Kissimmee Chain Of Lakes

Report by CaptTim Fey
http://www.bassfishingfl.com

Sorry this is coming so late, things have been very busy around here. Pretty much all of our trips have been done on Lake Toho and the bass have been playing very nicely for us. With most of the people opting for using live wild shiners, and a great choice of bait to use at this time of year I might add, they have been catching some good numbers of bass as well as some great size too.

With calmer days we have been working the wild shiners under a float, sometimes anchored in areas where we know we have a good concentration of bass marked already, if the bass have scattered on us we will slow troll the live bait to get back on them again. When the wind is up some we will work our baits freelined and this is an amazing way to catch some great bass as you can see from the pictures here.

Trips using artificial baits have been doing good as well. We have been throwing a lot of the Bass Assassin baits, mainly the Die Dapper and the TapOut and they have been catching some quality bass. Main focus has been in and around areas with good concentration of Kissimmee grass hitting the nooks and holes. One big key is to get a read on the wind patterns for previous days, if there has been a consistent direction in the wind, that will play a big key for locating bass quicker for you.

Till the next report, keep those lines tight and BASS ON!!!!!

Capt Tim Fey
Owner/Guide
321-303-9207
http://www.bassfishingfl.com
Http://www.Bassonline.com

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Report by Capt Ed Bussard
Bass Challenger Guide Service
www.basschallenger.com

January 23, 2012

Spent a couple more days on Lake Toho sense my last report and the fishing continues to be steady. Lots of fish up shallow and lots of fish out deep. We've been using both artificial's and shiners and the numbers are better on artificial's but the Trophy Fish have been caught on Big Wild Shiners. We have been finding the Bigger fish in less then 2ft of water for the most part. Bitters naked swimmers in the June bug color have been producing the best for artificial baits.

Today I had Lucas and George knott's of VA on Lake Toho and these guys caught a lot of nice fish but Lucas was after one over 7 pounds to top his personal best. Our 8 hour trip was with in 15 minutes of being over when a fish it the shiner on his rod. After a long fight Lucas landed a beautiful 9 lb Lake Toho Trophy Bass. Like the saying goes. Never give up!!

Thanks From Captain Ed Bussard and Bass Challenger Guide Service guiding on Lake Toho and the St Johns River for over 31 years

Cell: 321-377-2013
Office: 800-241-5314
Website: www.basschallenger.com

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Forecast: January, February and March
for Lake Tohopekaliga (“Toho”) and Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Florida
by Capt. A. James Jackson
A J's Freelancer Bass Guide Service

Winter is in full swing. If you get the right conditions, Toho can be one of the best lakes in the country. But when you don’t get things just right, fishing can be difficult -- and “just right” means a stable barometer. Water temperatures fluctuate widely at this time of the year. Before a cold front, they are usually in the low 60s. After the front passes, they tend to dip into the 50s. On some occasions, water temperatures even rise into the 70s.

Changing Conditions: Be prepared for changing conditions. Wintertime angling can be feast or famine. When a cold front comes through, the fishing can be thrown into a tailspin. But, cold fronts in February are not as severe and occur less often than in January. Just as fishing can be tough after a cold front, it can be incredibly productive before a cold front. Before the front, the fish are willing to bite on top water lures, creating potential for the use of soft jerk baits and white spinnerbaits.

Stable Conditions: A gradual warming trend can bring phenomenal catches. Stable weather conditions over a period of days can culminate in hordes of big, egg-laden females moving up to spawn, making them easy pickings for anglers like Dean Rojas, who broke several all-time tournament records at the historic Bassmaster Classic held at Lake Toho in 2001. Rojas attributes his success to prevailing conditions that enabled him to sight fish in an area known as Shingle Creek, one of the best fishing spots on Toho. Other popular destinations on the lake are grass fields in areas known as North Steer on the southern end of the lake, Whaley’s Landing on the southeast end of the lake, and Brown’s Point, which abuts a spawning flat on the back side and is situated on the southwest end of the lake.

First Spawn: With the first spawn, which occurs during our winter season, Toho’s staging areas are alive with their greatest numbers of fish. To locate them, check out the maidencane grass fields. Maidencane grass is the predominate vegetation near the spawning grounds, areas having firm, sandy bottoms. The concentration of bass in these locations sets the stage for a lot of action. January through March is peak season for trophy bass fishing in Central Florida -- and the busiest time of year for our professional bass guides. Be sure to ask your guide take a photo of you with your trophy catch.

Choice of Bait: After a few days of good weather, artificial lures (mainly top water baits, plastic worms and soft jerk baits) can produce some decent catches. But, with typical winter weather patterns continuing from the first of the year until spring, wild shiners remain your best assurance for both good numbers and size. Keep in mind, however, that after a cold front passes, producing bass with either kind of bait can be difficult.

Average Catches: Winter is our favorite time of the year for catching good numbers of big Florida black bass. Setting your hook on upwards of 25 largemouth bass is not unusual, and you can expect plenty of them to be in the 4 to 7 pound range. When it comes to the 10+ pound monsters you read about, each of our guides sees 2 or 3 caught every week. We assure you, your bass guide will put you on plenty of bass -- but it’s up to you to get them in the boat! For every half dozen you land, you are likely to lose one or two in Florida’s grassy waters.

Hope to see y’all soon!

Capt. A. James Jackson
AJ's Freelancer Bass Guide Service
(800) 738-8144
www.orlandobass.com
Address your fishing related questions to capjackson@aol.com.

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