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Fishing With The Mouse

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By FRANK SARGEANT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 20, 2008

To be honest, it doesn't look like much of a spot for catching fish.

Personal watercraft by the dozens zip in every direction. Riverboats and jungle cruise boats and a bit of everything else continuously crisscross the lakes, loaded with tourists from around the world. And parasail boats roar past, dragging visitors far above the waters.

But the bass don't seem to mind.

Last week, on a trip to Disney World's Magic Kingdom, captain Bill Miller, Catch 47's Glen Pla and I joined host Dave Burkhardt of Triple Fish Lines and guide Roger Atwood on a fishing trip that was remarkable for breaking all the rules - and still turning up great action.

The fishing is done not from sleek bass boats nor with silent electric trolling motors to glide the angler into range, but from big pontoon boats designed to haul big families in shade and comfort. And the troller, there is none; the guide manipulates the boat with the Mercury outboard motor, which runs continuously, yet does not seem to spook the fish.

We started getting bites minutes after Atwood stopped the boat, just across Bay Lake from the busy Contemporary hotel. And the action was steady for the next three hours, even though we hadn't started fishing until 11 a.m., in the middle of a very hot summer day - usually the dead time for bass fishing.

It didn't seem to matter.

He Shoots, He Scores!

Though Atwood advised us to use the live shiners he had brought, all of us opted for plastic worms, and the bass liked them. I got three bites immediately but managed to hook only one of the fish, a scrappy 2-pounder.

"The fish move off the shoreline a little as the sun gets up, but there's a reef of grass about 20 feet out, and that's where they hang during the middle of the day," Atwood told us.

Minutes later, Pla, bouncing a small worm on a jig head, started to score on this offshore structure.

He got a 1-pounder, then a 2, then one close to 3 pounds while Miller and Burkhardt and I looked on. Burkhardt got a fish more than 2, and then Miller and I missed a couple of bites before I landed one around 2 pounds.

We hit a lull for several hundred yards, then found another school of fish, most of which chose - for reasons I will never understand - to bite Pla's lure instead of mine.

It went on like that through the next several hours, with the fish biting even better after we moved into the clear lagoon that separates the Magic Kingdom from the vast Disney parking lot. You could say that Pla beat us like a rented mule, in terms of total numbers, if you were Dan Rather. We all caught fish, but Pla had the hot hand.

"We have a total catch-and-release policy on all Disney waters, and I think that's why the fishing stays good," said Atwood, who has been guiding here for about seven years. "Plus, they can manage the water levels by pumping, so we never have stagnant water or water that gets too low."

If That Sounds Good ...

Though we had a good day, landing maybe 20 fish and getting at least a dozen added bites that we missed, it was nothing compared to some trips Atwood has run in the spring when the fish are most active.

"My personal best day was 96 fish in two hours with four anglers, and the best of any of the guides here has been 106," said Atwood, who is required to keep a written log on all his trips.

Though the fish average 2 to 3 pounds, managers recently stocked threadfin shad, hoping to boost the typical size. Atwood said in winter, anglers fishing live shiners occasionally do catch very large bass, with the biggest thus far just more than 10 pounds.

This is fishing comparable to the best phosphate pits in Polk County, but it's available to anyone visiting Disney. You don't have to pay the eye-watering main gate fee to fish here, either; it's a separate access. The fee is $250 for two hours, minimal if split among four anglers. Atwood said no state license is needed; the concession license covers everyone, and all tackle is provided.

To be sure, for those who see fishing as a chance to get away from it all and enjoy nature, this is not the place to go. But for a family with inexperienced young anglers, a short excursion on the Disney lakes might be just the ticket - maybe as a break from the crowds that mob Main Street at the vast attraction.

For more information, call (407) 939-7529.

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