Kayak Bassin’ on East Lake Toho

Happy Monday Spacefish!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week as we progress through the month of October. The weather is starting to cool, with autumn-esque mornings, though it does get hot again by the afternoon. But we are due a blast of icy air from the north, and a tropical storm is moving up through the Caribbean. With the drop in temperatures, the fishing will be consistently better whether you are targeting fish inshore or in the freshwater realm.

Bass fishing can really become explosive this time of year through the early winter, and one of the places you might want to check out is East Lake Toho. I won’t describe this lake as “overlooked,” but it does get overshadowed at times by big Lake Toho. I like fishing from East Lake Toho because it is a closer drive from Melbourne, and like all of the lakes on the Kissimmee Chain, it holds quality fish!

Launch Spot

I wrote a report about East Lake Toho a few years ago, on that trip, I launched from the south side of the lake and worked west. On this trip, I launched from Chisholm Park Public Boat Ramp on the east side of the lake. After launching, I worked my way north. I immediately got on some fish and didn’t go too terribly far from the original launch. If you have ever seen East Lake Toho from a satellite map, you can see that it is bowl-shaped. It is a classic Florida soup bowl lake.

The lake is lined with vegetation in the shallows. It consists of Kissimmee Grass and other types of emergent cover like reeds, bulrushes, and lily pads. The depth gradually drops off once you push off from the reeds, and there is submergent cover, even offshore, that will hold fish. You don’t need forward-facing sonar to find fish; you can cruise out in the open and look for signs of activity. However, for the kayak angler, wind can become an issue at this lake, so it is important to look at the wind forecast before launching.

Speedworms

I know this is going to come as a huge surprise, but my go-to bait on my most recent trip to East Lake Toho was the speedworm. I threw the Bitter’s version in Junebug Silver. I had it rigged with a 3/16 oz tungsten weight, pegged with a bobber stopper, on a 3/0 EWG, with 30-pound braid tied straight to the hook.

This is a fantastic “search bait” as it can be thrown pretty much anywhere, from open water to the thickest of cover. You can retrieve it at various speeds, and can use this to try and establish a geographic pattern of where fish may be holding in a lake on a particular day. I got most of my bites targeting fish in the sparse reeds on the edge of the line of vegetation lining the lake. The magic water depth seemed to be 3-6 feet. I got most of my action by slow rolling this bait and letting it bump through the submerged vegetation.

Flipping Worms

I targeted areas of thicker vegetation with a senko-style, stick worm. The Bitter’s version, the color pattern that worked well for me was Junebug with a Blue tail. I had this bait rigged very similar to the speedworm, but instead of a 3/16, I went up to a ⅜. I stood up in the kayak and pitched/flipped this bait into the pockets of the reeds. Once it fell, I dragged it back as slowly as possible. I didn’t catch as many fish as I did on the speedworm, but I did catch a good quality fish doing this. Sometimes the bigger Bass will be holed up in the thicker slop, where they can chill out, conserve energy, and wait for something to come to them. Flipping and punching are great ways to get baits in front of those fish that may be taking shelter. It is also a great way to get bites from fish that may receive a lot of angling pressure, as this is a great way to get a reaction strike.

Popping Frogs

Outside of the worms, the other bait I worked in the mix was a Gambler Popping Frog. I started my morning with it. I caught one smaller fish, but I still had that rod rigged up. As the day progressed, the clouds rolled through, providing moments of lower visibility at the surface. Mid-morning or mid-day cloud cover can trigger a good bite at the surface, which is why I never remove my topwater set-up. You just never know!

Another thing that I have noticed over the years, and this is more of a Bass fishing thing, but increased wind, and choppy water can trigger a good topwater bite as well, especially if you have something that causes a good deal of surface commotion like a popper, or a prop-bait. So I threw a popping frog as close to the reeds as I could and slowed down with the retrieve… pop-pause, pop-pop-pause, pop-pause. If you are as ADHD as me, the waiting part may be hard, but good things come to those who wait, and you may be surprised at the amount of hits you get with a prop bait or popping frog if you hold longer on the pauses.

Conclusion

East Lake Toho is one of those lakes that can always lead to a dynamite fishing trip. But just make sure to read the forecast, especially with the wind, this giant, soup-bowl lake can really get choppy with the wind, but if you choose your launch spot wisely, you can have a really enjoyable day of fishing. As the weather cools, this place has a great reputation for Speck fishing as well!

Thank you for taking the time to read this report. With the holidays approaching it is the perfect time to start some early shopping, why not give yourself an awesome gift from Kayaks By Bo! Whatever you may want, or need, in the kayak fishing realm, I can assure you…they have it!

Stay safe, be happy, Happy Halloween, and may your lines be ever tight in the week ahead! Until next time!