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.
