General Advice

[CAROLINABASSSMAN12]

Hi all,

am posting from Ireland and looking for any info I can get from you guys on Bass Fishing.
Am heading to Florida, Orlando, Kissimee is the area, for my annual vacation in June of this year. Have rented a Villa for a few weeks and right behind me is an 18 acre lake which I'm told has Bass in it, I've no idea of the size or poss weight. Any ideas what else might be in it.

I'm a Carp Angler here in Ireland and also fish for Pike
My best Carp is 28lbs and best Pike is 19lbs. So It's fair to say I have some Angling experience / time behind me.

So these Bass, whats the craic, is all the fishing done with Lures or moving baits being jerked for want of a better term, or do they go for static baits and if so what
do they go for, dead fish or worms.

Will obviously do some research locally when I get there and have managed to find the address of a tackle shop over there but want to start getting some ideas.

Rod and reel ? normally I use a 12ft, 2.75 test curve rod
with a baitrunner reel, spooled up with 15lb breaking strain nylon. Whats the preferred set up that you guys use.

I know this is all very general stuff and lots more then these simple questions need to be answered to get a decent catch but I've gotta start somewhere.
Any help would be much appreciated,

Slainte.

[Rich]

Welcome to the forum!

There are a number of guys here from Florida that will give you some specifics I'm sure. Â*There are a number of different ways to catch bass. Â*I think your pike experience will serve you well-from what my northern bretheren tell me they like the same types of lures and habitats-being in South Texas pike are a little scarce ;D.

Rather than just throwing out a number of terms you may or may not be familiar with, here is a link that is set up for a beginning bass fisherman-I realize you are not a beginner in fishing, but it has a lot of the kind of info you are looking for regarding bass and may help you get pointed in the right direction:

http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/beginner.html

You can use artificial baits that you work fast or slow, and live bait is always an option-I know if Florida golden shiners-large minnows-are popular.

For tackle I think your reel is what we call a baitcaster, which is ideal for bass fishing. Â*the rods we use here are shorter, though-6'6" of 7' is about as long as we use here, and most prefer rather stiff rods. Â*A 6'6" medium heavy(fairly stiff) rod is kind of the all-purpose length and action. Â*Hope this helps you get headed in the right direction, and any questions please ask. Â*We have a lot of pretty good fishermen on this site that love to share their knowlege, so ask away!

[CAROLINABASSSMAN12]

Thanks Rebbasser, top man, had a quick look at the link you gave, if I don't get sorted from that it's probably best if I stay in Disney World !!!!!!!!!!!!!

good to know that anglers all over the world are allways happy to help each other out,

Slainte

[Makitcnt4u]

My mom has a house in Florida that has a little lake behind it. There have been a few fish caught from it but The water usually does not have a great deal of oxygen in it. Also The houses around the lake have caused fertilizer from their back yard to run in their. They are currently improving the lake with a chemical absorbing swamp plants and aerators. If this lake has enough oxygen and is safe for fish then you will probably catch some fish. There are also alot of great lakes in Florida that you could fish also.

[Bassin_Dude]

i prefer a spinning reel but the reel u have is good. like reb said the rods should stay under 7'. dont use dead fish or worms. if u dont want to use artificial use live minnows or night crawlers. i live near orlando and use artificial and red shad worms work really well. also use dark colored lures if the pond is muddy or stained. also there are alot of larger lakes in the area that promise bass. such as lake toho or lake kissimmee. and the st johns river is another option. regarding what other types of fish will be in there, probally speckled perch catfish bream. just go to the local bait shop and ask wats been good lately and have fun. some of the biggest bass in the u.s. come from florida.

[Rich]

Glad to help, Buzzer. If I can't be out fishing I'd just as soon be talking about it.

One type bait I really like is a soft jerkbait. Where you will be fishing I'd be willing to bet you will be dealing with weeds, and this type bait is great in weeds. they have several different brands with names like Senko, tiki Stick, or Yum dinger just to name a few. It doesn't look like much, but they sure catch fish:



This particular one is a Tiki Stick. To rig them we use an offset shank worm hook and rig it in a manner called a Texas rig:



Except I keep the point of the hook buried in the plastic rather than expose it like the picture shows. This rig will come through the thickest cover without getting hung up. I fish it weightless-cast it out, let it settle, and work it with twitches of the rod tip. I've caught a lot of fish on this bait. Like I said, if you have questions, ask away!

[Bassin_Dude]

theres probaly gunna be docks on the lake to. concentrate alot on those. use a jig, im guessing u kno what that is but if not heres a pic:
i personally like a red and black jig with a type of worm,prefferably a color that is the same as the jig skirt. use this worm as a trailor. cast the jig around the pylons of the dock and let it sit and twitch it. watch for the strike on the fall.

[zman]

Florida is known for some big bass, and there is also a good chance that the lake you are fishing will have pickeral (a close relative of the Pike), bowfin, crappie and bluegill. The bass are what will be special about such a lake though.


15 pound test line is ideal for most situations in florida. 12 feet for a rod is almost unheard of for bass fishing, although if you can cast it I'm sure you will still catch fish.

Actually you have some leeway when it comes to tackle, spinning, baitcasting and fly fishing tackle is all regularly used in the US for bass. Spinning and baitcasting are likely the most popular setups.

