Trophy Bass Fishing in Orlando

Today I had Shawn Gudauskus out for an 8 hour combo trip. The last few days have seen a lot of fog and changing wind directions or no wind at all.

Our first two spots didn't pan out very well so I did what I do best. Execute an Amphibious Assault in search of the elusive Big Fat Fatty!

Not just any fish can be a Big Fat Fatty without meeting certain requirements. First and foremost it must be a female and this is the really important part...have a lot of junk in the trunk!

And if she happens to take a big ol' dump on your carpet while taking her photo, you've got a winner!

Once the Big Fat Fatties location was determined Shawn commenced to whacking that ass and the photos below tell the rest of the story.

Big fish weighed in at 9.4lbs
Florida Bass Adventures Orlando Bass Fishing Guide

Catch And Release Orlando Bass Fishing

Catch and release during our Orlando Bass Fishing trips is great for maintaining a fisheries trophy bass population but it's also great for sharing fish! We've now caught the same fish 5 times and named it Frankenstein. That's 5 different people who have gotten to catch and experience catching this pig.

Today it was Sam and Michael fishing on Lake Toho and the first fish is my buddy! Training fish is a guides secret job!

Of course it helps that each time we catch Frankenstein I feed it two shiners! Yeah, I'm nice like that! 

http://www.floridabassadventures.com

Early November Orlando Bass Fishing Report

Our clients have been having excellent fishing trips throughout the Fall Season in Orlando with the bass feed leading up to the first wave of spawning. Late September brought the first cold fronts of the year but unlike most years, the cold weather continued into October and November. It's not cold by Northern standards but anytime morning temps stay in the low 60's in Florida it's considered chilly.

Each wave of cold fronts gradually brought water temps on Lake Toho and Orlando Lakes down allowing bass to acclimate to changing temperatures rather than shock them for a time. This has grouped up numbers of bass into areas that have large amounts of bait fish and they have not been shy about eating.

Today's trip, November 18 was with Al Weilacher And his son Brian for 4 hours of fishing on Lake Toho. Having both fished in Florida before on the St Johns River they had experience using live bait and were looking forward to a fun morning of fishing.

I was a bit more skeptical because for the last week after a strong front we had been catching high numbers of bass (20-30) on 4 hour trips, the larger fish were inconsistent.

So, for this outing we started out on what I considered my best big fish spot and went to work. What happened can only be described as one of those days as a guide you wish every client could have. With water temps in the high 60's they proceeded to catch 20 bass with their best 5 going for 29lbs. Of course one of those catches can't really be counted twice. Dad caught the second largest of the day, a 6.2 lb bass that could have weighed 8lbs but it was skinny early and then 30 minutes later his son caught the same fish. 

One unbreakable rule on my boat, I don't post photos of the same fish with multiple clients holding it. Unless, it was caught again after we released it. Then, it's just unbelievable luck that has to count!
Anyway, here are there photos from the trip with Al's 8.2 as the biggest. If you would like to see yourself on this page with a story like this, pick up the phone and book a trip! It's the only way it can happen.

Florida Bass Adventures Orlando Bass Fishing

Proper Rod Position For Increased Hook Ups When Bass Fishing

Today's tip is one that is designed to increased your percentage of bass landed after the hook set. If you are a tournament angler or trophy bass hunter this tip is important because landed bass or missed bass can make the difference between a tournament win or trophy catch of a lifetime.

Wherever you live more than likely, you have been taught to keep the rod down especially for anglers that predominantly fish for smallmouth bass to keep them from jumping. Unfortunately, what has been passed down from generation to generation has been inaccurate with no ability to prove that it works. Like most of my tips I will emphasize the understanding of physics and the use of our senses to help determine the correct choice for the best outcome. 

From my observations of clients there is a strong belief that keeping the rod tip down can prevent a bass from jumping, but the reality is nothing can keep a bass from coming to the surface. Bass use the path of least resistance to determine what response is best once they have been hooked so you don't have to have a physics degree to know that if we are pulling down, the easiest path for them is up. This is true whether you are in deep water or shallow water but shallow water fish have less of a choice so they are more inclined to seek the surface. Smallmouth bass are nomadic type bass that leads to them being a stronger fish with more endurance than a largemouth meaning surface jumping to attempt to shake a hook is always a possibility. 

