Friday, November 30, 2007
Butler Chain
Week Ending March 11th 2007
The past week I spent 6 days out on the Butler Chain with clients on a mix of trips again, some artificial and some live bait. First part of the week saw a very tough bite, even with live bait, as the bass were just mouthing the shiners and barely holding onto them. Sizing down on the shiners from Large to Mediums made the catch much better for the clients. Shiners were all slow trolled in various depths of water, ranging from 4 foot to 22 feet deep, with numbers coming in the 4 to 8 foot depths, and size coming from waters 12 to 20 feet deep. The artificial bite was fairly good for the most part, with the majority of the bass being caught on Gitem Shad, Gitem K.Os and Gitem Warlocks, dominate color being black with red flake and working baits very slowly with a 1/8th ounce screw in bullet weight.
Again working shallow waters, tossing baits all the way to shoreline, very tight to grass beds, and right up against the cypress trees in order to catch bass. Most bites were very light, so watching your line was very important. There was no spinner bait bite or even a rattle trap bite to speak of for most of the week. Several good bass were spotted cruising around the beds on several lakes, but for the most part, the beds were empty. Water temperatures were running 68 in the mornings and warming to as high as 72 by the end of the day. Look out, top water action is just around the corner. Till my next report, tight lines and great fishing!
Capt Tim Fey
Bassfishingfl.com
Bassfishingfl.com
Labels:
orlando bass fishing
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Butler Chain
Report Date March 2nd 2007
The last 2 weeks saw us on Butler Chain for 12 days with a mix of trips, a few trips with live bait and a few with all artificial trips. Start of the week saw for some very tough bite as the water temps had an almost 8 degree drop, which really had the bass on a serious case of lock jaw. Gitem Shads with a small bullet weight worked in and along grass beds worked very slow, and I stress VERY slow in order to get the bites. Mid week saw the bite pick up as the water temps started reaching the upper 60’s and bass started heading to the beds, with several bass in the 5 and 6 pound class being caught in and around the beds. Once again it was Gitem Shads and 10 inch black neon worms getting the bass to bite with an occasional bass being caught on all white spinner baits.
The shiner bite is still going strong on several lakes on the chain, with a few lakes actually having a drop off with the live bait bite. Two very memorable trips involved two youngsters, first was Edward fishing with his father, we had spotted a buck on a bed, and decided to give Edward a crack at catching this bass, with 4 flips of the shiner to the bass, she would not touch it, so the 5th try, the buck had knocked the shiner off the bed, and at that moment, the female came flying out of the grasses and nailed the shiner and the fight was on. Edward had worked this bass perfect and landed a beautiful 5.4 pound bass. The second was with 7 year old Nick and his dad Greg. Greg had a bass boil up on his bait twice, but she would not commit to it, when Nick got his bait up there, and in a split second, this bass hit his shiner like a freight train. Nick set the hook and the bass headed straight into the grasses and with a little effort, Nick got her out of the grass, and off to the docks she went, after a brief battle, Nick had a beautiful bass, 22 inches long with a 15 inch girth, weighing in at 6.05 pounds, perfect enough to get his Youth Angler Certificate from the State of Florida.
With the weather holding steady, and a consistent air temp, the waters have been warming up slowly, which will mean one thing, bass will be really hitting the beds and the bigger gals will start being caught. Several lakes on the Butler Chain are loaded with beds, most have been empty the last few weeks, so they should be showing up any day now. One consistent pattern has been, even though the bass were not on the beds, they have been holding up very close to them with the bucks right there. Web site has been updated with all new pictures in the Photo Gallery and new video links on the main page, along with new testimonials.
Till my next report, tight lines and great fishing!
Capt Tim Fey
Labels:
orlando bass fishing
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Johns Lake
Report Date Feb 26th 2007
Last week I had trips on Johns Lake on the 22nd and 23rd, both days started out the same way, with some good schooling action first thing in the morning in the Deer Island cut and limited schooling action in the Horse Shoe area. Once the schooling activity passed, it was a lot of moving around and working grass beds and lily pads to catch the bass the rest of the day.
Shiners of course were the top producer with bass up to 7 pounds being caught. Artificial baits that had produced were spinner baits, senko type baits and rattle traps. Winds both days had dictated how the bite was going to be, and it was a very light bite, with the spinner baits having to be slow rolled and soft plastics worked very slowly with a small bullet weight pegged, to help the bait with a slow fall rate, most hits came on that slow fall and were all in 5 to 8 foot of water.
