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WARNING: Bass Fisherman Only!

If you are a Largemouth Bass Fisherman head to Lake Toho Florida for some amazing bass fishing at this Nationally ranked largemouth bass fishing lake. Largemouth bass are found in nearly every freshwater impoundments in Florida. More then 7,500 freshwater lakes and rivers lakes are available for fishing freshwater in Florida. Infact it is hard to pick just one location in florida. It is a rough decision because there are so many lakes that hold good populations of bass and are easy to access and fish. We hope you will use this article as a guide in making your decision to fish Florida’s for large mouth bass. We will be publishing a series of articles that focus on the the top Largemouth bass lakes rated by the Florida Fish and wildlife conservation commission. We hope you catch that lunker you have always dreamed of. This article will concentrate on lake Tohopekaliga fishing reports, or as the locals call it Lake Toho. We will list 10 Area’s on or around the lake that have been known to hold fish. You can also visit the Florida Fish and wildlife conservation commission webpage and click on Interactive maps to get more detail information.

Lake Tohopekaliga (pronounced təˌhoʊpɨkəˈlaɪɡə) Lake Toho, West Lake, or simply Toho for short), native name meaning “sleeping tiger” for its sudden storms that appear in the summer time, is a lake in Osceola County,Florida, United States. It is the primary inflow of Shingle Creek, which rises in Orlando. It covers 18,810 acres (76.12 km²), and spans 42 miles (68 km) in diameter. It is linked to East Lake Tohopekaliga by Canal 31 (St. Cloud Canal). The canal is 3 miles (5 km) long and runs through western St. Cloud. South Port canal is located at the southern tip of the lake and links it to Cypress Lake. It is 4 miles (6 km) long. Three places surround the lake, Kissimmee on the northwestern shore, Kissimmee Park on the eastern shore, and South Port at the southen shore. Lake Tohopekaliga is the largest lake in Osceola County and is known for its bass fishing.

Here’s a visual of the fish attractors that are located on Lake Toho . This info should help you when you plan your trip to Lake Tohopekaliga Florida.

Lake Tohopekaliga is easy to find, it is located Lake Toho is located next to the City of Kissimmee in central Florida. It is the second largest lake in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and represents the second largest water body on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. It is noted to be one of the premier largemouth bass fishing destinations in the USA. Many professional and amateur fishing tournaments are held here every year.

The following Lake Tohopekaliga fishing report identifies areas around the lake that have been known to hold largemouth bass the information comes from the Florida Fish and wildlife website.

Area #1 Lily pads, Land bulrushes along the north shore of Fells Cove hold numbers of bass in the cooler months. Fish plastic worms along vegetation in 4-to 6-foot depths.

Area #2 The mouth of Lake Ajay canal produces when water is flowing after spring or summer rains. Schools of bass and bullhead catfish are drawn to the flowing water and respond to live baits or artificials. Fishing with cut bait or 4-to 6-inch shiners is a proven technique for giant catfish.

Area #3 Bass anglers fishing with live bait are often successful along the southeast side of Fells Cove. To catch a large bass in spring or summer, anchor near the cattails or slow-troll the weedline with an electric motor. Troll from the Fells Cove cut to Lake Ajay canal, keeping the shiners 20 feet behind the boat and near the surface weedline.

Area #4 Bass and bluegill are taken from the first 30 yards of weeds extending along the cut from the Fells Cove mouth. If it’s windy, fish the entire canal all the way to the main lake. Cast topwater plugs and minnow-type lures around the grass for bass.

Area #5 The Fells Cove canal entrance holds bass year-around. Bass anglers throw lipless crankbaits into the open water or plastic worms to the weedline. Fish the area when there is a current coming into the lake and continue on into the canal for 25 to 50 yards when the bass are actively feeding. Some large catfish have been taken from this canal mouth accidentally on artificials, but cut bait is preferred by catfishermen. Fish when runoff from a rain generates a current.

