Mart Gnosis

Originally published in Procats Online Magazine

Summertime angling for trophy-sized blue cats on huge reservoirs can be tough. Peer across an expansive lake and the sheer vastness will seemingly swallow you whole. Where do you start? Do you just go out and look around with a good locator and hope to see some arches and begin fishing? Based on past experiences you know two things. Sometimes you have to drift. Other times you’ll have to anchor. How do you know which to do first and what types of structure are you looking for that will hold big burly blue cats?

Procat pro-staffer Jeff Williams ardently targets big blues on Truman Reservoir and Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. A lifetime of big-lake catfishing has taught him a thing or two about catfish behavior in reservoirs, and according to Jeff you can put more fish into the boat if you learn a few keys to summertime blue cat location. Before we get into the fishing part let’s look at the two lakes Jeff fishes.

Lake Ledges

Many lakes around the country have different bottom styles from sheer drops down into as much as 180 foot of water on canyon terrain reservoirs, to relatively shallow featureless bowls with subtle drops in depth. Not all lakes are built alike but trophy-sized blues behave in similar ways wherever they swim - especially when it comes to relating to the same types of cover and depth according to the season you are fishing.

Ledge Blues

While Jeff targets cats in a variety of situations during the summer period, he reports that during the warm-water post-spawn period, drift fishing is in his most productive pattern for most days on both lakes for numbers of fish.

He looks for areas where the bottom has subtle rises and drops going from just below and well above the thermocline. “During the hotter water period, the thermocline is everything.” Jeff uses his locator to mark fish on gently sloping ledges with the right depth before he deploys his baits and begins a drift. “You can find fish holding on steep ledges in the summer but steep ledges are difficult to get the right drift to stay in contact with numbers of fish. I prefer gentle rises and drops in a long diverse bottom contour area. Once you catch a few fish, make a note at what depth you’re catching them in. If you’re catchin’ fish in 16 foot of water around a 12 foot hump - you’d better find some more 16 foot of water to drift around in.”

Why Drift During Summer

Jeff anchor fishes ledges, flats, trenches, wood cover, and steep drops during most of the year except during the hot-water post-spawn period. Big blues will hold on specific cover part of the time and roam around in tight areas looking for food before relocating during the cooler months which allows him to set up on a good number of fish. He still has to look for fish with his finder during the colder water periods but once he finds them, he can anchor up and fish a specific area. Jeff’s theory about blue cat metabolism may hold the key to understanding why he does better while drift fishing during summer and the opposite during the cooler water period.

“I think as the water gets hotter, their metabolism rises with it and the blues need to roam around searching for food a lot more. It seems that I have to move around a lot more as well so I drift over areas targeting the active fish and don’t worry about fish holding in one area. In hot water, when the fish are active - I can set up on them and by the time I’ve caught a few fish they’ve moved. When the fish are acting this way I feel like I’ve made the right choice by drifting.”

The Controlled Drift

Jeff admits that drift fishing for blues isn’t really targeting big fish specifically, but he is still targeting structure that holds big fish. He finds an area that is showing the right drift scenario according to his experience on his lakes. He looks for fish arches on his locator holding the right distance off the bottom according to the thermocline. He likes to see fish on the graph holding either really close to the bottom. “Somebody out there might have some success with these loosely suspended fish but I haven’t done well trying to target them yet.”

Make sure to read Part 2 of this article to learn more about catching monster ledge lunker blues!

Copyright © 2004-2005 Jeff Williams and Procats

Feel free to include a link to the rest of this article above the copyright information: ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com/ledge-lunker-blue-catfish.htm

You have permission to publish this article free of charge as long as you are not selling it and that you include the author bylines immediately visible with the article and, if published in an electronic medium such as on a web site, you provide a link back to www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com in the author bylines, both where the web address is listed as well as well as with the text “Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service”:

Jeff Williams runs a Truman Lake Hybrid Bass and Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service offering lodging and guided trips in Missouri. To book a trip, learn more tips, or find out how Capt. Jeff would fish your own local waters, call 1-866-HOOKSET or visit http://www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com today!

