Well we’ve made it to the end of 2023 and we’d like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! As of this writing it’s not even “snow bird season” yet but the license plates – much like the trees up north – have already been changing colors for a long time. Without further delay here is your Florida bass fishing report for December 2023.
The weather predictions for December seem to tend towards a drier, milder month but with the temps riding a rollercoaster between the lower 80’s down to higher 60’s for daytime highs. That can put these bass into a rollercoaster ride of there own depending upon where we are fishing.
Starting out on the Kissimmee Chain fishing out of Camp Mack we’ve already seen fish in prespawn stages in mid-November due to a cold front that seemed to put some fish into thoughts of love. I’m not talking about site fishing for beds, I’m talking about fish in staging areas in “deeper” water adjacent to the flats. We’ve already been catching fish that are cleary “ready to go.” Keep in mind, especially this time of year, any spawning fish are the minority of the general population but key areas are any ledges, drops, or old creek channels with shell beds that are near pads, k-grass, or reeds & buggy whips have the potential to hold fish. I’m keeping a Spook or Devil’s Horse, Gambler EZ Swimmer, spinnerbait, and of course a black & blue blue-tip senko on the deck at all times.
Over in Winter Haven on the South Chain we’ll be looking for fish moving up into the intermediate grass lines. One of the bonuses of these smaller lakes is that they are easier to fish in higher winds and colder temps because many lakes sit down below the treelines, houses & hills. Knowing where you can find the grass flats that extend from 8ft to 14-16ft with deeper water nearby in key. When the fish are “on” you can pretty much throw anything you want from smaller swimbaits, flukes, jerkbaits, rattle traps, anything that is natural shad colors since that is what they feed on in these clearer spring fed lakes. What it is tougher you have to slow down and really work an area with a slowrolled swimbait or speedworm on top of the grass.
I hope that I was able to help some of you and for those who are newer or just bringing your own boats down we offer custom guide trips to get you acclimated to the area. I can also help with any needs for info on boat repairs, as well as tackle & equipment.
The Polk County Tourism board has tons of information on “what to do” at the Visitor’s Welcome Center in Davenport on Hwy 27 just south of I4 or go to http://VisitCentralFlorida.org. For your opportunity to truly enjoy Old World Florida check out Guy Harvey Outpost’s Camp Mack on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Lake Wales https://guyharveycampmack.com.
Thanks for reading our Florida bass fishing report for December 2023 and to view a complete list of previous reports please visit https://tmcguideservice.com/news-reports/
