KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in central Florida will be the playing field when the 2023 Bass Pro Tour season gets underway Feb. 13-18. Kissimmee is a popular stop early in the year because of the great February weather and the chance at massive bass. The Bass Pro Tour has visited twice, kicking off the inaugural 2019 season and again in 2020 for Heavy Hitters.
Alabama pro Jordan Lee won both of those events. Even though he doesn’t claim to be a Florida bass fishing expert, the results say otherwise.
“I’m no Florida fishing wizard, but understand that the lakes are always changing from year to year, and you have to be willing to adapt and fish the conditions,” Lee said.
The first thing Lee says is essential on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes is picking the best lake in the system.
“Some years, the best bite is on Toho and others, it’s in Kissimmee,” Lee said. “Cypress can also be good, any of them or the others in the chain could be the winning area. It varies based on the vegetation and to be successful, you need to narrow it down to the right one in two days of practice.”
Lee believes the timing of this event in mid-February is ideal for both the fishing and weather.
“This time of year in Florida is all about the cold fronts and that will be the biggest deciding factor in how good the fishing is,” he said. “You’ll always catch big fish in Florida, but a nice warming trend will push more fish shallow because they want to spawn.”
Traditional Florida fishing tactics should play in this event, according to Lee. He listed flipping, pitching, vibrating jigs, and prop baits as likely producers.
“There will also be some sight fishing going on,” Lee said. “The biggest key here is being in the right area with the best-looking grass. That’s true everywhere in the country, but even more important in Florida, where the fish tend to be more sensitive to having the cleanest water.”