May 2022
It was a month of moving on Kit Lake, my home water, in central Florida’s largemouth bass country. Bosses were moved. Employees moved too. Students moved out, and the bass moved on.
The summer heat arrived, but not yet the summer rain. So, the fish moved from their special post spawn hangouts to shaded spots in relatively shallow water. In the heat of midday, we found them near docks. Mother's Day bouquets were abandoned near the Gordon home on the western shore. As if to make up for someone's heartache, water lilies blossomed around the lake. We had increasing success finding fish, including crappie around these pads. Also, because rains have not yet filled the lake and covered their woody summer hangouts, bluegill were found offshore of those spots, especially on the windblown side of the lake.
Aggressiveness and energy have returned to the fish. So noisy presentations of large or small topwater flies attracted coveted topwater strikes. But rods with droppers of nymphs or dragonfly imitations increased our chances. And, since the fry of various species are moving around, we replaced our regular sinking flies with slow sinkers like OB's Unicorn Clouser.
As we move out of May in central Florida, we watch the sky and get up earlier and earlier.