Just to give you a little list of lures to familiarize yourself with, I will try to list the most important ones for a person in your situation at the top...

Spinnerbaits
Lipless Crankbaits
Plastic Worms
Soft Jerkbaits
Hard Jerkbaits
Topwaters
Jigs

And of course when it comes to live bait florida is known for shiners, which are a species of baitfish that are around 4-7 inches in length. Actually for shiner fishing a 12 foot rod might be ideal.

Also dead bait does not work for bass although it does for catfish and maybe bowfin.

[macgyver]

Isn't it always overcast, cold and rainy in Ireland? Come to think about it, sounds like Indiana for the last few months Welcome to the site, most of the folks here are always glad to give any help they can. Buying some stuff locally is good for baits and such. I would recommend getting a rod and reel before you go just to practice with some. Sounds like you have plenty of fishing experience. And if you like using live bait then Shiners are definately the way to go or possibly some crawdads if you can find any. Most of the anglers who consider Bass their passion, will use Artificial Baits/Lures. If you are going to Kissimme area and really want to catch some good Bass(lots of folks, including myself travel to Florida for it's Bass fishing) then I would reccomend you Hire a guide. They will put you on fish, and can give you some of the pointers and tips for the area. Then you will have already caught some fish, and can then go on your own. Watch out for the Gators though

Lizards

[catfishtonyd]

Save yourself some aggrivation. Hire a guide.

[bassbum]

Buzzer,

Welcome to the board!! I think Cajun has a great idea, at least hire one to start out with. When you see how everything is done and what type of setup works well, go out and try it. The site that Rebbasser posted is also a very good site. When i first joined this board he posted it and i learned alot of good tips

Good Luck!!
Sandra

[fredhatch]

Im guessing the lake is behind your motel. Lets start with 2 very important warnings: 1. Gators- in june they have settled down some from mating season, only problem is the babies- female gators are very protective of the little ones. Meaning they will warn you if your close and bite if you are to close. This is not a joke, Fl gators do not play well with others. 2.Moccasins- They are mean,territorial, and will chase you down. They usually wont even hiss to warn you, they just bite. Even small ones are very aggressive. I would rather mess with a gator that get caught up with a moccasin. They are very poisonous. Now that thats done. Welcome to the sight. We are very fortunate in Fl when it comes to Bassfishing. We can pretty much fish lakes,canals,ponds,etc. and get good size fish. I usually recommend to most people that start in Fl- soft plastics(worms,lizards,creature baits,grubs). The majority of my plastics are 6"-8". I prefer colors ranging from-black,junebug,red shad, watermelon,motor oil and pumpkin. Most of the water in Fl is shallow- 15' being a average depth. read up some on the site Reb gave ya, any more questions Ill be glad to answer for ya, so will everyone else. Tell you the truth Disney lakes have great bassfishing and have guides. Hope this will get you started.

[mallard]

Most black bass probably aren't going to give the fight of a big pike... but they fight nevertheless! (How many freshwater fish can match the pike or muskie anyways?)

[mallard]

Shakespeare.

Cheap. Durable. Decent quality.

;D

[catfishtonyd]

<lol> Sorry. I put that in the wrong thread. I'll move it.

[Rob Mak]

buzzer just one question. what kind of bait do you use to catch carp in ireland?

zooker

[CAROLINABASSSMAN12]

Thanks everyone, information overload !!!!

The lake is behind a house I'm renting in a place called
Lake Berkely Resort, Kissimee, hopefully it's not the sort of place I'll come across gators or moccassins (are they not some kind of shoe ???) but I'm assuming possibly incorrectly, that as it's a residential area / resort there'll be no gators to contend with.

Zooker to answer your question ref bait for carp, it's a bit like my original question very difficult to answer and so many things can influence what I use on a given day but it'd be fair to say in the main I use "Boilies" which help to keep smaller "nuisance" fish away from my bait so as to ncrease the chances of getting a carp.
Maize and or sweetcorn is another personal favourite, the list is endless, if I can help further no problem just ask.

Once again thanks to everyone and as they say over here, "Tight Lines"

Slainte

[fredhatch]

Moccasins are snakes, and unfortunately in Fl you have to be careful with gators anyplace there is water. Ive seen them in small ditches. Just pay attention when youre by the water and if you are walking through high grass. Also any fallen down branches in a pile-snakes love them. Kissimee has some good bass fishing and being a residential area it may not be a heavy pressured fishing lake. 8)

[Bassin_Dude]

and if u come across a downed tree that u need to get over, make sure u kick it or hit it with a stick before jumping over or jumping on top of. this will scare out or away any snakes under or around the tree. and like fireman said, gators are everywhere down here and unfortunatly not to many bodies of water around here dont have gators in them. kissimee is a great area in florida to fish. u should catch alot. u probally already know this but catch photo and release is preffered here. its a cordiousy thing. good fishin

[CAROLINABASSSMAN12]

Good to hear about Catch and release, it's second nature to me and most Irish Coarse Anglers.

A lot of good lakes have been ruined here off the back of visiting anglers from mainland Europe, they look at things slightly different, i.e. everything is dinner !!!!

Thanks again evryone really appreciate all the advise
especially ref the local "wildlife"

Slainte

[Rob Mak]

so basicly everything we use here for carp. although i favor dough balls or millet/rye for bait. i have caught a bunch of the nasty beast several in the near 50 pound range.


zooker