The Florida Fishing Experts
Specializing in Florida Bass Fishing on all of the Florida Freshwater Lakes.

Florida Largemouth Black Bass

10/29/2009 – Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the University of Florida need assistance with a statewide largemouth bass research study. This year-long project is an interactive way for the public to help biologists obtain critical information necessary to manage the largemouth bass fishery for quality and trophy-sized fish.

From this study, biologists hope to learn how frequently bass are caught and harvested. They also hope to learn more about the size range of fish caught.

Beginning this month, biologists are tagging largemouth bass with small, yellow tags along the back of the fish just below the dorsal fin. These tags carry a printed telephone number, e-mail address, tag number and reward value.  Anglers should carefully examine all bass caught in Florida lakes for reward tags, as biologists will tag fish in numerous lakes throughout the state.

Biologists encourage anglers to remove these tags by cutting them as close to the fish as possible and then treat the fish as they would normally. Once anglers remove a tag, they should immediately report it to the FWC Angler Tag Return Hotline at 800-367-4461 or e-mail TagReturn [at] MyFWC [dot] com.

Anglers participating in the study will receive a reward for each largemouth bass tag they return to the FWC. When reporting the tag, anglers should provide the following information:

• the species of fish,
• tag number, fish length,
• date and time of capture,
• name of the lake where the fish was caught, and
• whether the angler kept or released the fish.

Anglers should mail the tags to:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Attn: LMB Tagging Study
601 W. Woodward Ave.
Eustis, FL 32726

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Staff Writer BASSonline – fishing@bassonline.com
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS

For decades, we bass anglers have been telling ourselves that a world record largemouth would be worth $1 million — maybe more — to the fisherman lucky enough to catch it. After all, the largemouth is the most sought-after and prized record in the entire world. Surely there’s a king’s ransom to be had.

We’ve had fantasies of ticker-tape parades, television appearances and full page advertisements in all the outdoor magazines. But just how realistic are those fantasies? And how much can Manabu Kurita make on this fish — assuming it’s certified and bigger than the 22-pound, 4-ounce bass caught by George Perry more than 77 years ago?

Well, the news may not be good for Kurita. It seems the pot at the end of the world record rainbow may be more hype than gold. Here are 10 reasons Kurita’s bass — even if properly certified — might not be worth a fortune.

1. Made in Japan

No offense to the Land of the Rising Sun here. They’ve been a wonderful ally to the United States for the past 64 years and make some of the finest fishing tackle in the world. But if you’re looking to cash in on a record bass you might want to consider catching it in California, Florida or Georgia rather than halfway around the world. It’s going to be tough for most of us bass anglers to identify with the fishing in Japan and almost none of us are going to pack up and trek out there to give it a try.

2. English Please

Manabu Kurita is probably a fantastic angler, and he’s certainly caught the fish of a million lifetimes, but if he doesn’t speak English and can’t communicate effectively with an American audience and the American outdoors media, he’s going to have a very tough row to hoe when it comes to selling himself and the story of his catch. If there are big bucks to be made off this fish, they’re to be made in the United States and before an English-speaking audience.

3. The Right Lure

The really big dollars to be made off a world record come from marketing the lure that was used to catch it. Unfortunately, the most reliable reports available at this time indicate that Kurita caught the giant bass on live bait — either a bluegill-type fish or some sort of koi. Without a bait to promote, the lion’s share of Kurita’s sponsorship opportunities may be gone.

4. The Right Distribution

The Deps tackle company obviously makes some terrific equipment. After all, Deps made the rod that Kurita used to catch the monster. The problem is that virtually no one in the U.S. — the biggest part of the bass market — has ever heard of Deps or held one of their rods. In order for Deps to take advantage of the buzz created by the new potential record, they’re going to have to mobilize a whole lot faster than most companies could ever hope to mobilize.

5. Wanted Dead or Alive!

In years past, several companies — usually tackle manufacturers trying to ensure that a new record was caught on their bait, rod, reel or line — offered bounties on the world record largemouth. Creek Chub Bait Company, Berkley and BASS were just a few of the companies that had bounties ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 on the fish. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Big Bass Record Club offered as much as $8 million for a record caught by a member. It appears that none of these bounties are offered anymore, and their absence will definitely cut down on how effectively Kurita can monetize his catch.

6. (Insert Cricket Sounds Here)

The latest word from Japan is that Deps is creating a video with Kurita offering details on his catch. Supposedly they’ll be offering it for sale. That might be OK for the casual fan, but for the hardcore and especially for the American media, this simply will not do. We need more and we need it faster. When it comes to record bass, the story is a lot like justice — story delayed is story denied. Kurita, with or without Deps, needs to get his story out, and the sooner the better.

