Crooked Lake Florida , Bass Fishing ,Crappie Fishing/Lake Caloosa Guide Service/Fishing Reports

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Well I added a music link of some tunes I played on guitar so you listen to something till I can get my logs back up, but I think they got glitched and are gone.
4/6/2010
Bass are spawning now as well as pan fish and beds are visible all over spawning areas on all local lakes. Most of the biggest bass of the year are caught during the spawn . Big bass make up about 1% to 2% of the general bass population so about the time your line begins to show wear and tear from catching average size fish, the big ones tend to get on. So check your knots and line often.

1/8/2010

Seems my logs were deleted but I still have my hand writen ones, so I will add them as I go.

Record breaking cold weather here in Florida now and to come the next few days as it is with most of the USA. A few 8 to 12 lb bass were caught before the major cold front hit here. It will take several days of near normal temps. in the 70's or so before the bass will become active again. Crappie fishing should pick up first warm front after this cold snap of 19 degree lows here. I would imagine the fish feel like my garden looks after the first cold blast , which is near dead. But the warm front is on it's way next Wednesday or so and the spawn will go on.

1/23/2010

Had a 2'' warm rain Thursday and bass will begin to bed now. They will move off beds and back to deep water on the next cold front if the temps. and winds are bad enough to be a hazard to laying eggs. Once the eggs are on the bed they will aways be near by. Not all the fish spawn at the same time so you can find fish at different stages of the spawn from now till April.

When fishing the shallows or running outboards near shallow water this time of year, it is best to take care . A fish bed can hold up to 50,000 eggs and the prop blast from outboards and trolling motors can destroy a bed. Raise the trolling motor up as high as possible and slip into the shallows from deep water and you also will catch more fish and do less harm. 20 boats on a lake in one day, and if each one ruins just one bed each, that equals 1,000,000 fry that become bluegill food. If only 10% of that 1,000,000 would make it to be an adult fish that is 10,000 fish . This number is somewhat on the high end of the estimate , but you get the point. Now take that number times 90 days a year and you see what I mean. There are many things that can ruin a lake , bad weather conditions , bad water run off, plants/spraying ,fishing pressure, ect. C & R is a great idea but just a small % of what makes our lakes good or bad to fish. If you love fishing then take the time to do no harm.

3/13/2010

Weather has been a major factor this winter with never ending cold fronts and wind. Weather is now looking to near normal temps. now and warm rain we had last week will kick the spawn into gear. Water temps. are near mid 60's now and climbing. Once the winds lay down the major part of spawning should begin and end late April and May. Big bass are starting to be caught and pan fish moving to bedding areas on most lakes.

4/6/2010

The spawn is on and bass and pan fish will continue to spawn till the weather becomes unstable. Weather looks great for the next week or so. Winds have finally laid down and become normal for this time of year. Big bass are only about 1% to 2% of the general population of fish in a given lake , so check your line and knots often after catching a mess of average fish. Braided line is a great choice when fishing around snags but even the best line will begin to wear out with use. The super small fibers in braided line will begin to pull apart from hard use and the damage is not visible at times. An old leather glove kept in the boat is really handy to reach down the line to pull hooks from stumps and snags. A 5 or 6 foot of bamboo or pvc pipe also makes a nice stump dehooker and saves stress on the line. Wall Hanger size bass are being reported on most area lakes now.

8/1/10
Dog days are tough to fish the feeding times are short and mid day heat can kill ya. Very early and very late day times are the best fishing ,with night fishing a good choice for crappies and bass and catfish. Overcast days and days before a major storm can be very good. Points and sandbars near deep water with bait fish near always good spots to try.

2/3/2011
Bass bedding begins at Crooked Lake. Water temps still a bit low here but a few hawgs moving around the shallows. Cold fronts will push the fish deep and extended warm fronts will start the spawning back up. Crappies moving to shallows now also. Toho and shallow lakes already catching hawg bass. The on and off again spawning pattern should continue several months with the weather patterns.
2/22/11
On Crooked Lake the last cold front stopped the spawning for bass and crappies, but now an extended warm front has started things back up again. On Shallow lakes the bass are on beds now.

Small schools of blue gills and shellcrackers have started spawning on a few shell bars and they should increase activity along with the bass as the overnight low temps. stay in upper 50's and 60's range.

Crappies starting up again also but they are easier to catch at nights.

11/8/2011

Prespawn fishing season is well underway. But I always think cold front / warm front fishing this time of year, because it is the key to catching fish or just looking for fish. It is not always possible to pick the day or time of day everyone can be free to fish , but it can make all the difference knowing when to go and where.
Several days before a cold front hits this area of Florida is usually the best time to be on the water if the winds are not too high to fish. The cycle begins again the 3rd day after a cold front or when overnight low tempertures return to the monthly average. Watch the overnight low temps to get best results. Switching from bass fishing to crappie fishing during off times of cold fronts can produce good fishing and fish can be caught anytime of the year , but knowing prime times to fish is always the way to go for me.

Crooked Lake fishing has been ok so far this year. Crappie day time fishing is picking up. Surface water temps 65 to 68 degrees.
Little Crooked lake county ramp is low water level and falling with the pass between little Crooked Lake and the main lake 2 feet or less.

Lake Easy new ramp to be finished December 30 as the sign there reads.

12/24/2011

Caught a 10 + lb. bass on Crooked lake yesterday on plastic bait and released her. Tried for crappies mid day and no good, Lake Clinch has a green algae bloom and fish there slow. Arbuckle lake looks good and a few crappies hitting early on jigs and minnows , a few bluegills also. Got a 15 inch crappie there and missed several good fish. Record high tempertures this year now , Major part of the spawn should be early this year if the weather stays warmer than normal.

2/16/2012

Specs and bass move deep on cold fronts and spawn in shallows on warm stable weather fronts, Feeding times stop during spawn in deep spots for some schools because they can feed as they chase small fish from spawning areas.So you have to find the spawning areas and try them first and move to deeper areas near the spawning beds to find good numbers of fish as they move to and from those areas.
Every lake is different because of the depth and cover fish look for as comfort zone areas.I look at it more as hunting than fishing. High winds that churn up the silt on lake bottoms can stop the bite for a week or more. As you find a fishing pattern that works well for your style of fishing on the lakes that you fish the seasons change and fish move from spawn pattern fishing to post spawn patterns then summer, and fall / prespawn patterns.

To help fight the odds fishing it is a good idea to keep rods rigged up for crappies / bass/ blue gills, and fish for what is biting. In deep water using a fish finder is a great tool but suspended crappies look the same as suspended bass at times. You just have to fish it to find out what fish is where.

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E-Mail me : Captgene2@verizon.net

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