Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — The volcano looming on the left is phony. The 2-pound bass tugging on the line is real.

Just 10 minutes into a two-hour guided trip, I'm reeling in a feisty fish just offshore of the faux South Seas landscape of Disney's Polynesian Resort. Astern, a monorail glides by and the spires of Cinderella's castle reach into the rose-tinged sunrise sky.

Walt Disney World is a place that traffics in fantasy — even if your fantasy entails a boss hawg largemouth bass.

More than 70,000 bass fingerlings were released into the 660 acres of Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon when the amusement park was being built in the late 1960s. The lakes, connected by a short canal, are now managed for lunkers, says guide J. R. Smith. Smaller bass are relocated to make eating easier for the big ones — so they can get even bigger.

The Disney record bass weighed more than 14 pounds. Smith says two bass wearing radio tags go at least 11 pounds each. The biggest of the four fish caught — and then released — on our trip was about 41/2 pounds.

And the fishing boat takes you to some magical places in the Magic Kingdom. On the far side of Bay Lake, across from the Contemporary Resort, you'll find a bit of what Florida was like before the Mouse moved in: cypress trees, egrets and herons fishing in the tall grass.

We even spotted a bald eagle sitting atop a tree near the water's edge.

Keeping an eye, no doubt, on that volcano.

IF YOU GO

The two-hour trip is $250 for up to five people. The price includes all equipment, bait and cold drinks. You don't need a state fishing license.

More information: 407-939-2277.