7. Bass of the Great Depressions

What is it about economic strife and big bass? When George Perry caught the record in 1932, the world was in the middle of the Great Depression. Now, as Kurita applies for record status with his fish, the world is in another financial abyss. Just as the tough economic times are hurting us, they’ll likely cut into what Kurita can get for his accomplishment.

8. Fool Me Once

We’re a tougher, savvier audience today than ever before. Back when George Perry caught his record, or even in the ’70s and ’80s when California was establishing itself as the place to go for record class fish, bass fanatics might have believed that the key to catching a record was having the same gear as the angler who caught it. Not anymore. Now we realize that tackle is just one element in the mix, and we’re not going to go out and buy a Deps rod or Toray line just because Kurita used it. That kind of savvy is great … unless you’re trying to make a buck.

9. Jaded

When Mac Weakley foul-hooked “Dottie” a few years back, the angling world got a look at a 25-pound, 1-ounce largemouth bass that few could have anticipated. After all, who knew they got that big?! Well, Dottie opened more than a few eyes and plenty of bass experts felt it was just a matter of time before Perry’s record fell to a California bass — Dottie, to be specific. Of course, it didn’t happen. But once you’ve seen the bright lights of a 25-pounder, it’s tough to get fired up over a garden variety 22-pounder, right? Kurita may have earned a share of the record, but his fish was no Dottie, and he’ll suffer the financial ramifications of that.

10. When is a Record Bass Not a Record Bass?

That question is really one for the International Game Fish Association. According to their rules, “To replace a record for a fish weighing less than 25 pounds, the replacement must weigh at least 2 ounces more than the existing record.” Since Kurita’s bass weighs less than 1 ounce more than Perry’s, the two will be considered a tie for the all-tackle mark. Ties, they say, are like kissing your sister, and Kurita’s bank account isn’t going to benefit from that. To really cash in, he needed to break the record, not tie it.

So is a world record bass really worth $1 million? Maybe, but it’s likely worth nowhere near as much as it could have brought a decade or more ago — when a million bucks was really a lot of money and things were a little different. It looks like the record may not be all it’s cracked up to be … at least if you’re talking about dollars and cents.

Click here to JOIN BASS! Till next time tight lines and good fishing…. From Staff Writer BASSonline) fishing@bassonline.com BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS BassOnline.com is Florida Fishing largest Freshwater Guide Service, specializing in Florida bass fishing in the Florida lakes, canals and rivers. To learn more about Florida bass fishing, visit Bass Fishing Blog. Also visit or sister website Florida Bass Fishing, Lake Okeechobee Fishing, Bass Fishing Florida, Florida Peacock Bass

Central Florida Bass Fishing

If you are a largemouth bass Fisherman you mite want to head for Lake Toho in Florida for some amazing bass fishing at this Nationally ranked largemouth bass fishing lake.

Florida is one of the best states in the US for bass fishing  and is ranked as the “Fishing Capital of the World” addtional is know as the “Bass Capitol of the World.”  There are more than 7,500 freshwater lakes and rivers that hold good populations of large mouth bass, 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 have compiled a list of the lakes the Florida Fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) has listed as holding very good populations and sizes of largemouth bass. This list is a good guide to use to plan for your next large mouth bass fishing trip to Florida. Our focus is on the top ten areas in and around Lake Tohopekaliga that hold good population of Largemouth bass. We hope this information will help you plan a fishing trip to lake Tohopekaliga (called lake Toho by locals). You can also visit our Interactive map to get more detail information.

Absent from this list is Lake Kissimmee, a longtime favorite of many Florida fishermen because of its large bass. The lake has a healthy population of 13- to 14-inch bass, and some real monsters said Marty Mann, a biologist with the FWC’s Kissimmee office.
Lake Kissimmee is the best in the Kissimmee chain for speckled perch (black crappie), bluegill and shellcracker (redear sunfish), Mann said.

New on the best-bass lakes list this year is Crescent Lake near the St. Johns River northwest of Daytona Beach. FWC biologists using electric stunning methods for sampling fish there turned up “good numbers” of 8-plus-pound bass. Fall and early winter tend to produce the best bass fishing at Crescent Lake.

Other top 10 bass lakes designated by the FWC are:

• Rodman Reservoir, east of Gainesville and south of Palatka. The state’s largest bass of 2000 – 15 pounds, 17 ounces – came from the reservoir. Most big bass are caught in the “stump fields” along the river channel. Limited-consumption mercury warnings apply for women of childbearing age and children under 10.

• Lake George, east of Ocala and northwest of Deland. One of the many natural lakes along the St. Johns River, Lake George is the second-largest lake in the state, behind Lake Okeechobee, and is a favorite for those who enjoy wade fishing with plastic worms or top-water lures. Limited-consumption mercury warnings apply for women of childbearing age and children under 10.

