, and if you downsize your tackle you can catch some giants. Have personally caught several pushing 10 and one over 11. Just can’t go on the weekend as the people floating down the river in tubes make it impossible to fish.

Should you head up that way send me a PM and I can help a little bit.

Good luck, it’ll cool off sooner than later then we can complain about the cold fronts.

[kgfishing]

Ive been fishing the upper end of the mantee river looking for largemouth. The water is really muddy and high. Everything I have caught lately has been dirt shallow around docks and current seams way back up the creeks and shoots. In all my experience youve got to follow the water. If its rising then go to bank. Got on an awesome snook bite fishing a community dock way up the river. 3 ft of water and rolling mud and the snook and bass were crushing a white chatterbait.

Try fishing wood and grass up really shallow. It should put you around the right ones.

[Casslaw]

I’ve always avoided the rainbow river because it’s SO clear....I figured the fishing would be impossible so thanks.

Bass and snook in 3’ of water? That sounds like fun! Nice find!

[Davecon]

I routinely catch snook in way less than 3 feet of water. Often, 3 feet is considered deep.Became so addicted I bought a Gheenoe to get to them. Then got rid of the bass boat. It’s comical seeing guys in $40,000 flats boats not be able to get to the snook.

Most of these snook are small, 18 to 26 inches, but quit frequently some are 39 + inches. A snook that big in 2 feet of water is a lot of fun. The bycatch of tarpon ain’t bad either. All on artificial by the way.

The Rainbow is not bad if you gear down to 4 and 6 lb. line. Does make it challenging. Heavy mono/braid - good luck getting bit.

[Casslaw]

When I went from a kayak to a bay boat I was so mad I couldn’t get to the spots I used to fish with my kayak. It became an expensive taxi to get my kayak to the real shallows on low tide. 39” is 2” over my best, on the East coast they’d probably laugh at that!

Ibe hooked a couple 40+...but they got off!