Spring bass fishing on Lake Toho here in Central Florida is one of the most productive times for catching good numbers of bass as well as the trophy bass of a lifetime. The reliability of bass fishing on Lake Toho at this time of year is due mainly to the weather becoming very stable and in turn the bass fishing is also very stable and productive at this time of year. AJ’s Bass Guides has been in operation since 1970 and holds the lake record of 16 pounds 10 ounces which was caught by Ed Chancy the founder of AJ’s Bass Guides in the month of May in 1977 on a black grape paddle tail plastic worm. Captain Jamie Jackson caught the second largest bass out of Lake Toho weighing 15 pounds 8 ounces also in the month of May in 1987 on a rattletrap during the 1987 drawdown. Florida bass fishing in the spring is the best time of year for catching big bass on large golden wild shiners as well as artificial lures. If it is artificial lures that you are interested in, springtime is what we consider the best time of year for fishing artificials on Lake Toho. It is not uncommon to catch a 5 bass limit weighing over 30 pounds on artificials at this time of year. 2023 has been one of the best years that we have seen for catching trophy-sized Lake Toho Florida bass in a very long time. As we move into the spring months this type of fishing will continue and the outlook for this spring may be the best that we have seen yet for catching a Lake Toho trophy. Also 2023 has been one of the busiest years that we have ever experienced in the 53 years that we have been in operation and even though we have 12 full-time captains working for us we recommend reserving your date as early as possible while we still have one of our professional full-time Lake Toho bass guides available. Looking forward to seeing y’all soon and bass wishes, Captain Jamie Jackson

The upcoming fishing season on Lake Toho is our peak season for the year mainly because this is the beginning of the spawning months here in Central Florida. November through March is when Lake Toho produces the vast majority of trophy-sized bass over 10 lbs and it is also our peak season overall for bass fishing here in Central Florida. The fishing is so good during this time of year mainly because this is the time that the bass are in their pre-spawn and spawning stages which produce some of the best catches and some of the biggest bass during trips. Averaging 20 to 30 bass per day and good chances daily at trophy size bass over 10 lb throughout this period. Lake Toho produces more bass over 10 pounds than any other body of water in the nation and is considered the premier trophy bass fishing lake throughout the USA. The best methods for catching large numbers of bass as well as trophy bass over 10 lb are with the large golden wild shiners which range between 6 and 10 inches in size. During this time of year the big Lake Toho lunker bass become keyed in on large golden shiners before they go on to beds and spawn. This gives bass Anglers the best chance of any time of year to catch their trophy bass of a lifetime. Artificial lures can also be productive if you have had a spell of good weather in between cold fronts but the wild shiners are always the the way to get your best chances at trophy size bass out of Lake Toho. It is well known throughout the bass fishing community that this is our best time of year for fishing on Lake Toho for lunker sized bass, and this is also when our clients are looking to book trips with our captains to get their chance at a trophy bass. Because of this being our peak season we usually book up several weeks or even a month or so in advance with all of our nine captains. If you are looking to book it is recommended that you reserve your trip several weeks ahead of time or even a month or two ahead of time to ensure that we have one of our captains available for you on the day that works best for you. Now is the time to start thinking about what day you would like to get on Lake Toho and catch the trophy bass of a lifetime and reserve your trip while we still have availabilities open for the day that you’re looking for. Our captains are here to work for you and guide you to the best fishing experience that you’ve ever had in your life on Lake Toho located here in Kissimmee Florida just minutes from Disney World. So isn’t it high time that you get your chance at your trophy bass with AJ’s bass guides. Captain Jamie Jackson

The bass fishing on Orlando’s Lake Toho has remained excellent this summer! We’re continuing to average 20- 30 bass on our charters with 5+ pounders remaining common. The recent Icast cup which was held on the lake by Major League fishing, and had a 3 fish limit, was won with an incredible 21lbs! With the heat of the summer here the best bite is during the first few hours of the morning when these fish binge feed, so these numbers are all coming from our shorter 2.5-4 hour trips. The reason for the consistently good fishing we’re experiencing is because of the abundance of healthy hydrilla that we have in the lake which has exploded the bait fish population and which has in turn exploded the bass population. With it being in the heat of the summer, the fish are all out in the deeper grass, brush piles, shell beds and in the running water that flows through the creeks and canals that run into and out of the lake with the summer rains we get. Bass have been schooling on shad on certain shell beds and offshore hydrilla fields. In these areas topwater lures such as whopper ploppers and “walk the dog” baits have been working well to put fish in the boat. With rattletraps, flukes, and jerkbaits working when the topwaters aren’t. In most other areas of hydrilla where the bass aren’t schooling on shad, speedworms, chatterbaits, and swimjigs in darker colors and just steadily reeled through the grass have been the ticket. Along with a topwater frog early around areas of topped out hydrilla. The best and most consistent bite of all as always has been on large golden wild shiners. There’s been some fast action catching both numbers and the big girls off of them early. With the expanses of healthy grass continuing to grow fish populations this already famous lake is becoming even better and it seems that there isn’t a bad time to fish world famous Lake Toho anymore. Anytime you’re out here you can easily experience the best bass fishing of your entire life in the jungles of Orlando’s Lake Toho. -Captain AJ

