shiners - Bass Fishing Florida

Lake Toho, Butler Chain, Lake Kissimmee, Johns Lake and Harris Chain Bass Fishing Report July 2006

Orlando Bass Fishing Report

Butler Chain

Today we had a free day and used it to do some scouting out on Butler Chain.
Waters were 85 to start the day out and very clean as usual. Main purpose of this trip was to work a Carolina rig and see what bite would develop. Turns out it was the perfect ticket for the day.

We started out in Lake Down and Little Lake Down, Carolina rig with ¼ ounce weight and lizards were the big time key. Working the deeper waters, starting at the 6 foot mark and going into the 10-12 foot range we picked up several good bass on both lakes.

With a quick move into Lake Butler, we stayed on the same pattern for the rest of the morning, working the Carolina rig with watermelon lizards we picked up several more quality bass, with the day being capped with 3 very nice and solid 5 pounders. Total on the day was 22 bass with the best 5 going around 21 to 22 pounds. Key to the whole day was to work the deeper waters, hitting the drop offs and working very slow. Bass were picking up the baits and swimming to even deeper waters so you really had to stay focused on you line.

Butler Chain

Butler Chain for the most part this week has been a mixed bag of tricks.
Start of the week, Monday, was some of the best fishing, just about every lake hit fish were caught. Tuesday the front rolled in and the bite had totally changed, having to work a little harder to locate fish and get them to bite. Wednesday the rains really stepped up and we fished pretty much most of the day in either a light rain or a complete downpour.

Bass were very much more scattered than usual, with no schooling activity going on, normally you can troll slowly and ping fish in good groups, but the last two days the fish being pinged on the graph were more of a one here and one there variety. Thursday brought out some serious heat and very little breeze to speak of, which made the day on the water very brutal weather wise.

Baits used during the week ranged, from a day with shiners, to Gitem Toads, Shads, Warlocks and the Gitem Drop Shot. With waters heating up, the deeper water bite was the definite way to go to get your catch, working the 10 to 18 foot range was the best tactic and the best producer. Drop Shot in the deep holes, 18 to 30 foot produced a few good bass, as well as flipping the deeper water grass beds, beds in waters 8 to 12 feet..

John’s Lake

Today we were out doing some early morning scouting on Johns Lake.
The day started out at 5:30 working some buzz baits and managing to pick up 3 good slot sized bass. Schooling activity had picked up good today, better than it has been in recent trip out here. Made a move to the horseshoe area and the bass were schooling up in a big way, you could see several bass in the five pound class breaking water chasing the bait fish all over the place. We had several slaps at a spook but no
hookups with it, as they were slapping it right out of the water.

Made a fast switch to a drop shot and managed to pick up 3 bass before Making a move back to the main lake area. Pitching Gitem Shads into holes In grass beds we managed a few more descent bass, with one other being
Picked up on a frog and calling it a day around 10am as the heat started to Really turn on. Water temps were running 87.9 with pretty good water clearity.

Lake Kissimmee

Saturday the 22nd we spent most of the day down on Lake Kissimmee.

We had made the decision to start out south of the highway 60 locks and check out the river to see how fishing was down that way, we made the run all the way to the second set of locks and slowly worked our way back to Hwy 60.

Hitting the cuts and a lot of flipping did produce some descent bass but nothing to really brag about. There was very little water flow to speak of and with little to no breeze at all.
Most all bass related very tight to cover, with 2 others being caught on a white spinner bait.

Making our way back thru the locks, we worked the southern end of the lake picking up a few more descent bass. Water levels are way down, as was evident by the pontoon boat that got stuck not once but TWICE, pay close attention to water colors as you cruise, you will be able to spot very shallow areas to avoid.

Northern end of lake had some very nice hydrilla but we were not able to get any takers from it. Scattered trees and grass beds did hold some good bass along with an accidental snag of a nice crappie. Baits used were Gitem Shads, K.O’S and rattle traps in Chrome/Blue.
Tonite we start some more scouting to kick in nite trips to help avoid the brutal heat. Lakes we will be working will be John’s Lake and Lake Toho.

