How-To

Four baits to figure out Florida

With the 2012 Elite Series opening with a swing through the Sunshine State, David Walker shares four baits you won’t want to go without when fishing in Florida.

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<p> With the 2012 Elite Series opening with a swing through the Sunshine State, David Walker shares four baits you won’t want to go without when fishing in Florida. His biggest piece of advice: keep your selection simple and focus more on location. “The biggest key in Florida is depth,” Walker said. “Since you are fishing shallow, natural lakes, the bank has just a minimal drop, which is different from what people are used to on reservoirs. When you come to Florida, you are going to fish shallow and you are going to fish grass. You need to bring lures that are conducive to those conditions.”</p>
With the 2012 Elite Series opening with a swing through the Sunshine State, David Walker shares four baits you won’t want to go without when fishing in Florida. His biggest piece of advice: keep your selection simple and focus more on location. “The biggest key in Florida is depth,” Walker said. “Since you are fishing shallow, natural lakes, the bank has just a minimal drop, which is different from what people are used to on reservoirs. When you come to Florida, you are going to fish shallow and you are going to fish grass. You need to bring lures that are conducive to those conditions.”
<p> Walker loves throwing a jig, but it doesn’t factor into his Florida fishing plans as much as it does back home. The timeless plastic worm is instead, a must-have. “Things like Texas-rigged worms have been popular here for years and continue to be,” Walker said. “Soft plastics are huge, more so than jigs. At home I throw a jig most of the time, but when you come here you have to lay down the jig and worry about what kind of soft plastic you are going to use.”</p>
Walker loves throwing a jig, but it doesn’t factor into his Florida fishing plans as much as it does back home. The timeless plastic worm is instead, a must-have. “Things like Texas-rigged worms have been popular here for years and continue to be,” Walker said. “Soft plastics are huge, more so than jigs. At home I throw a jig most of the time, but when you come here you have to lay down the jig and worry about what kind of soft plastic you are going to use.”
<p> Walker uses a variety of worm styles and changes based on the conditions. “Let the fish dictate what style plastic you use,” Walker said. “I’ll use a 10-inch ribbontail worm, then a 7-inch, then a straight tail. A general rule to use is: the colder the water, the less action you want the worm to have.”</p>
Walker uses a variety of worm styles and changes based on the conditions. “Let the fish dictate what style plastic you use,” Walker said. “I’ll use a 10-inch ribbontail worm, then a 7-inch, then a straight tail. A general rule to use is: the colder the water, the less action you want the worm to have.”
<p> Aside from a plastic worm, Walker’s next top technique is flipping. He likes a Z Man Punch Crawz, which despite its small size, will hold a big hook. “When I’m flipping, I change styles and use a heavier weight,” Walker said. “Sometimes up to 1.5 ounces. When you get to heavy cover, that weight and small lure will punch it through.”</p>
Aside from a plastic worm, Walker’s next top technique is flipping. He likes a Z Man Punch Crawz, which despite its small size, will hold a big hook. “When I’m flipping, I change styles and use a heavier weight,” Walker said. “Sometimes up to 1.5 ounces. When you get to heavy cover, that weight and small lure will punch it through.”
<p> Heavy cover requires heavy gear, and Walker encourages beefing up your tackle selection when tackling Florida matted grass. He takes the Punch Crawz and rigs that on a 5/0 hook and 65-pound braided line. “Use as big a hook as the bait will allow you to and you want a heavy wire hook because you never know when you will get into a short-line match with a 10-pounder.</p>
Heavy cover requires heavy gear, and Walker encourages beefing up your tackle selection when tackling Florida matted grass. He takes the Punch Crawz and rigs that on a 5/0 hook and 65-pound braided line. “Use as big a hook as the bait will allow you to and you want a heavy wire hook because you never know when you will get into a short-line match with a 10-pounder.
<p> Whether casting a worm or flipping soft plastics, Walker keeps his color selection basic. “For the most part, I like to use a darker profile, like junebug or Okeechobee craw and that probably has something to do with the tannic water color.”</p>
Whether casting a worm or flipping soft plastics, Walker keeps his color selection basic. “For the most part, I like to use a darker profile, like junebug or Okeechobee craw and that probably has something to do with the tannic water color.”
