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Lake Toho Bass Fishing Report Nov 2009

Orlando Bass Fishing Guides

The first half of November we spent a lot of time on Lake Toho doing some scouting and checking out lake conditions. There is a lot of matting out here and if you hit the right ones, you can catch some good numbers and size out here right now. Water temps are finally down, in the upper 60’s on the days we hit this great lake.

A few of the days we hit Lake Toho the winds were up some, so we focused on areas where we had a push coming thru cuts in the matting, and the bass were there and played pretty good for us. We had a good spinner bait bite going on as well as a wacky rig bite.
Open water areas that were holding bass produced pretty good with the Steel Shad as well as the spinner bait. Silver steel shad and a 1 ounce spinner bait seemed to be the most productive lures for us and bass seemed to be pretty aggressive when they hit these lures.

Northern end of the lake seemed to be the most productive area, with a few coming out of Gobblets Cove and a few scattered from the southern end.
Lake Cypress also seemed to be a good option, as we made a few runs down there and always managed to catch bass down there, with very little pressure on the days we were there, I think we may have seen 4 other boats there on the days we made the run.
Check back often as we will be adding more to this report for the last half of the month, with several trips coming up for lake toho. Also be sure to check out the bass fishing videos, as 2 more have been added from Lake Toho.

Johns Lake and Butler Chain Bass Fishing Report Sept 2009

Orlando Bass Fishing Guides

September has seen some great fishing for us. We had spent several days on Johns Lake and Butler Chain, as well as once again mixing things up by doing some saltwater trips in Port Canaveral and Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.

Freshwater trips have been with artificial baits, mostly using Gitem Curly 7’s and Gitem K.O’s. Main colors of choice have been Florida Grass and Green Pumpkin, steel shad has been a very good producer as well when we have had to hit deeper waters for our catch. Butler Chain had been pretty steady working docks skipping a wacky rig K.O under them, with water levels up, the number of docks that we are unable to skip under have dwindled, but the ones you can get under have still been producing. Lakes Chase and Tibet have done well with the steel shad at the mouths of the canals and around drop offs, working areas in 10 to 16 foot of water.

Johns Lake has seen some schooling action, although the days we were there it was limited, they would surface and be gone within 15 minutes. Spinner baits worked thru the vegetation, scattered grasses and off shore hydrilla, has been a good bet at catching some quality bass, 7 inch worms worked thru thicker grass, slowly swimming them along the top of the slop has produced some very good strikes. Like Butler Chain, Johns Lake is up, and ramp is flooded, so be ready to wade the walkway to get to your boat after launching it.

Pan fish, brim and bluegill have been doing good on red wigglers and have hit fairly good tossing beetle spins both at Johns Lake and Butler Chain. Crappie have been scattered, but when you locate them, the size has not been too bad, with some coming in close to 2 pounds, bigger ones seem to be coming from Johns Lake, and mainly in deeper waters.

Saltwater runs have been nothing short of a total blast, Port Canaveral has had the best mix for us, catching snapper, jacks, blues and a few trout. The Wildlife Refuge has be super. We managed to catch a wide range of fish out here to include snapper, trout, a few small reds, and Erik capped off the trip by catching a very nice 22 inch Triple Tail, yet again, another first for him, great Job Erik!

We actually ended the month with our first cold front, or should I say “cool” front so maybe it’s a sign like last year, waters will cool down sooner turning on yet another season of some good top water action. Water temps for the most part have hung in the mid 80’s with the consistent rains we have gotten which has helped to maintain a good bite for the most part of the summer. October is shaping up to be yet again another fabulous month for bass.

Florida Outdoor Writers Tournament

Florida Outdoor Writers Association

August 28, 2009, Ocala, Florida. I had the great pleasure of being selected as a guide boat for the Florida Outdoor Writer Association (FOWA) member’s Fishing Tournament that was held in the waters surrounding the area of Salt Springs in the Ocala National Forest.

FOWA is a very important organization to the outdoor world and to Florida Tourism. These folks, men and woman, are always on the go, traveling around the great outdoors in search of their next article. I have read up on a few of these writers that were at this tournament, and they are definitely an amazing group of people. Their articles cover every possible avenue of outdoor recreation bringing to light what not only the great state of Florida has to offer, but other states as well for outdoor enthusiast.

Tournament morning started with a little confusion as they had forgotten that I was coming. So, as a last minute entry, I was given the last boat number which was 13. I was then paired up with a respected Outdoor Writer and exceptional fly fisherman, Walt Jennings.