Harris Chain

Hello from HOT lake county, we spent the last 2 days out on the Harris Chain with a mixed bag. Fishing lakes Harris, Eustis, Dora, and Carlton had us running pretty much all over the chain. We had reports the fish were “very scattered” and boy were they on the money with that info. Tossing everything under, spinner baits, crank baits, Carolina rigged worms, and which bait was the reliable bait? DROP SHOT!!!!

Sitting up on Lake Harris at the mouth of the Dead River drop shotting yielded 3 bass and one small striper, moving to the opposite end of the chain, and again drop shotting in Lake Carlton yielded the exact opposite, 1 small bass and 3 stripers, big striper came in at 4 ½ pounds. Water a very dirty, but that is pretty much typical for Harris, water temps were running right at 90 degrees, surprised the bass weren’t half cooked at these temps! But as well all know, here in Florida, the temps will get even higher and the bass will still come out and play, we just have to work harder for our catches. Big key, hit the waters EARLY or switch to night fishing. Till our next report, tight lines, great fishing, and drink ALOT of water.

Butler Chain and Johns Lake Bass Fishing Report April 2006

Orlando Bass Fishing Report

Butler Chain

Last few days has been runs out on the Great Butler Chain of Lakes.

Trips have been a mix of shiners and artificial baits. Domestic shiners have been the best producer as far as the live bait went, as they are a very close resemblance to the great shad population this chain of lakes has.

Morning bite has generally been the best producer before the sun gets to high. There has been a lot of schooling activity as of late and most all the schoolers being caught are in the 3 ½ to 4 ½ pound ranger and in Kevin’s words” she fought like she was a smallmouth bass. The cleaner waters, much cleaner than the typical Florida lake makes these bass a much healthier bass and you get more of a fight which makes it much more exciting.

The artificial bite is still going strong, with top water action really picking up good.

Gitem Toads, which can be bought online at GitemBaits.com has been the best bait for some serious top water explosions. Gitem Sugars and KO’s are also getting good numbers pitched and flipped into grass beds as well as hydrilla and eel grass beds.

Water levels are dropping with the lack of rain, so please be cautious motoring thru the canals going from lake to lake. Till my next report, Tight Lines and great fishing.

Butler Chain still hot

Water Temps are on the rise with day ending surface temps running between 74 and 77 degrees. Topwater bite has been pretty good first thing in the morning with Gitem Toads in white color leading the way with the bigger catches. Lakes Down and Lake Butler have been the main producers. Worms pegged with 3/8 ounce weight have been catching a few here and there off the grass beds and in the eel grass beds, 10” Black/red flake have been the best producers.

The shiner bite is still going good on Lakes Down, Little Lake Down and Lake Louise.

Slow trolled thru eel grass and hydrilla have been the way to go early in the day. As temps warmed, a small split shot 12 inches up from the shiner in waters ranging from 10 to 16 feet have seen some good bass fall to our offerings. We actually have a day off next week, and we will be out on Butler Chain trying out the new drop shot baits from Gitem Baits as soon as we have them in our hands.

Johns Lake

Today we had a free day and decided to head back to Johns Lake on the Orange/Lake border off Hwy 50. Game plan was to be to get in some drop shot fishing, but with higher winds we opted for rattle trap and senko type baits.

Started the day out tossing rattle traps at and along the grass beds along the East shore of the main lake. Picking up a few here and there, but the were definitely hitting the trap hard. Southern end of the main lake has some great grass beds, they just didn’t produce for us today. Most bass caught, all but one on Rattle Traps, blue/chrome with black tiger strips, were in and around the grasses. One solid hit on a Sticko from Bass Pro Shops.

