Florida Bass Fishing - Orlando Bass Fishing Guides, Lake Toho bass fishing

Event - Florida Bass Fishing

Trophy Bass Fishing in Florida, Lake Toho Style (continued)

Cal simply couldn’t resist the weedmats that reminded him of the bountiful frog fishing areas back home on the Delta. Steve moved the boat in tight to get Cal within casting distance and it didn’t take long before he got a nice blowup on a Snag Proof Bobby Perfect Frog, unfortunately it didn’t stay pinned on.

The weather on Toho gets nasty

As we worked the edges the sky turned dark almost as if a switch had been flipped. Lightning could be seen in the distance, followed by thunder about four seconds afterwards. I’ve never seen weather change so quickly from clear blue skies to some of the nastiest storm patterns I have ever seen. It was instantly clear where Toho got it’s name from, and it was even more clear that we had to get off the lake.

With lightning in the distance and the storm fast approaching it was time to head for cover

The lightning got closer and the rain started coming down as we pulled off the lake to take refuge in the car. “We are going to have to wait this one out, it will blow by,” Steve predicted. Thirty minutes later the storm was gone it was if it never happened, the horizon were once again bluebird skies. That’s Toho weather for you, be prepared.

Back on the water Steve busts the gear back out

Back on the water we fished slightly deeper areas, and by slightly I mean just four feet deeper. Steve handed me a traditional lipless crankbait to try and I remembered that Grant Koppers had given me a few Live Target shad to try the day before. I pulled out one of the baits and showed it to Steve. “Honestly I like that one a whole lot better, go ahead and throw that,” he said. It didn’t take long before I boated a few more fish with the Koppers lure, the bass were eating it up!

Zander gets into more schooling fish

We fished for a few more hours and caught a few more fish, nothing as big as the beautiful seven pounder boated earlier that day, but all healthy looking bass. As the sun started to dip the weather grew dark again and we witnessed two frenzies in which the bass schooled up tightly and started slamming bait right on the surface much like stripers often do. A few lunkers shot straight out of the water like dolphins. Cal and I got our lures into the mix but all we were able to pull out were modest fish, but they were angry and committed aggressively to our baits. It was a very nice way to end the day.

As the fish get into a feeding frenzy we pull out a few modest fish, but the action is excellent

What is Costs: How confident is Steve that he will put anglers on fish? He has a “No-Fish, No-Pay Guarantee” on all his guide trips. In the event that anglers do not catch fish the trip is totally free. This means that Steve actually refunds the deposit and anglers do not have to pay for the live bait if it was a live bait trip.

Anglers work the open spaces between vegetation on Toho

Reservations are on a first come first serve basis and the deposit will go towards the balance of your trip. As far as bad weather is concerned, lightning or high winds are the only things that would force a trip cancellation and this is a rare occurrence.

Toho has a lot of quality fish, it may be tricky at times to get them to bite and going out with a guide like Steve drastically improves your chances

Steve offers a number of options ranging from 4 hour morning trips for 1-2 people for $250 to 6 hour trips for $300 dollars, and full 8 hour trips for $350 dollars. If anglers want to fish with live bait there is an extra cost between 13-20 dollars depending on the size and bait shop price for the shiners.

Steve puts the boat back on the trailer, alas it is time to head home

What to Bring: In addition to a fishing license Steve recommends that anglers also bring a hat, polarized sunglasses, sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, a still camera or a video camera, rain gear. (trust us we learned our lesson about underestimating the weather on Toho) and any snacks you might want. Steve provides all the rods, reels, and tackle as well as drinks for the trip. Steve recently joined the Dobyns prostaff team and now makes use of all the latest Dobyns rods for clients on his guided trips.

Farewell Orlando, we will be back!

Conclusion: Fishing at Toho was a completely different experience than targeting the Largemouth we usually fish for here on the West Coast. The combination of the unique behavior of the Florida fish, the unique attributes of the lake itself coupled with the awesome weather made for an exciting day on the water. I eagerly anticipate the next time I have the opportunity to fish in Orlando again, and while that seven pounder is my best Florida bass for now I know that bigger fish await in Toho. The Bass in Lake Toho are famous for their quality as well as being notoriously tricky to catch but with Steve Boyd as our guide we had a great day on the lake. He has intimate knowledge of the lake and is able to adapt quickly to give anglers the best opportunity to catch fish, in fact he guarantees it.

Looking for a guide for fishing in Orlando and Lake Toho?
Visit Florida Bass Adventures Guide Service and tell Steve you want the TackleTour treatment.