The 2021 Toyota Series presented by A.R.E. kicked off with a bang at Sam Rayburn Reservoir last week. The famed Texas impoundment produced two massive limits during the event: 39 pounds, 7 ounces caught by Derek Mundy and 34-1 caught by Jason Bonds.
If there’s any lake in the country that can possibly rival Rayburn’s roar, it’s Lake Toho and Florida’s Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. After all, this is the place where MLF pro Dean Rojas caught the biggest five-bass limit in professional tournament history weighing 45-2 in 2001.
That explains why this morning over 200 pros and Strike King co-anglers had visions of 10-pounders in their heads as they took off on Lake Toho for the first Southern Division event of the season, which is presented by Googan Baits.
A 40-pound plus bag might be a bit of a stretch this week for the Toho event, but it certainly has the potential to crack 30 pounds for a five-bass limit. After all, 10-pounders do live here.
About the Fishery
Though this Florida tournament venue is often referred to as Lake Toho, it’s actually the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes that runs down through Central Florida and includes – from north to south – Lake Tohopekaliga (Toho), Cypress, Hatchineha and Kissimmee.
On a map, all of these lakes look like typical Florida “salad bowls,” essentially round or oblong, natural, shallow lakes filled with vegetation. However, these lakes have something that sets them apart from hundreds of other “salad bowls” in Florida: the Kissimmee River connects them all, providing a healthy flow through the system.
Though it’s called a river, it’s more like a canal that connects all four lakes. Toho is the first in the chain at about 20,000 acres, then Lake Cypress at 5,000 acres, followed by Hatchineha at 6,500 acres and ending at Lake Kissimmee at 30,000 acres. From the top end of Toho to the bottom end of Kissimmee is about a 37-mile journey, encompassing about 63,000 acres of bass-rich waters.
The big decision pros are faced with at this venue is whether to fish Toho or Kissimmee – or perhaps even the two lakes in between. Leaving Toho requires going through a small lock that eats up the clock. The lock can only handle about 15 boats at a time with a turn around time of about 15 minutes.
Some years Toho is the better lake and some years Kissimmee is the better lake. The last time the FLW Tour visited Toho, Buddy Gross won fishing offshore grass in Toho. In the FLW Tour event prior to that, JT Kenney won fishing in both Toho and Kissimmee, though he did his big damage in Kissimmee.
Current Conditions
A recent hard cold front passed through Central Florida during the first of the week. High northwest winds have churned waters in Toho and Kissimmee up into a turbid mess. On top of that, overnight lows in the high 30s have cratered the water temperatures from mid-60s over the weekend to 59 degrees. Water levels are full pool to just a bit over full pool.
The good news is the front moderated on Wednesday afternoon and today is calling for mostly sunny conditions, light wind and a quick warm-up to the upper 60s. Going into the weekend, south winds pick up and temperatures warm up into the 70’s. That all sounds promising for big bass to move up, but the event is between moons with another front approaching on Saturday. With fronts stacked so close together, the warming trends between the fronts have not been enough to push a big wave of fish up on beds.
As for the current conditions of the lakes, Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit pro Darrell Davis says both Toho and Kissimmee are in great shape.
“The hydrilla in Toho is thick and healthy,” Davis says. “And the vegetation on Kissimmee looks good too, with plenty of healthy Kissimmee grass, pad stems and arrowheads. Sometimes the vegetation on one lake is in better shape than the other. But this year, both lakes look beautiful.”
Tactics in Play
According to Davis, cold water in Central Florida narrows fishing down to just a few options.
“The hydrilla bite is probably going to be the ticket this week,” he says. “With the water so cold, those big females get out in that open-water hydrilla and just hunker down. This is one of those tournaments where slow dragging a worm or Senko through deeper hydrilla is going to produce some big bites.”
Reaction lures like lipless crankbaits, jerkbaits and ChatterBaits will likely play a role in the hydrilla as well.
“Punching a big weight in matted vegetation will probably work this week, too,” Davis says. “That’s always a deal when it gets cold like this. There is some matted stuff around, but it’s pretty scattered.”
Current running through the system is a big X-factor at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. If – and that’s a big if – current is pulled through the lakes via the Kissimmee River, it stacks fish up where the current runs into the tops of the lakes. When this happens, anglers can go from zero to hero in a matter of minutes.
“If they pull current, it’s certainly a game-changer,” Davis says. “Most of the system is backed up right now because they can’t dump it out of Okeechobee too fast. So I’m betting there will not be much current run this week. But there’s always a chance they will run water.”
Critical Factors
- The wind – It blew hard out of the northwest for two days of practice and roiled up the water in the south ends of the lakes. The wind will be calm on the first day of the tournament, but then blow out of the south at 10 to 15 mph on Friday, which will murk up other areas. Clear water on Saturday might be a rarity.
- Water Clarity – Tied to the wind direction, water clarity gets jostled around in Florida lakes constantly. As the old saying goes in Florida fishing, if it’s getting churned up somewhere, it’s clearing somewhere else. Finding those windows where the water is clearing is a big deal.
- The lock – As in any tournament, the clock is ticking. With more than 200 boats, getting through the lock might take some time. Those with late boat draws might just plan to stick it out in Toho on day one to avoid the lock, but run to Kissimmee on day two with an earlier number. The Toho lock always plays a role in big events at this venue.
- Having something to yourself – With such immense fishing pressure, having an obscure stretch off the beaten path can pay big dividends.
Dock Talk
As for weights, Davis believes something between 54 to 60 pounds will win for three days.
“It’s Florida and usually what happens is a guy weighs in a really big bag one day, like 27 or 28 pounds, then backs it up with a couple of 13-pound bags. That will likely be the case this week.”
Whatever happens, there’s going to be plenty of sun in the afternoons, flip flops on feet and the chance at a 10-pounder. So, it’s set to be a good week in Florida.