Area #6 The deep hole off the Boy Scout camp is known for holding bass. Troll live shiners 30 yards behind the boat or spray cast a crankbait around the drop-off. Silver/black is a popular color for schooling bass in summer. The fish hold on the dropoff which slopes from 6 feet on the edge of the hole to 16 feet at the bottom. Fish live shiners close to the bottom. Use weedless plastics to fish the bulrush.

Area #7 This area of scattered bulrushes and grass patches holds bass year around. It is a prime wading area; some anglers hop in and tow their boat behind them with a line around their waist. Cast white and gold-bladed spinnerbaits. Plastic worms and lizards are effective in the 3-to 4-foot depths. Slowly crawl Texas-rigged plastics with 3/16-to 1/4-ounce slip sinkers through the weedline in the cooler months.

Area #8 Grass patches along the east side hold bass all year. Also work the boat cuts through and behind the densest cover in spring and fall. Weedless spoons, plastic worms and jerkbaits are effective in the open pockets. Panfishermen can catch bluegill in the summer and crappie in January and February.

Area #9 Bass can be caught throughout the entire length of the Lake Runnymede Canal. Fishing is best in late spring and early fall. Work jerkbaits, topwater plugs and vibrating lures around the masses of hydrilla along the banks. Texas-rigged plastic worms are effective when fished in and over the hydrilla.

Area #10 Buzzbaits and spinnerbaits take bass from the open water around the hydrilla on the southwest side of Runnymede Lake. Fish all the pockets and cuts through the vegetation in the spring and fall. At night, crawl dark plastic worms in the same pockets. Black and purple are proven colors.

Well I hope the 10 areas identified in this Florida lake Tohopekaliga fishing report will help on you plan your next freshwater fishing trip to Florida.

Mark Is a dedicated fisherman with 30+ years of experience and has published numerous articles on fishing. He offers free fishing information and “how to articles at his websites. Visit his site at lake Tohopekaliga strippers and download a free copy of his “78 fishing discoveries unleashed”

A Beginner’s Guide to Bass Fishing

Bass fishing is a wonderful sport to get involved in, and you can have great success with your bass fishing by making yourself educated and learning some helpful tips and techniques. One of the best beginner’s tips is to avoid buying a boat until you have actually learned how to fish and have decided that you want to make fishing a serious part of your life. As a beginner it would be best to rent a boat to use during your first several fishing trips.

You can also look into the option of joining one of the many bass fishing clubs which will give you the opportunity to fish off of someone else’s boat and just pitch in toward the expenses of the day.

Choosing your Equipment

The first major step you should take in bass fishing is to choose your equipment. The first piece of equipment that you should be concerned with is your rod. Fishing rods come in a large variety of different lengths, sizes and weights, but you don’t need to be intimidated by all this or the price tag when you go to purchase your first rod and reel.

Choosing the correct fishing line weight is very important for bass fishing. Beginners should not buy expensive line because you will go through a lot of it while you are learning the basic skills in bass fishing. Once you have a rod and reel you will want to move on to selecting a few bass fishing lures.

There are a couple types of lures in particular, that work well for bass fishing. During the summer when it is hot the bass like going to the deeper water and there are certain baits you can use for this. However, it is best during regular bass fishing to use a prop bait, especially if there is a bit of wind to help you work with it, it is also a great way to practice with your lures on speed and power.

Beginner anglers often choose the popper baits when learning bass fishing. Popper bait is easy to use because you just cast it out, let it rest a short while and then pull to pop it back. After experimenting awhile on the amount of drop noise, you can learn to make smaller plugs with less noise, then work on the pause between each twitch of the wrist, then you will be sure to begin catching the bass of your dreams.

Bass fishing is a sport that comes with a truly fascinating history and people who enjoy bass fishing feel it is a very rewarding hobby. It started as far back as the 18th century and is now considered as being one of the most popular sports in the world.

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Crappie Fishing tips: Improve your catch!

