New to fishing Lake Monroe, Florida

[dsardone]

Hello all,

Thanks for your time.

I have been Bass fishing locally for a few months, stocking up on just about every type of Bass fishing lure and swimbait out there. The problem is this, for example, my Brother and I rented a boat on Lake Harris for a day of fishing and we spent the entire day trying to get some Bass. Not a bite all day. Quite frustrating but that's why they call it fishing and not catching.

Anyway, we are renting another boat this Saturday on Lake Monroe and in the case that the Bass are not biting I heard the lake has a good amount of Crappies. The problem is I have no idea how to fish for Crappie. Heck I'm from Long Island and my fishing education was Bluefish, flounder, fluke, Stripers and weakfish.

So if there are any of you out there that know about Lake Monroe and feel like helping me out I would greatly appreciate it.

This is a great site and I hope that in time I can contribute something as all of you do!!

Thanks

Dom

[thankfull]

Stop by a local bait shop they are a great source of information,

[2yrsnluvinit]

there is a lot of infomation you will gain on crappie fishing on this site but everywhere is different you just have to fish tubes all different colors and minnows until the fish let "you" know what they want.

[Ken Jones]

If the boat has a depth finder that you are renting it will proabily have an anchor. Locate yor fish or ask some of the locals where you might find the crappie. Locate and vertical jig with crappie tubes. 1/16 to 1/32oz jigs. Tip the jigs with crappie niblets in white made bye Berkley. Tube caller I use all the time is red head white body or black head with a chartruse body. Cast out and let your presentation hit the bottom and reel slowly up, if you get a strike and miss release line back down to the bottom. Start reeking again. I use a slip bobber most of the time but I also vertical fish. Hope this helps. You will catch crappie.

[thudpucker]

If you want Bass, try catching Crappie. It works that way for me.
Everyonce in awhile I get frustrated and put on a plastic worm and throw it up into the weeds or beach and slowly drag it into the water, a leeeetle beet at a time. (worms cant walk y'know)
About the time it gets all the way under water you should see a shadow approach slowly.

When the sun is high, the shallow bottom is kind of light colored, and those Shadows show up just excitingly fine.
Go sloooooow with that worm and soon enough that shadow will ease on over and gulp that worm down, and keep on swimming. Count to three and RIP his lips off!

[skeetbum]

I might be able to give you some of the skinny on Lake Monroe. My last house was in Debary and about 10 minutes from the ramp. Northwest corner of the lake is a canal that goes west. Overgrown now, the lakes west side from the canal about 1/2 mi south holds some very large bass. It's all Pencil grass and the fish used to hit Sinko's pretty regular. I lost one at boatside that was the biggest in the 33 years I lived in FL. Crappie this time of year can be found east of the lake in the Lemon Bluff area in the brush. Early is best for those. Some are also found in the barge canal that leads south from the old power plant. I drifted with minnows, that was before I learned about jigs. Stack of pilings where east/west channel and power plant channel meet held fish for me most times. Tackle shop on Lake Mary blvd and 17/92 will have everything you could ask for. Bitters b&t was the name on the door last time I was there. Just north of the intersection on the east side, little strip of stores. They make soft plastics for about 1/2 the price of the dept stores. Culprit and Zoom baits are about $4 plus a bag, Bitters sold the ones they make for 2 for $5. Green pumpkin sinko's( from bitters) and Green pumpkin with chartreuse tip by Wave worms/Tiki stiks were the best for me. Those were in wally world and smelled like licorice. 5/0 gamakatsu is the only hook to use with the stick baits, turned the eagle claw stuff into L's instead of J's. No weight, sinko's cast like a stone and are hit on the drop a lot. Knock em in the head, Tell em Tim sent ya. They tremble at the sound of my name.lol