bass - Bass Fishing Florida

Kissimmee Chain and Butler Chain Bass Fishing Report March 2006

Orlando Bass Fishing Report

Kissimmee Chain

Fish the chain has been a mixed bag of tricks the last few weeks. Weather being the biggest factor of them all. From great picture perfect days to cold snaps and high winds have limited areas of good fishing. Shiners on the bad days has been the ticket to getting not only numbers but also size.

Freelined and slow trolled along grass beds has been the best way to really get the action started. Anchored up and pitched freelined to reeds has also been very good for both numbers and size up to 7 pounds. When the conditions are right, lower wind speeds, pitching Gitem Sugars into potholes in the grass beds has produced some very nice chunks.
Photos being added to web site shortly, some can be viewed at the Gitem web site already. GitemBaits.com

Butler Chain

Today we scouted for trips on Butler Chain.Waters look very good as usual with visability in areas up to or greater than 7 feet.
We worked several of the lakes to include Lake Down, Little Lake Down,Lake Louise and Lake Isleworth.
Several schools of bass busted water in Lake Louise and another up in Lake Isleworth. Spent the day tossing Gitem K.O and Long A’s catching several good solid bass to cap off a great day.

Lake Monroe
Spent Saturday out on Lake Monroe for local club tournament. Working very shallow hydrilla was key to catching 35 bass all on Gitem Toads with the chunker coming in at 5.95 pounds. Picture can be viewed at GitemBaits.com

Butler Chain

Butler Chain as of late has really been starting to heat up in a very good way.
Lakes Down and Blanche have been leading the pack as for picking up both size and numbers
on a wide range of baits. Gitem Toads and Gitem KO’s have been good baits out on the chain along with Gitem AKA’s and Zoom Lizards. Key has been just off the grass edges were deep drop offs are located, ranging from 5 foot of water to a drop off anywhere from 12 to 18 foot of water. Bass have been moving up and down all week long.
Last several trips have produce some good numbers and QUALITY bass being capped off with a very nice solid 7 pounder.

This often overlooked chain of lakes has some great bass fishing and is often refered to as “a northern” lake with its clean and deep waters, with several holes reaching 39 to 41 feet deep. This chain is a definate break from the typical florida waters where you need to step out of the box. Wide ranges of lures can and will produce some serious limits, Mepps Minnows and WeedWalks are just 2 lures that, altho not thought of very much can and will produce on this great chain of Lakes.

Butler Chain

This past week has seen us out on Butler Chain with shiner and artificial bait trips.
With great weather all week long the bite had really turned on. Morning bite with shiners generally started out a little on the slow side picking up one here and one there on Lakes Down and Little Lake Down. As the water temps warmed by noon time the action had really picked up great, Shad could been seen schooled up and getting blow up on by some good schools of bass, several which fell victim to shiners and Gitem Toads.

Gitem KOs in Red Bass worked around grass beds and deep water hydrilla saw several bass to 6 pounds being caught. Most bass were caught in waters 10 to 18 feet deep with a few others coming in waters 2 to 5 feet.

Todays trip 3-24-2006 saw the bass coming from very heavy hydrilla on a combination of worms with ¼ ounce weight worked slowly thru the hydrilla and Gitem Toads in white or Rainbow colors. Lakes that were the producers today were Lake Tibet and Lake Sheen. Weather today was a complete 180 turn from the rest of the week, with the high of only 72 and high winds 15-20mph. Water levels are down some on the chain so pay attention when moving in the canals from lake to lake as there are some with branches and water pipes for yard sprinklers.

Kissimmee Chain and Butler Chain Bass Fishing Report Feb 2006

Kissimmee Chain

Orlando Bass Fishing Report

Today we had Amy and her father out on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes,

With the cold front coming thru and 10-15 mph winds we opted for shiners

To help the dynamic duo catch their bass. The day was spent tail hooking the shiners and letting them swim into grass beds and as they did they got hammered. This was only a 4 hour trip but was very action packed with both of them catching several to make what was a great day on the waters. We did spot several bass beds up in the shallows some of which were holding bass on them. Waters were running 62 degrees with most of the action coming as the waters were warming up as the sun poked out. Best course of action has been to start in the northwest corner in the morning as these are the waters that will warm up first as the sun comes up, from there it has been working the side where the wind is blowing as this cause the bait to blow up to and into the grass beds and gives the bass an easy target. Brave out the wind and you will catch the bass.

Butler Chain

The past week we have had several runs out to Butler Chain.
With mixed conditions the action has gne from having to really work to catch them to so super bang up days.
With the cleaner waters on Butler even the bad weather days has still produced some great bass using artificial lures.