When you go crappie fishing it is not enough to be in the right place at the right time, and if you educate yourself with a few crappie fishing tips you will be amazed by the number crappies you will catch. You need to have your best fishing tips at your disposal to be a successful crappie fisherman. Instead of coming home with a empty stringer , lets take a look at some crappie fishing tips that will fill your cooler on your next fishing trip.

#1 Crappie Tip Always catch your bait from the same water you are going to fish. Crappie will reject any live bait like minnows that are not native to their habitat.

#2 Crappie Fishing Tips If you fish from a boat and have a fish finder you need to be able to identify large schools of crappie when they show up on your fish finder. When you spot what looks like a upside Christmas tree on the screen this a large school of crappie.

#3 Crappie Fishing Tips When you identify a large school of crappie don’t rush in to fish!cast to the outer edges of the school, you don’t what to sppok the crappie

#4 Fishing Crappie Tip When you locate a school of fish, start by line to the bottom. Slowly crank in your reel counting every turn until you get a hit. Now mark your line with a permanent magic marker , preferably a bright color. The reason you mark your line is so you can go right back to the same depth the next time you drop your line. Repeat this step until the crappie school moves.

#5 Fishing Crappie Tip Remember that the crappies eyes are located on the top of their heads they allways rise to the bait they cannot see anything below them. Tht is why you will find crappie suspended at various depths.

#6 Fishing Crappie Tip Purchase a ultra light rod and real the smaller the better, because Crappie are not heavy hitters. If you use heavier equipment you may loose some fish because you do not even know they are biting.

#7 Crappie Fishing Tips use 2-4 pound test line , always make sure your is located on a loop, not held tight on the hook ring. The hook needs to move freely to give the bait some play. Remember the more natural the bait looks the more fish you will catch.

Now you are ready for your next crappie fishing trip . If you use all or just a few of the tips above you will improve your crappie catch count. So good luck and good fishing!

Mark Fleagle Webmaster. 30+ Years Of Fishing Experience Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. Click This Link To Find Out More About Crappie Tip

The tarpon is one of the world’s leading sporting fish. Stunningly beautiful and known as the Silver King, their aerobatic antics make them a favourite of fishermen worldwide. Each spring thousands of tarpon pass through Key West Harbour on their way to the spawning grounds and fishermen flock into town in order to do battle with them.

There are a number of varying fishing styles for catching tarpon, the style changing depending on the type of water that you are fishing. Tarpon can be found in shallow river inlets and also on sand and mangrove flats. In this case the preferred method is either fishing a lure or a fly (with a strong fly rod. At other venues such as Islamorada the favoured method is fishing with small live fish such as herring or pilchards. The favoured fishing style in Key West is using a by-product from shrimp fishing. Let’s explain what we mean by shrimp boat trash. Lots of shrimp fishing boats ply the waters in the Gulf of Mexico and besides catching shrimp they also catch a lot of small fish called menhaden. These are sacked up and sold as bait to the tarpon fishing boats in Key West.

The method sees the Captain cutting these small fish into chunks and continually dropping them behind the anchored boat to attract the tarpon. The anglers fish with a whole menhaden on the hook, and it is drifted back in the tidal flow towards the feeding tarpon.

The tackle recommended for Key West tarpon fishing is extremely straight forward. Our favourite rod for tarpon fishing is the 7ft 9in Conolon Boat  12-20 lb test curve rod from ABU. It sells here in the UK at £74.99. There is also a 3 piece version (the Conolon Boat Traveller) which might be more suited to the travelling angler. That one retails at £79.99 in the UK. Incidentally, I use that very same rod whilst fishing for sturgeon on the Fraser River near Vancouver and last year landed my best ever fish measuring 9ft 1inch and weighing…who knows, there was just the two of us fishing and there’s no way we could lift such a beast but we estimated it at around 400 lbs. Anyhow, returning to tarpon fishing. The most widely used reels whilst fishing for tarpon are the Shimano TLD 15 or TLD 20 lever drag multipliers. The TLD 15 retails at around £80 in the UK, whilst the TLD 20 is about £15 dearer. Whatever reel you decide on, it has to be super free running, since you’re trying to make your bait drift down in the current at the same speed as the bait being thrown in by the skipper. My own preference is for the larger TLD 20 because the larger spool spins slower when you are drifting your bait down in the tide plus it needs less turns of the handle to reel in when your bait has drifted as far you want. You will need the reel fully loaded with nylon, I prefer the grey Ande nylon in either 15lb or 20lb breaking strain. At the end of that is securely knotted a 10 foot leader of 50 lb fluorocarbon and a large circle hook. Of course all of the charter boats have excellent tackle available free of charge should you not have your own.

