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Bass Fishing In Florida

The largemouth bass is the most sought after fishing species in the state. Florida is the perfect environment for largemouth bass. Vegetation is usually abundant. Forage species such as panfish, shiners, minnows, and shad feed and hig in this weed growth. This in turn attracts predator fish such as largemouth bass.

Whether you are a seasoned angler looking for a trophy bass, or a newcomer to the bass fishing world, Florida is any bass fisherman’s dream come true. You can make your dream more colorful by wearing a bass fishing shirt when you go fishing bass in Florida, here. 


Florida has hundreds of accessible lakes and rivers, offering amazing numbers of great bass fishing lakes. All locations mentioned here are top – rated Florida bass fisheries. 

Whether your goals are to catch big bass or large quantities, there is a Florida fishery for you. Here are some of the best bass- fishing lakes in the state.


1/ Kissimmee 

Lake Kissimmee is the southernmost lake in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, and it is also one of the top lakes in Florida for catching trophy largemouth bass because of its perfectly fertile environment and good water quality. The fertile soil creates healthy abundant food sources such as zooplankton, insects, and forage fish. The rich food sources allow the Lake Kissimmee bass to grow fast. The lake also has good water quality and contributes to a healthy bass population.

2/ Rodman Reservoir

You are looking for strictly a trophy largemouth bass, North Florida is the place to visit.  The Rodman Reservoir has been one of the most productive fishing destinations in the state for big bass. Rodman Reservoir, located south of Palatka in Putnam County, is a premier largemouth bass fishery situated in Northeast Florida.

 Because of its great reputation for trophy catch success so there are many anglers travel to Rodman Reservoir.  The best time for monster bass and getting that trophy fish is during spawning season, runs from late December through May. Anglers can have more bass and are good at about number and quality  in deeper waters for cooler temperatures in the river channel. 

 Weed mats are also an excellent place to catch largemouth bass in the warmer months.

3/ Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee is the most well – known big bass lake in Florida, famous for its quantity and quality bass produced regularly. It is Florida’s largest lake and is the second. Okeechobee averages only 9 feet deep, but boasts more than 150,000 acres of productive vegetation that includes Kissimmee grass, bulrush, cattails, hydrilla, hyacinth and lily pads which are food of bass. 

 

4/ Toho

Lake Tohopekaliga, or lake Toho for short. It in Central Florida is the uppermost lake in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. Lake Toho is full of vegetation, including lily pads, cattails, weed mats, bulrush, and Kissimmee grass . There is a healthy bass population due to its vegetation.  Fish management improved the bottom of Lake Toho by allowing extreme drawdowns to its water level, making the shoreline of Lake Toho prime for bass spawning success. 

Lake Toho is home to numerous annual bass fishing tournaments. According to Bassmaster magazine,Lake Toho is considered the most consistent bass lake in the country for producing both numbers and trophy bass. It is one of the most popular bass lakes in Florida and is extremely popular among tournament anglers. 

5/ Istokpoga

It is the fifth – largest natural lake in Florida. Istokpoga offers an array of shallow vegetation including hydrilla, spatterdock, bulrush, cattails, pepper grass, eelgrass and Kissimmee grass that big fish love. March and October are prime months for cooler weather and lots of bass. It is consistently one of the big bass producing lakes in all of Florida and throughout the entire United States. It is a beautiful area and designated as a Fish Management Area. Overall it is very shallow, with averages around only 8 feet. 

The best characteristic of lake Istokpoga is its reputation of having quality bass throughout the year, not only during spawning season. 


6/ The harris chain of lakes

The Harris Chain of Lake is one of the most prolific bass lakes in the state. 

 It is nutrient rich and filled with large shad, bluegills, and golden shiners to feed the enormous trophy fish. 

The Chain of Lake consists of nine lakes and covers about 76,000 acres. Today, The Harris Chain of Lakes is exceptionally fertile with mostly dark stained water. This freshwater lake is primarily covered in Kissimmee grass, lily pads, eelgrass, and bulrushes. 

Many bass fishing tournaments are hosted every year on these lakes because of the healthy populations of fish and the average weight of the fish that are caught. Harris Chain of Lakes has a 15 – foot ditch created by clay mining, which is now home to many good – sized bass. Anglers can catch many of these bass with artificial lures by trolling or casting deep diving crankbaits near this structure.


7/ Lake George

It is the second largest bass lake in Florida after Lake Okeechobee. It’s one that offers you plenty of room to explore. This fishery is relatively shallow with an average depth of eight feet and is very brackish for a lake. The lake is the best known for its big bass, striped bass. There are plenty of spots to catch big Florida bass, like the remnants of an old bombing range throughout the lake or a sunken ship in the middle of the water. 

8/ The Butler Chain 

This interconnected Chain of 11 lakes promotes one of the most unique Florida bass experiences. It is considered relatively deep for a Florida lake with 20 to 40 foot holes. 

Bass fishing on this lake can get very exciting. It has a large quantity of largemouth bass, making Butler best known for its numbers rather than size.  It has abundant submerged vegetation, making it a top Florida bass lake for catching numbers. 


9/ Lake Tarpon

Lake Tarpon is located about 10 miles west of Tampa in Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States. It's surrounded by houses and resorts with tons of fishing opportunities. It is known as the “jewel of Pinellas County”, is a consistently productive spot for Florida bass fishing. 

The lake’s bottom has deep – water holes and shallow edges with grass beds for the thriving populations of various fish species. Two county parks border the lake with boat ramps, east John Chestnut Park and wst A.L Anderson Park. Because of its location, Lake Tarpon hosts numerous bass tournaments.