The Gitem Toad in the brand new color Rainbow worked thru lily pads has been a great producer as well as the Gitem AKA. Lake Tibet has slowed a bit for us, so we made the move to Lake Down, working grass beds and points has been very productive. Start by searching with rattle traps then slow it down with either an AKA or a Warlock with 1/16th bullet weight pegged and watch the line carefully as they hit on the fall.

Butler Chain and Kissimmee Chain
The last several days we have had trips on Butler Chain and Kissimmee chain.
Weather has really dictated patterns and locations with the winds and cooler temps.
Butler Chain has been very good even on the worst days out there, high winds and cool temps had us switching from shiners, which were not producing as figured, to flipping the grass beds with lizards and Gitem Warlocks.

Kissimmee chain has seen some rough waters with the high winds as of late, forcing us into wind protected areas and pitching wild shiners to grass bed edges to get our catch.

Normally wind blown areas have produced great for us, but there are those times when the combination of winds and waves will dictate a move as safety always comes first.

We are expecting as the weatherman says 3 fronts back to back so be safe out there, all to often we see people thinking they can handle the winds, but when they hit 20mph on ANY lake, you really need to think if its really worth the risk. Catch and release allows the bass to be caught another day, safety first allows the angler to fish another day.

Dates are booking very fast so call or e-mail us
Look for us at B.A.S.S Classic the 23rd and 25th

Kissimmee Chain

The last few days has had us on both the Kissimmee Chain and Butler chain.
Kissimmee Chain has been producing some good numbers as well as size.
Shiners worked along grass bed edges as well as flipping them into small potholes in the grass beds has been producing some good solid bass.

Gitem AKA with 1/16th bullet pegged and dropped into grass bed potholes as well as hydrilla patches has been also producing very good. Ribbed body on the AKA creates a great disturbance in the water and has really got the bass keyed into it. White/pink spinnerbaits slow rolled has also produced very good. Working mainly points of the grass beds on the outsides of the wind blown side has been the ticket

Butler Chain

Butler Chain is still producing some very good number on artificials as well.
Big ticket bait has been a black/red lizard with a 1/16th bullet pegged on 10 pound test mono, worked slowly thru eel grass and flooded timber. Carolina rigged and drop shot baits have been good also as usual. Drop shot bait of choice has been a bubble gum trick worm and Carolina rig bait of choice has been the Gitem Shad in watermelon. Cleaner waters has dictated long casts and baits worked slowly as the waters had cooled in areas to mid to upper 50’s.

Today’s water temp at days end was 63 and with warmer weather the rest of the week will heat the waters up and really turn them on and make for even better action. ALWAYS keep a spook tied on as there have been shad busts on the water.

Kissimmee Chain

Feb 16th and the 17th had us venturing out on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes with combination trips of shiners and artificial baits. Morning bite had generally started out on the rather slow side, even with shiners being slow trolled, as the sun poked out tho the bite picked up greatly.

Slow trolled shiners along grass beds were excellent producers fr numbers and size. As the days warmed up, pitching Gitem Sugars into grass beds was a great ticket to keep the bass being hauled into the boat.

Eagle Lake

Feb 18th we had clients out on Eagle Lake, slow trolled shiners had produced 3 bass while the Gitem Shad in watermelon color produced another 16 bass.
All bass were caught n very shallow waters, 2 foot or less. Several beds had been spotted but were still vacant.

Kissimmee Chain

Feb 20th and 21st we were back at it again out n the Kissimmee Chain. These two days clients wanted nothing but wild shiners. Again the bite had started out slow, VERY thick fog forced us to start both days out in the ramp area slow trolling along grass beds till the fog lifted enough for us to make a move to a few open water areas that have been producing as of late.

Open water areas had been producing fewer bass BUT the bass were of better quality and more aggressive as they were making the move to the bedding areas.

Kissimmee Chain and Butler Chain Bass Fishing Report Jan 2006

Orlando Bass Fishing Report

Kissimmee Chain

Date fished Jan 8th

Sunday the 8th we had Ethan and his dad Doug out on the Kissimmee Chain, day started out very cold and very foggy, fog finally burning off close to 9am before we could make any kind of good run around the lake.

Day was spent using shiners and either slow trolling along grass beds or pitching the shiners into potholes in the grass beds. Bass were not as active as in previous days but with using shiners the guys still caught their bass with the big gal of the day coming in at 5 pounds. Warmer weather predicted for the week will have the bass feeding up as they move onto the beds for spawn Bass the past week have had some good bellies on them and have been slowly moving to well known spawn areas, PLEASE remember if you catch bass that are egged up and ready to spawn to take your picture and RELEASE her gently back into the waters immediately.