OK, now down to the fishing. Your captain will have taken you to one of the top tarpon spots, maybe the entrance to Key West Harbour, the yacht basin, the North West Channel or maybe Bokacheeka. The boat will be anchored at the bow and if there are other boats fishing they’ll very likely be only a few feet to one side or the other. The plan is that if every boat is chumming then there should be a good supply of bait drifting down to the fish, keeping them in one substantial shoal rather than splitting them up. The captain will start chumming with the pieces of menhaden whilst you hook a whole fish onto your hook. There’s a particular way to put these baits on the hook but don’t fret, the skipper will show you how. You now let your little fish drift down the current, paying particular attention to where your line runs from the reel spool. A bite can be quite subtle and will normally be detected by the spool of the reel suddenly running faster. As soon as you detect a bite you need to reel like hell….don’t strike !!. The beauty of a circle hook is that it seemingly hooks the fish itself once you tighten the line by turning the reel as fast as possible.

When a fish is hooked all hell will be let loose, the fish will likely leap out of the water and it will definitely start running towards Cuba !!. Don’t forget that when playing a tarpon that if he jumps he’ll get rid of the hook unless you swiftly lower the rod to lessen the tension on the line. This dropping of the rod is known as “bowing to the King”, and you’ll get plenty of stick from anybody else on board if you lose a fish because he jumped and you forgot to bow. If the hooked tarpon is a decent size the skipper will let the anchor go and set off in pursuit of the fish. It’s not unusual to unhook a tarpon a mile away from where it was hooked. It can be a long and hard fight but with a bit of luck you will eventually have the tarpon beside the boat ready for a quick photograph before it is safely unhooked to fight again some other day. I remember a ‘first-timer’ fishing with us one year. He hooked his first tarpon and as it jumped he excitedly asked “how big is that” to which one wag replied “about forty minutes” !!.

The Florida Keys stretch some 100 miles out into the ocean and have oceans on all sides and fish galore. Keys such as Islamorada have built an enviable reputation for world-class fishing but for many years now Key West has held the reputation of being simply the best sport fishing location in North America simply for the huge selection of species swimming around the island. Fishing in the Florida Keys attracts fishermen from all over the world and for very good reasons.

With inshore fishing for tarpon and sharks, reef fishing for snapper and grouper plus offshore fishing for sailfish, dolphin, kingfish, wahoo and countless other species, it’s a fisherman’s paradise. With such a variety of species and with water on all sides you’ll be hard pressed to find an excuse for a bad day’s fishing whatever the weather conditions.

Although there are a number of offshore boats working out of Key West, our primary interest is light tackle fishing. If you are not a regular saltwater angler you will be wondering what I’m talking about, so we’ll begin with a simple explanation. The offshore boats tend to be bigger with a greater degree of luxury such as a large air conditioned lounge and full bathrooms. They motor around the ocean towing a number of lures behind the boat and when a fish is hooked the designated fisher sits in the fighting chair to bring the fish to the boat. A light tackle boat is quite a bit smaller, being somewhere around 26 – 30 ft long, with no accomodation and an open deck. Typically powered by a pair of powerful outboard motors, they roar around at impressive speeds which allows them to reach fishing spots many miles from the harbor at Key West. Each person on the boat is armed with a rod and reel, and when a bite is detected it is the angler’s job to hook and reel in the fish unaided. The offshore captains will normally fish in water at least 200 feet deep whereas the light tackle boats are much more versatile fishing anything between 20 ft deep for sharks around the harbor to two or three hundred feet deep offshore whilst searching for sailfish.

