Two fishermen-authors devote Volume I of their series on bass lakes to the 2,500-acre body of water.
By TERRI D. REEVES
Published April 5, 2004
It's not easy being green, especially when one is a Florida largemouth bass.
As the state's most popular game fish, they have to outsmart and outwit their potential captors. And they do a great job of it.
Prized for their feistiness and elusive behavior, these copious fish are found in almost every freshwater body of water in Florida, including more than 7,500 lakes.
To help anglers locate the best fishing spots, fisheries biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have listed the top-12 bass-fishing destinations in the state, including Lake Tarpon.
The 2,500-acre lake in the northern part of Pinellas County, has an abundance of high-quality bass. Most adult bass in the lake range from 12 to 16 inches long. The lake is also a good source of trophy-sized bass, usually considered 10 pounds or more.
The fish are so plentiful, Lenny Crispino, or Captain Lenny, has managed to make a living from the lake. The 40-year-old Trinity resident is a full-time fishing guide, owner of Tarpon Tom's Bait and Tackle and a part-time corrections officer for Pasco County.
He sponsors team tournaments on the second Saturday of every month and every Tuesday evening during daylight saving time.
He and his tournament-fishing partner, Larry Barker, have co-authored a series of books called Fishing Florida's Top 10 Bass Lakes. Volume I is on Lake Tarpon.
On this day, the two men are on Crispino's 21-foot Ranger bass boat, the craft he uses when taking anglers on fishing trips. It sports a 225-horsepower Mercury engine, designed to beat the competition when zipping to the best fishing spots.
Gazing at an osprey hovering overhead, Crispino said he can't imagine a more beautiful place to spend most of his days.
"They call this the jewel of Pinellas County, and I have to agree with it," he said.
The lake is home to eagles, osprey, pelicans and a variety of water birds. Alligators are prolific in the lake. Two are seen on this day, one sunbathing on a private dock.
Anglers like the lake for its bass, as well as its abundance of catfish, bluegill and crappie.
Homeowners are somewhat at odds with anglers, Crispino said. Some want to take out the grass in front of their homes to improve the view, but the grass filters the water and provide habitat for the fish. And fertilizer from lawns creates algae blooms that can kill.
Crispino said Lake Tarpon is one of the best bass lakes because of the catch-and-release practice of most anglers.
"About 85 percent of the bass caught in this lake are released," he said. "Most bass fishermen want their children to enjoy the lake like they have." The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission mandates that bass smaller than 14 inches must be released. Anglers may keep no more than five bass and only one bass longer than 22 inches. All anglers age 16 and older must have a fishing license.
The anglers say the best times to snag fish are mornings and evenings when the fish are active and looking for food near boat docks, eelgrass and in patches of aquatic weeds, including hydrilla.
"Generally, the middle of the lake is more active during the middle of the day," Crispino said.
Hot spots vary during the summer and winter, with fish preferring shallower water in the winter and deeper water in the summer. Bass like water temperatures that range between 65 and 85 degrees, and Lake Tarpon fits the bill most of the year.
Excellent fishing is also found when the barometric pressure rises or falls, Crispino said.
"The fish anticipate a storm and not being able to eat for a while," he said.
Crispino stops his boat on a sandbar near the middle of the lake.
The anglers use wild shiners for bait, the preferred meal of bass. In the summer months, when fish go deeper, plastic worms work better.
They get a few nibblers, but three of them dine and dash.
"They say that 90 percent of the bass is caught by 10 percent of the fishermen," said Crispino's partner, Barker, 62, who holds 10 world fishing records, three for largemouth bass.
The wind picks up, and this seems to help. They catch their first fish, a 3-pound bass.
Anglers always hope to beat the lake record set when a 19-pound bass was caught in 1961.
The largest bass are females. They are more likely to live longer and reach trophy size.
Crispino and Barker decide to move to another location near John Chesnut Sr. Park. This time, they catch three fish within 20 minutes.
Crispino said fishing is 30 percent luck and 70 percent skill.
By the end of the six-hour fishing trip, the pair has caught and released eight bass, most of them about 3-pounders. About eight more have made off with the bait.
So how do they know whether it was the big one that got away?
"We don't know. We just always assume," Barker said.
