Tenoroc Fishing Forecast

Fall is upon us, and the Sunfish bite will continue to yield nice bream as we move into cooler weather. The best chances of finding heavy concentrations of fish will be near overhanging cover, man-made structure (such as piers or docks), submerged timber, fish feeders (at Lakes Pine and Derby), and pockets in floating and emergent vegetation throughout the day, peaking in early morning and late afternoon. As the water temperature drops, try finding schooling panfish between 5 to 10 feet off the shoreline or just behind humps and points if fishing from a boat. The best baits are natural baits (crickets, night crawlers, red wigglers, grass shrimp, grasshoppers, cut hotdogs, and even minnows for bigger individuals) suspended 6-12 inches under a bobber or free lining with a split shot weight. Artificial lures (rooster-tails, road runners, beetle spins, fluorescent-colored grubs) and flies (poppers, rubber spiders, dragonflies) are go-to tackle for seasoned panfish anglers, but when a cold front slows the bite, panfish may prefer a live bait that wriggles enticingly on the hook. Consider using light to light-medium rods paired with 6-8 lb. line for faster reactions to the bite. Lakes Cemetery, Derby, 3, 5, B, C, F, Legs, Picnic, and Pine are good places to target Tenoroc’s bream species.

Catfish are still being caught aplenty at Tenoroc FMA, but as the water temperatures start to cool down, the catfish bite will slow down as well. Fishing with a piece of chicken liver, cut bait, commercial stink baits, cheese balls, night crawlers, red wigglers, and even cut hotdogs around humps, depressions/holes, vegetation, fish feeders, or any moving water will produce the best action. If you haven’t had a bite within 15 to 20 minutes, check to see if you still have bait or cast into a different location. Lakes Cemetery, Coronet, Derby, 3, 4, A, B, C, Lost Lake East, Picnic, and Pine are good places to target Tenoroc’s resident catfish species.

Florida bass fishing at Tenoroc continues to rock as we roll into Fall and Winter. Fish will be gorging themselves on schooling baitfish as the weather conditions start to cool, so be on the lookout for action on the surface around dusk or dawn. If fishing from a boat, target the deep-water points, humps, drop-offs, and ledges many of these lakes offer by utilizing a depth finder. Bass can also be caught around emergent and floating vegetation, submerged lumber, man-made structure (such as piers or docks), fish attractors (marked with crab pot buoys), and overhanging cover if fishing from the bank. Always be on the lookout for cover located near structure. Shad, bream, and golden shiners are a few of the most common prey species found at Tenoroc, so try imitating their colors with artificial lures such as deep diving crankbaits, buzzbaits, topwater lures, heavy spinnerbaits, jerk baits, hollow body frogs, and jigging lures. Bass have great eyesight, so wisely choosing the lures color and retrieval at depth can be the difference maker. Fishing with plastic worms, ribbontail worms, single or double-tailed plastic grubs, crawfish, flukes, and lizards around overhangs and bank areas slowly can entice a bite. These lures in junebug, red-shad, white, chartreuse, black and blue, green pumpkin, and watermelon colors with red glitter have been successful. Lakes Butterfly, Fish Hook, Hydrilla, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, A, B, C, F, Legs, Lost Lake East, Pine, Waterlou, and Wetland are good places to target Tenoroc’s Florida bass. Numerous TrophyCatch submissions of bass larger than 8 lbs. have already been caught and released in 2024 so your trophy still swims at Tenoroc! Check out the TrophyCatch website for details!

Black crappie (specks) fishing is ready to heat back up as the cooler temperatures prompt these fish to become more active. The bite is still on at peak feeding times near dusk and dawn, so as the saying goes: The early bird gets the worm! But beware: crappie shy away from most unusual disturbances so keep your distance from fishable habitat, avoid unnecessary movements or noise, and use a light 10-12 foot rod with bare minimum light tackle! Utilize depth finders to locate dredge holes, structure, fish attractors, humps, drop-offs, ledges, or submerged timber and continue to fish them until you find the one holding the specks! These fish like to school up, so once you’ve hooked one, you’re mostly likely on the spot that holds others. You can occasionally find a good crappie in or near vegetation, around points with large underwater shelves, or suspending in the deep open water. Drifting live minnows or small shiners in 10 to 20 feet of water or trolling small jigs/spinners at various depths will produce bites. As we approach their Fall and Winter spawning period however, black crappie anglers have witnessed specks preferring live baits over artificial. A slow retrieval looks more natural. Lakes Horseshoe, 4, 10, B, Legs, Long, Picnic, and Pine are good places to target Tenoroc’s black crappie.

Check with staff regarding boat launching conditions and lake closures due to habitat restoration activities as well as current fishing reports when you are planning your trip. Tight lines!