Now don’t get the wrong idea about light tackle fishing, it’s equally suited to expert or beginner. All of the captains are very helpful and they’ll all do their best to make sure that you have a great day’s fishing, and maybe a fish or two to have prepared at one of the local seafood restaurants. All of the boats have an excellent selection of fishing tackle for you to use if you don’t have your own gear. All that’s required from you for a great day’s fishing is sunscreen, sunglasses a hat and your food and drink for the day.

Our next articles will describe in greater detail a day fishing for grouper, tuna, sailfish or tarpon, but for the time being we’d suggest that you to get out there and catch some of our wonderful fish.

Old School Bass Fishing Secrets Course

Lake Talquin Florida is an amazing fisherie and is a fishing mecca for redear sunfish,bluegill, black crappie,black bass,Striped bass, and white bass. If you are interrested in fishing for large mouth (black bass), the winter months are the best time to come and fish Lake Talquin. But if you are a spec, (black crappie),or a bream and redear fisherman then come to Lake Talguin anytime, (early spring best) These fish grow to an amazing size in Lake Talquin Florida. The Florida Fish And Wildlife Commission Maintains the population of Stripers by stocking. The striper ave. catch size is between 10 and 15lbs but very few stripers over 20lbs are ever caught. The good months for Stripers are normally caught during February, March and April.

Lake Talquin has an abundance of natural bait fish that keep the predator fish population very active. Golden shiner, seminole killfish, sunfish, crayfish, threadfin shad and gizzard shad are the most common forage. Minnows such as sailfin mollies, pot-guts and a variety of others. You can also find Insect larvae, clams, mussels, frogs, tadpoles, leeches, sirens and water dogs that keep the fish at Lake Talquin Florida on the move.

Catch your Large Mouth bass along the drop-offs and channels. Anchor your boat in 6 to 8 ft of water and fish into the deeper channels using Texas- or Carolina rigged plastic worms. Fish the grass flats in 4 to 7ft of water in the spring. Investigate the along the river and creek channels to identifiy spawning paterns. Minnow imitations and plastic worms are effective where the creeks empty into lake Talquin.

The best time to catch Stripers on Lake Talquin Florida is in the fall. The striper school in open water and feed on vigorously during the fall and winter. You can spot them by watching the birds. If the birds are diving on bait the open waters, chances are the there are strippers schooling and feeding on threadfin shad. You will want to fish any artificals that imatate these threadfin shad. We would suggest you fish minnow imatations and chugger-style top water lures these lures are proven to catch strippers when they are in a feed frenzy.

The best live bait for shellcraker and bream is grass shrimp. Shellcraker and bream are very active during from april through may and you can get some great catches. Catch Black crappie in the winter months by drifting or slow trolling open water. spider rigging is most effective. Make sure you vary depths until you find the schools of crappie. They will be suspended.

Area #1 Florida Lake Talquin Picnic Point is a sandbar in one of the widest sections of the Ochlockonee River. There is heavy cover on top of the bar and 5-foot depths along the edge that drop to about 22 feet at midchannel. A jig or crankbait like a Big N worked down the drop is most effective.

Lake Talquin Florida Fishing Area #2 The Smokehouse area off the mouth of Hunter Creek is a flat about 4 feet deep with good spring bass fishing. Stumps and vegetation along the channel provide great cover for both forage and largemouth bass. When the water is running, use deep-diving crankbaits. Plastic worms are also good bets throughout the year. There is good spring fishing when rainfall allows access to the shallows.

Area #3 Florida Lake Talquin Lake Talquin Fishing Report The Iron Post, also known as the Talquin flats area, has a deep hole at the end of an old submerged channel. Work auger tail and paddle tail worms along the ledge of the adjacent flooded flats for big bass. Topwater stick baits such as the Bomber Long A take smaller, schooling bass during summer and early fall.