Capt Tim Fey
Bassfishingfl.com
Labels:
orlando bass fishing
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Butler Chain
Report Date Feb 16th 2007
Butler Chain has been fishing pretty good, with a stable weather pattern, either extended warm or extended cooler periods, the bass have been active and feeding pretty good. Two of the top producers over the past 2 weeks has been Lakes Chase and Down. Grass beds have been the best way to catch the bass, some days it has been a case of working the outside edges and other days it has been working the inside of the grass beds, scattered and or thinned out grass beds have produced some good quality bass to 4 pounds slow rolling spinner baits through them, as well as using Gitem Shads or K.Os worked very slow.
Butler Chain bite has seemed to be a little better closer to high noon, with the sun warming the waters, with surface temperatures reaching 64 degrees. I have been noticing more bass beds showing up, but with fronts coming in, they have been getting pushed away from the beds for the most part, with several bass being caught that have already spawned, colder mornings and mornings right now in general have dictated a much slower presentation until the sun warms the waters, best action has come in waters ranging from 6 to 12 feet deep. For the beds that are currently empty, working the general area slow with anything from lizards to Senko type baits has yielded some good solid buck bass, as they are cruising the areas.
Last week I did come across some good schooling action on Lake Down, and a few days with warmer air temperature a few bass were pick up off beds, with most in the 4 to 5 pound range, with on bass not wanting to touch anything that was worked by her, until I tied on a HighRoller 5 inch Fingerling in the trout pattern, as soon as this lure made contact with the bass bed, the gal turned and pounced it without any hesitation.
Cooler weather this weekend, so slow down and be patient. Till my next report, Tight lines and great fishing!
Capt Tim Fey
Bassfishingfl.com
Labels:
orlando bass fishing
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Thursday, January 25, 2007
Butler Chain 10 pounder
Today I had the great pleasure of having a great father and son trip on the Butler Chain.
Rod and his son Shawn wanted to get in on some great bass fishing action, and believe me, the bass did not let them down. The guys had opted for shiners and the bass agreed with their choice of baits, 2 minutes in to the trip, Shawn hooks up a beautiful 4 pound bass as she was cruising by one of many beds we spotted today. The guys were hooking bass here and there throughout the chain as we moved from Little Lake Down to Wauseon Bay, and over to Lake Chase. Every area we hit we had some action, and believe me folks, this was one of those days that dreams were made of, the guys caught one bass that was around 1 ½ pounds, and all the others were 4 pounds or better, with their best 5 bass coming in at just over 30 pounds.
The highlite of the days was when Rod had tossed his bait out, and in a matter of minutes the fight was on, this bass hosed his bait and ran all over the place, almost getting hung in the big motor, then making a move and almost tagging the trolling motor before Rod got her under control, and catching his first ever 10 pound bass, as this gal weighed in at a nice 10.25 pounds on the digital scale. Second biggest bass was caught by his son Shawn, which came in at just over 6 ½ pounds.
They did have another big gal hooked up but with a few shakes of the head, she found her way to freedom, close to having 2 bass over 10 pounds, but it just wasn’t in the cards for today.
Till my next report, tight lines and great fishing!!
Capt Tim Fey
Rod and his son Shawn wanted to get in on some great bass fishing action, and believe me, the bass did not let them down. The guys had opted for shiners and the bass agreed with their choice of baits, 2 minutes in to the trip, Shawn hooks up a beautiful 4 pound bass as she was cruising by one of many beds we spotted today. The guys were hooking bass here and there throughout the chain as we moved from Little Lake Down to Wauseon Bay, and over to Lake Chase. Every area we hit we had some action, and believe me folks, this was one of those days that dreams were made of, the guys caught one bass that was around 1 ½ pounds, and all the others were 4 pounds or better, with their best 5 bass coming in at just over 30 pounds.
The highlite of the days was when Rod had tossed his bait out, and in a matter of minutes the fight was on, this bass hosed his bait and ran all over the place, almost getting hung in the big motor, then making a move and almost tagging the trolling motor before Rod got her under control, and catching his first ever 10 pound bass, as this gal weighed in at a nice 10.25 pounds on the digital scale. Second biggest bass was caught by his son Shawn, which came in at just over 6 ½ pounds.
They did have another big gal hooked up but with a few shakes of the head, she found her way to freedom, close to having 2 bass over 10 pounds, but it just wasn’t in the cards for today.