So, if pulling down isn't the best option, what is? First, lets start at the hook set and what you can do immediately after. Once you set the hook the most important thing you can do is hold there for a second and feel what direction the fish is headed, the size of the fish and consider any obstacles that might be in the way. I would call this assessing the situation and it allows time to slow things down and make correct decisions and adjustments to what the bass is doing. The other benefit to taking that second is calming yourself down and in turn not begin to reel too fast or horse the fish into the boat. I can't begin to tell you how many clients I have shown that when you stop yanking the fish to the boat they actually calm down and will swim towards the boat rather than fight for their lives. It's why clients sometimes call me the "Fish Whisperer". 

How I found out that a fish will follow like a dog on a leash was while I was fishing a lake here at home in about 16 feet of water. I had pulled up some line during a cast and felt it would be a good idea to get it out of the lake. As I pulled on the line I felt a slight tug and new there was a fish on. As I slowly pulled up the line I could see it was a big bass. It swam almost all the way to the surface only trying to swim away at the last minute as I began to lip it. From that moment on I knew bringing fish to the boat became more of a process of staying in the moment and not getting carried away. 

Now, as I said earlier bass will attempt to surface regardless of what angle you pull. The benefit of keeping the rod up is having the ability to see the line and as it begins to go horizontal, you can bring the rod down and pull the fish back into the water forcing it to swim. Then bring the rod tip back up to once again have visibility on the line. This is the action/response that should happen between the angler and fish once hooked. The fish will make a choice and it is up to us to respond accordingly. Just remember there is always more than one option to the action.

 One last thought. It is always good to consider what we lose by keeping the rod tip down and what is gained from keeping it up. The first thing we lose when holding the rod tip down is our ability to see the line and one of our senses, vision. If you are setting the hook upward, by going down with the rod, you immediately take away line sight. Being able to see the line tells us what direction the fish is going and allows the opportunity to make adjustments to what they are doing.

Getting a bass to bite your lure in my opinion is the hardest part of catching them. After learning that once on the hook my response and actions to what the fish is doing will be the ultimate factor in whether or not I end up holding them has meant more catching and less fishing. Give it a try and hopefully you will too.

Thanks for reading,

                                Steve Boyd

    Owner - Florida Bass Adventures Guide Service

                 http://www.floridabassadventures.com

                   http://www.orlandobassguide.com

                  https://www.orlandobassfishing.net

                   http://www.laketohoguide.com

Casting Into The Wind

Today's tip is about casting into the wind. To avoid backlashing and maintain distance into the wind the actual speed of the rod needs to increase as well as the force that the lure is moving into the wind. Try to avoid thinking of casting harder but rather generating more speed during the cast.

Try and think of the movement during a cast as building up energy to push the lure forward. The more kinetic energy generated during the movement, the more the lure will have when released. 

The best way to get better at this is going to the middle of the lake or an open area and casting into the wind. Not trying to catch fish, but perfecting the cast. Pay attention to each detail during the cast and try to make improvements. A GoPro would be good for this.

Have fun and hope this helps,
Steve
http://www.floridabassadventures.com

The Myth of Pattern Fishing

In every magazine you read there will be at least one article dedicated to identifying a pattern on a body of water. It's a popular topic that anglers have searched for as if searching for the Holy Grail.

Much like Sasquatch there are conversations among anglers about how so and so was on a particular pattern and how it was how they won the tournament.

And just like Sasquatch there is little detail, no video and every story gets better with who is telling the story.

Like many problems in bass fishing there is poor use of terminology that inherently weakens those using it. Pattern fishing is up there as one of the worst as being vague, deceptive and detrimental.
To be more specific would broaden and anglers mind and open up the gateway to more possibilities.
For example, there are Seasonal Patterns that exist that can be tracked very easily on a body of water. But of one simply says "pattern" and tries to relate it to a "dock pattern", "bridge pattern" or "brush pattern" they are missing the specific elements that come with a seasonal pattern.
Angers are pre fishing for weeks looking to get on a pattern and never once stop and search for the biological behavior that happens during a seasonal pattern.

Seasonal patterns place fish in very specific areas on a lake and only daily influences dictate how much they move from one day to the next.

I could literally write an entire book just on this subject so for the sake of a tip, think In these terms.
If you are traveling 60 miles in a day to fish a pattern just to find the similar things needed to meet pattern criteria think about the fish that aren't doing what you are doing.

Instead seek out the specifics of biological behavior based on the season and you'll find yourself spending more time catching rather than driving.
Have fun!
http://www.floridabassadventures.com

Trophy Bass Fishing in Orlando