Advice about fishing Tenoroc in central Florida..
06-27-2008, 04:13 PM
#1
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 25,116
Advice about fishing Tenoroc in central Florida..
I spend 75% of my time fishing Tenoroc..so this was a good find..
"Experience has shown that bass structure fishing in phosphate pits is at its best during the hottest part of the Summer. At this time, the bass will be strongly schooled and on a nearly constant feed to support their warm water-induced metabolic rate. The result is that the school will be very loose and active and in need of sufficient area to forage. Consequently, the large, broad structures are the tickets to quantity bass catches during the Summer period. Often, the angler has to only anchor his boat on one of these locations and catch and release bass until he has had his fill. Phosphate pits, particularly Tenoroc, have excellent populations of ten pound, and above, trophy bass. In a six month period, we caught and release 24 over nine pounds, 11 of which broke the magic ten pound mark. (All were taken on artificial lures, I might add.) In nearly every case, these giants were found on, or just slightly below, the drop-off line at the edge of a high spot. It's a good point to remember, if you are after a wall-hanger. By far, the most productive lure in the Tenoroc pits is the plastic worm. Crank plugs can be good at times, but cannot be depended on. We suspect that the massive amounts of shad and crawfish in the waters contribute to this. The fish are very well fed, food is easy to catch, and they just won't waste the energy to chase down a plug. A slowly moving worm, however, is 'easy pickings' and difficult to pass up.
Lure color has not proven to be of any significance when fishing Tenoroc. Dark worms, such as purple and black, always produce. In crank plugs, the most productive color has been silver or chrome, no doubt the best imitation of the bait fish.
Specific lures which have been very successful are the 4 inch Power Worm, and the Fat Free Shad series plugs. Since the Tenoroc bass have proven reluctant to chase a fast-moving crank plug, we normally use a stop-and-go retrieve. When a lure is stopped, it seems to trigger the strikes. If your desires are to simply catch a lot of bass, we highly recommend four inch worms on light tackle. There is usually nothing for the bass to tangle you in a pit, since the existing cover was removed, and light tackle is much more fun, as well as easier to use. If trophies are your game, go with seven and eight inch worms. You won't catch as many fish, but the size will be much better. Owing to its large size, the Fat Free Shad series plugs are also a good choice for trophy bass. Use the middle-size one on every hump you find and hold on!!
As a final tip on lures, the Carolina-rigged worm has proven to be the best configuration. The bottom of most phosphate pits is predominately a gray, sometimes sticky, clay. The normal Texas-rig hugs that bottom, where the Carolina-rig floats slightly above it. The bass will virtually inhale the Carolina version and you seldom will miss getting a good hook set. Try and set the hook quickly, so that you don't hook them in the throat or gut. For a quality bass fishing experience, don't pass up the Tenoroc Reserve. Approach it as we have indicated above and you are sure to be successful. It IS the 'land of the giants'.
In that the number keeps changing, call the Lakeland operator for the Tenoroc telephone number. You will need to make a reservation, but normally it is no problem and spaces are available. "
"Experience has shown that bass structure fishing in phosphate pits is at its best during the hottest part of the Summer. At this time, the bass will be strongly schooled and on a nearly constant feed to support their warm water-induced metabolic rate. The result is that the school will be very loose and active and in need of sufficient area to forage. Consequently, the large, broad structures are the tickets to quantity bass catches during the Summer period. Often, the angler has to only anchor his boat on one of these locations and catch and release bass until he has had his fill. Phosphate pits, particularly Tenoroc, have excellent populations of ten pound, and above, trophy bass. In a six month period, we caught and release 24 over nine pounds, 11 of which broke the magic ten pound mark. (All were taken on artificial lures, I might add.) In nearly every case, these giants were found on, or just slightly below, the drop-off line at the edge of a high spot. It's a good point to remember, if you are after a wall-hanger. By far, the most productive lure in the Tenoroc pits is the plastic worm. Crank plugs can be good at times, but cannot be depended on. We suspect that the massive amounts of shad and crawfish in the waters contribute to this. The fish are very well fed, food is easy to catch, and they just won't waste the energy to chase down a plug. A slowly moving worm, however, is 'easy pickings' and difficult to pass up.
Lure color has not proven to be of any significance when fishing Tenoroc. Dark worms, such as purple and black, always produce. In crank plugs, the most productive color has been silver or chrome, no doubt the best imitation of the bait fish.
Specific lures which have been very successful are the 4 inch Power Worm, and the Fat Free Shad series plugs. Since the Tenoroc bass have proven reluctant to chase a fast-moving crank plug, we normally use a stop-and-go retrieve. When a lure is stopped, it seems to trigger the strikes. If your desires are to simply catch a lot of bass, we highly recommend four inch worms on light tackle. There is usually nothing for the bass to tangle you in a pit, since the existing cover was removed, and light tackle is much more fun, as well as easier to use. If trophies are your game, go with seven and eight inch worms. You won't catch as many fish, but the size will be much better. Owing to its large size, the Fat Free Shad series plugs are also a good choice for trophy bass. Use the middle-size one on every hump you find and hold on!!
As a final tip on lures, the Carolina-rigged worm has proven to be the best configuration. The bottom of most phosphate pits is predominately a gray, sometimes sticky, clay. The normal Texas-rig hugs that bottom, where the Carolina-rig floats slightly above it. The bass will virtually inhale the Carolina version and you seldom will miss getting a good hook set. Try and set the hook quickly, so that you don't hook them in the throat or gut. For a quality bass fishing experience, don't pass up the Tenoroc Reserve. Approach it as we have indicated above and you are sure to be successful. It IS the 'land of the giants'.
In that the number keeps changing, call the Lakeland operator for the Tenoroc telephone number. You will need to make a reservation, but normally it is no problem and spaces are available. "
06-28-2008, 02:00 PM
#3
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 25,116
RE: Advice about fishing Tenoroc in central Florida..
Tenoroc is the name of a Phosphate mining company..The pits have already been mined years ago.The property was owned by Borden..Borden ,I understand donated this huge chunk of land to the state.It is now a management fishing area..you can keep 50 bluegills, 10 crappie, 6 channel catfish but ALL bass must be released..In the early 2000's Tenoroc was considered to be one of the top 10 spots in FLorida to fish for bass and one of the best in the world for panfish..BUT because of tons of pressure it is no longer one of the top 10..BUT it's still my favorite..
OH...to answer your question..Tenoroc is about 30 miles west of The Magic Kingdom..right off of Interstate 4..There are about 13 lakes to choose from.
OH...to answer your question..Tenoroc is about 30 miles west of The Magic Kingdom..right off of Interstate 4..There are about 13 lakes to choose from.
