Lake Toho

[Dwight Hottle]

Second day at lake Toho fishing with a guy I have known since 3rd grade. We caught 32 bass drifting with shiners. All the bass were post spawn. Good times for two old guys. We had 16 fish the previous day two days after a cold front. 

 

[Jar11591]

Nice Hawgs Dwight 

[Mike L]

Excellent!

Did you stay in Toho both days or lock through??

 

 

 

Mike

[Dwight Hottle]

27 minutes ago, Mike L said:

Excellent!

Did you stay in Toho both days or lock through??

 

 

 

Mike

Mike we launched from Big Toho marine & stayed on Toho. 

[roadwarrior]

 

 

                                                 

[Swamp Girl]

Hot diggedy dog, Dwight!

[Darth-Baiter]

Live Bait?  that's Cheeting..haha

 

Just kidding.  I was a tiny kid when I watch a show where Roland was catching GIANT bass on big golden shiners in FL.  it looked amazing.  well, not for the shiners.  

 

that is amazing.

I've never done it.  probably never will get a chance.  can you tell me a bit about how it works?  I remember Roland using balloons.  how do you rig a shiner. ?

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Live Bait?  that's Cheeting..haha

 

Just kidding.  I was a tiny kid when I watch a show where Roland was catching GIANT bass on big golden shiners in FL.  it looked amazing.  well, not for the shiners.  

 

that is amazing.

I've never done it.  probably never will get a chance.  can you tell me a bit about how it works?  I remember Roland using balloons.  how do you rig a shiner. ?

Depends on the shiner. There are dozens of different kinds. Big golden shiners in FLA need a balloon, Tennessee shiners are not much bigger than a crappie minnow and can be rigged on small jig heads, circle hooks, split shot, small bobber, etc. 

[Captain Phil]

What you want are locally caught native golden shiners about 6"-8" long.  I have used shiners up to 12", but you won't get as many bites.  Those small commercial silver shiners they sell in some bait shops are worthless because they won't live long on a hook.  Golden shiners are sometimes hard to find because guides have them reserved in advance.  They are netted by commercial bait fishermen and weather is a factor.  They are also expensive.  It is common for guides to drive many miles to find good shiners during the season.  Small balloons are the best float because they will slide on the line and not get hung in the grass.  Tie the balloon directly to the line about 3-4 feet above the bait.  You may have to make some adjustments for local conditions.  In Rodman, they let the shiner swim back under the cover and use heavy tackle to haul the bass out.  Fishing with large golden shiners is the easiest way to catch a large Florida bass, just put her back in the water after the photo.

 

One would think all you need to do is throw out a shiner and wait for a ten pounder.  This is a false assumption.  You must fish where there are fish to be caught.  Good guides know where the fish are.  Be sure to communicate your expectations in advance.  Not all guides are experts on every type of fishing.

[Dwight Hottle]

13 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Live Bait?  that's Cheeting..haha

 

Just kidding.  I was a tiny kid when I watch a show where Roland was catching GIANT bass on big golden shiners in FL.  it looked amazing.  well, not for the shiners.  

 

that is amazing.

I've never done it.  probably never will get a chance.  can you tell me a bit about how it works?  I remember Roland using balloons.  how do you rig a shiner. ?

 

Depends on the cover. When fishing off shore we nose hook the shiner through the mouth & out a nostril that allows them to swim freely while free lining them without a float. We then trail them behind the boat about a cast length away using the trolling motor for propulsion or drift with a strong wind. We are targeting shell beds & isolated grass clumps & hydrilla patches. I like using spinning tackle for this with 20lb braid & a 15-20lb mono leader. I also like using a 3/0 Owner jungle wacky weedless hook. When fishing under grass mats I like to free line them on a weedless Owner K-hook in 4/0 or 5/0 size. Best way to hook them is under the anal fin or butt hook them as commonly called. This allows the shiner to swim under the mat for protection but they usually get trapped by the bass from underneath against the mat. The butt hook versus hooking in the back or thru the mouth is better for mat fishing because it gives me a better hookup ratio. Plus when a bass pushes the bait up underneath the mat they are eating them from the bottom first. If you let them swim too far under the mat you will have a major problem getting a hooked fish out of the cover. I use a heavy swimbait rod with 65lb 4 strand braid on casting tackle to help cut thru the weeds & pull them out. You can also use a float or balloon instead of free lining. The balloon usually keeps the shiner on the edge of the mat until he gets nervous or attacked & then runs under the matt. When fishing buggy whips or reeds we use the same tackle as mat fishing usually with a float or balloon.    

As others have said you want to use wild shiners for bait. I like to get a mix of sizes as sometimes they want a smaller bait rather than a bigger bait. But no shiner is too big for a trophy bass. Open water I always use a hard overhead hookset. When fishing under a mat with the bait running in hard I like to use a sideways hard set then reel like crazy to get them moving out under the matt. When you have hooked a fish that gets hung up under the matt & you can't get them out you have to either go after them with the boat or give them slack hoping that they will free them self's. 

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 

Depends on the cover. When fishing off shore we nose hook the shiner through the mouth & out a nostril that allows them to swim freely while free lining them without a float. We then trail them behind the boat about a cast length away using the trolling motor for propulsion or drift with a strong wind. We are targeting shell beds & isolated grass clumps & hydrilla patches. I like using spinning tackle for this with 20lb braid & a 15-20lb mono leader. I also like using a 3/0 Owner jungle wacky weedless hook. When fishing under grass mats I like to free line them on a weedless Owner K-hook in 4/0 or 5/0 size. Best way to hook them is under the anal fin or butt hook them as commonly called. This allows the shiner to swim under the mat for protection but they usually get trapped by the bass from underneath against the mat. The butt hook versus hooking in the back or thru the mouth is better for matt fishing because it gives me a better hookup ratio. Plus when a bass pushes the bait up underneath the matt they are eating them from the bottom first. If you let them swim too far under the mat you will have a major problem getting a hooked fish out of the cover. I use a heavy swimbait rod with 65lb 4 strand braid on casting tackle to help cut thru the weeds & pull them out. You can also use a float or balloon instead of free lining. The balloon usually keeps the shiner on the edge of the mat until he gets nervous or attacked & then runs under the matt. When fishing buggy whips or reeds we use the same tackle as mat fishing usually with a float or balloon.    

As others have said you want to use wild shiners for bait. I like to get a mix of sizes as sometimes they want a smaller bait rather than a bigger bait. But no shiner is too big for a trophy bass. Open water I always use a hard overhead hookset. When fishing under a mat with the bait running in hard I like to use a sideways hard set then reel like crazy to get them moving out under the matt. When you have hooked a fish that gets hung up under the matt & you can't get them out you have to either go after them with the boat or give them slack hoping that they will free them self's. 

That’s a clinic folks on how and where to use shiners down here!’

It’s been awhile but I usually either hook the dorsal for more open water and nose hook when throwing near mat’s but never used the anal hook. 
 

Next time I’m gonna try your way

Great tip!

 

 

 

 

 

Mike
 

[RipzLipz]

Nice pigs Dwight!