Kissimmee Chain

Date fished Jan 9th

Monday was a little more of the same on the chain, morning started out a little cool with some fog once again, with the day warming up to a very nice 74 degrees.

We had Tom, Ronnie and Les out with us for some more great shiner action. Pattern has been the same as in past weeks with the weather bouncing around the way it has, pitching shiner into grass beds and patches of reeds were the ticket for Monday, a few big gals were missed as they crushed the baits and managed to cut 40 pound test braid on the reeds but several nice bass were still boated with the big gal coming in at 5.13 pounds.

Kissimmee Chain

Date fished was Friday the 13th

The date alone says it should have been a bad day on the waters. Kissimmee Chain was the place, wild shiners was the bait. Targeting grass bed edges was the key. The day started a little slow for the guys but as the weather warmed up, so did the bite, with several good quality bass being boated and released with the big gal coming in at just under 6 pounds.

Water temp was reading 68.8 degrees which was perfect for the bass to come out and play for what turned out to be a great day on the water. Beds were spotted up in the shallows but were still vacant, bass should be hitting them soon and when they do, the catches can and will only get bigger and better.

Butler Chain

Today we had a 4 hour run on the great Butler Chain of lakes. With some of the cleanest waters around here, this chain is always a pleasure to fish. Being able to use a wide range of lures, from Gitem KOs, Gitem Toads, spinner baits, and even jiggin spoons, this chain is a very user friendly chain for bass fishermen of all skill levels.

Bob started out the day catching a small dink on a senko and decided his passion was topwater. Gitem toads was the definate way to go today, perfect weather the last few days had warmed the waters up perfect. After missing his first few blow ups on the toad, and trying to get the feel for how the hook set worked, Bob started to really catch them with good solid hook ups. Missing the big gal early on, Bob did catch a bunch of schoolie sized bass to make the day a great one on the water before he heads back to Oklahoma for a few days before heading back to Afganastan.

Lake Tibet and Lake Chase were the lakes that offered up todays action and most all of the initial hits came in 1 foot or less of water. Few beds were spotted but were vacant, bass should be hitting beds very soon and if you catch any, PLEASE take that picture and let her go, so one day our kids and their kids can enjoy the same great fishing that we do.

Butler Chain

With a few more trips this past week at the Great Butler Chain under mixed weather conditions, the fishing is still going great. Cold front and high winds had dictated a much slower bite, bass holding tight to cover and not wanting to commit to artificial baits we had our clients pitching shiners to the edge of grass beds and into small holes in the beds to catch the bass.

As the weather greatly improved towards weeks end, the bass were still taking wild shiners, but not at the rate as expected as the shiner bite slowed, we switched over to Gitem KO’S and Gitem Shads, working grass beds and flooded timber yielded great numbers of schoolie sized bass. Water temps on Saturday the 21st started out in the low 60’s but as the weather warmed, the water temps rose to 67 and really turned on the bass.

Keys to catching was early morning hours we were fishing grass beds in 8-10 foot of water and as the day warmed we were able to hit the shallow waters as the bass are starting to stage up for the spawn. Beds are starting to show up in the shallows on the lakes that we had fished, Lake Tibet, Lake Chase, and Lake Blanche. The cut for Lake Tibet and Chase is still good early morning for a quick shiner bite, From there you can follow the old river bed with either drop shot, or Carolina rigged Gitem Warlocks to pick up some good slot sized bass. Cleaner waters of Butler Chain dictate lighter lines, generally 10 pound Mono will do just fine. Crank baits will get you good numbers using shad type baits, Shad Raps and Ugly Ducklings have been doing good. Smart money is to ALWAYS have a rod setup with a Zara Spook to throw at schooling fish as we have seen several schools busting the waters.

Butler Chain and Johns Lake Bass Fishing Report April 2009

Orlando Bass Fishing Reports

The first half of April has seen some good bass fishing action. Most of our trips have been done on Butler Chain and Johns Lake. Although we have seen some rather strange weather for this time of year for us, with a cold front coming thru, the action has remained steady for the most part, with us having to work harder for our bass on the day the cold front slammed us.Most of our action on Butler Chain has come from docks, wacky rigged Gitem KO’s and weightless Warlocks in Green Pumpkin have done a great job catching bass up to 5 pounds.

