Advice on Kissimmee Bream Crappie Mid April

[o2bbassin]

Greetings fellow crappie anglers from the Tarheel State (NC)!

Coming down to the Kissimmee area (primarily Toho) to do a little bass fishing in mid-April and wondering about the crappie and bream patterns around that time. We usually make the trip early/mid Feb and have done fairly well in the past fishing the floating vegetation mats for crappie but a bit later in the year this time. Also would it be worth bringing a flyrod and poppers for the bream -will they be bedding?

First couple trips I took some real ribbing from the hardcore bassers about bringing my "cane-poles" (crappie grabbers) in the boat. But that has since changed after the filets hit the hot oil (and besides they just don't know what they're missing)! Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions.

[Yjwill]

I cant speek for the Kissimee, but in North Central FL the panfish are usually easy to get in numbers that time of year. I have trouble finding the speck once it warms up for good, but my G/f and I dominate some Warmouth,Yellowbellies and Redears on the St. Johns with telescopic cane poles rigged with a small aberdeen and a bb shot with a red wiggler or 1" chunck of nightcrawler. I have my best luck on the bottom.

[dixieangler]

o2bbassin,

I'm further south of the Kissimmee area but by all means bring your fly rod . The bream bite is usually real good in mid to late Spring:D . In April, hopefully they will be either bedding or just about finished bedding. Just make sure the surface flies you throw at them are yellow or yellow chartreuse (neon yellow). Yellow poppers and pushers and white spongy spiders are good. So are yellow Dinnies. Bluegill, Shellcrackers, Stumpknockers, Redbreasted Sunfish, and Warmouth are usually what I get. The Specks are another matter:rolleyes: . I would watch the weather and water temperature. Most likely they will either be on the move or already out in deeper water as the water warms up. Hard to say what they will be doing with all the screwy weather and water temperatures we've been having. Have fun:D .