Lake Kissimmee

Lake Kissimmee covers some 38,000 acres from the Kissimmee River’s mouth on the north end to the river’s exit near US Highway 60 on the south end. Surrounded by Lake Kissimmee State Park, it is the fourth lake in the Kissimmee chain of lakes and is known for its fantastic bass fishing.

What is Lake Kissimmee, Florida, famous for?

Lake Kissimmee is world-famous for its catches of big largemouth bass and cowboy heritage. Yet, the fishing pressure is relatively light due to the vegetation’s expanse and the many places for bass to hide out and ambush baitfish. Bass can live to a ripe old age without many anglers encountering them, since there are places that are impossible to reach with any conventional boat.

We specialize in largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, and shellcracker—part of the Kissimmee Chain of lakes. Expansive stands of native aquatic grasses at Philadelphia Point, North Cove, and Brahma Island provide anglers with cover to flip plastic baits or slow-troll golden shiners for spawning bass in winter and spring. Rattling crankbaits, soft jerk baits, and Texas or Carolina-rigged plastic worms fished in open water or along edges of vegetation are productive during summer and fall.

Something for Every Angler

Fly fishermen have success wade fishing along the miles of shoreline on Lake Kissimmee. Lake Kissimmee is rich with wildlife, including bald eagles, white-tailed deer, bobcats, turkeys, and giant alligators.

Tips For Successful Bass Fishing in Lake Kissimmee

After the spawning season, a somewhat smaller shiner, like a hatchery shiner, may be better in warmer weather, as the bass begin feeding on shad and small shiners. You can depend on us to recommend the correct size shiner for the present condition. Our fishing guides go to great lengths to get the proper size shiner when fishing Lake Kissimmee.

Fishing shiners often include a bobber, free-lined in heavy cover, or a small bobber tied to the line as a “strike indicator.” Shiners will frequently become agitated and even jump out of the water when the bass is stalking them; this can sometimes mimic a topwater lure strike. The bobber acts as a strike indicator and has less resistance to the vegetation than you would think. The bobber stop allows the bobber to slide up the line as the bass runs into the shoreline covered with the shiner.

Shiner Fishing Lake Kissimmee

Fishing with Live Bait fished in the heavy cover will often bring feeding bass to the attack. Wild shiners are much preferred since they are hardy and more active than hatchery-raised shiners during certain times of the year. Central Florida bass go for shiners in all sizes, but giant bass go for a shiner in the 4 to 6-inch range. Shiners over 6 inches are used with no upper limit on shiner size since a 2 lb. bass might well decide to eat a shiner 7 inches long.

The moon phase and time of the year dictate the feeding habits of the bass!

Methods of hooking the shiner are either through the lips, then out one nostril. In the back, just below the tail end of the dorsal fin. Both methods have their drawbacks. The shiner hooked through the back can swim naturally, but is commonly pulled backward when reeled in, which shortens to life span. Repeated reeling and casting result in a sluggish or dead shiner. Hooking is the lips, impeding the shiner’s swimming ability slightly but extending the life span before dying.

Lake Kissimmee Artificial Lure Fishing

Every day, visitors catch many largemouth bass on various artificial lures in Lake Kissimmee. Choose your lures based on the water color, temperature, wind, cover, and time of year. Plastic worms always are a good bet, as are rattle traps, buzz baits, weedless spoons, spinnerbaits, and frog baits. Numbers of bass are taken regularly on top waters and shallow crankbaits. Flipping and pitching the weed lines can land you a trophy bass in the day’s heat.

Kissimmee Chain Panfish, Crappie, and bluegill can be caught at Lake Kissimmee/Lake Hatchineha in fantastic numbers! An ultralight and 4 lb test with a Beetle Spin, live minnows, and a pole can wear you and the fish out. Most times, there’s not much problem getting 30 or more fish in a few short hours. Casting Beetle Spins at a Hydrilla bed can produce many species of bluegill, shellcrackers, catfish, and buckets of Speckled Perch (crappies), and those guys will give a 4lb test outfit a real fight.

Why use a Lake Kissimmee Fishing Guide?

With Lake Kissimmee located where it is, it’s considered Central Florida Fishing. With our Lake Kissimmee guide service, you will enjoy all of Central Florida and Kissimmee fishing at its best. We are a complete guide service located off Mack Road in Lake Wales, near Disney, Epcot, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, and other Orlando Central Florida attractions. We fish freshwater lakes, especially for big bass; we suggest Lakes Kissimmee and Lake Tohopekaliga.

Our licensed guides offer expert local knowledge, fully equipped boats, and exceptional service. Central Florida is known for its lite winters, fair fishing, excellent golf courses, and fun family activities. Let Bass Online charter your next fishing trip, which will help you make your next vacation a memorable one!

To find out more about our guide service, please browse our website. We also offer Central Florida bass fishing reports. There are bass photos as well as pictures of other great catches that were made right here in the Central Florida area on the Lake Kissimmee chain.