By Frank Sargeant
Frankmako1@gmail.com
Where are the trophy bass in Florida?
That’s a big question as anglers looking for a personal-best largemouth plan trips to the Sunshine State for the spawn, which begins as early as December at Lake Okeechobee and lasts as late as April in north Florida.
There are trophy-sized bass everywhere in Florida—I once caught an 11 pounder from a lake of less than five acres. But for a visiting angler who has to get on the right spot and fish the right way to score in a week or less, there are only a few prime areas where this is most likely to happen. Here are some of the big fish lakes at present.
Rodman Reservoir
Because the water levels are repeatedly manipulated to keep the lake in prime shape, this is Florida’s best big fish water year after year. It’s challenging fishing, though—live shiners are pretty much the only way to go if you want a giant on a brief visit. Fish them tail hooked under a cork around the big mats of water lettuce and hyacinth found in vast areas of the lake, and leave your light tackle at home—8’ heavy-action baitcasters with 30-pound-test braid is the way to go here. There are lots of guides who specialize in trophies here—best I know is David Rush, https://www.floridatrophybass.com.
Florida turns out more than its share of trophy bass each year, with best fishing coming up soon as water cools through winter and early spring. (Z-Man)
Orange Lake
An extended drawdown resulting from a sinkhole in 2012 followed by refilling produced the “new lake” phenomenon here and anglers have been catching amazing numbers of trophy class bass in recent years. It’s a good shiner lake, with lots of pads and shallow weedy areas, but also produces for anglers throwing weedless spoon-n-rind and buzzbaits pre- and post-spawn. Launch in Cross Creek here right next to the homestead made famous in The Yearling novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings—you can even rent Old Florida style cabins at https://www.yearlingrestaurant.net/lodging.
Stick Marsh/Farm 13/Fellsmere
These manmade lakes in the headwaters of the St. Johns River are highly fertile and consistently produce lots of bass in the 8-pound-up category. The debris-filled waters are made to order for kayak anglers and others in small boats, and it’s mostly classic cover fishing without any need for sophisticated sonar due to the shallow water. You can catch fish on topwater anywhere in the lakes—a weedless frog like the Z-Man ToadZ is hard to beat much of the year, though during the spawn a large, lightly weighted 10” plastic worm is likely to catch the jumbo’s. There are no fish camps on the lakes, but you can stay in nearby Sebastian and maybe fish Sebastian inlet for snook and reds while you’re there.
If you're looking for a bass over 20 inches long, Florida is the place and January through early April is the time. (Hobie)
Okeechobee
While hundreds of 8 pound fish are caught from the weedlines on soft plastics and live shiners every winter, this lake also has a lightly-fished population of lunkers that hang around offshore rocks and wrecks. Find them with forward scan sonar and you can score with crankbaits, jigs or chatterbaits. The western shore’s vast grassy areas are among the prime areas but don’t overlook the boat trails that run everywhere through the weeds. Alternatively, slow troll a live shiner along the shore of the Rim Ditch—you might catch a 10 pound bass, but you might also catch a 20-pound-snook that has worked its way in from the coastal connecting rivers. Roland Martin Marina in Clewiston, https://www.rolandmartinmarina.com, is a good jumping off spot.
Kissimmee
This is a classic Florida bass lake with every sort of vegetation—look for shorelines with hard sand bottom and pickerel weed or maidencane to find spawners. A Johnson weedless spoon with imitation rind trailer is as good as anything for catching pre- and post-spawn lunkers, and buzz baits, spinnerbaits and the Chatterbait are also great. If you’re short on time, fish 8” shiners in potholes in the pads on heavy tackle. This is still wild Florida—lots of gators, lots of cattle wading the shoreline. Camp Mack on the north end is one of the favorite fish camps here: https://guyharveycampmack.com.
Kayaking is a great way to get at lunker largemouths in shallow, weedy waters like the Stick Marsh/Fellsmere. (Hobie Kayak)
Under the Radar
Lake Apopka west of Orlando had a reputation as badly polluted and empty of gamefish but now the big lake is benefiting from a huge restoration and water quality improvement program as well as minimal fishing pressure. The Gourd Neck area on the south end and the connectors to the artificial marshes are particularly noted for big fish—live shiners or large plastic worms get them. It can be a challenge to find motels here due to the proximity of Disney World—Mission Inn at Howey is a great hideaway not far away, and you can also fish Lake Harris from that location; https://missioninnresort.com.
