Florida Bass Adventures Orlando Bass Fishing Guide Service reports are for West Lake Toho and the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes which are located just minutes from the theme parks. These are trophy bass fisheries that offers clients the best opportunity to catch big Florida Bass while on their vacation.

Live bait or artificial lures - As a full time guide and tournament angler I can specialize in catching trophy bass using live bait as well as artificial lures. Which one works best really has a lot to do with the angler. I for one will never tell a client that you "have" to use live bait to catch a trophy. For most of my clients I often hear that "we only fish with lures at home" and this is understandable because Florida is the only place where you can get 10 inch shiners to catch big bass. But if you are an inexperienced angler or unfamiliar with Florida fishing, live bait may provide you with the biggest fish of your life within the first few minutes of fishing! Very few anglers that live in Florida experience this using artificial lures so there is a destinct advantage live bait can provide. I have had clients catch trophy bass on both live bait and artificial lures but the ratio is 100 to 1 in favor of live bait.

Generally when clients mention a preferrence to using artificial lures I will accommodate them by locating fish for their trip so that they can have a successful day. In the event live bait is doing extremely well I may recommend doing a combination trip so that the best of both worlds can be achieved. If your goal is to catch a trophy and we will be fishing Lake Toho clients really need to be able to use baitcasting equipment proficiently to have the best chance. Yes, we can use spinning gear but due to the amount of vegetation that we fish and the size of bass we are targeting, using spinning gear has limitations and fewer techniques to choose from. Regardless of what you choose you can guarantee that I will do everything I can to put you on a trophy bass.

Just about every client wants to know when is the best time to go bass fishing in Florida. Because we enjoy year round bass fishing with lakes such as Lake Toho that always have trophy bass in them there really is no bad time to come to Orlando to go bass fishing. August and September for sure can be the hottest months where most trips are 6 hours or shorter but make no mistake, those can be the most exciting 6 hours of your life. Keep reading for a breakdown of our seasons and what clients in the past have experienced with Florida Bass Adventures.

December - June - While many in Florida believe the spawn only happens in January and February I am here to tell you that I have seen bass spawning as early as November and as late as July. For the most part though December through June is the length of our spawning season but can be cut short by warmer than normal winters. During this time of year our bass can be extremely aggressive as they move from pre spawn stages to full blown spawning. It is this time of year that Florida became famous for using live bait because the shiners we use are the primary food choice for big bass looking to get ready for the spawn. Our live bait will range from 5 inches to as much as 12 inches which can be rather entertaining to watch when a bass is exploding on a bait this size.

Numbers and size - While we do catch numbers of fish this time of year it can fluctuate from year to year. My high number during this time frame is 80 bass which happened the first week of January. Overall I would say the average is 25 bass per trip. Size is always the goal but this time of year our bass carry more weight therefor will be larger than other times of year. Average size for this time of year would be 4 lbs on live bait and 2 lbs using artificials. Big bass per day would be one at least over 7lbs just about each day. Cold fronts can affect this result depending on the severity.

Weather - As with most everyone this time of year cold fronts are a constant with the weather changing daily. In Florida you can expect anything from 26 degrees during our worst winter to highs of 75 degrees. Every year is a little different so it is best to come prepared. Unfortunately, catching big bass does not make you feel any warmer so appropriate attire makes the day much more enjoyable.

April - July - Hopefully you have noticed that there is some overlap in these dates. This is because we can have spawning and post spawn fishing going on from April - June and then early summer fishing happening from June to July. While this may sound complicated it simply means fish feeding heavily throughout the entire lake.

If you like using artificial lures this is quite possibly the best time of year to go bass fishing in Orlando. Surface activity can be at it's highest during this time of year allowing clients to experience catching the biggest bass of their life on a topwater strike.

Live bait is equally enjoyable this time of year for the very same reasons. Average numbers for this time of the year can be 20 - 40 fish using live bait especially in the first 4 hours. The average numbers will be higher this time of year and yes, the overall size will be down a bit. But the opportunity to catch a trophy is just as good this time of year as during the early spawning season. Remember, it's Florida and we always have big bass!

Weather - plain and simple this is a great time of year to be in Orlando. Mild weather with highs barely touching 80 degrees until we get into July can be expected. Generally, it doesn't begin to feel warm until 12:00 p.m. each morning.