Fishing is oftentimes considered a lone hobby; the reclusive fishing fanatic leaving his house early hours on a cold winter day in order to seek out some discrete spot by a river, with a flaskful of coffee. Even though this particular caricature is pretty well drawn for a good number of angling fanatics, it is at the same time a really inaccurate picture of the majority of angling hobbyists, as they see angling as a people-facing activity, getting involved in a social group and at the same time being a marvelous reason to travel the United Kingdom and even worldwide by getting involved in angling trips.

Not only that, but angling competitions can be found up and down the country - these being a fantastic reason to meet new people and discover new fishing tips, while creating the perfect reason to go on a mini vacation. As a matter of dact, there are people who state that angling is merely a reason to go on minibreaks and meet people! Nevertheless, angling is nonetheless considered a serious pasttime by many of its enthusiasts and they’re motivated by the social aspect principally to learn more about fishing through exchanging tips and tricks with fellow people.

Over the last 10 years or so, the net has genuinely aided in the growth of the angling communities - via MySpace, Facebook etc, it’s now painless to coordinate or just attend a fishing competition or informal meet-up, while exchanging handy tips and tricks on blogs and forums.

In terms of angling gear the web has certainly helped anglers in hunting down the best tackle, rod, reel, fishing baits etc due to the fact that these days they can weigh up prices and products with a myriad of e-commerce websites rather than just being limited to their local fishing shop.

Alaska is known as one of the most bountiful areas with salmon, and is ideal for fishing trips.

This is because of extreme tides along the West Coast and the gush of ocean currents that create an environment ideal for the breeding of thousands of baitfish.

It is also known as one of the best places to go if one wants to fish for giant King Salmon, the largest specie of salmon fish.

The best way to catch these giant salmon (in saltwater) is through trolling or by angling a baited line drawn into the water.

Fishing for giant King Salmon can be a year round activity (especially in Seward).

The most sought-after species of salmon are the following:

1. The King Salmon (Chinook) are the largest of all these species. Its weight averages between 20-40 pounds, the heaviest recorded of which is 112 pounds, and can be as long as 3-4″. It has a blue-green back that is lightly spotted.

The average life span of a Chinook Salmon is about five to seven years.

Its flesh can range in color from ivory white to a deep red.

Common names for this specie of salmon include tyee, springs, mouth/kings quinnat and tule.

2. Silver Salmon (Coho) on the other hand is slightly smaller with an average weight of 8-12 pounds.

These specie prefer small streams in which to spawn between the months of July to November.

3. Sockeye salmon, on the other hand, are the most sought-after of its entire species because its flesh has a color of deep red and it has a firm rich flavor.

In fishing for salmon in Alaska, one has to be well equipped with the right equipment (and donned with the appropriate apparel).

Listed below are some of the needed equipment/materials and tips for hassle-free fishing:

1. You must be clad in layers of warm clothes (not necessarily bulky ones as it can hinder in the fishing activity).

2. Over these everyday clothes, a waterproof overall, boots and bibs are likewise necessary to ensure that one would stay dry since after a hook-up, some fish may resist with maximum struggles.

3. Fleet or cruisers that offer services for fishing are usually stocked with bait.

4. A guide on board a cruiser ensures that even amateur fishermen will enjoy the activity by providing crash-lessons onboard. They usually hook the bait for the guest and inform the party as to where specific species of fish may thrive for selective fishing.

Travis Clemens is a life time fisherman and he knows the ins and outs of gettinem on the hook! You too can gettem on the hook wiht Travis as your guide! www.push-button-online-income.com/fishing/blog.html

Carp fishing is a really challenging activity since these fish are pretty clever and don’t take bait too easily. However, with a bit of cunning, you can entice carp and trick them into being hooked. What follows are just a few pointers to assist you when fishing for carp:-

• Use boilies based on fishmeal in the finer weather (summer and autumn), and try your hand with half-half mixes or bird food types of bait in the winter and spring seasons
• Try mixing chillies to particle baits. Carp seem to enjoy that fiery sensation from those chillies. Roughly, mix a couple of tablespoons to five litres of particles.
• Experiment with various particles or pellet sizes in the spod mixture. This helps confuse the carp, and gives you the option to try diverse sizes on the hook.
• Add plenty of vitamin C into the bait. Mix up your method with fruit juice rather than water from the lake. Also try soaking fresh boilies in fruit juice so as to to create that well-defined relish.
• If you’re worried about overfeeding, then try breadcrumb groundbait with merely the attractants included, but without all the particle baits included. This attracts the carp without feeding them too much.
• Lastly, make sure you have the right fishing gear with you. Research what you should bring online. You can find all kinds of things online, such as Korda fishing tackle - and be sure to enjoy yourself!

