Fishing Advice Please!

[sandshal]

My DH has agreed to go back to Orlando in May purely to visit and spend an enormous amount of $ in Bass Pro!

Are there any other fishermen or women out there who have any experience of fishing in or around the Orlando area. Ive noticed in Simons 2004 Brits Guide, 2 people fishing off a Pontoon boat in Bay Lake - anyone tried this? or can you recommend a reasonably priced alternative for a few hours, we'are staying in a villa and have transport around the area.

Many thanks

Sharon

 

[Hilary]

DH does a lot of fishing in Florida on our trips, and spends a lot of $$ in the fishing aisles in Walmart! He discovered Bass Pro last trip and is already salivating at the thought of going back there in a couple of weeks' time .

I don't have time to post much fishing info right this minute as DD is frantically trying to finish course work before college tomorrow and needs the PC , but I will get back to you with any advice I can get from DH

Where will you be staying? Will your DH be taking his own tackle?

 

[disneyholic family]

we always take the Disney guided fishing excursion on the seven seas lagoon/bay lake...
they provide everything (including live bait - which you have to pay for separately), as well as soft drinks....

it's catch and release so those bass are plentiful and quite big since you have to keep throwing them back...

they take you out on one of the big pontoon boats (i think it holds up to 12 people, but you pay by the boat, not number of people on board)........

i can't remember how long it's for. 2 hours?...2.5 hours?....i can't remember...something like that...

it's really very nice and the CM fishing guides (the person who drives the boat and will also teach beginners how to fish/ put the bait on the hook for the squeemish, etc) are always very nice....and typically extremely knowledgeable about fishing in the area, so can give you tips about other places to fish besides WDW....but we've never gone beyond there (while in florida that is)..

we always have a great time..

keep in mind that if you go in the summer, it's HOT....and HUMID....and the sun can kill you in no time at all when you're out on the water...so be sure to use LOTS of sun screen....you might even consider wearing longs sleeves and long trousers to keep that skin covered up....or else bring towels to throw over your legs........

we've done it about 5 years in a row now and always have a great time....well....i have a great time watching the kids (18 and 21 years old) and taking pictures of the zillions of fish they catch on each trip....and my husband has a great time watching the kids and chatting with the guide about anything and everything...and he usually catches one or two just to say he did....the kids usually catch at least 15 bass each per trip.....some of them gigantic...(they struggle to hold them up for the picture they're so heavy)...

We're always picked up at either the GF or the CR....they take you out on the lake to fish and then at the very end they take you in the boat over to FW to pay and then take you in the boat back to wherever it was that they picked you up (e.g. GF, CR)....

I can't remember how much it is....it's not cheap but it's worth every penny as far as i'm concerned...you pay for the boat/guide, plus the bait, plus a tip (we always give a very big tip as the CMs have always been deserving)....

highly recommended.....

 

[Hilary]

Back now with a bit more time to post

DH has never been on an organised trip in Orlando, only elsewhere in Florida. One of the things he finds a bit of a hurdle on guided trips is that the charge is usually per boat+guide, not per person. Not too bad if it's a small boat or if you're one of a large party but, if you're on your own, you'll pay for the whole boat however many empty spaces there are.

Personally, I certainly wouldn't put it in the 'reasonably priced' bracket - for example, the Disney-arranged trips on Bay Lake are approx. $220 for up to five people in the boat for a couple of hours. Not bad if there are five of you, but it's the same price if it's just your DH on his own. Check out this link for some more info.

In Orlando we always stay on site and DH fishes the waterway from the bank at the resort - not allowed in all WDW resorts - with some success. I don't know if that's the kind of fishing that would appeal to your DH, but there might be a similar possibility near your villa, expecially if it's in a community with a waterway through it. Presumably, he'd need to provide his own tackle to do this type of fishing.

 

[disneyholic family]

You can fish (catch and release) on Ole Man Island at POR (formerly Dixie Landings)...
you can rent basic stuff there as well, but it's not particularly good fishing...(we did it one year, but didn't enjoy it)....

And as i recall there's also fishing at fort wilderness (in the canals there), but i'm not sure....and i've seen people fishing around DTD...

as i've already posted, we love the guided fishing excursion on bay lake/7 seas lagoon........even if it were just my husband and me, and only he were fishing, it would still be worth it for us.......to each his own.......

 

[sandshal]

Thanks to both of you - the information you've provided is superb!. There will be 9 of us in all so both would be good options for us. Maybe a few hours on a pontoon boat for all of us and maybe an escape for a couple of hours on a quiet stretch of river for DH alone one day. With regards tackle, I suspect he will buy enough at Bass Pro to see him through!

Thanks again and if you can think of anything else let me know.

Sharon

 

[disneyholic family]

Thanks to both of you - the information you've provided is superb!. There will be 9 of us in all so both would be good options for us. Maybe a few hours on a pontoon boat for all of us and maybe an escape for a couple of hours on a quiet stretch of river for DH alone one day. With regards tackle, I suspect he will buy enough at Bass Pro to see him through!

Thanks again and if you can think of anything else let me know.

Sharon

You should check on how many people can be on the boat...Hilary says 5 and she may be right....there's place for more than 5 to sit on the boat, but in terms of fishing, there are 5 'fishing chairs'.....2 at the back, 2 at the front and one on the side....at least that's what i remember.....or maybe there's 2 on the side......
but there's also the area in the middle where several more people can sit....(and i think these pontoon boats take 12 in addition to the driver)...
but you should check it with the reservation people....you can usually book these when you're already in florida, since they don't sell out...however, the good times do tend to sell out....

the cost is definitely over $200 but i can't remember exactly....plus you pay a bit for bait...plus the tip...we've never tipped less than $50, sometimes much more than that...

 

[Hilary]

You can fish (catch and release) on Ole Man Island at POR (formerly Dixie Landings)...
you can rent basic stuff there as well, but it's not particularly good fishing...(we did it one year, but didn't enjoy it)....

DH agrees! He found the fishing on the waterway at DxL and POFQ pretty good, but gave the Fishin' Hole a miss. He thought it looked okay as an introduction to fishing for children / family fun, but not for anyone used to fishing.

There will be 9 of us in all so both would be good options for us.

It sounds as though you'll have plenty of potential for getting a great trip together

I must admit I love Bass Pro, too - not so much for the fishing gear as for the clothing and 'outdoorsy' bits and pieces. We now take shopping lists for DH's friends when we go anywhere near tackle places in Florida ...

 

[sandshal]

Thanks Hilary, like women have shoes, my husband collects fishfinders! because they're so much cheaper in the states, but exactly how many fishfinders do you need on the Norfolk Broads? No point arguing!

 

[NotUrsula]

This Florida State Fish & Wildlife Commission website should be helpful. http://www.floridaconservation.org/Fishing/fishorlando/index.html

Apparently there is a program on Turkey Lake that allows for renting a bass boat for $15/day. I would call that an affordable deal.

 

[Latte Lover]

Hi
DH says don't forget you will need to get a fishing license (this is normally included in an organised trip). Bass Pro sell them.

 

[jonkatony]

I am staying at pofq and have thought about fishing at por. Personally I coarse fish (mostly matches) and hour catching anthing for me on holiday would be just about right,h as anyone any imformation?