Hey guys, first post here, and looking for some info. I'm a bass fisherman in Colorado and with winter setting in I'm looking to book a trip to the Miami area in the late Jan-early Feb time frame.

I don't want to do any guided trips or fish any of the big lakes out there, I'm more interested in fishing the local canals and smaller ponds.

My plan is to show up with a few rods and a back pack full of tackle, get a hotel an a car and fish smaller waters for 3-4 days. I've started to come up with a list of questions and hopefully you guys can help me out.

1. Looking on Google Earth I've noticed lots of ponds in places like apartment/condo complexes. Do these ponds typically hold bass and are they fishable or do they tend to be private?

2. I'm looking at late Jan. to early Feb. Is this a good time or should I adjust my timetable?

3. I don't want to stay in an iffy part of town. any suggestions on where to stay preferably closer to the burbs than down town. Are there any parts of town to just plain avoid?

4. Are there any must have baits I should bring for these types of waters?

I'd truly appreciate any help you guys could offer and would be more than willing to meet for beers/dinner on me with anyone who can put me on some fish while I'm there..Thanks and tight lines...CoBass

1. Looking on Google Earth I've noticed lots of ponds in places like apartment/condo complexes. Do these ponds typically hold bass and are they fishable or do they tend to be private?

Many of these ponds are on private property and are not fishable. But yes the ones you can get to do hold bass

2. I'm looking at late Jan. to early Feb. Is this a good time or should I adjust my timetable?

The fish are always biting down here. Jan/ Feb is slower but still good. Spring time is ideal down here though.

3. I don't want to stay in an iffy part of town. any suggestions on where to stay preferably closer to the burbs than down town. Are there any parts of town to just plain avoid?

I don't know any good suggestions of where to stay in Miami, but you should avoid a few places: Miami Gardens, Carol City, Liberty City, and Homestead immediately come to mind. I would suggest Broward County just to the north of Miami. But that depends if your coming here just to fish, or to do other things as well

4. Are there any must have baits I should bring for these types of waters?

The dominant color down here is watermellon. Followed closely by watermellon red, watermellon seed, and pumpkin. It's hard to not catch a fish with a senko down here. The list of baits that work down here is literally enless though once you get the right colors. Check the forums before your trip to see whats hot around that time

Thanks for the info evrgladesbasser, much appreciated. I got your pm and will return it as soon as I get the required 10 posts I need to do so.

This trip is gonna be all about bass fishin. Water temps up here are in the 40's so the bite has all but died. My last 2 outings have netted me 1 small bass and a few trout by accident. Another month and they will all be iced over. By Feb I will be in full blown withdrawals and in need of some warmer waters. I will definitely be in touch with you before I come down. Thanks again and tight lines...CoBass

Check your PM

I won't bore you with more of the same basic info that Evrglades and Sal have probably sent you PM's about.  Just make sure you check the weather beforehand.  Florida bass are notorious for shutting down if the temp drops much.  Usually though if the weather is stable for a couple of days they'll turn right back on.  You can catch fish down here on just about anything.  Thats one of the great things about fishing down here.  If you want to target Peacocks, a fast moving jerkbait/slashbait like an XRap is hard to beat.

Thanks again guys. Awesome info in the pm's. I will definitely be in touch before I come down.

SoFlaBassAddict...I know what you mean about the weather. The only other time I was in Fla. it was cold and rainy for several days before I got there. Water levels were way up and the temps had dropped several degrees. The bass were very tight lipped.

I would love to get into some peacocks while I'm there. Are the canals the best bet for them? I've heard of a place called airport lakes that's supposed to be pretty good too. Is it accessible from the shore or is a boat necessary to get into the peacocks there?

I almost forgot. If any of you guys are ever in the Colorado area make sure to get in touch with me. I primarily target bass but I do know some lakes and streams that hold monster rainbow and brown trout.

The lake over at the airport I believe is called Blue Lagoon Lake.  Something like that.  I think there is some bank access, but a boat would be much better.  There is a park there with a launch ramp (Antonio Maceo Park I think).  There are some large fish caught in that lake.  If you don't have a boat, I'm fairly sure theres some guides that will take you out on that lake.  There are plenty of hotels right on the water there also.  Otherwise, some of the canals will have peacocks, some won't.  The small residential lakes generally will have Peacocks.  Some of them have bank access, some don't.  Some of the communities will chase you out of there really quickly also.

Thanks for the info on the residential ponds Eric. Are they usually pretty well marked as far a being private or not? Just by looking at google earth it seems like there's water just about everywhere down there. It doesn't look like it would be too difficult to find somewhere to catch a few bass even without a boat....Tight lines, CoBass

Everglades Holiday Park rents jon boats. Some pretty good fishing to be had in those canals in January/February if the water is down. The rentals are not cheap (~$75), but if you're shelling out the cash for a plane ticket you might not be opposed to dropping a couple more for a boat.

I'll put it this way:  If it's inside of a housing development, treat it as private.  Lots of times though, there is plenty of bank access to them.  The lake I live on is private, on the side of the lake where there are no houses, you can get bank access behind a church and a school.  For the most part, people won't really bother you.  Like anywhere though, all it takes is one person to call and make a complaint.  If you're asked to leave, just leave and find a different spot.  There are several parks in Dade and Broward counties that encourage recreational fishing.  Some of them have great bank access, some don't.  The golf courses are great fishing...just try not to get caught.

If the golf courses down there are anything like the ones up here, I'll just avoid them altogether. The only time to even think about it here is after dark and even then if the locals see you they'll probably call the cops. Again, not familiar with how it works there, but if you get ticketed for fishing while trespassing here it can cost you your fishing license if it's not a first offense.