Fishing in Florida is easy, exciting and fun because there are so many productive places to fish in the state, it’s not stretching the truth to say if you see some water and it’s more than a few inches deep, there’s probably fish to be caught. Pair this with the fantastic weather Central Florida has and you’ve got heaven on earth for many Bass fishermen. You can virtually go bass fishing everyday.
You can fish everyday of the year, that adds to the attraction as a fishing Mecca. Your chances of catching what you want do vary with the time of the year. But with the temperature and weather barely fluctuating and changes are at a minimum, it is not unlikely to catch a fish even when out of season.
The largemouth bass is the best known and most popular freshwater game fish in Florida. Found statewide, largemouth bass have rapid growth rates. Historically known for huge bass, Florida remains an outstanding destination to catch a trophy Bass.
Central Florida offers not only Lake Toho which is the most popular lake of the Kissimmee Chain, but the fame Stick Marsh-Farm 13 fishery as well as the trophy bass lake Walk in water. Lake Toho is relatively shallow 18,800 acre lake that is covered with various types of aquatic vegetation. The most abundant is the massive hydraulic beds that can be found growing to the surface in up to 12 feet of water.
For Florida bass fishing, bream fishing, or anything in between, Bass World Lodge is the place to be. Their location on the St. Johns River in Georgetown, Florida gives us quick access to some of the most lucrative Florida bass fishing and bream fishing grounds in the United States. Bass World Lodge offers professional guide services, spacious cabins, and fully stocked bait and tackle shops, as well as bass and pontoon boat rentals.
Lake Toho is a lake that faces North/South, the lake is approximately 9 miles long and only a couple miles wide
Similar to most of the Florida lakes medium to large Wild Shiners are the best producers for trophy fish. However, many lurkers are taken on soft plastics, Carolina rigs; Rat’s Traps, crank baits, soft plastic jerk baits, and suspending hard plastic jerk baits are one of the favorites of the local fishermen.
The Seminole Indian name Okeechobee actually means big water, an appropriate title for the largest freshwater lake in the United States occurring entirely in one state. The lake is approximately 37 miles long by 30 miles wide (448,000 acres, 700 square miles) with an average depth of almost 10 feet. To fishermen nation wide, Okeechobee is renowned for the sheer numbers of bass it contains per acre and the fact that it produces more Florida trophy bass over 8 pounds than any lake in Florida and the United States.
Because the river flows north, the upper basin is the area to the south that forms its marshy headwaters. The middle basin is the area in central Florida where the river widens forming lakes Harney, Jessup. Monroe and George. The lower basin is the area in Northeast Florida from Putnam County to the river's mouth in Duval County.
The source of the river, or headwaters, is a large marshy area in Indian River County. It flows north and turns eastward at Jacksonville to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean
The total drop of the river from its source in swamps south of Melbourne to its mouth in the Atlantic near Jacksonville is less than 30 feet, or about one inch per mile, making it one of the "laziest" rivers in the world. Because the river flows slowly, it is difficult to flush pollutants.
For example, the water color in the Harris Chain is much stained. This is a blessing as most bass in these lakes are shallow and hold close to cover. Noisy lures are effective and multiple presentations to the same spot are required to get the fish's attention.
The biggest problem most fisherman encounter when fishing in the Harris Chain for the first time is purely mental. Coming from other areas of the state or country, they look at the pea-soup water color and get the impression that these lakes are fishless. This is a shame as they are missing out on some great action if they only knew more about fishing under these conditions. Never underestimate Central Florida; it is a well kept open secret that many fishermen have failed to discover.
Smallmouth bass is regarded to be ranked among the hardest fighting freshwater fish. It is also often referred to as the brown bass, brownies, bronzebacks, smalls and smallies. Many anglers and fishermen love the challenge of catching these aggressive fishes and the great feeling after a well-fought battle.
Smallmouth bass fishes are well thought-out by most people to be the sportiest freshwater fish. They are known for their fighting stamina and beyond belief leaping ability. Like largemouths, they will take almost any kind of lure or bait, but they commonly prefer smaller sizes. Favorites include jigs, crankbaits, spinners, streamer flies, shiner minnow, crayfish, hellgrammites, leeches, and nightcrawlers.
The jaw of a brown bass, which extends directly below the eye, is smaller compared to that of a largemouth bass. Its cheeks have from twelve to seventeen rows of scales and the dorsal fins are joined with ten spines and thirteen to fourteen soft rays.
It is golden bronze or brown in color, with a lighter, more creamy underbelly that the largemouth which has a greenish one. It has vertical dark bands or marks on the sides and its eyes have a dash of red.
Most brownies weigh between 1 and 1.5 and they can run as high as 4 or 5 pounds.
They have a preference of cool water, but will have a tendency to follow food sources. It is sensitive to environmental factors and can be greatly affected by polluted waters. Clean rivers and lakes are necessary for them to survive. They will move about from one habitat to another as temperature changes throughout the year.
Smallies prefer rock strewn, gravelly hard bottoms. It is not common for them to stay in areas with soft sandy or muddy bottoms. Bronzebacks, which are found in rivers, usually hangout in shallow rocky pools and ledges during the cooler spring weather. It is also likely for them to settle on grass beds and weedy patches growing on small islands and along the banks, especially as the growth attracts forage. When the water heats up, they will tend to transfer to the deeper pools kin the rivers main channels, or to the faster moving parts of the riffles that offer cooler water.
In lakes, they in general move to deeper water as the water warms up. They cling to around structure and shade. Smallies can be found in deeper grass and weed beds where forage and cover is available.
They prefer to spawn in water temperatures within 62 to 65 degrees. They can usually be found spawning sometime between April and June. They will spawn in depths of 2 to 10 feet. The male cleans debris from a small circular area to create the nest and guards it for about a month after spawning to allow the fry to grow to swim freely.
The rocky lakes of Canadian Shield produce a perfect environment for not only the large trophy of these species but for a great number of other fishes. On Lake Panache, it is not uncommon to catch your limit right off the dock of smallmouth. If you are looking for big smallmouth bass then you’ll probably want to visit this lake. Smallmouths are one of the hardest fighting fish in Canada but it’s definitely easy to look for it in Lake Panache, its maybe because of the cool spring fed water that makes them extra scrappy and they also taste fantastic.
Northern Ontario is also well-known for big trophy brown bass especially in Five Mile Lake. They are found off rocky points, shoals, reeds and islands.
Even though this kind of fish is not a dominant specie in the lake, it still has a healthy population and can still provide a full day of fishing if you go after them. They are usually around 2 pounds but a fair number of 3 and 4 pounders are also caught. Another lake which is in close proximity with the Five Mile Lake also offers a good site for bass fishing, smallmouth bass in particular.
One more lake in Ontario provides an excellent fishing, particularly for smallmouth bass fishes. Norse Lake remains calm even in windier days. The smallmouth bass population in this lake reaches into the 5 pound class.
Truly, the Canadian coasts have a lot to offer especially when we speak of Smallmouth Bass. Visit the net for more information, tips and guides and see for yourself!
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