Bass on the Butler Chain
October 15, 2008
The Butler Chain of Lakes in Windermere offers some of the most pristine waters in Central Florida, yet it’s far less renowned than nearby Harris Chain and Kissimmee Chain. It’s the clearest and deepest water you’ll find around here with fantastic bass action.
I like fishing here because it’s totally different from most of the lakes around this area. The clear water and depths lend itself to structure fishing which is not a commonplace in Central Florida. I can break out my deep cranks, swimbaits, and finesse baits. I can fish for bedding fish in 8 feet of water. I can throw topwater in 15 feet of water. You just can’t do this anywhere else around here. Besides, there’s something about being out in really clear water that’s just nice.
Don’t get me wrong there’s shallow fish here as well, but most of the big fish will come out of deeper depths because of the clear water. There’s plenty of timber, reeds, and pads in shallow water if you decide to take that route. I just enjoy structure fishing here, because you just don’t get to do it anywhere in Central Florida. Besides, I heard some saying about 90% of the being behind you when you’re throwing at the bank. I’d say it holds true here.
My favorite lakes are Butler and Down. There’s lots of humps and ledges to fish and the key is to find the vegetation or shell beds on these structures. It’s a constant battle locating them because Fish and Wildlife kills them off from time to time.
The only public access is located at 10900 Chase Rd at the RD Keene Park in Windermere. I suggest fishing during the week because there’s a lot less boat traffic and the parking lot fills up quite rapidly on weekends.
As far as tackle, my favorite on these lakes are worms, flukes, crankbaits, swimbaits, and spinnerbaits. Stick with watermelon or green pumpkin for worms. I prefer the finesse type plastics such as the senko, trick worm, giggy snake, and shaky head worm. There’s a lot of shad here so white flukes also produce quite well on a weightless texas rig or carolina rig. The best colors for crankbaits and swimbaits are white, chartreuse shad, ghost color, or anything that looks more natural and realistic. Anytime the bass are feeding on shad, a spinnerbait is deadly. If I’m trying to locate some fish, a white or translucent spinnerbait is my go to bait. The best color is white with double willow leaf blades, but sometimes the bluegill color finds the bigger fish. Often times, jigging it off the bottom will catch the biggest fish out of the school.
Here’s a map from back in the day from Tim’s Tackle Box on Michigan Avenue. It used to be the biggest tackle shop around Central Florida before the days of Bass Pro Shops. I used to love going in there and hearing all the aerators running with a hint of something in the air… probably reel grease.
click to enlarge
The Butler Chain is a fantastic fishery that doesn’t get a whole lot of pressure. It’s the nicest lake near the attractions so I’d check out fishing here if you’re in town on vacation.
virtual tour: Butler Chain