Till my next report, tight lines and great fishing!!
Capt Tim Fey
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Lake Toho and Johns Lake Bass Fishing
This report covers the last 2 weeks of Central Florida Bass Fishing, we have been very busy on the waters, which at times can make it hard to keep up with weekly reports.
The past week I have had several days out on Johns Lake, some scouting trips and some with clients. The waters have held a fairly steady temperature in the mid to upper 60’s. Bass overall have been hitting good, with one day of having to plug away hard for our catch, as the front rolled thru. Errol from LA worked long and hard for his catch, with a few bass coming on shiners and a few coming on Gitem Shads. The father son Trio of Kevin, Matt and Mark caught bass a Cotton Cordell Super Spots and Gitem Shad. Both of those trips showed very limited to no schooling action at all.
Today I hit Johns Lake again, in search of more bass for future trips next week. With perfect weather conditions and heavy clouds to start the morning out, the bass were schooling in mass once again. Bass were caught on a wide range of lures. Long A’s caught a couple, Gitem Shads caught a few, with the Gitem Toad and High Roller Chug Roller in fire tiger color getting the most action. A lot of shoreline and flooded timber was covered with spinner baits and Super Spots to end the day around 10:00 with a total for the day at 18 bass. I did spot several bass beds in different areas with no bass on them, just a lot of cruising, other than the early morning bite, most of the fish were caught in less than 3 feet of water, with most following the baits from very shallow water before hammering the bait.
The bite was definitely good and aggressive, once the winds starting blowing, the bite died off, so instead of flipping the grass beds, I headed for the ramp and called it a day, and a very productive day at that.
Today I had a 6 hour run on Lake Toho, with the front upon us, and rains expected, we knew it was going to be a tough bite, and the bass agreed, it was a tough bite. Phil and his girlfriend came up from Clearwater for some relaxing time on the water and to catch some bass, even though the bite was tough, they did land a few decent bass and missed a few good bass as well. This was a shiner trip, so that should tell you hw tough the fishing was out there, key to getting the bass was slow trolling the shiners, set a foot to 2 feet below a float and work slowly along the grass lines. We had several bass that seemed to just play with the baits and never committed to it, and when they did take the shiners, you had to let them have it anywhere from instant hook set to waiting 20 seconds.
Despite the breezy conditions and all, the day turned out pretty good.
Shiner Fishing on Lake Toho has been good, working in and around lily pads and the edges of hydrilla and grass bed. Bass beds have been showing up lately on Lake Toho, Butler Chain and Johns Lake, so it should be only a matter of time before the really big gals start slamming baits.
Till my next report, tight lines and great fishing!!
Capt Tim Fey
Bassfishingfl.com
The past week I have had several days out on Johns Lake, some scouting trips and some with clients. The waters have held a fairly steady temperature in the mid to upper 60’s. Bass overall have been hitting good, with one day of having to plug away hard for our catch, as the front rolled thru. Errol from LA worked long and hard for his catch, with a few bass coming on shiners and a few coming on Gitem Shads. The father son Trio of Kevin, Matt and Mark caught bass a Cotton Cordell Super Spots and Gitem Shad. Both of those trips showed very limited to no schooling action at all.
Today I hit Johns Lake again, in search of more bass for future trips next week. With perfect weather conditions and heavy clouds to start the morning out, the bass were schooling in mass once again. Bass were caught on a wide range of lures. Long A’s caught a couple, Gitem Shads caught a few, with the Gitem Toad and High Roller Chug Roller in fire tiger color getting the most action. A lot of shoreline and flooded timber was covered with spinner baits and Super Spots to end the day around 10:00 with a total for the day at 18 bass. I did spot several bass beds in different areas with no bass on them, just a lot of cruising, other than the early morning bite, most of the fish were caught in less than 3 feet of water, with most following the baits from very shallow water before hammering the bait.
The bite was definitely good and aggressive, once the winds starting blowing, the bite died off, so instead of flipping the grass beds, I headed for the ramp and called it a day, and a very productive day at that.
Today I had a 6 hour run on Lake Toho, with the front upon us, and rains expected, we knew it was going to be a tough bite, and the bass agreed, it was a tough bite. Phil and his girlfriend came up from Clearwater for some relaxing time on the water and to catch some bass, even though the bite was tough, they did land a few decent bass and missed a few good bass as well. This was a shiner trip, so that should tell you hw tough the fishing was out there, key to getting the bass was slow trolling the shiners, set a foot to 2 feet below a float and work slowly along the grass lines. We had several bass that seemed to just play with the baits and never committed to it, and when they did take the shiners, you had to let them have it anywhere from instant hook set to waiting 20 seconds.
