Lake Kissimmee

A shallow fishery with abundant vegetation, Lake Kissimmee offers much the same potential for big sacks as Lake Tohopekaliga. That shouldn’t be surprising, since they lie in the same chain, with Toho at the top and Kissimmee at the bottom.
But competitors likely will miss out on the prime spawning bite that occurred Jan. 17-20, 2001, on Toho, when Dean Rojas set a four-day record for heaviest weight with 108-12 and a one-day five-fish limit with 45-2.
 “The bite at Kissimmee should be, for the most part, a postspawn one,” says Florida Elite Series pro Charlie Youngers.
 “The spawn could happen in late January like it did the year Dean caught his fish, if we have a warming trend before the full moon,” he continues. “But more than likely it will be mid- to late February.”
 That means some fish likely will be left on the inside of the grasslines, where they will be susceptible to soft jerkbaits and stickbaits.
 “But predominately the bite will be on the outside of the Kissimmee grass, most probably in a flipping presentation,” Youngers says.
For more information on the area, visit the Polk County Sports Marketing Web site: www.centralfloridasports.com.