We had started the day out with Walt working the fly rod with a small popper, and I was tossing a soft plastic working the main channel from the launch site at Salt Springs. Neither of us had yet to have luck, so we made a move to the main lake area of Lake George. As we worked grass areas and around docks, we had spotted some activity other than jumping mullet, but still, we could not harvest a bite with the plastics or spinnerbaits. Walt picked up his fly rod again and nailed a small brim… and the day was on.

We were told his catch and only his catch counted at the tournament weigh in. The winner of the mini tournament was not based on big fish, but the day’s total catch in inches, with anything species counting.

After a minor rainfall, we headed into the channel where Walt worked his fly rod like a magic wand, catching two smaller bass. As every fish species counted towards his total length, all I had to do was hold the boat steady in areas where we felt there were fish. Our new target being Brim and Bluegill!

Walt started catching some good numbers, as I kept the tally going in total inches. I had mentioned to Walt it would be cool if he got 100 inches worth just catching all pan fish. Well, by the end of the day he had a total of 116 inches of fish with only 2 being bass!

We loaded the boat and headed to weigh in where I think we were both pleasantly surprised with the end results. Walt Jennings had won the tournament with his 116 inches. His prize was a beautifully framed piece of original artwork that had graced a cover of Bassmaster Magazine and a copy of the issue it created for. Most important… the bragging rights for the next year!

In all this was a very good experience for me meeting several great outdoor writers as well as other guides/fishermen. I’m just thankful I was given the opportunity to take part in this event, as it will be an event that I am sure I will never forget, as many great stories, and many new friendships were formed.

Now of course the day was far from over for me, as boat number 13 struck on the way home for me. Just as I left the Ocala National Forest, the truck shook violently as a trailer tire blew out. A simple tire change, or one would think would solve this problem. I removed the spare tire, only to find it was also flat… what are the odds? So it was off to Walmart, which buy luck, was only 5 miles down the road to purchase a new tire.

Butler Chain

About Windermere and the Butler Chain

Posted by Hojin on August 20, 2007

Most first time visitors to the area may say that it is a little further away from everything than Dr. Phillips, but for luxury living at its best, look no further than the Town of Windermere. Pristine sand bottom lakes surround this small West Orange community. Boaters and Bass fisherman will love the system of canals that connects eleven lakes known as the Butler Chain of Lakes comprised of Lake Down, Little Lake Down, Wauseon Bay, Lake Butler, Lake Louise, Lake Isleworth, Lake Chase, Lake Pocket, Lake Tibet, Lake Sheen, and Fish Lake. The most popular types of boats to navigate the chain are ski boats, pontoon boats, and bass fishing boats. Lake Butler is the largest lake in the chain and houses a island bird sanctuary commonly referred to as “Bird Island” which many boaters use as a gathering place. A large blue pontoon boat covered in speakers, coolers, and of course a grill named “Grillin and Chillin” is a fixture there on most popular weekends and holidays. Some popular neighborhoods on the Butler Chain include Isleworth, Lake Butler Sound, Kelso, Keene’s Pointe, Windermere Downs, Marina Bay, Osprey Isle, Tibet Pointe, Bay Hill, Emerson Pointe, Cypress Isle, Cypress Point, and Chaine du Lac.

Lake Down is the northernmost lake but when the water levels become too low or high it becomes difficult to make it through the canal to the rest of the chain depending on the type of boat you’re in. Lake Tibet is the second largest lake in the chain and the Bay Hill marina offers a place to buy gas while on the chain. Another place to get gas on the chain is the Orange County Sportsman’s Club on Lake Sheen. A Sportsmans’s Club membership is a sought after commodity in Southwest Orlando because it’s only just a few hundred bucks a year and you get 2 boat ramps, boat storage, clubhouse, and a beach for your weekend boating excursions. The waiting list for membership typically runs at least two years but like many clubs, knowing the right person could expedite the process. To join the legions of boaters waiting to join, membership information can be obtained at 407-876-2010. The only public access to the Butler Chain is at the R.D. Keene Park located on Chase Road in Windermere and during the summer months the 47 parking spaces fill up by the early morning hours. The Lake Down ramp does provide another place for access but there’s no place to park so what’s the point.

Probably the least desirable lake on the Butler Chain, if there is such a thing, is Wauseon Bay because much of the lake is a no wake zone. Dont’ get me wrong, I would take a house on Wauseon Bay in a second. Heck, I’ll take one on one of the canals. The water on this chain are crystal clear and are spring fed. Most lakes in Central Florida such as the Clermont Chain, Conway Chain, Winter Park Chain, Harris Chain, and Lake Toho tend to have bathwater temperatures during the summer months but the water in the Butler Chain remains cool even in the peak summer months. The only complaint I have about the Butler Chain of Lakes is that I can’t afford a house on it but other than that, boat houses on docks are no longer allowed and the pre-existing boat houses have been grandfathered in.