Fishing is by far the most popular past-time in the UK, and here we introduce the various methods and styles of fishing in the United Kingdom. It’s a fantastic way to get outdoors, and there’s a growing fishing community in England with many fishing clubs and competitions patronized by many fishing enthusiasts.

What’s involved with fishing? Well you require a rod, a reel, some fishing bait, and the ability to sit down in one place for a lengthy period of time! Depending on where you love in the UK will influence the kind of fishing you’ll be getting up to. There’s coarse fishing which can be done in rivers, lakes and in the sea, and there’s game fishing which involves catching bigger fish, often as a competition. It’s best to take up the kind of fishing that doesn’t involve you putting in the miles - best to have a lake or river close by that you can nip to at a in just minutes - as the superb thing about fishing is that it’s a place you can go to get away from it all and slow down.

Big-game fishing is a kind of recreational angling, targeting big fish famous for their sporting qualities, such as tuna. Despite the adventurous images that conjours, game fishing can also include trout and salmon. Game fishing calls for a hardy fly fishing rod and fly reel, some fishing flies, and game fishing luggage.

Coarse fishing is where you fish for kinds of freshwater fish that aren’t game fish. It’s very popular in Great Britain and mainland Europe. The kinds of fish you can expect to find on your hook when coarse fishing include bream, dace, pike, tench and roach amongst many others.

Fishing tackle is a primary part of angling. Bait is applied to invite fish to the hidden hook. Traditionally, insects, and smaller fish have been used for this intent. Fishermen have also begun plastic tackle and, more recently, electronic baits, to lure fish. Studies reveal that natural tackle like worms are more accepted by the fish and hence more effective.

Angling is particularly popular in the spring and summer months when the temperature is warmer and the days longer, and night angling isn’t so perishingly chilly. Angling can be as inexpensive as you want. You can get yourself a rod, a reel, some fishing bait, a license, and you have a new past-time.

Two of the most productive methods of topwater fishing are using a popper, or chugger type lure, and “walking-the-dog” with a surface walker. When it comes to popper type lures, you may remember the old Heddon Lucky 13, Bass Oreno, or the Heddon Chugger Spook. Lure design has changed drastically since the first production of those aforementioned lures, and now we have such poppers as the Berkley Frenzy Popper, Tsunami Talkin’ Popper, Rapala Skitter Pop and the Lucky Craft G-Splash.

For topwater walking-the-dog applications, we have the Heddon Spook and Super-Spook, which have been around for many years and are, still to this day, top producers. Some other surface walkers include Lucky Craft Sammy, Rapala Skitter Walk, Salmo MAAS Marauder and the Yo-Zuri Banana Boat. While all of these lures produce fish in different situations, I have discovered a lure that is producing topwater hits for me on a consistent basis when water and light conditions are right. The lures I speak of are made by L & S Mirrolure. The popper is called The Humpback Mule and is actually a jointed topwater popper. The walking-the-dog style surface walker I prefer is called the Top Dog Jr. Both lures are extremely good quality and have extra sharp hooks, which can really come in handy when you have a bass that might strike you a little bit short, or not hit the lure very hard.

Let’s start by taking a look at when the best time to use a topwater lure would be, and then the techniques involved in producing the most strikes. I have caught some of my largest bass, by far, on topwater lures. My reasoning behind this occurrence is that back in the old days, everybody I knew threw topwater lures. They threw them for 2 or 3 hours in the mornings and 2 or 3 hours in the evening. From an industry perspective, topwater lures are not among the top sellers these days. The majority of the people I fish with these days mainly throw spinnerbaits, plastics and crankbaits.

Could it be that the big bruiser bass that have been around for several years have seen all of the spinners and cranks, after being caught several times on these lures, and now tend to shy away from them? I think this is possible, and if you go down South to Texas or Louisiana, you will see huge bass being taken on topwater lures. I have a good friend who says that the bass have seen the same lures over and over again for so many years that they have the serial and model numbers on the bottom of the lures memorized. This might be a bit of a stretch, but almost all the bass I have caught that are over 5 pounds are loners, holding on a particular piece of structure in the lake.

