The bass fishing is what draws most anglers to this area. Many people enjoy fishing many of the smaller lakes in this area and they easily can spend a day on a bigger lake with Lake Istokpoga right here near town and Lake Okeechobee is only an hour away. This area is a good destination to target largemouth bass for numbers and there are some big fish too.
Lake Istokpoga
Lake Istokpoga is a good-sized lake that is located 5 miles northeast of Lake Placid, Florida. The lake covers more than 27,000 acres and it is known for its excellent fishing for largemouth bass and crappie. It has one of the highest catch rates for crappie in the state. This is a popular lake to fish for crappie during the colder winter months. The lake is fairly shallow and has plenty of aquatic vegetation, which helps keep this a consistent bass fishing lake. Anglers catch good numbers of bass with some big bass as well. Lots of anglers fish this lake with artificial lures, but it is tough to beat live shiners if you’re looking for quality bass.
Lake Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee is the second largest freshwater lake in the country. It is arguably the best bass fishing lake as well. Whether you come here to catch a lot of bass or to catch a giant, you can do both on Lake Okeechobee.
The bass thrive in this lake with all of the forage and cover for them. All types of grass are spread throughout this lake, which give the bass plenty of places to hide and rest. The most popular way to fish this lake is with shiners and by flipping jigs or soft plastics around the cover. If you are coming to Florida to catch a 10 pound bass, Lake Okeechobee is one of your best bets. There are numerous bass over 10 pounds as well as tons of bass in the 2 to 5 pound range. If you are going for a trophy bass, try the biggest shiners you can buy. Big bass love shiners on Lake Okeechobee.
Learn more about Lake Okeechobee
Smaller Lakes in the Area
This area is home to so many smaller lakes and many of them have boat ramps and offer good fishing for largemouth bass. Anglers also target crappie and bream in many of these lakes, but bass are the most popular fish for many anglers. Some of these lakes will have much less fishing pressure than you will see on some of the larger, more popular bass fishing lakes in the state. While these smaller lakes offer less big fish opportunities in terms of larger numbers of them, there are still plenty of really big bass found in smaller lakes throughout Florida and this area is no different.