Lake Okeechobee
Okeechobee County. The name is Hitchiti, from oki meaning water and chubi meaning big. For its size it is remarkably shallow, averaging about nine feet, which is why the wind can move it so violently.
Open the guide →Ask 1stFlorida
Where is the largemouth bass fishing in Florida?
Largemouth bass are in fresh water across Florida, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission keeps its own list of notable bass water.
Most of it runs down the middle of the peninsula: Lake Okeechobee, Lake Toho on the Kissimmee chain, Lake Istokpoga and Lake Weohyakapka, Lake Panasoffkee, Orange Lake, Lake Rousseau, Lakes Dora and Beauclair, the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes and Tenoroc Fish Management Area, with Lake Tarpon near Tampa and the rivers of the Panhandle besides. Spring is when bass move into shallow water to spawn, as early as January in far South Florida and as late as May in the Panhandle, with March and April the peak. Statewide you may keep five black bass a day, only one of them 16 inches or longer. A few waters are catch and release only for bass, among them the Stick Marsh and Farm 13 in Indian River and Brevard counties, the Fellsmere Water Management Area, and Wildcat Lake in the Ocala National Forest. The commission's TrophyCatch program rewards anglers who document and release a bass of 8 pounds or more. Anyone 16 or older needs a freshwater license unless exempt, and Florida residents 65 and over are.
Where to go from here.
Lake Tohopekaliga
Osceola County. Lake Toho, as everyone calls it, covers 22,700 acres and runs 42 miles around. The name is Seminole: tohopke means fence or fort and likv means site, so it is the site of the fort.
Open the guide →Lake Istokpoga
Highlands County. Lake Istokpoga covers 26,762.9 acres in Highlands County, which makes it the fifth largest lake in Florida. It runs about ten miles long and five miles wide. What surprises people is the depth: the average is only four feet and the deepest point is ten, so a storm turns it dangerous very quickly and local boaters watch the sky rather than the clock.
Open the guide →Lake Panasoffkee Wildlife Management Area
Sumter County. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages the area in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which bought the land in pieces between 1990 and 1997. Higher ground carries pinelands and oak scrub.
Open the guide →Where is the crappie fishing in Florida?
Crappie, known locally as speckled perch or specks, are fished mostly in the cooler months in Florida, though night fishing for them works all year.
Read the answer →Do you need a fishing license in Florida?
Yes, unless you are exempt: Florida requires a freshwater or saltwater fishing license, or both, for anyone 16 or older.
Read the answer →Where this comes from.
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, black bass fishing ↗ Read September 23, 2026
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, general freshwater bag and length limits ↗ Read September 23, 2026
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, special freshwater bag and length limits ↗ Read September 23, 2026
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, do I need a license ↗ Read September 23, 2026
More questions like this.
Where is the crappie fishing in Florida?
Crappie, known locally as speckled perch or specks, are fished mostly in the cooler months in Florida, though night fishing for them works all year.
Do you need a fishing license in Florida?
Yes, unless you are exempt: Florida requires a freshwater or saltwater fishing license, or both, for anyone 16 or older.
When is lobster season in Florida?
Florida's spiny lobster season opens with a two-day sport season, often called mini season, on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday of July, and the regular season runs from August 6 to March 31.
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