I won’t say that you never see large bass schooling up, but it is a rare occurrence. Smallmouth bass are different though…they do tend to school up in certain areas, and there can be many large fish all together at one time.

I use topwater baits mainly when the water temperature is 60 degrees or above, but I have caught bass on topwaters when it was in the high 50’s. Whenever I see a stump, rock, or maybe a bush, further away from other structure, I throw a topwater right to it. The best way to provoke a reaction strike from a big largemouth is to cast the bait right to the cover, not beyond it. If you cast past the target, the bass will be alert before the bait gets there. You may have seen them boil or swirl when you do this, instead of smashing it. They are tentative when you work the bait up to the cover, and then they just swirl at it, or miss. To provoke a big bass into exploding on the bait you must cast right to the cover! The popper is one of my favorite baits to use in places that have a lot of grass or milfoil that is holding bass. When you retrieve a popper, it requires a fast jerk, which spits water out from the front of the cup-lipped bait, and the bait makes a deep pop or bullfrog sound. You then should let the lure sit for a few moments and repeat this process again.

I will never forget, when I was 11 years old I caught my first largemouth bass over 5lbs on a clear popper with a white bucktail. The lure was a Pico Lil’ Pop and what a thrill that was! I watched the fish following my lure, when all of a sudden a topwater explosion occurred, and I was in for a fight. Ever since that moment, I have been a fan of the popper style lure. I like to use it like I would a crankbait from the perspective that you can cover a lot of water when you think of your lure as a search-bait. Simply put, trying to find out where the fish are located.

Walking type topwater lures are another great bait especially in post spawn season, when big bass are around some shallow cover, but they aren’t particularly aggressive yet. I use baits with rattles for this also. I’ve caught a lot of big bass on topwater walkers in prespawn as well as postspawn. Also, on really warm days early in the year, it produces well. I just cast it to the structure, let it sit, twitch it a few times, and they usually just suck it in.

o walk-the-dog, you simply snap your rod in a downward motion over and over again throughout the entire retrieve. This will force the lure to zig-zag back and forth from left to right. This action drives bass crazy as they think an injured baitfish is trying to get away. When I am throwing a lighter weight popper or surface walker, I tend to use spinning gear on a 6 to 7 ‘ rod with a medium action. When I am throwing Spooks or other heavier or larger lures, I switch over to a baitcaster with a 6′6″ or 7′ rod with a medium heavy to heavy action. When I am throwing topwater lures in tight areas, with very specific targets, where there is no room for error, I will downsize to a 6′ casting rod. This length is much more accurate than longer rods and easier to control when working an area with stumps and brush, where one bad cast will tangle your lure up and waste your precious fishing time.

Although most of my really big bass have come from shallow water, they were always in a place that was near deep water, where one or more grasses came together, and near the main creek channel or water inlet. The fish always had some kind of deep-water escape route nearby. I feel that in larger bodies of water the big bass spend much of their time in deeper water, and just move in and out of the shallows as the opportunities arise, when hunting for food.

As I mentioned previously, most anglers use these baits at sunrise or sunset, but I use them all times of the day, especially when the sky is overcast. Big bass are always on the shady side of cover once the sun rises. They can be enticed into striking a popper or surface walker at all times of the day when presented properly. Bigger bass feed more frequently due to their body size, and when they do feed, they want a bigger meal if at all possible. They have to expend a great deal of energy to catch their prey, and want to make sure the size is sufficient to meet their needs. Good luck on your topwater action and e-mail me with any questions.

G. Wayne Byrd is a professional bass tournament fisherman, who lives in Colorado. He is an active contributor to Fishin’ Secrets with Eric Allee and Friends.

http://www.fishinsecrets.com

Every breath came out as steamy frost as I panted with the effort to breathe at an altitude of 12,000 feet in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador. Passenger jets traveled between cities at lower altitudes than this. The few birds at this height included the Andean Condor, with its nearly 12-foot wingspan, that is strong enough to carry off a dog or small child. I’m not in bad shape physically, but the effort here made me look like I was just finishing an Olympic marathon. Mist hung so heavily over the lake that when I cast, I saw nothing. Only a faint splash told me my Mepps had hit the water. My stiffened hands began an erratic retrieve. My guide and I chatted in an undertone like two errant school boys waiting outside the Principal’s office. My wife Doris huddled nearby jigging her Mepps spinner more to stay active and keep warm than to fish.