Despite the breezy conditions and all, the day turned out pretty good.
Shiner Fishing on Lake Toho has been good, working in and around lily pads and the edges of hydrilla and grass bed. Bass beds have been showing up lately on Lake Toho, Butler Chain and Johns Lake, so it should be only a matter of time before the really big gals start slamming baits.
Till my next report, tight lines and great fishing!!
Capt Tim Fey
Bassfishingfl.com
Friday, January 5, 2007
Lake Toho
Today I had a 6 hour run on Lake Toho, with the front upon us, and rains expected, we knew it was going to be a tough bite, and the bass agreed, it was a tough bite. Phil and his girlfriend came up from Clearwater for some relaxing time on the water and to catch some bass, even though the bite was tough, they did land a few decent bass and missed a few good bass as well. This was a shiner trip, so that should tell you hw tough the fishing was out there, key to getting the bass was slow trolling the shiners, set a foot to 2 feet below a float and work slowly along the grass lines.
We had several bass that seemed to just play with the baits and never committed to it, and when they did take the shiners, you had to let them have it anywhere from instant hook set to waiting 20 seconds. Despite the breezy conditions and all, the day turned out pretty good.
Till my next report, tight lines and great fishing!
Capt Tim Fey
http://www.bassfishingfl.com/
We had several bass that seemed to just play with the baits and never committed to it, and when they did take the shiners, you had to let them have it anywhere from instant hook set to waiting 20 seconds. Despite the breezy conditions and all, the day turned out pretty good.
Till my next report, tight lines and great fishing!
Capt Tim Fey
http://www.bassfishingfl.com/
Labels:
lake toho bass fishing
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Johns Lake
The past week I have had several days out on Johns Lake, some scouting trips and some with clients. The waters have held a fairly steady temperature in the mid to upper 60’s. Bass overall have been hitting good, with one day of having to plug away hard for our catch, as the front rolled thru. Errol from LA worked long and hard for his catch, with a few bass coming on shiners and a few coming on Gitem Shads. The father son Trio of Kevin, Matt and Mark caught bass a Cotton Cordell Super Spots and Gitem Shad. Both of those trips showed very limited to no schooling action at all.
Today I hit Johns Lake again, in search of more bass for future trips next week. With perfect weather conditions and heavy clouds to start the morning out, the bass were schooling in mass once again. Bass were caught on a wide range of lures. Long A’s caught a couple, Gitem Shads caught a few, with the Gitem Toad and High Roller Chug Roller in fire tiger color getting the most action. A lot of shoreline and flooded timber was covered with spinner baits and Super Spots to end the day around 10:00 with a total for the day at 18 bass. I did spot several bass beds in different areas with no bass on them, just a lot of cruising, other than the early morning bite, most of the fish were caught in less than 3 feet of water, with most following the baits from very shallow water before hammering the bait.
>
The bite was definitely good and aggressive, once the winds starting blowing, the bite died off, so instead of flipping the grass beds, I headed for the ramp and called it a day, and a very productive day at that.
Till my next report, tight lines and great fishing!!
Capt Tim Fey
Today I hit Johns Lake again, in search of more bass for future trips next week. With perfect weather conditions and heavy clouds to start the morning out, the bass were schooling in mass once again. Bass were caught on a wide range of lures. Long A’s caught a couple, Gitem Shads caught a few, with the Gitem Toad and High Roller Chug Roller in fire tiger color getting the most action. A lot of shoreline and flooded timber was covered with spinner baits and Super Spots to end the day around 10:00 with a total for the day at 18 bass. I did spot several bass beds in different areas with no bass on them, just a lot of cruising, other than the early morning bite, most of the fish were caught in less than 3 feet of water, with most following the baits from very shallow water before hammering the bait.
>
The bite was definitely good and aggressive, once the winds starting blowing, the bite died off, so instead of flipping the grass beds, I headed for the ramp and called it a day, and a very productive day at that.
Till my next report, tight lines and great fishing!!
Capt Tim Fey
http://www.bassfishingfl.com/
Labels:
orlando bass fishing
|
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About Me
- FloridaBassin
- chippewa Falls, wisconsin, United States
- I am a USCG Licensed Captain