This has been one of the best years we’ve had fishing Lake Toho. We caught an absolute boat load of 8-12 pound bass this winter and it just keeps continuing. The core of engineers has lowered the lake to it’s low pool (which they do every year at this time to simulate the dry season) but with all the offshore hydrilla that is in the lake the fish have moved out into it and the bite has remained strong. And that’s where they’re at right now, the summer offshore bite is in full effect and the big girls are holed up in the thickest of it. Both the shiner and artificial bites have been effective. With the shiners of course giving you your best bet at a true giant. We’ve been continuing to pull in consistent bass over 8 pounds. Just check out our Instagram @orlandobassguides. With the bulk of the bass moving offshore there’s a few different things that they’ll move too. Most of them are in off shore hyrdilla. But with all the hydrilla on the lake it can be overwhelming. Here’s how you decipher it. Most of the fish will be on the outside edges of the it and in isolated patches that are off the main mats. Finding those isolated patches is the key to getting on them and staying on them consistently. That’s where the big girls sit. Reeling speedworms, swimjigs, and chatterbaits through the hydrilla has been the best bite on these areas with frogging and flipping coming into play when the wheather calls for it. There have also been groups of bass schooling on shad in certain areas of the lake. While the areas they school in are kind of random, once you find one of the these areas they tend to chase bait there consistently everyday. These areas can be fun with topwater often being the best thing you can use, rattletraps, and jerkbaits have been boating good amounts of schooling fish also. Catching over 20 fish in a short amount of time in these areas is not uncommon. The third and final spot fish have been moving too are brush piles. Most of the best brush piles are all unmarked. The ones marked with buoys tend to be overfished and it can be tough to get a good bite on them. Finding the unmarked ones can be tough but it can pay off when you finally locate a few. Now brush pile fishing can be very inconsistent. They’ll bite one day and the next, nothing. But the days they are biting it can be unforgettable. Catching multiple bass over 7 pounds in a day is not uncommon. What they’re biting can change day to day but common brush pile techniques are bullet weighted worms, shaky heads, crankbaits, and bottom jigs. With no algae bloom happening at the time of year like previous years the fishing hasn’t slowed a bit from the winter. Now’s as good of a time as ever to be fishing Lake Toho, and it could be the time you catch your fish of a lifetime. After all you can’t do it if you’re not fishing! Be a part of the action here at AJ’s Bass Guides. Capt. AJ

The peak season for catching trophy size bass here in Florida is upon us. And the lake is setting up just right for it to be a year of rich harvest for us trophy bass fisherman. With massive patches of offshore hydrilla, the lake level as high as it can be, and the water throughout the lake cleaner than ever, we’ve been consistently pulling in bass over 7 pounds no matter what the weather. The bass are fatter than ever filling up with eggs so they can spawn. With the extra weight in their bellies, they’re weighing heavy too. 6 pounders are weighing 7, 7’s weighing 8, and so on. They’re at their meanest too. Some of these fish are putting up extreme fights! It’s the best time of year for big fish and we’re working overtime to put as many of Lake Toho’s big girls in the boat as possible. We’re trying to break our big fish record during the winter months, and the way it’s going, it’s looking like we might just do it! The bass are in all stages. Pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn. And they’re in all levels of the lake. We’re catching fish offshore, on the outside edges of grass, and up shallow. January through March is a fun time to fish here because bass can be caught so many different ways. You can start offshore on hydrilla then move up inside the lilly pads and grass and catch good fish both places. You really get to experience all the lake has to offer! If you’re looking for trophies, large golden shiners are the way to go. While we get 8+ pounders on artificials, they are much more consistently caught on the shiners. But if you want to go with artificials, jerkbaits, chatterbaits, rattletraps, flukes, and flipping have all been catching good fish.

The bass fishing on Toho remains solid as we move closer to the peak winter time spawn in January, February, and March. Fish continue to constantly chase shad and shiners around feeding up for the upcoming months where they will be at their biggest. They’re already getting fat, really fat, and not because they’re filling up with eggs but because they’re filling up with so much bait! They’re all beginning to weigh more and more. We continue to be averaging catching 20- 30 on our 4 hour trips, and on our longer trips some days well over 40 bass on live bait! But with the recent cold fronts the artificial bite has become inconsistent. So we recommend going with the live bait to get the most out of your day right now. The bass are still sticking to the same pattern that they were on last month. And that’s bait. The bulk of the fish in the lake are all congregated around large groups of shiners and shad in open water, feeding up for the upcoming spawn in the winter. Finding the bait is the key to staying on good fish all day. They’re all congregated together right now, the big fish and the little. So once you find a group of fish you have to just keep catching them and you’ll pick off the big ones. Some bass have begun to move shallower in certain areas but the bulk of the bass are all still offshore on hydrilla, eel grass, and on the outside kissimmee grass edges. For artificials, topwater lures can be used to catch fish in areas where they are actively schooling and chasing bait. But the bulk of the fish are being caught off of jerkbaits and flukes as they best resemble the bait that they are chasing right now. Rattletraps have been working in these areas also, along with speedworms and chatterbaits swam through thicker grass. The bass fishing on Lake Toho continues to remain consistently good as it has throughout this whole year! And this winter peak season is setting up to be an absolute extravaganza. And that may be the first time I’ve ever used that word! So if you’re looking to do some bass fishing down in Orlando Florida this winter, now’s the time to book because January, February, and March is our busiest time of year and days book up fast! Bass wishes, Capt. AJ