Media News - Bass Fishing Florida

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.

World Record Bass

Japanese lake may claim largemouth bass record
By Ed Zieralski
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Originally published 3:04 p.m. July 2, 2009, updated 8:24 a.m., July 3, 2009

In this photo taken and distributed by Takanari Shogawa of Japanese fishing tackle maker deps Co., Japanese angler Manabu Kurita raises a black bass after he caught it in Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan, Thursday, July 2, 2009. – AP Photo/Takanari Shogawa, deps Co.

Japan’s Lake Biwa, one of the oldest lakes in the world, may be claiming a largemouth bass that might tie the oldest and most cherished all-tackle world record in freshwater fishing.

Reports indicate that a 22-pound, 5-ounce bass (10.12 kilograms and 73.5 centimeters in Japan) was caught by Manabu Kurita, a pro angler who represents Deps Tackle Company in Japan. He was fishing in massive Lake Biwa in the Shiga Prefecture of Japan. Girth measurements were not given in the reports, but there are several pictures of the bass posted on various Web sites. And the bass was reportedly weighed on a certified scale.

It’s been exactly 77 years and one month since George Perry caught a 22-pound, 4-ounce bass out of Montgomery Lake in Georgia on June 2, 1932. It has been the International Game Fish Association all-tackle world record ever since.

“I heard about it, but we don’t have any details,”
said Jason Schratwieser, the IGFA’s fishing records and conservation director.

Schratwieser said the bass would have to be 2 ounces heavier than Perry’s catch to establish a new record.

“It will tie it if that’s the weight,” Schratwieser said, indicating that IGFA rules stipulate that for record fish weighing less than 25 pounds, the replacement record must weigh at least two ounces more than the existing record.

“It looks like the real deal,” said San Diego County bass angler Mike Long, recognized as one of the top big bass anglers in the world. “The girth looks right. Everything looks right about it.”

Said Ken Duke, senior editor for BASS publications: “It seems closer and more of a real deal than any situation we’ve seen.”

Lake Biwa is Japan’s largest lake and covers more than 259 square miles. It’s also said to be one of the oldest lakes in the world. It is surrounded by mountains and famous for its scenic environs. Its crystal-clear water is more than 300 feet deep.

In recent years Japanese officials have reacted to concerns by commercial fishermen there and tried to eliminate invasive species from Biwa, and black bass, or largemouth bass, are on that list of invasives. An unconfirmed report indicates that a 25-pound largemouth bass may have been netted by one of the commercial fishermen. The Lake Biwa Museum Restaurant serves largemouth bass on its menu.

The previous Japanese bass record weighed 19.15 pounds and was caught by Kazuya Shimada from Lake Ikehara on April 22, 2003, on a swimbait.

Many thought the next world record bass would come from a California reservoir that gets stocked with trout. Dixon Lake in Escondido, north of San Diego, served up a 25-pound, 1-ounce bass in March 2006, but angler Mac Weakley of Carlsbad inadvertently foul-hooked the bass and never submitted it for record consideration.

Other Southern California lakes such as Mission Viejo, Lake Murray and even Lake Cuyamaca, because of the amount of stocked trout they get, have been considered contenders to turn out a world-record bass. The larger bass eat stocked trout and get much heavier than bass at lakes that aren’t stocked with trout.

One exception was Lake Hodges, which turned out a 20-pound, 4-ounce bass in 1985.

Diamond Valley Lake also is considered a top candidate for producing a world-record bass. It is stocked heavily with trout, but bass fishermen must work from rental boats there. The lake’s launch ramp is out of service due to California’s drought conditions.

Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225;

Precious Waters

The Butler Chain of Lakes is a great place to spend time with your family and enjoy the wonder of nature.