“We’re not going to use a boat”, I asked our guide.

“Not a good idea”, he responded. “The water’s too cold.”

You could just make out the dark bill of his baseball cap and the dark sleeves of his jacket through the mist. The frost from his breath as he spoke was noticeable too.

“Would it help to use a fiberglass boat?” I quietly shot back, steamy blasts of frosty breath punctuating my every syllable.

“There was a guy who fell in two summers ago”, he continued. “They got him out fast but he died from exposure from the cold water anyway. There was no way to save him from up here.”

“Oh” Thoughts of canoeing out onto the calm but chilly grey surface evaporated from my mind.

There was no time to think of anything else. My collapsible rod was dancing a jig in my stiff-from-the-cold hands despite the colorful, heavy mittens I wore. I had my first high mountain Rainbow Trout. It was a real beauty just like the scenery that surrounded the three of us.

The Paramo is a protected national park wilderness area of Ecuador in the Andes mountain range that passes from north to south from Venezuela to Chile. Most of the park lies at altitudes above 10,000 feet and is accessible by special permission only. The Andes splits into three mountain ranges near the border of Ecuador and Colombia in its northward trek. Several active volcanoes also punctuate the mountain range.

Its 3000 mile plus journey is from the Patagonia area in Chile from which you can view icebergs from the Antarctic shelf, to the steamy Llanos tundra and swamps of Venezuela where the dreaded Anaconda can grow to 25 or more feet in length. Deadly Piranha and merciless crocodiles lie in wait beneath waters born from the Amazon and Orinoco River basins. But the high-altitude lakes and streams of the Paramo are clear, cold and oxygen-rich, the habitat of Trout species worldwide.

Less than a dozen people fish the Paramo area each year. Trout can grow to impressive sizes and are plentiful. Three footers are not uncommon in the deeper lakes that can go down to 300 feet or more. There’s a daily limit of twelve fish, but it’s rarely reached. Most fishermen stop long before the effort required to bag their limit of scrappy rainbows and other deep-water trout species. The main cause is AMS - Acute Mountain Sickness that results from over-exertion at the high altitude without sufficient acclimatization. Uncontrolled it can actually kill you.

The spectacular scenery filled with top-of-the-world vistas and volcanoes like Chimborazo, Sangay and Tungurahua smoking through their snow-capped summits, unspoiled natural surroundings, water so pure people often drink it right from the lake or stream, and fishing grounds with virtually no pressure on them at all. These are but a few of the attractions the Paramo has to offer. Rugged, yes. Difficult and demanding, moderately. Worth it - absolutely.

Prof Larry M. Lynch is a bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. He teaches at a university in Cali, Colombia. To get original, exclusive articles and content or stunning, high resolution digital photography for your newsletter, blog or website; or for a free full version copy of this article including eye-popping photos, e-mail your request to: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

Fishing can be an extremely enjoyable and relaxing adventure. As long as you have the right tools, the fishing safety knowledge, and a little bit of support from friends or family, you could perform your fishing successfully.

However, the most overlooked factor in buying equipments is choosing the right fishing tackle. You should follow these simple guidelines in the selection of tackles.

1) You should choose the appropriate fishing flies that you would be using to catch the kind of fish you will be targeting to seize. The basic rule in choosing the kind of fly is to know which is abundant in that actual environment.

2) Once you have determined which fly to use, you should be able to choose the appropriate line to use. The three commonly used tackles are fly-fishing, plug casting and spinning. The difference between the three is that spinning and plug-casting makes use of bait as weight to drag the line from its reel to the target point of your fishing.

3) Fly lines come in four different types - weight-forward, double taper, shooting-taper and level taper. Within the four different types are numerous variations. However, once you have decided what kind of fishing wish to accomplish and what kind of fish you wish to catch, you will be using only a particular fishing line.

The fishing lines have numbers that rank from one to fifteen. However, the most common among anglers are the lines numbered from three to twelve in weight. As a basic rule for optimum catching, the first thirty feet of your line should be weighted and matched to the rod.

