“Fishing has been very good down there, with big weights coming in,” McDaniel said. “There was an Xtreme Bass tournament last Sunday and the fellows who won it were fishing Kissimmee. They weighed in 28 pounds and thee were three fish over 9 pounds weighed in.”

The fish are in transition, McDaniel said, with some still spawning but most in the post-spawn phase.

“There are some fish still shallow and some moving out to the deeper holes for the summer. That’s probably why everybody is doing pretty good. You can catch them on just about anything.”

McDaniel said the Toho Marine elite One Man Trail is doing very well this year, averaging 30 to 40 boats a tournament.

“Because we fish different locations, we tend to lose a few, but pick up some locals who like to fish their local waters. Then there are some guys who fish all the tournaments and they are our core of anglers.”

The entry fee for the tournaments is $100, with a 100 percent payback based on the number of entries, plus two big fish spots, McDaniel said. The points champion will win free entries to the monthly tournaments for the following year. Each angler also pays a one-time $25 membership fee.

“Anglers can sign up by mail to Toho Marine, if it gets in on time, or they can pay cash at the ramp. It’s too late to mail an entry in for this tournament Saturday, so anyone who has not sent an entry in yet will have to pay at the ramp.”

McDaniel said the entry fee for the two-day Classic at the end of the season is $200, with a 100 percent payback based on the number of entries.

“There will also be a lot of bonus prizes and giveaways provided by the sponsors, rods and reels, that sort of thing,” he added.

On the tournament website McDaniel and co-director Jimmy Murphy listed the following four reasons for anglers to fish the Toho Marine Elite One Man Tour:

1. You need to land your own fish since you won’t have a partner to net it for you.

2. You make all the decisions on what spots to fish, how long to fish that spot and when it is time to move on to a new spot.

3. You can’t blame your partner if your day doesn’t turn out as planned.

4. You get to keep all the prize money.

The series schedule for the rest of the season includes: April 19, Lake Kissimmee/Camp Mack; May 24, Lake Istokpoga/Hwy 98 Ramp; June 21, Lake Harris/Buzzard Beach; July 19, Lake Kissimmee/Camp Mack; and Aug. 23, Lake Okeechobee/Scott Driver; with the Classic, Nov. 7-8, Lake Toho/Red’s Fish Camp.

 

Toho Marine Elite One Man Trail

Sat, Apr 19, 2014

Kissimmee Chain of Lakes

Camp Mack’s River Resort

Call Jimmie Murphy at 352-789-5351

or Bob McDaniel at 407-557-0048

www.tohomarine.com