By Sarah Kezer
Photo by Anna Cary Photography

There are some precious waters surrounding Windermere. The Butler Chain of Lakes is a source of pride, beauty and recreation for Orange County residents and visitors, who enjoy boating, fishing and recreation there.
The 12 connected lakes are surrounded by old and new Florida homes, including those of celebrities Shaquille O’Neal and Tiger Woods. Lake Down is the northernmost lake, followed by Little Lake Down, Wauseon Bay, Lake Butler, Lake Louise, Lake Isleworth, Lake Chase, Lake Blanche, Lake Tibet, Lake Sheen, Pocket Lake and Fish Lake.
Lake Butler is the largest of the fresh water, sand-bottom lakes. It has an island bird sanctuary, which is off limits to people; but locals often dock their boats there and socialize on the weekends.

Though the scenery is beautiful, the main reason Capt. Tim Fey takes most of his clients out on the lakes is to fish. Fey, a licensed captain with the U.S. Coast Guard, has been fishing Central Florida waters for more than 20 years. “I get people all the way from Canada and United Kingdom and take them to the Butler Chain,” says Fey.

As an experienced fishing guide and Southwest Orlando resident, Fey says the area has clean, deep water and great bass and crappie fishing. Fey says that he and his guests are also usually lucky enough to spot other wildlife ranging from otters, alligators and an occasional eagle.

If you’re looking to take your own boat for a spin on these waters, consider joining the Orange County Sportsman Club. Members of the club enjoy private boat ramp access onto the lakes and additional recreation facilities. There is one public bank access area on Lake Down but parking is limited and usually fills up quickly.

Albert Gallof, president of Orange County Sportsman Club, says that their 1,700 plus members not only get to use the private launch site on Lake Sheen, but can take advantage of their pavilions, volleyball courts and meeting hall. “It’s a great family atmosphere,” Gallof says, “you’d never know we were back here but it is beautiful.” According to Gallof, the county limits the number of members the club can obtain so the waiting list can get pretty long. Gallof says the group can accept about 100 new members each year.

According to the Department of Environmental Protection, the chain of lakes is worthy of special protection because of its natural attributes, so it has been designated an Outstanding Florida Water. This recognition is applied to certain waters to conserve existing good water quality. Most of these areas are managed by the state or federal government as parks, including wildlife refuges, preserves, marine sanctuaries and aquatic preserves. This designation requires that activities requiring a water management district permit such as dredge, fill and pollutant discharge must not significantly degrade nearby Outstanding Florida Waters and be “clearly in the public interest”.

Organizations such as the Butler Chain Conservation Association work to protect the environment. According to their Web site, the association acknowledges that development is inevitable but insists that it can be done without destroying nature’s delicate balance. Protecting Southwest Orlando’s Butler Chain of Lakes ensures that these precious waters are available for future generations to enjoy.

Harris Chain Bass Fishing


Another Harris Trophy. Corey Fey, 15, shows the 10-pound, 8 ounce Largemouth bass he caught last week on Harris Chain.