The depth, temperatures, and water clarity also contribute in making the Butler Chain one of the best for bass fishing. It’s a little less renowned than nearby East Lake Toho, but the locals know that the Butler Chain is pretty comparable and a heck of a lot easier to fish. Bass tend to congregate tightly during the cold winter months at the ledges of drop offs which can go as deep as 41 feet then migrate to offshore submerged grass beds in 10 to 20 feet of water. Spring brings spawning season and the best time of the year for bass fishing where bass bed in shallow water which can be a foot or less. There’s so many different types of structures to fish here and most of them are easy to access. Jigging a gold spoon works well in fishing deep water holes like the one on Little Lake Down and popular baits for fishing various structures on the lakes include: Gary Yamamoto Senkos, Zoom Trick Worms, Zoom Flukes, White Willow Leaf Spinnerbaits, and various swim baits suited for really clear water. I really like the chartreuse shad color on my crankbaits and slashbaits and the watermelon color with red or black flecks work well for Senkos and Trick Worms. Fishing on the Butler Chain is a lot more pleasant during the weekdays with far less boaters crowding the waters. The fish bite all year round, but your best chance to catch the bass of a lifetime is during the Spring spawning season. Tim Fey, a resident of SW Orlando, is a well known guide along these waters who authors Bass Fishing Florida, a great resource for finding out what lures are working where.

This chain of lakes makes waterfront living in Windermere the premier location to live in Southwest Orlando. Windermere was given its name from Dr. Stanley Scott, whose father purchased 160 acres in this picturesque location in 1885. Dr. Scott built his home on the shore of Lake Butler, and it is believed by many that he named this town after England’s Lake Windermere. A book entitled Windermere Among the Lakes by Carl D. Patterson, Jr. published in 2005 creates the most detailed account of Windermere’s history.

Today, more than 2,300 people inhabit the Town of Windermere. The community, however, has not based its success on how rapidly it grows, but on how natural and pleasant a community in which it is to reside. Windermere tries to focus on preserving the town’s natural state and strong community atmosphere. The town’s quality of life is its most distinguishing feature. In fact, many of the town streets remain unpaved to continue their commitment to retain the pristine nature of the chain of lakes. The only paved street is 2nd Avenue which leads to Bumby Point, a peninsula that lies between Wauseon Bay and Lake Butler.

For luxury living with a small-town feel, you can’t beat the Town of Windermere. The Windermere Police Department, although comprised of I believe just 3 officers, have a reputation in the area for handing out speeding tickets for going even a mile an hour over the speed limit so beware. They’re probably bored from the lack of crime so I guess I can’t blame them. Other than that, the dirt roads, small town feel, and the canopy of age old oaks makes Windermere a really neat place to call home.

Johns Lake, Butler Chain, Lake Kissimmee and Lake Rosalie Bass Fishing Report Dec 2006

Orlando Bass Fishing Report

Johns Lake

We had a pretty good run out on Johns Lake Friday. Kevin from “Ultimate Fishing Site” came to fish Johns Lake and starting the day out was amazed at the schooling action he got to witness. Just as safe light cracked, the bass went to schooling in mass just about everywhere you looked in the Deer Island cut, catching quick bass with the lures he brought with him, the Bite Light Viper and the KickTail XL.

As the bite slowed down, artificials were used with a mix of shiners to keep the bite going, picking up a few more bass here and there with a few pickeral mixed in. Saturday saw us back at it again, Kevin, as well myself with high hopes of some more great schooling action first thing in the morning with the exact same weather conditions, saw no schooling action to speak of in Deer Island cut and no bites.

We made a move over to the Horseshoe, and there was some schooling action, but very scattered and very little, Kevin was tossing a deep diving crank bait, fan casting thru the cut and working a slower than normal retrieve managed to pick up several good bass once again, having one, after a descent fight come unbuttoned right next to the boat. Slow trolled shiners, left over from the day before yielded a few blow up, one smaller bass and a monster bowfin. Most bass caught were right in the 2 to 3 pound range, with the big bass coming in at a very nice 7.4 pounds.

Butler Chain

The past week we have spent a few days out on Butler Chain following various bait fish pods and watching the schooling activity in many of the lakes. Schooling fish have been spotted on several of the lakes on the chain with the waters cooled down nicely and still very clean. Saturday was a day spent targeting several different areas working several different types of lures with great success at catching bass in the 2 to 4 pound range.