4) The next thing you should purchase is the rod and reel. The most suitable equipment for beginners is the spin-casting gears that is easy to operate and provides the least setbacks. For any kind of fishing, the recommended spin-casting reel is mounted on a light-action six-foot casting rod and spooled with an eight-pound test line. The reel and rod could be purchased as a package in many fishing stores. Most professional anglers prefer bait-casting and spinning tackle.

5) You would need sinkers, hooks and bobbers. Sinkers and hooks could be bought in different pack with different styles and sizes. When selecting bobbers, always keep in mind that the smaller the bobber, the better the performance. The struggling of the fish would depend on the size of your bobber.

6) Professional anglers prefer artificial lures. The recommended sizes of lures are 1/8 ounce up to ounce.

Remember that the kind of tackle would depend on the fish you prefer to catch. Avoid buying unnecessary fishing items and enjoy your affordable fishing experience.

Download your free fishing tips guide now. Lots of great tips and techniques to improve your fishing. http://www.secretfishingtips.com/freeguide.html

Okeechobee is a Seminole Indian word meaning “great water cannot see other side”. True to its name, Lake Okeechobee is 748 square miles in size. It is the greatest provider of drinking water for south Florida, averaging 13-19 feet in depth.

Lake Okeechobee is renowned internationally for its fishing for bass and other species. It is located northeast of Naples, less than 2 hours away, and is heavily ringed with tackle shops, marinas, motels, restaurants, etc. You can find rental boats, gears and lodging to make your bass fishing trip more convenient and comfortable.

Lake Okeechobee also means ‘big water’ to the Seminole Indians, it is the second largest freshwater lake in the United States after Lake Michigan and its fishing reputation matches its size. Much of the lake’s 730 square miles or 450,000 acres are hidden from view by dyke, levee, or trees which screen the shore.

Lake Okeechobee has a 150 mile circumference and its invisible opposite shore is more than 30 miles away. The best fishing and more than half of the action, takes place along the lake’s western shore where Calhoun’s Guide Service is based.

Lake Okeechobee comprises a 730 square-mile area in Glades, Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, and Hendry Counties its average depth is 9 feet with a maximum depth of 17 feet. Recharge comes from precipitation and southward flow of water from the Kissimmee River. Historically, hydro pattern flowed southward over millions of acres.

Lake Okeechobee offers all types of waterway structures to fish - from open water to narrow canals surrounded by hundreds of different vegetations and grasses.

Lake Okeechobee is located in central southern Florida, north of the Everglades and south of Orlando. Lake Okeechobee links the Atlantic and Gulf sides of Florida via the Port Mayaca Lock on the east side of the lake and the Moore Haven Lock on the lake’s western side.

Drainage canals lower the lake and drain adjacent lands for farming. Agricultural activities around the Lake Okeechobee area include cattle ranching, dairy farming, and crop production of sugarcane, winter vegetables, citrus, sod, sweet corn and rice.

Lake Okeechobee fishing is well-known not only throughout the U.S. but the whole world. Haw hunter guide service has clients who come from all over the world, including Japan and Europe, just to fish Lake Okeechobee with the best of them.

The lake is approximately 37 miles long by 30 miles wide, with an average depth of only 10 feet. To fishermen nationwide, it’s renowned for the number of bass it contains per acre and that it also produces more bass over 7 pounds than any lake in Florida and the United States.

Lake Okeechobee, located in Central Florida, is the most famous big bass fishing lake in the country. For many years, Lake Okeechobee has produced the best largemouth bass, blue gill and speck fishing in the world.

Hoover Dike was constructed along the southern regions of Lake Okeechobee to prevent flooding while also yielding year-round crop production. Tory mucks of the region contain 50 per cent or more mineral matter by weight and have considerably more native fertility than saw grass mucks, which were formed under logographic conditions. The 1950s was a period of technological ambition and construction, a system of canals, dikes, and pumping stations were installed to distribute water to the Everglades Agricultural Areas from Lake Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee provides trips and tours all conducted by highly trained and efficient guides. They know the movement of the fish and their feeding patterns which gives you the best advantage over the fish and landing the lanker of a lifetime. Their cordial manner and willingness to help you enjoy your day on the water is genuine. Whether you want to book a corporate trip, take a youngster fishing for the first time, or have special needs, they there to help.