Lake Talquin Florida Fishing Area #4 A bend in the river channel directly across from Coe’s Landing is a prime largemouth spot during the winter months. The water drops from 5 feet to 18 feet in the channel. Cast plastic worms and deep-running crankbaits in the stumps and nearby flats. Be careful of stumps.

Area #5 This minor creek channel on the Coe’s Landing side is at the southern tip of what local anglers call the Iron Curtain. Bass hold on sandbar drop-offs along the tiny creek. Using plastic worms along the creek drop-offs, which runs almost to Williams Landing, is effective for winter bass. Target schooling bass here in the summer.

Area #6 Florida Lake Talquin The deep channel at High Bluff provides excellent winter fishing for striper and largemouth on live shiners or deep-diving crankbaits. Fish the creek channel that runs from Double Creek to the old wooden pier. Fish the creek channel and pier pilings for big bass and striped bass. For stripers, cast small crank baits, vibration lures, plastic worms, and stick baits in pockets of open water surrounded by lily pads.

Area #7 Florida Lake Talquin A 20-foot drop-off near the small island holds winter largemouth that will take plastic worms dragged along bottom and down the drop. In the heat of summer, if bass are not schooling on the surface nearby, a jigging spoon can sometimes entice fish from the depths. A plastic worm, rigged Carolina style, is effective along the edge of the river channel. Bend the hook back into the worm to prevent snags, then drag it back, imparting no movement, through the stumpy drop-off. This is one of the most productive big bass spots on the lake.

Area #8 Lake Talquin Fishing Report Fish this delta-shaped inlet with old docks for black bass. Work the shallow drop-off into the cove, a small spring-fed channel called Cootermill Creek, and the nearby Ochlockonee River channel, which averages about 22 feet deep. Fish plastic worms and jig spoons in the holes and drop-offs, and toss crankbaits along edges of the channel. A floating worm snaked through the lily pads in areas with cypress trees and stumps may draw a strike.

Area #9 Plenty of shellcracker beds, sometimes more than an acre of them, are found just off the High Bluff area around mid-April. The sandy flats remain loaded with beds for about 3 months. Move in carefully over the stumpy-area. Fish the edges of the flats with spinnerbaits and floating worms for bass. In close, cast small Beetle Spin lures or switch to shellcracker rigs and use crickets or worms.

Lake Talquin Florida Fishing Area #10 Talquin Lake Fishing Report The mouth of Mews Creek is a good year-round area for schooling bass. Work plastic worms for largemouth where Mewes Creek and Ochlockonee River channels merge. Cast toward the bank then work the creek channel

Lake Talquin Florida Fishing Area #11 The bends on Little River average about 12 feet deep and hold crappie during winter. One method is to use a rake or paddle to scoop a hole in the floating hyacinth, and then check for minnows. If bait is present, crappie are generally below. Drop a live minnow or small jig through the hole in the weed canopy. In the summer, bass and striper school are here, feeding on thick populations of shad. Near here an old boat house collapsed into the water, creating a good spot. This is also a spawning area, from February through May.

Area #12 Florida Lake Talquin Pre-spawn bass provide excellent action in the back of Little River Arm. The depth varies from 12 feet in the river channel to 7 or 8 feet along the edge. Work shad-colored crankbaits along the channel during early spring. When there’s a flow, move up the creek and work likely areas with a plastic crayfish or 1/4-ounce, lipless crankbait.

Well I hope the 12 areas identified in this Florida lake Talquin Fishing Report will help on you plan your next freshwater fishing trip to Florida. Lets Go Fish’in!

Mark Is a dedicated fisherman with 30+ years of experience and has published numerous articles on fishing. He offers free fishing information and “how to articles at his websites. Visit his site at lake talquin crappie and download a free copy of his “78 fishing discoveries unleashed” You can also contact him his e-mail address: