Where We Fish

January to March: Prime Trophy Bass Season

Winter and early spring are when Lake Toho really earns its reputation. Prespawn and spawning bass begin moving into productive shallow areas, including some of the biggest females we’ll see all year. If your goal is to catch a trophy largemouth, this is one of my favorite times to fish Toho. Live wild shiners can be extremely effective around hydrilla, grass edges, and spawning areas.

For anglers who prefer artificial lures, we’ll often cover water with chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits, swimbaits, and soft plastics depending on the conditions. Once we find an area holding fish, slowing down with worms and other plastics can produce some really good bites.

April to May: Post-Spawn and Offshore Grass

As spawning season winds down, bass begin moving away from spawning areas and relating more heavily to offshore vegetation. Hydrilla becomes especially important during this transition. Holes, points, edges, and other changes in the grass create natural places for bass to ambush shad and other forage. Big worms, weightless flukes, swimbaits, and walking topwater baits are some of my favorite ways to target these post-spawn fish.

June to September: Summer Bass Fishing

Lake Toho can produce good bass fishing throughout the summer, but timing becomes increasingly important. Early mornings are usually my preference. We can take advantage of the cooler part of the day and often get some good topwater fishing before the sun gets high. As the morning progresses, we’ll usually transition toward offshore vegetation, hydrilla edges, baitfish schools, and areas with moving water. Soft plastics, worms, flukes, and other presentations around deeper or thicker vegetation can all produce.

For anglers visiting Orlando during summer vacation, an early morning Lake Toho bass fishing trip is a great way to get out on the water without giving up the rest of the day with the family.

October to December: Fall Feeding and Pre-Winter Fishing

Fall is an underrated time to fish Lake Toho. Bass become increasingly focused on baitfish and can feed aggressively around healthy grass and offshore vegetation. It’s a good time to cover water with chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits, swimbaits, and topwater lures while looking for active fish. As we get closer to winter, wild shiners become increasingly effective and we start transitioning back toward the patterns that produce some of our biggest bass during the prespawn and spawning season.

Whether you’re chasing your personal best largemouth or simply want to experience one of Florida’s most famous bass lakes, Lake Toho is one of my top choices for a guided bass fishing trip near Orlando.

January to April: Trophy Bass and Spawning Season

Winter through early spring is one of the best times to fish the Kissimmee Chain if catching a trophy Florida largemouth is your main goal. As water temperatures and weather conditions line up, bass begin moving toward spawning areas. We typically see multiple waves of fish move shallow throughout the season, which gives us opportunities at both prespawn and spawning bass.

Wild shiners are extremely effective when targeting bigger fish. For anglers who prefer artificial lures, soft plastics, swimbaits, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits, and other moving baits can all produce around grass and spawning areas.

This is the time of year when one bite can turn into the biggest bass of your life.

May to September: Grass, Topwater and Summer Patterns

After the spawn, bass begin transitioning toward thicker vegetation, offshore grass, hydrilla edges, and areas holding baitfish. Early mornings can produce some great topwater fishing before the Florida heat sets in. As the sun gets higher, we’ll often adjust by targeting deeper grass edges, holes in the vegetation, and areas with moving water.

Big worms, flukes, frogs, swimbaits, and other grass-oriented presentations are all part of the rotation.

Summer can also be a good time for numbers, making it a great option for families, beginners, and anglers who are more interested in steady action than specifically targeting a trophy fish.

October to December: Fall Feeding

Fall and early winter can bring some aggressive feeding throughout the Kissimmee Chain. Bass become more focused on shad and other forage, which can make moving baits especially effective.

Lipless crankbaits, chatterbaits, swimbaits, topwater lures, and soft plastics can all produce during this time of year. Wild shiners also become a great option again as we get closer to the winter trophy bass season.

The size of the Kissimmee Chain is a big advantage on a guided trip. If the fish aren’t cooperating in one area, we have plenty of other water and different types of habitat available to help us find active bass.