Fishing at Lake Okeechobee for Bass from late fall to early spring is when Crappie and Bass Fishing at Lake Okeechobee is at its best. Success comes when using large wild shiners or artificial lures of all types. If you want to target a true monster size bass, fishing at Lake Okeechobee is certainly the way to go.

For free bass fishing tips and Florida bass fishing secrets, visit www.bassfishingsystem.com/ today.

There are a lot of places in this world where one can go to find solace, peace and tranquility while wetting a line for fish.

Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida is not the first place that comes to mind.

Nonetheless, right there beneath the shadow of the Magic Kingdom, amongst wide-eyed roller coaster riders, a stones throw from Tinkerbell’s safety harness, exists one of the prime Largemouth Bass fishing waters you will find anywhere.

Remote? No.

Pristine? Hardly.

Filled with hungry fat Largemouth Bass….YES!!

I’m not really sure what compelled me to book a two hour Disney Bass fishing adventure.

I don’t know if I was curious that possibly a rather large mouse might show up at the dock with a fishing vest full of sponsor patches,and a big wad of chew between his cheek and gum. Or, if mechanical alligators might raise up out of the water- jaws agape-while I reached down to pick up my bass by the lips. Or, if perhaps cannonballs might be landing dangerously close to the boat as we all sang yo-ho yo- ho a fisherman’s life for me….

Or maybe, just maybe, after wandering around the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and MGM for four days, bouncing off of an endless stream of six year olds with attached parents in tow,eating space burgers,frontier burgers,Yeti burgers, and trying to figure out how to amuse myself in line for 60 minutes while waiting to have the POOH scared out of me…..maybe, just maybe I thought that I might just find a few hours away from the hustle,bustle and silent freakish stares of Chip and Dale.

I must admit, as we were making plans for a family trip to the mother of all amusement parks, I had spotted this fishing adventure on the Disney website. As my wife locked us in for five days of “Disney Magic”, I writhed in agony wondering just how many princesses there must be if it takes five days to see them.My six year old daughter was obviously thrilled.

Being a card carrying member of the “I want to go fishing club”, I figured this may be my only opportunity to sneak in some fishing on this trip. And if you have ever looked at a map of the Orlando area, you will see that this is an abundant area of lakes, not to mention short drives to the coastal areas and ocean fishing galore. In other words it was killing me, knowing how close to great fishing I was–but unless they had trout swimming along the waterways of Splash Mountain–I was never going to see any of them.

So, after the third day of posing for pictures with oversized rodents, dragons, and perky princesses, I called the Disney central reservation line for “active fun”-as if screaming and doing isometric hand grips on Expedition Everest, or ogling Pocahontas is not considered active fun!- and booked a bass fishing trip for the next morning. Evidently, the line and waiting period for the “largemouth bass ride” is not nearly as long as the wait for Peter Pan, because the nice girl (I think it may have been Cinderella) was able to get us a fishing trip out of the Contemporary Hotel Marina with no problem.

Didn’t even have to get a FastPass!!

Best of all, we didn’t have to get up early. We were scheduled for 10:00 a.m.

Like all Disney events and productions, great attention to detail and planning is done to insure the perfect family experience. That is why catch and release is the practice on Seven Seas lagoon and Bay lake, (the two primary fishing waters at Walt Disney World) and probably a big reason for the reliable fishery.

AND like all Disney adventures and productions, the perfect family experience has it’s price.

$230.00 for two hours of fishing!

That’s a lotta rubber worms.

In fairness, that is the rental of the boat and the boat can handle up to five fishermen(four if they are wearing mouse ears.) so really you technically can get it under fifty bucks a person.

AND like all Disney events-it was well worth the price to see the excited look on my daughters face when I told her we were gonna catch us ” a messa bass”.

Most of the guides showed up at the marina a few minutes early and looked like they had part time roles on The Animal Planet. The boats were spotless, fully equipped and ready to go. Since there were three of us and we had a “little one” on board, we were given a pontoon type boat rather than a bass boat.

I expected Steve the crocodile hunter to be our guide for the day,but as it turned out our guide was to be a lovely lady by the name of Holly.

Guess Goofy had the day off.

After quick introductions we were on board our Tracker and on our way.

Now, for those of you that have read any previous articles I have written, you will quickly realize that I was going fishing with three members of the “e-factor” estrogen fishing society. If you are not familiar with this secret society, let’s just say that I had about as much of a chance of outfishing these ladies as getting a date with Ariel or Snow White.