•Lake Tarpon, north of Tampa near Tarpon Springs. Lake Tarpon anglers often catch 20-plus bass, most of them 12 to 16 inches but some up to 10 pounds. Flipping and pitching along bulrush edges and canal banks can be productive, as can fishing humps and eelgrass beds offshore. Limited-consumption mercury warnings apply.

•Lake Tohopekaliga, also known as Lake Toho, just south of the town of Kissimmee. This lake has produced a documented 17.1-pound bass. And this is the lake that produced Dean Rojas’ record-setting string of five bass that weighed 45 pounds, 2 ounces in January 2001. Plans to drawn down Toho for shoreline restoration have been postponed until the fall. Limited-consumption mercury warnings apply.

•Stick Marsh/Farm 13, near Fellsmere west of Vero Beach. The re-flooded farm fields have become a hot bass-fishing spot, and FWC sampling in 2002 confirms “good reproduction and growth” of bass. Anglers find fish near stumps, submerged canals and hydrilla domes. All bass must be released.

• Lake Walk-in-water, off State Road 60 east of Lake Wales. Anglers frequently catch 25 bass, with several in the 4- to 8-pound range, by drifting live shiners over hydrilla domes on the northern half of the lake. A three-bass limit and 15- to 24-inch slot limit apply, as do limited-consumption mercury warnings.

•Lake Istokpoga, between U.S. 27 and U.S. 98 south of Sebring and east of Lake Placid. This lake is known for large bass, with regular catches of 8-pounders and some between 10 and 13 pounds, the FWC said. Live shiners and pitching soft plastics in bulrush patches around the lake’s two islands can be productive. A 15- to 24-inch slot limit and three-bass bag limit apply, as do limited-consumption mercury warnings.

•At 730 square miles, Lake Okeechobee is the state’s largest lake and borders western Palm Beach and Martin counties. (If you can’t find Okeechobee, just look at a map of Florida and find the big blue area in the middle of the state. ) Anglers find fish on bulrush at Eagle Bay Island, Kings Bar and Little Grassy Island on the north end and in eelgrass near South Bay on the south end. Plastic worms and spinnerbaits usually are productive. All bass 13 to 18 inches must be released. A limited-consumption mercury warning applies for women of child-bearing age and children under 10.

• Everglades Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3, off U.S. 27 in western Broward and Dade counties. The best bass fishing tends to be in the spring, when falling water levels force bass to move from shallow marshes into canals. The L-67A and L-35B, accessible from Everglades Holiday Park and the Sawgrass Recreation Area off U.S. 27, are two popular fishing canals. Because of mercury, no Everglades bass longer than 14 inches should be eaten. Limited consumption is advised for the smaller bass.

Hope this helps you make a decidtion to come fish one of these great rated fisheries.

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Staff Writer BASSonline) fishing@bassonline.com
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS

Spring is peak season for bass fishing in Florida. Hit any lake in the state this time of year and you stand good chance of bringing home a five-pound bass. Now while anglers may talk about legendary lunkers, to tell the truth, it’s not the size that matters. It’s the numbers.

That is why professional bass fishing tournaments have a five-fish bag limit. Anybody can get lucky once and catch a whopper, but it takes a skilled fisherman to catch several fish in the five-pound range.

And that is exactly what

Brackin caught most of his fish using crankbaits along the deep-water ledges of the Kissimmee River, a recently resored waterway that empties into “The Big O.”

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit www.FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

Till next time tight lines and good fishing….
From Bass Online Staff Writer
BassOnline.com / 888-829-BASS

Today, I fished with Ernest from North Carolina and his new found friend Hank from Kentucky. They met while walking around there hotel on Pompano Beach, Florida and only after minutes together realized they both had a love for bass fishing. It wasn’t long after that, they started to scam up a fishing trip and then called us @ 888 629-2277

Once, they arrived I could tell right away that at least Ernest was a die hard, as he showed up at the Everglades Holiday Park boat ramp with his own rod and reels while on vacation. Just a few minutes on the water with these two I know we would be having a good day together, no matter how the fish decided to bite. Once we arrived at the first location, they both deiced to start out with topwater. It wasn’t like I had to twist there arms either, it was more like two kids with a new video game…did you say…”topwater.”

We fished top water for hours with success, changing to frogs, then to using all kinds of plastics. They both finely settled on the brand new “bass bone” lures I just received. These lures are a wacky style lure and neither angler had ever experienced using wacky lures or anything like this. When it was all said and done, we estimated they caught around 60 largemouth bass with the largest today coming on the last cast of the day by Ernest, it weighted just over 5 lbs.

Really appreciate these guys getting together to fish with us, just proves. Anytime, anywhere, there’s no bad time to be Florida bass fishing in the Everglades!

I look forward to talking fishing with all of you!

Tight Lines,
Capt Todd
todd@bassonline.com
888-629-2277
www.BassOnline.com
www.hawghunter.net
www.bassauthority.com
www.flpeacockbass.com
www.basson-line.com