Lakes Blanche and Chase were good producers using all white spinner baits in and around grass beds in 4 to 6 foot of water, in a slow rolled fashion. Watermellon/red shad with a small bullet weight, not pegged, worked along grass edges and very slowly did pick up a few good slot sized bass, most bites were very light, but we have noticed an increase in the quality of the bite.

Lake Sheen seen some good bait fish pods located in the center area of the lake, so that was the main target area, tossing a Long A and working slowly, after the first cast was complete, I actually had to pick bait fish off the hooks, second cast produced a nice 3 pound bass, picking up 3 more in the same fashion, I made a move into Lake Pocket. Working shoreline areas and drop offs, I found once again the bite to be very light, but in this case it was much smaller bass so I headed out to Lake Tibet to end the day. Tibet had scattered schooling action, which I avoided as I was looking for a solid pattern and that pattern was not chasing schoolers around.

The pattern was dictated early on in the day, slow rolled spinner baits, shads weighted with a small bullet weight in and around the grass beds, located closer to deeper water dropoffs, and Long A’s and rattle traps on the outside edges of grass lines, again with a deeper water drop off close by. Big key was to work the baits slow, even the rattle traps and the bass would hit.

Lake Rosalie/Lake Kissimmee

Sunday the 17th I spent the day on Lake Rosalie with my old tournament partner Rob out in Lake Wales. Our main goal was to do some scouting out on the lake to check several things, the main thing being the water levels. Water levels are easily described as LOW. When you start the day out having to idle thru a canal, motor trimmed up and still rubbing bottom, you know your in for a long day. When we finally made it thru the canal to the lake, we still had to idle close to 200 yards before getting to waters where I could come up on plane.

This lake I had done a bunch of trips on early in the year and it was a great producer of some very good bass, size and number wise, but with waters as low as they were, expectations were not very high. Several of the key areas that bass had been stacked in, were now only maybe a foot deep, if that much. The main ramp was closed as they are completely redoing it, Dock and all being added to it finally. We did watch one group launch a pontoon boat there, backing a good 70 feet into the lake before it finally came off the trailer.

Although the waters were shallow, they did look very clean and we did spot some good sized bass moving about in the grass beds, in very shallow water. We did take some time to work a few lures to catch a couple bass, motor oil colored worms, Junebug Gitem Shads and Gitem Toads did catch us a few good bass. Rattle traps and shallow diving crank baits did pick off a few smaller bass out in open waters. I will make a few more trips out there to keep an eye on this lake, as it is usually the hot lake for big bass during the spawn. There is a ramp right behind Lake Rosalie Bait and Tackle which is just before the point of no return on the road to Camp Mack.

Butler Chain Bass Fishing Report Oct 2006

Orlando Bass Fishing Report

Butler Chain

The last few days we have had runs out on Butler Chain, although we have had cooler nights and the waters have cooled down nicely, starting the day out with a surface temperature in the upper 70’s, the bass have not turned on just yet. We have come across a lot of good sized schools running in 12 to 18 foot of water, but very little if any schooling action has been seen on the lakes we have been hitting. Little Lake Down and Lake Down have seen the deeper water schooling with us picking up a few here and there. Today we started the day on Lake Pocket, working shoreline and lily pads we had several serious blowups on a Gitem Toad but hook up were missed. From there Lake Blanche, which has been producing as of late yielded a few descent sized bass this week.

Lake Chase was the lake to be fishing, working spinner baits and toads, this lake has woken up with some good action. Fishing wind blown side of the lake is the key. Working grass beds and the edges and working slowly, areas close to drop offs, even a slight drop off has held some bait.
Lake Louise has been doing good with Carolina rigged lizards, working slowly thru the eel grass in 6 to 9 foot of water. Bait fish pods have been getting pounded a lot as of late with the diving birds so keep your eyes open.

Today we spent doing some scouting on Butler Chain. Started out working different areas up in Lake Chase, catching a few good bass on a mixture of lures. Spinner baits, rattle traps and senkos. Did manage one good bass on a toad early on, but the was the only top water action I was able to muster up. From there I moved into Lake Blanche, working flooded timber and grass beds, picking up 3 more descent bass, had one that would have been close to 5 pounds, but 5 feet from the boat, I noticed she had locked down on the blades of my spinner bait, giving her some slack in hopes she would turn into the hook did not work.

Made a move into Lake Isleworth to end the days action, picking up 2 more bass for a total of 11 for the day. Water temps were holding steady at 77 degrees and waters were looking very good. All bass today came in water from extremely shallow to 6 foot.

