Bass Fishing Tip of the Week 05/04/08: Bass Fishing Florida Lakes with Little Structure or Cover

Central and south Florida lakes have been facing a very dry winter/spring season in 2008 and much of the natural weeds that often are a haven for the largemouth bass are high and dry. Kissimmee grass, bulrush, cattails and pads are now in a foot of water or less.

So if no offshore hydrilla, peppergrass, coon tail or timber exists, how do you locate them? The key is to find drops, ledges, points and humps. These areas can be big producers of not only quantity but quality bass.

In the early post spawn key on points that start from the shore and extend well out into the main lake. Key depths for these fish range from 7 to 10 feet. Use a crankbait that can get down to these depths in the natural shad colors like a DT series Rapala or Shadrap.

Also very effective is a Carolina rigged worm in 1/2 oz to 1 oz weight worked either from the shallow side of the point to deep or vice versa using a 3/0 hook. Junebug is my favorite color, but don't be afraid to try a variety of colors such as redshad, watermelon or black/blue.

When working the deep points, humps and drops be sure to cover all sides of the underwater feature. For instance, when working one side of a point be sure to venture to the opposite side working similar water depths.

In the summer months, work the same type of features, but work the deeper water and concentrate on the point/drops that are further offshore. The fish migrate toward the deeper water with the shad populations. Key depths are from 11-15 foot that come off of humps/points tops that are in 4-6 foot range. Use deeper diving cranks, but dragging a Carolina rig is most often the most effective way to catch these fish.

So, when there are no weeds or wood, check the underwater features and be ready for some great action!