As we motored our way out of the natural waters of Bay lake and into the man made Seven Seas lagoon, Holly, a veteran of over twenty years in the Disney corporation, gave us some interesting facts on her background with Disney World. Having spent the first part of her career with Disney in “guest relations” she had mainly handled “guest” complaints, so the fishing guide position she had held for the last eight years was a welcome relief. She had grown up in Louisiana fishing for bass, and she was well qualified for obviously one of the most coveted positions that the 70,000 or so folks on the Disney World payroll could have. Spending your day out on the water away from the crowds certainly seemed a better tour of duty, than trying to manipulate a pen with oversized paws inside a large fur coat in 90 degree weather.

But that’s just me.

We motored on by the big ferry boat loaded with another group of guests ready for a d-day like assault on the Magic Kingdom, and pulled up to the shallows near an island. I knew I would have to catch my fish early on, before the “estrogen” effect would occur and I would be relegated to camera duty.

Even though catch and release is the practice on these waters, live bait is still the bait of choice. Being a steelhead and salmon fisherman from Oregon I was unfamiliar with the little “shiners” that they use down south to produce the big bass, but as if on cue, within a minute of tossing the little fellar into the drink I had my first largemouth on–and it was a nice one too!

I hoisted a chubby four pound bass onto the boat, and as I grabbed him by the “largemouth” I made sure he was real, and not some animatronic Disney bass that was about to break into a chorus of “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog”.

Pretty soon Sara, my daughter, had her first bass on and mom was right behind her with her first bass.

Dang, the estrogen had kicked in early.

As promised, Disney had already delivered a great family experience and since most of the fish caught by my daughter had been crappie sized fish out of her Grandpa’s pond, the look of excitement that Sara had on her face when she hoisted her first largemouth bass was well worth the price of admission.

We each caught several more bass with the biggest running close to five pounds.

Sara, like any six year old, quickly lost interest in the labor involved with catching fish, and turned her interest to the “shiners” swimming in the live well.

I guess you might say she took a shine to ‘em!! HA!

Anyway, she became are unofficial “shiner” go-fer, and kept the little fish in shape, by chasing them around trying to catch them with her bare hands.

After a short dry spell, we headed off to other “pristine” waters. This spot happened to be at the ferry landing, where all the people line up for the d-day assault.Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of Disney patrons and a couple of Herons and Egrets, we went bass fishing. After landing another big chubby in front of the bored line sitters, they all let out a loud cheer and like the shy fella I am, I hoisted my trophy like I had just won Bassmaster’s $10,000 first prize on ESPN.

Unfortunately, one of our released fish didn’t fare to well and soon was floating belly up near the ferry boat. A Heron made a heroic effort to hoist the big fish from the waters, but the two pound fish was too much and he retired back to his front row seat on shore.

Although there is always going to be a certain amount of attrition, even when you are catching and releasing fish, I think the Disney folks would just as soon their bass went belly up away from the gates to Fantasyland, and we soon had a radio call from Holly’s boss telling us to move from the docks-because it was too windy.

Seemed odd since there was only the faintest of breezes in the air.

We still felt bad, and certainly didn’t want to be responsible for kids being permanently scarred for life, so we moved.

Not that Disney does anything to ever permanently scar kids!!??

It was just as well, because by now my wife was using her unfair estrogen advantage to outfish me two to one, which was even noticed by the ferry boat- line operator, who made it a point to walk over to our boat and tell us of his keen observation.

Darn estrogen.

By the time we motored our way back into Bay lake our “two hour cruise” was pretty much at an end. Of course there was still the matter of settling up on the bill, and receiving a nice complimentary subscription to a bass fishing magazine—which of course happens to be owned by Disney…..

As we left the boat and headed back into the perfect world of magical princesses, long lines, and the ever present gift shops, I couldn’t help but think that I had just got off the best ride at Disney World.

Well-except for the Mad Tea Cups….

A.J. Klott
Author, writer of fishing humor,and “fly tack” peddler.A.J. writes about the people,characters and modern day events that surround the fishing world. His first book is now out and being sold out of the back of a 1976 Opal Cadet.Coming to your town soon.
If you need a laugh or a fun gift, visit his website at:
http://www.twoguyswithflys.com