Lake waters have dropped as expected with the extreme lack of rain, but remain very clean, longer casts and lighter lines were a definite difference maker. Offshore grass beds held a few bass, which were rather aggressive on the strike. Look for submerged grasses and sunken trees/branches and bang the traps thru and hold on.

Butler Chain

Butler Chain the last couple days has been hot one day and a little slow the next.
Bass were still being caught but some days you had to work a little harder than normal.
Trips were mixed bag of tricks, shiners and artificials. Shiners had produced in Lake Louise and Isleworth, eel grass beds in Louise and deep waters in Isleworth.
Early morning topwater bite is still doing good, with toads and poppers leading the way.
Afternoon bite has been mostly Fluke type baits and senko type baits, 1/16th ounce bullet weight, screw in type, and bouncing them around in deeper waters ranging from 8 to 14 feet.

Lake Tibet has been unusually slow for us but has showed signs of coming back, Lakes Down and Little Down have been having good schools of shad getting blown up on, bass have been gorging themselves on these shad, so if your shiner fishing, best bet is DOMESTIC shiners, as they are a closer resemblance to the shad in color, Wild shiners will work, but domestics have been out catching them.

Spinnerbaits in white, Long A type baits, clear with a blue tint to them have also been producing on Lake Down. Bass have been cruising and hiding up in lily pad fields, topwater aspect of it, GITEM TOADS, bass got nuts over these things in the pads, and also a 10 inch worm, Black with red flake, 1/16th ounce bullet weight pegged and worked thru the pads has been a good ticket also.

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 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.

Florida Fall Bassin

That time of year is fast approaching us, the time of year that everybody has been patiently awaiting, Fall. The temperatures make a swing for the better, cooler air temperature and water temps drop, from what used to be bath water to bass busting water.

What does all this mean for bass fishing in Florida? It means its time for some of the best top water action of the year. The time of year where we can put the worms on the self, and dust off our favorite top water baits and enjoy some serious explosions on the surface. Bass will start feeding up in a big way again, fattening themselves up, once again for what promises to be yet another great spawning season
The typical summer pattern had been, very early top water action, and then the rest of the day was spent slow worming, or even a drop shot, and flipping, flipping, flipping. Water temperatures as of late have started out around 83-85 degrees first thing in the morning thanks to the summer rains we have finally gotten, which is roughly a 5 degree drop in temperature to start the day, which has helped out the bite throughout the day. But this is also my favorite time of the year, as clients generally won’t even ask about shiners!

Shiners are always a good bet to catch bass, but when fall rolls around and the bass start feeding up, they are what I consider a “needless expense” although some prefer the use of shiners, as they are generally wanting to relax and catch fish, they really are not needed and can save a person anywhere between $60.00 and $120.00 on a full day on the water.

Butler Chain, right here in the middle of beautiful Central Florida shows what we believe to be some great promise for yet another great fall/winter season. This great chain of lakes has a huge population of shad for the bass to feed up on and the typical fall season has always see some of the best schooling action around Florida. Bass on this chain feed up very aggressively and allows the angler a wide range of tactics to catch bass. From the typical top water action to using jigging spoons in some of the many deep holes this great chain has, that can be as deep as 43 feet. Northern anglers have really taken a liking to this chain, as it has allowed them to come to the south and still be able to use some of their all time favorite lures, such as Mepps Minnows, Road Runners and jigging spoons.

Kissimmee Chain, what more can we say about this great chain of lakes. Lake Kissimmee bounced back from the major clean up years ago, to produce a bunch of bass this year ranging from 10 to just over 16 pounds. Lake Toho, although at times was a hit or miss deal at times this year, produced some great bass this year also, as was proof at the 2006 Bass Master Classic, where records were not only set, but shattered!!

Harris Chain of Lakes, in beautiful Lake County Florida has been fishing really good as expected. Years ago this chain really had a bad drop off in bass fishing action due to over spraying, but has rebounded by leaps and bounds, great bass fishing action is once again expected, with the never ending possibility of catching a few stripers here and there can make the day on the water very entertaining.

