With the eelgrass returning to Lake George, Don Weaver expects to battle more bass like this one. Photo by Bud Reiter.

In April, it's doubtful that there are any "bad" places in Florida to fish for bass. It's as good a month as you'll find. But some bets are better than others, especially as you move into the north-central and northern portions of the state.

Here's a look at three lakes you don't want to miss this month.

LAKE GEORGE
Wide, shallow, windswept and lined with lush eelgrass and dollar bonnet beds, Florida's second-largest lake has traditionally been among the top bass producers. At least it was until the 2004 hurricanes uprooted that "lush" littoral zone vegetation.

During the following years, the lake has yielded its bass grudgingly. The fish were still there, but without the bass-attracting grass, anglers were baffled as to where to find the largemouths. This year, that changes because the grass is back!

"The eelgrass is growing back real well," says Don Weaver, a veteran Georgetown guide. "The east shore came on last year, and now we've got a lot of grass along the west shore, especially around the mouths of Silver Glenn and Salt Run, and all the way up to Rocky Point.

"Those areas were barren -- like bald -- for the last few years, and it was hard to catch a fish. With all the grass we have now, this is going to be a banner year."

Tapping into that is simple. Just fish the lake the way you did in 2003.

Historically, the spawn here can begin as early as late January. February can be strong, but March has plenty of bedding fish, too.

April is the tail end of the bedding season. Some fish are still bedding in the extreme shallows, but most are in a post-spawn condition.

That's good, because post-spawn bass are on an eating binge. Since the grass is back, they don't have to move offshore to find food. Bream, shiners, and shad are spawning in the grass now, and that's where the bass will be.

Now that you can find grass this year, here are some ways to take advantage of it.

For those hitting the lake at the crack of dawn, two very effective patterns exist. The first is to move to the inside edge of the eelgrass beds, where they meet up with shallow dollar bonnets in about two feet of water. Look for any such area where some bass are still bedding and light colored beds are visible. Then throw a very quiet topwater plug, like a Rapala Minnow or Bomber Long A in gold color. Fish slowly, cover the inside edge and don't be surprised by an 8- to 10-pound bass!