<p> The next lure Walker recommends is a swimbait. Not the umbrella-rig variety that has been making headlines all around the country lately, but the simple, single paddling variety. The bait was practically made for Florida’s shallow grass. “In the last few years, swimbaits have really become popular in Florida,” Walker said. “The Florida swimbaits really morphed from paddletail worms. You have to rig them weedless. The paddle tail has a lot of kick even when you reel it slowly.”</p>
The next lure Walker recommends is a swimbait. Not the umbrella-rig variety that has been making headlines all around the country lately, but the simple, single paddling variety. The bait was practically made for Florida’s shallow grass. “In the last few years, swimbaits have really become popular in Florida,” Walker said. “The Florida swimbaits really morphed from paddletail worms. You have to rig them weedless. The paddle tail has a lot of kick even when you reel it slowly.”
<p> Many people have seen the hooks with a keel weight on it to help the bait run straight in the water. Walker tends to shy away from those, in favor of a much simpler approach. “Generally, when I rig these, I use a big offset shank with a big hook and little to no weight,” Walker said. “I like to use a small 1/8-ounce Texas-rig weight on the front sometimes. You don’t need to get it down to the fish because the deepest you will be fishing is 4 feet.”</p>
Many people have seen the hooks with a keel weight on it to help the bait run straight in the water. Walker tends to shy away from those, in favor of a much simpler approach. “Generally, when I rig these, I use a big offset shank with a big hook and little to no weight,” Walker said. “I like to use a small 1/8-ounce Texas-rig weight on the front sometimes. You don’t need to get it down to the fish because the deepest you will be fishing is 4 feet.”
<p> The last lure Walker wouldn’t leave home without when traveling to Florida is a lipless crankbait. “I can make a long cast with it and use a steady retrieve,” Walker said. “When it gets in the grass, I’ll rip it free and that’s when most of the bites will happen. It’s really ideal for searching around in practice to find a good area before you slow down and cast your worm.”</p>
The last lure Walker wouldn’t leave home without when traveling to Florida is a lipless crankbait. “I can make a long cast with it and use a steady retrieve,” Walker said. “When it gets in the grass, I’ll rip it free and that’s when most of the bites will happen. It’s really ideal for searching around in practice to find a good area before you slow down and cast your worm.”
<p> Pictured is one of Walker’s favorites, a ½-ounce Live Target lipless in the chrome and black back color. He also likes golden shiner in the same size, which is perfect for the 4- to 5-foot depth range. “It comes through the Florida environment so well. I would not go to Florida without it.”</p>
Pictured is one of Walker’s favorites, a ½-ounce Live Target lipless in the chrome and black back color. He also likes golden shiner in the same size, which is perfect for the 4- to 5-foot depth range. “It comes through the Florida environment so well. I would not go to Florida without it.”
<p> Walker also had a few gear recommendations for the shallow, grassy Florida lakes that dominate the landscape. The first is a set of Power-Poles. “In Florida, it helps to have a set of Power-Poles,” Walker said. “To stop yourself on a windy day next to a patch of grass with a hole in it or whether re-tying or culling, it keeps you in the spot with no effort.”</p>
Walker also had a few gear recommendations for the shallow, grassy Florida lakes that dominate the landscape. The first is a set of Power-Poles. “In Florida, it helps to have a set of Power-Poles,” Walker said. “To stop yourself on a windy day next to a patch of grass with a hole in it or whether re-tying or culling, it keeps you in the spot with no effort.”
<p> His last bit of advice is one everyone should heed: pay attention to the elements. That includes packing plenty of sunscreen and covering up with sunglasses and big hats. “Plus, if you lose that wind, the bugs can be horrible,” Walker said. “They make nets you can put over your head. I’ve actually worn one before and it salvaged the day.”</p>
His last bit of advice is one everyone should heed: pay attention to the elements. That includes packing plenty of sunscreen and covering up with sunglasses and big hats. “Plus, if you lose that wind, the bugs can be horrible,” Walker said. “They make nets you can put over your head. I’ve actually worn one before and it salvaged the day.”

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