Recent catches prove things are thriving
Ever since Lake County’s Harris Chain bass fishery all but crashed and burned more than a decade ago, its 40,000 acres have been bypassed by big-bass hunters.
In January, local tournament angler Richard Patterson caught a 12- pound, 15.5-ounce bass near the mouth of a Dead River Canal.
Then the CITGO BASSmasters Tour event came to town Jan. 29, and on the first day, pro Alton Jones caught a fish that weighed 10 pounds, 13 ounces.
During the first two days of the tournament, the anglers caught 1,168 bass with a total weight of 2,946 pounds, according to a report filed with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Last week, Corey Fey, 15, a ninth-grade student at Dr. Phillips High School, caught a 10-pound, 8-ounce largemouth on Lake Harris using The Original Fishing Snake.
The lifelike lure was co-developed by Mark Abernathy of St. Cloud and noted big-bass expert Doug Hannon of Odessa.
Fey said he saw the wake of a large bass head into the maidencane that rings the lake. He cast the lure into the grass, retrieved it in short twitches, and once it exited the weed, stopped it and let it float.
“There was a swirl, and the snake disappeared,” Fey said. “The fish headed back into the grass, and I had to wrestle it back out of the grass.”
After a picture, the fish was released.
Fey’s father, Tim, is a bass guide and chief field pro for the Natural Motion Lures Co., which markets the lures.
Oddly enough, it’s not Corey Fey’s favorite bait all the time.
“Sometimes I don’t have the patience for it, because you have to work it very slowly,” he said. FWC biologist John Benton said he has been encouraged by the reports of the large bass being caught in the chain’s lakes.
In the early 1990s, the chain’s bass fishery seemed on the brink.
The fish were hard to find, and many appeared undernourished and with pink rather than bright red gills.
Angry tournament anglers and Hannon blamed overly eager weed- control authorities who eliminated the exotic plant hydrilla from the chain.
The offshore stands of underwater plants were the favorite gathering places for larger bass, when they weren’t moving to the shallow waters to feed.
Without the grass, the anglers said, the bass had scattered.
In addition, they claimed, the sudden death of the plants released excess nutrients they had been storing. The sudden flood of free nutrients caused a plankton bloom and then sudden die-off that torpedoed the levels of dissolved oxygen in the lakes.
Biologists studied the fish, sending samples to experts at several universities, but never could find out what was causing their illness and die-offs.
Benton said they now believe it was caused by what is called the Largemouth Bass Virus, which was unknown to scientists then.Eventually the viral attack ran its course and left the chain with a fair bass population.
But it still had a poor reputation and caused many people to avoid fishing the chain, which helped more fish survive.
Then came an unexpected event, the drought of 1998-99, which acted as a mini-drawdown and helped improve the fishery’s habitat.
It also concentrated bait fish and made them easy prey.
“These big fish that are being caught now are old fish, and during the drought, they sure fed well and have bulked up some,” Benton said.
The rainfalls that ended the drought helped improve the water’s clarity and the spread of eelgrass, an important nursery plant for young bass.
“The eelgrass is all over the place now,” Benton said. “The water transparency looks better than it was in the 1990s. Overall, I’m very happy with what we’re seeing out in the chain.”
Copyright 2004 by The Orlando Sentinel)
Don Wilson can be reached at dwilson@OrlandoSentinel.com or 407-420- 5397.

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.

Bass Fishing Trip Specials

Orlando Bass Fishing Special

The Orlando area is well known for having some of the best Florida trophy bass fishing action in the state. There is a variety of fishing lakes to choose from to include Lake Kissimmee, the Butler Chain, Johns Lake, East lake Toho, Lake Rosalie, Clermont Chain, Walk in Water, Lake Okeechobee, Lake Rousseau, Lake Istokpoga, Harris Chain of Lakes and the World Famous Lake Toho. With over 20 years of experience on these, and several other lakes in the area, we feel we can offer you the best options, and the best chances possible of getting that 10 pound bass, and make your dreams come true.

For the months of July thru October, we will be offering two different bass fishing packages.

3 DAY SPECIAL
2 people – $1025.00
3 days of trophy bass fishing on 3 different lakes in Central Florida
This will definately give you the best chance for catching that trophy bass.

“Remeber, there is no substitute for time on water. More time, more opportunity”

2 DAY SPECIAL
2 people – $700.00
2 Days of Orlando Bass Fishing
You will be fishing 2 different lakes
Still giving you the same chance at catching that trophy bass.

A third person can be added for a $75.00 fee per day. All the tackle is supplied, cooler, ice and bottled water. Live bait can be used, but there is an extra charge.

There is no required deposit per day to secure your trip dates. All deposits can be caneled with in 48 hours with no cost to you.
These were very popular packages last year, so book soon to secure your dates, as they fill up fast.

Reservations Call (888)-321-0202

Lake Toho

Butler Chain of Lakes

Current Orlando Fishing Reports