Those are just 3 of the major fishing areas that show a lot of promise once again this year for some great fall/winter bass fishing, all within 30 minutes or so of all 3 major theme parks in Central Florida, which helps to make it the best choice for all of your family vacation action, the hustle and bustle of hitting the theme parks and then a relaxing day on the water with the family, setting hooks and catching bass, and believe me, nothing makes a vacation more complete, than seeing your kids holding up some great bass for pictures.

Butler Chain and Johns Lake Bass Fishing Report Feb 2009

Orlando Bass Fishing

February 2009 Report

The month of February has seen some very good bass fishing action here in Orlando. We have had most of our focus on Butler Chain and one of the private lakes that I fish. Butler Chain we have had some good bass come off beds, despite high winds that had consistently pounded us along with what seemed like an endless run on cold fronts.

Most of our trips this month were with artificial baits, with steel shad and a wide range of Gitem Baits catching most of the bass. Steel Shad have been doing a great job in deeper waters when fronts have hit us, working them mostly in 10 to 16 feet of water, almost slow rolling them, with the very tight wobble and close resemblance of bait fish, these baits have been awesome.

Gitem Baits have been plugging the bass for us in and around scattered grass beds, offshore hydrilla beds and docks. The Twin Liz and the Curly 7 have been doing great tossing them under docks texas rigged with a 1/16th ounce screw in weight. The Gitem Curly 10 has been great pulling it thru heavy eel grass to catch some nice quality bass, one day numbers will be up, and size down, but only to be followed up with some very solid bass being caught the next day.

We have found when the fronts have rolled thru, the bass were pushed away from the beds, but still in the area, so setting up 30 feet off the bedding areas had been the key to catching the quality bass, with some good schooling action towards the end of the month. Shiner fishing has been doing good, slow trolling the shiners with no float around deep drop offs on Lake Butler itself has produced some quality bass. Lakes Chase and Blanche have also held some good action, Chase has been good in areas where the lay downs are as well as Blanche. Blanche has been very good around the docks as well as just offshore from the docks, finding the offshore hydrilla has produced some very good quality bass.

The month of March has carried over pretty much from the same action we have seen in February, although the majority of the bass had already spawned, we still were catching some bass off beds, or cruising around the beds. Butler Chain we have been catching most bass just off the grass beds and under docks, wacky rigged Gitem KO’s have been doing great under docks as well as the curly 7’s.

Johns Lake has started showing some limited schooling action in the Dear Island cut, steel shad and High Roller Rip Rollers have got some good action. A few docks have produced on Johns Lake for us the past month, but one of the biggest patterns seems to have been isolated grass patches worked with either the KO’s or the curly 7’s in Florida Grass color. A few bass have been caught on smaller crank baits in 2 to 4 foot of water as well.

Both Butler and Johns Lake the Crappie bite has been limited and very scattered, some being caught early morning in deep water, while majority have been caught around the grass beds, size of crappie has been down the last 2 weeks.

Private waters have been producing some very good numbers, along with some size, all bass have been caught on artificial baits with bass coming from docks and grass beds. Wacky rigged KO’s and Shad have been the way to catch them.

My reports have been slow coming the past 2 months but I should be back on schedule with them now, we have launched a new web site Thefishingtube.com which has taken up most of my free time. This web site is totally free so we want everyone to come join us, create yourself a member user name and set up your profile, you can upload pictures and videos. We currently have a teaser show filmed and uploaded with Pro Golfer JB Holmes and on our Skill Zone I am Hosting How to Videos. I would also like to welcome Deep South Fishing Rods to our family, as a sponsor on both our Fishing Show and my Guide Service. These rods are awesome, so please check them out.

Florida Fall Bassin

Lake Toho

Butler Chain of Lakes

Current Orlando Fishing Reports