By MARK COOK

With lots of rain the past week, water temperatures dropped 5 to 8 degrees in some spots and helped perk up the bass bite.

Schooling bass, in particular, have shown themselves, and fish up to 6 pounds were reported on top-water baits and fast-fished jerk baits. Joel Capps and his son Howard found a good bass bite Saturday in the Fin and Feather pits of western Polk County. The father-son duo was ripping buzz baits across the hydrilla edges, just keeping the baits out of the grass. Most the fish were in the 10- to 20-inch range, but the action was fast.

The day before, Joel Capps and Ronald Davis fished the same pit and caught several fish, including a 6-pounder, along with several in the 2- to 4-pound range.

A few other phosphate pit reports this week saw schooling fish, as the rain subsided in the late afternoon. Rapala top-water bait and Zoom Flukes did the most damage. The catfish bite also has picked up and the whiskered fish are hanging around moving water and rip rap rocks and other underwater structure. Around rocks, wads of wigglers are catching fish, as are the usual chicken livers.

The southern end of Kissimmee has been an excellent speckled perch destination the last two weeks, with good numbers and excellent size reported by fish camps all over the chain. Minnows and jigs are the baits of choice. The bite shuts down around 10 a.m. but picks back up as the sun starts to set in the evening. Look for lily pads and grass edges to pitch your bait for specks.

For more information, contact Mark Cook at tribfishing@aol.com .