Paddle-Fishing.com

The water in the Cape Coral canals has cleared after that last heavy rain when it muddied for a few days.

And I have started catching bass on green plastic worms and a white skirted spinner bait. I need to try a topwater plug or fly rod popper soon as some bass have been nailing the worm on top at the last of the retrieve.

The big whitish tilapia are spawning in nearly every canal. They make perfectly clean sand beds about 24" to 36" diameter. I still have not figured a way to catch one.

I fished the Cape Coral canals Saturday and Sunday. The bite was good in the morning and late afternoon.

I tried a plug with no luck. Switched to a plastic worm and caught a dozen or so bass each day. Green, black and motor oil colored worms all seemed to work. The bass liked a swimming worm better than a super slow retrieve.

I had several Florida Gar grab the worm but I failed to hook them.

The big light colored tilapia are still guarding their sandy circle beds.

Saw one very large grass carp tailing. That would be blast to hook on ligh spin or fly gear.

Here is a photo of a smaller bass with big worm

Nice report. Always interested in the freshwater stuff!!

GILs - thanks/

I like both salt and fresh fishing.

I am lucky here on Pine Island. When it is too windy to kayak fish the salt flats, I can always run over to nearby Cape Coral for bass.

I need now to force myself to leave the spinning rods home and try to land a few bass on flies. I have a good assortment, just need to put in the time to see what they like. I am thinking big green or purple wooly buggers while the bass are still hitting submerged baits. Soon they will hit cork body poppers that I have tied. That is the most fun.

I finally caught a large tilapia and it gave a decent fight. A surprise on a small lead jig with plastic curly tail.

I believe it is a blue tilapia. Can anyone confirm this?

The bass bite is pretty much on - mornings and evenings.

Two and three pounds and a few heavier.

Plastic worm still good and am taking some on Heddon Baby Torpedo top water.

All bank fishing so far but I am going to fish from kayak because you can access much more shoreline.

The Cape Coral canals and lakes get overgrown very quickly with Brazilian pepper and then are impossible to fish from shore.

Bass fishing has slowed in Cape Coral since the weather turned over 90 deg each day.

I am still catching a few smaller bass on a Heddon topwater plugs like Tiny Torpedo.

Three days of heavy showers may perk things up, I hope.

Bass fishing has slowed to a crawl. The canals are full to the brim and the water is flowing and dark.

Tried plastic worms, crankbaits and top plugs with very few hookups on bass.

I have been catching a few larger Mayan Cichlids. Good fighters and fun.

I caught a Black Crappie today, a first in 7 years of fishing the same canals in the Cape. I would like to catch more so will need to do some research about populations and locations for crappie here. If you dare mention crappie here you are immediately directed to Lake Trafford in Immokalee.

Here is a good thread on flies for tilapia http://tinyurl.com/kx3szcv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Probably anyone of them in green ( resembling vegitation )
would work for the grass carp also.

Very cool about the crappie in the canals

mauso1

I know where there are some easy big feeding grass carp in NW Cape. Just need to take the time to fish to them with a fly.

I will do some more research on Black Crappie in the Cape. The guys at Lehr's Economy Tackle will be my first source. I was going to take a photo with smart phone but crappie flopped off before I could get the phone ready. I did check my Florida fishes book as soon as I got home and the fish was un mistakenly a crappie.

I am going to try that same spot with a small beetle spin probably tomorrow.

Nice catches myself being from the Cape growing up fishing the canals was awesome but havent fished them in over 20 yrs being that i am up here in Tampa now. Keep posting

Black Crappie in Cape Coral.

I got lucky after several trys and hit the correct news source. This fisherperson actually was a witness to transporting large live crappie from lakes in the central part of the state and releasing some in Cape Coral fairly near where I caught mine. That was several years ago and I am somewhat surprised that they survived and may be reproducing.

Bassboy - OK, I will keep reporting but do not expect much now until the fall when the bite will improve

I finally caught my first big blue tilapia.

I hope this photo bucket picture works

[img][IMG]http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff121/dollarduck/BigBlueTilapia.jpg[/img][/img]

This fine fish fought well after taking a small green beetle spin lure. I released it to fight again.