Orlando Bass Club Inquiry

[flministock2]

Anyone belong to an Orlando area bass club?  I live in clearwater, fl but have recently started a new job in Orlando area.  Since I basically am living in Orlando through the week and go home on weekends, I am looking for a good bass club to join in the Orlando area.  I used to belong to the Clearwater Bass Club, but parted ways when I became unemployed and had to start tightening the "money" reins.

Any info/experiences on any clubs in the Orlando area would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[Chris]

http://bassresource.com/bassfish/bass_fishing_clubs.html

[flministock2]

Thanks for the reply, chris.  I was aware of the club listings on Bass Resource, but I was/am hoping to actually hear from a few/some members of a local club(s) who could give some quick info.  In any case, I will be checking out some of the local listings.

[Fish4FunInFl]

If you want to drive about 20 miles to the west of Orlando, there is a club I belong to.

Its in Clermont. ( South Lake )

[TDG]

My Brother In Law belongs to the "Central Florida Bass Masters" Club. They meet at Bass Pro shops once a month. I fished a couple of times with the club and they seem like good bunch of guys.

[flministock2]

Thanks guys for the info on the clubs, I'll check them out.  The one that meets at the Bass Pro Shop would really be convenient for me under my current circumstances.

[flministock2]

Hey TDG,

Can you provide a contact name and phone number for the "Central Florida Bassmasters"?  I tried locating them on the web, but cannot find a club with that name.  The closest I came was "Central Florida Bass Anglers" which has recently changed their club name to the "Orlando Bass Club".

Thanks.

[TDG]

I'll find out and get back to you.

[flministock2]

Thanks TDG, I appreciate it.  I look forward to this info!

[flministock2]

Hey TDG, did you ever find out that contact info on the Orlando Bass Club that holds their meetings at Bass Pro Shops? :-?  I haven't seen the info yet, so I thought I'd send a reminder out.

Thanks.

[George Welcome]

http://www.floridabassfederation.com/clubs

above link: Contains contacts - emails - phones

8719   Central Fl. B.A.S.S. Anglers  Neal   Lazarus   (407) 328-4223   nlazarus@juno.com  

[flministock2]

George,  Thanks for the link and info.  I have looked at their website (Central Florida Bass Anglers) and I don't believe it is the same club that TDG was referring too.  According to their website, they have their monthly club meetings at the ramp after weigh-in.  The one TDG was referring to has their monthly meetings at the Bass Pro Shop.  In any case, I will be contacting the club representative you provided to inquire about their club and tournaments, as well as checking the link you provided.  I do appreciate the information and was wondering if you belong to the Central Florida Bass Anglers club yourself?

Thanks again.

Jim

[GobbleDog]

I used to be in a local club called "O.B.B" also known as ... the Orlando Bassin Buddies.  : I hated that name. It has about 80+ members (40 boats or so).  And most of the anglers are very good.  Tough competition. They used to meet once a month (on a Tuesday I think) at the public library on the corner of Haiwassee Road and Chikasaw Trail, in the little shopping center. I forget which Tuesday of the month it was though.  I'll ask around where and when if you want more info.

The club I'm in now is called "The Central Florida Bass Club". We've already have a max of 20 boats and aren't adding any new boats this year. I have to admit I like the smaller club A LOT more. They payout are lower, but you can turn in a small limit and still have a pretty good shot at being in the money. And everyone knows each other. When I was in OBB, I turned in big limits of 18+ lbs a couple of times and still only got 3rd place. That was depressing.

[flministock2]

Gobbledog, thanks for the info.  Any info on the club would be appreciated.  The club your in now, you say they have the maximum number of boaters, but what about non-boaters.  I don't own a bass boat any longer and I am not sure how soon I will be getting another one, so I would be joining as a non-boater anyway.  I am hoping to find a good club where I might get the opportunity to fish more than just the club tournaments once a month.  I have a home in Clearwater and have recently been forced to take a job here in Orlando due to company layoffs a while back.  I was a member of the Clearwater Bassmasters for a while.  It was a good club, but now I am in Orlando more than I am home so I am looking to join a club here.  I personally never have like clubs in general as there tends to be a lot of bickering and disagreement more times than not and I just want to fish and have a good time.  Therefore, I do tend to be kind of picky about any given club which is why I have been solicting information from members to see what their club is like.

Thanks again for the info, current and future.

Jim

[GobbleDog]

I'll call my fishing partner later today and get you some more info on O.B.B. Unfortunately, they didn't have any non-boaters when I was in the club and I doubt that they do now. Outside of big-time FLW type tourneys, I don't know of any small clubs that use a non-boater. By the way, you don't actually need a fancy $20,000 bass boat to fish these types of tournaments. There are guys in O.B.B. and in my club who fish with john boats equipped with small 30+ horsepower engines and they still place in the money in some tournaments.

The club I'm in now doesn't actually have a set number of boats. It's just that most of the people in the club (including myself) don't want to see it expand any further. 20 boats is big enough to have a decent payout, but small enough that everyone knows each other (which keeps it honest) and everyone has a decent chance of winning (instead of just a few ringers). In O.B.B. it seemed like it was the same top 5 or so boats that won most of the tourneys.

Plus, in our small club, we hold catered Bar-B-Q dinners sometimes and we also pay for everyone's hotel rooms when we go down to Lake Okeechobee. Stuff like that. It makes it nice. I'll ask around to see if there are any local non-boater events, but honestly I doubt I'll find out very much.

[GobbleDog]

I just talked with a friend of mine who says the "Seminole County BassMasters Club" (or something like that) is a non-boater type of club. Unfortunately, he didn't know where they meet or anything. But with that name, you might be able to go into bait shops and find out more information.

One bait shop I would recomend asking for information is "Bitters Bait and Tackle" on U.S. Highway 17-92 in Longwood. It's just north of State Road 434. Every club in Orlando has some member who goes into that bait shop and talks about what's going on. They might be able to hook you up with some info if you call or stop by.

By the way, O.B.B. reportedly meets at that library I was telling you about on the 1st Tuesday of every month. But like I said, they don't do non-boater.

[bitethebullet]

ABA welcomes non boaters to fish their tournaments and there are several districts in Central Florida area.  Not exactly a club but you can fish some tournaments without having a boat.  I have fished 2 of the harris chain events so far this season about 35 boaters and 10 + non boaters.

[Chris]

Yeah John Bitter would be a good one to ask. (407) 699-6619

[Fish4FunInFl]

Hey Flmini, a guy in the club I am in is also a member of the one that meets at Bass pro Shop. We have our meeting this coming Tuesday night, and I will ask him for phone numbers etc.. of the club that meets at BPS. ( Hopefully he will be at the meeting and will have the info )

[flministock2]

Wow...thanks to all the replies.  I appreciate all the outpouring of information to my inquiry.  Fish4FunInFl, I'd appreciate that info should you be able to obtain it.

Thanks again to everyone for the help.