When docks have slowed in producing bass, we have moved to the cypress trees, tossing baits at the trees and letting it fall straight down to the base of the tree, this has triggered some very good action for us.Johns Lake has seen scattered schooling action fist thing in the mornings, usually just as the sun makes it half way thru the Deer Island cut. Docks have been excellent producers as well as my drift pattern thru the middle of the main lake, tossing Steel Shads, these baits have caught us a ton of bass out there, as well as a few 1-1/2 pound crappie. Offshore scattered grass beds have been holding some bass with the Twin Liz rigged with 1/8th ounce weight catching them all. We have caught a few bass on 1 ounce spinner baits, but that bite has not been consistent enough to keep us using them.The last half of April continued with some good bass fishing action. Butler Chain and Johns Lake have been the choice lakes to catch bass.

Johns Lake has been doing good for my clients wanting to use live bait. Early morning schooling action in both of the cuts have been good for numbers.Steel Shad worked in the middle of the lake on a drift pattern has been simply awesome at keeping the action going steady. Docks have held some quality bass using the Gitem KO whacky rigged as well as skipping a Gitem Sugar under docks.Butler Chain has seen some very good action around docks with Gitem Curly 7’s and KO’s. Areas with grass and lily pads have also been good producing areas to close out the month. Lakes Butler and Tibet have been the top producers, with some very good early morning action, once the air temperature warms up, it’s a lot of flipping and skipping.We have filmed a few more fishing shows which will be airing soon on our other site along with another Skill Zone episode showing how to tie a few more fishing knots. Be sure to check it out as we continue to add more content and videos weekly.

Butler Chain and Johns Lake Bass Fishing Report Dec 2007

Orlando Bass Fishing Report

The past two weeks has seen some good bass fishing in the Orlando area. Butler Chain we finally started spotting some bait fish pods, although small and scattered, they are showing up. We had several runs out on Butler and with cooler weather, the water temperatures were finally dropping into the 60’s. This will get the bass on the feeding frenzy to fatten them up for the spawn which is just around the corner.

Lakes Louise, Chase and Sheen had been the best lakes for us, and seen some good quality bass caught. Numbers are starting to increase as well as size, with some very limited schooling action early on in the day. Spinner baits, weighted fluke type baits and wacky rigged senko type baits have been producing pretty good. Drop offs have once again been key to catching out here. We had a few days were the shiner bite seemed to drop off, but we still managed to catch them on the old reliable wacky rig.

Johns Lake has also been producing very good for us. Early morning schooling activity has been very good, with a lot of schoolie sized bass being hooked up. Once the schooling action slows, working the grass beds has been key. Outside edges of the grasses has been producing some quality bass, with the bigger bass coming by tossing T-Rigged Gitem K.O’s and Shads into the grass beds and swimming them back out slowly. The smaller swim baits, mostly the WildEye Curl Tail from Storm has been picking up some good bass and keeping the action steady out here, one key is to locate off shore grass beds just below the surface, as the bass seem to be stacked up in these areas.

Butler Chain and Johns Lake Bass Fishing Report Oct 2007

Orlando Bass Fishing Report

October has seen some good bass fishing action in Orlando. With trips on Butler Chain and Johns Lake the artificial bite has been doing pretty good. Johns Lake we had some limited early morning schooling action at the Deer Island Cut and some decent bass caught along the grass lines in the same area. After the schooling action stopped, we headed for areas with a mixture of grass and lily pads, getting several blow ups on toads and flukes swam across the pads, missing several but still getting our fair share. Most all the bass caught were in less than two foot of water and all, except for the schooling bass were holding tight to cover on Johns Lake.

Butler Chain we had seen some schooling action on lakes Pocket, Fish, and Tibet. Canal going into Fish Lake is still very shallow but you can make it in there. There is a grass island blocking most of the canal before the final bend to the lake, but we were able to get around it with no problem. Spinner baits and rattle traps were the ticket in Fish Lake, while toads and Gitem K.O.’s where catching the bass in Lakes Pocket and Tibet. Water surface temperatures were running in the low 80’s with most bass being caught in four to six foot of water. Some bass were caught in deeper waters slow rolling a spinner bait. Busy season is now upon us, and with very low water levels once again in south Florida, we are expecting yet another very busy season, so be sure to book your trips as soon as you can.

Kissimmee Chain and Butler Chain Bass Fishing Report March 2006

Kissimmee Chain and Butler Chain Bass Fishing Report Feb 2006

Kissimmee Chain and Butler Chain Bass Fishing Report Jan 2006

Butler Chain and Johns Lake Bass Fishing Report April 2009

Butler Chain and Johns Lake Bass Fishing Report Dec 2007

Orlando Bass Fishing Report

Butler Chain and Johns Lake Bass Fishing Report Oct 2007

Lake Toho

Butler Chain of Lakes

Current Orlando Fishing Reports