Talked with a few others at the ramp, and they had said they spent their time down by Lake Down area, working spinner baits and rattle trap to catch their fish. Sounds like a consistent pattern throughout the chain right now. Two other gentlemen hit up the specks, drifting Lakes Tibet and Chase catching 14 of hat they called medium sized specks, but a good day. With the waters finally in the 70’s, the bite should really start to pick up, key to today was working the breezy side of the lakes, winds have been fairly consistent the last few days and bait fish were starting to stack up.

Today we had the great pleasure with helping out in the Edgewood Boys Ranch day on the water. These kids were ready for a great time on the water and the weather, even though it got hot before noon time did not let us down. The kids were allowed to keep one fish each over 14 inches to bring back and weigh in, and at the end of the day, word was fish were being caught on just about ever lake on Butler Chain.

With an estimated 30 to 35 boats and 2 kids per boat that ment a lot of fishing and a ton of smiles. Bass were being caught on everything from wild shiners to slow trolled crank baits. The end of the day saw a great cookout and the kids all getting prizes from rods and reels to basketballs. These kids did a great job out on the water and it was a great pleasure being able to help out, the saying “take a kid fishing” means nothing unless you actually do it. Pictured is the two youngsters I had the great pleasure of having on my boat, pictured with a very nice 5.59 pound large mouth, which also was the winning fish for the day, as they took home the hardware and some darn big smiles. Sorry that my camera person didn’t zoom in on this one, she was a very healthy one and jumped great.

Today we were once again out on Butler Chain, with conditions a little tougher.
Day started out sitting in line at the ramp for almost an hour, as without warning there was a tournament out here with a good amount of boats in it.

The day once again started out in Lake Chase, this has been the hot lake as of late, especially for getting the better quality bass to bite first thing in the morning, and they played well this morning catching a few good ones early on. Baits of choice once again were the spinner baits with a mix of live bait. Bass were holding on the drop offs and hitting the baits as they were worked up the drop offs from the deeper waters. This is a pattern that has been holding true for the better part of a week now, and with the cold front coming in, should hold true for at least another week.

Lake Sheen and Lake Tibet, the bite had slowed some for us, but we have been spotting some bait fish pods on the screen as of late so the bass should really start feeding up very soon, as long as we can keep a good cooler weather pattern going. Waters on most of the lakes have really cleared up which has dictated longer casts, Fluorocarbon lines and lighter lines to get the good bites.

Monday the 23rd we spent the day on the water with Larry and Terry. With picture perfect weather as the cold front passed thru. Pattern from the past week now has been holding true, hitting areas on the chain in 6-8 foot of water, with a good drop off close by, meaning a drop off to 16 to 20 foot of water. Bass seem to be cruising back and forth from deep waters to grass beds and being in these areas has been the big key to getting the bigger bass, as Larry and Terry found out.

Small bass of the day came in at 3.9 pounds and big bass, with a few twin look- a-likes came in at 4.7 pounds. Hits were very light, as they were taking baits and swimming them back towards the boats and the deeper waters, and the flip side, taking the baits in deeper waters and swimming back to shallow waters. Being a line watcher was a must.

Baits the last few runs have remained very consistent from spinner baits, senko type baits and wild shiners. Jigs and swim baits were also tried with no luck to speak of. Crappie fishing as reported to me by a few locals has been off and on using a drift pattern over deeper waters using minnows but it is expected to pick up with some great action as the waters start to really cool down.

Thursday we were out on Butler Chain with David for what turned out to be some tough fishing. From bluebird skies to party cloudy, and little to no breeze at times, the bass definitely did not want to play as they had in days past. We had started out on Lake Chase, working a deep water drop off area for a few with no luck. Making the long move to Little Lake Down, we did manage to pick up two bass, one on a drop shot and the other on a shiner.

Making the move out to Lake Down, David picked up 2 small ones on a rattle trap before we made the move to Lake Louise and trying some buzz baits and toads. I tried working a buzz bait across the top of the eel grass and turned to look behind the boat when the buzz bait got hosed by a descent 3 pounder.

Friday we were back out on Butler with Frank and Tom from the Villages. Again starting out in Lake Chase with no takers, we moved into Lake Blanche where Tom managed 3 quick keepers before the bite in there died off. The winds were starting to pick up, so I made a move into Lake Louise, where the guys were tossing spinner baits and working them thru the eel grasses, were again, Tom picked up 4 more good bass, leaving Frank scratching his head, Tom would simply cast in right behind Frank to catch the fish for the day. Water temps were a comfortable 74 degrees and the bass definitely played a lot better today. Cooler water temperatures have helped to turn these bass back on and things will only get better.

Lake Toho

Butler Chain of Lakes

Current Orlando Fishing Reports