Florida Bass Fishing: Expert Tactics, Best Lakes, Seasons, and Regulations

Florida is stacked with legendary bass fisheries, and while each water has its own personality, they all share the potential to produce giant fish if you approach them right. Here’s how I fish them, season by season and condition by condition.

Lake Okeechobee

The “Big O” is Florida’s crown jewel and one of the most famous bass lakes in the world. This massive, vegetation-rich fishery fishes like a living jungle — reeds, hydrilla, hyacinth mats, and eelgrass stretch for miles. In the spring, I target reed edges and scattered pad fields in the Harney Pond, South Bay, and Monkey Box areas with soft plastics like Senkos and creature baits on heavy flipping gear. During the shad spawn, I work topwaters and spinnerbaits tight to grass edges at first light. In summer, the bite pushes under thick mats where punching with 1–1.5 oz tungsten and a beaver-style bait is the only way to get them out.

Lake Tohopekaliga (Lake Toho)

Lake Toho has earned a reputation for producing monster bass during the spawn. Its hydrilla lines, submerged grass flats, and lily pad fields create prime staging and spawning habitat. My favorite pattern here in January–March is to pitch a Texas-rigged creature bait along hydrilla edges in Shingle Creek or Goblets Cove. In post-spawn, I switch to swim jigs and chatterbaits to cover water and find feeding fish on outside grass lines. Cloudy days in summer can bring a strong topwater bite over scattered pads.

Rodman Reservoir

Rodman is a timber-filled impoundment that fishes completely differently than Florida’s open shallow lakes. Massive submerged stumps, laydowns, and hydrilla beds make it ideal for flipping and pitching heavy jigs or Texas rigs. I’ve had my best days here in February and March, flipping jigs into timber in 8–12 feet and dragging big worms along the outside grass lines. It’s also one of the few Florida lakes where I’ll lean on crankbaits for bass holding off main-lake structure.

Harris Chain of Lakes

The Harris Chain offers a mix of open-water shell bars, boat docks, canals, and expansive grass lines. Lakes Harris, Eustis, Dora, and Griffin are all connected, giving you options depending on weather and water clarity. Pre-spawn, I like to crank or Carolina rig shell beds in the main lakes. During the spawn, the canals and backwaters load with fish — perfect for flipping or skipping wacky rigs under docks. In summer, offshore hydrilla beds become key, and working a big ribbon-tail worm or deep crank can produce some serious weight.

Lake Kissimmee

Lake Kissimmee is part of the Kissimmee Chain and features massive vegetation lines, offshore hydrilla patches, and classic Florida spawning bays. My go-to spring pattern is to target spawning flats with wacky Senkos and weightless flukes. Once the post-spawn sets in, I shift to working topwaters at dawn over hydrilla edges before the sun pushes bass deeper into the grass. Summer here is prime for punching mats and fishing frogs over the thickest cover you can find.

Lake Istokpoga

Istokpoga is a large, shallow lake with dense vegetation, making it a flipper’s dream. I spend most of my time here working pencil reeds, bulrush, and lily pad fields with a 1 oz tungsten and a compact creature bait. The lake also produces great numbers during the shad spawn when spinnerbaits and chatterbaits can load the boat quickly. The key to Istokpoga is moving until you find the right stretch holding active fish — they tend to group up here more than most lakes.

Stick Marsh / Farm 13

Stick Marsh/Farm 13 is one of the premier big-bass waters in Florida, especially during the cooler months. The hydrilla here holds fish year-round, but the winter and pre-spawn periods are unmatched. I’ve caught multiple fish over eight pounds here in January by slow-rolling swimbaits and working lipless crankbaits along hydrilla lines. As the day warms, pitching soft plastics into isolated hydrilla clumps can produce giants.

St. Johns River

The St. Johns fishes like a moving-water lake system, with current breaks, shell bars, and eelgrass beds providing year-round habitat. In the spring, I like to target spawning bays off the main river with soft plastics. In summer, working crankbaits along main-channel shell bars and fishing topwaters around eelgrass beds can produce consistent action. Tidal influence means you have to pay attention to current — falling water often positions bass tight to cover.