Lake Miccosukee fishing: Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill
Target species: Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Redear, Channel Catfish, Chain Pickerel, White Catfish
Best months: Mar, Apr, May for Largemouth Bass
Second window: Jan, Feb for Black Crappie
Boat: 4 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Reeves Landing, 2 lanes, asphalt.
The lake
Lake Miccosukee covers 5,007 acres in Florida, across 2 counties: Jefferson and Leon. It is a lake: 94.1% of it is 5 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 18 feet (5.5 m). Our records hold 20 species for this water.
7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass
- Largemouth Bass (Florida bass, black bass) — Best months: Mar, Apr, May. Spawns Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May. A trophy starts at 8 lb. Holds in weed beds, open water and drop-offs. What works here: golden shiner, plastic worm, soft plastic, crankbait and topwater.
- Black Crappie (speck, specks) — Best months: Jan, Feb. Spawns Feb, Mar, Apr. Holds in open water and weed beds. What works here: minnow, grass shrimp, jig, bobber and drifting.
- Bluegill (bream) — Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug. Holds in shallow flats and spillways. What works here: worm, cricket, grass shrimp, bobber and beetle-spin.
- Redear (shellcracker, bream) — Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Jul. Spawns Mar, Apr. What works here: worm.
- Channel Catfish (channel cat) — Best months: Apr, May, Jun. Spawns Apr, May, Jun. A trophy starts at 12 lb. Holds in current, deep holes, drop-offs and timber and stumps. What works here: chicken liver, cut bait, stink bait, worm and live bait.
- Chain Pickerel (pickerel) — Spawns Feb, Mar, Apr. Feeding water: 60–75°F. A trophy starts at 3 lb. Holds in weed beds and marsh. What works here: spinnerbait, spoon, topwater, crankbait and jig.
- White Catfish (whites) — Feeding water: 70–85°F. Usually 1–2 lb. A trophy starts at 5 lb. Holds in current, deep holes, drop-offs and timber and stumps. What works here: live bait, minnow, worm, cut bait and chicken liver.
Also recorded here: Warmouth, Flier, Redbreast, Spotted Sunfish, Bowfin.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 18 ft (5.5 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 94.1% of the water is 5 feet or shallower. We hold 63 depth contour lines for this water.
- 0–1 ft: 8% of the water
- 1–2 ft: 15.7% of the water
- 2–3 ft: 28.1% of the water
- 3–4 ft: 29.1% of the water
- 4–5 ft: 13.2% of the water
- 5–7 ft: 3.7% of the water
- 7–9 ft: 1% of the water
- 9–11 ft: 0.7% of the water
- 11–13 ft: 0.2% of the water
- 13–15 ft: 0.2% of the water
Water and conditions
Our water temperature readings average 72°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 51°F and the warmest is 89°F; the warmest monthly average is 86°F. pH averages 6.3. These readings span 2016–2025.
Stocking: 213,210 fish, 2013–2014
FWC records list 213,210 fish released into this water from 2013 to 2014. The latest stocking on record is from 2014, more than three years ago.
- Bluegill: 79,108 fingerlings in 2014
- Black Crappie: 48,000 fingerlings in 2013
One more species on the stocking list.
4 ramps and launches on this water
On this water we hold 4 trailer ramps and 1 fishing pier.
- Cypress Landing Public Boat Ramp — 1 lane, concrete, parking for 7 trailers (paved), no fee, open around the clock, portable restrooms, dock. Tallahassee, Leon County. 16130 Ro Co Co Road, Tallahassee 32309 · website cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Parks-and-Recreation/Boat-Landings?page23314=1&size23314=50
- Reeves Landing — 2 lanes, asphalt, parking for 10 trailers (paved), no fee, open around the clock. Tallahassee, Leon County. 16254 Reeves Landing Road, Tallahassee 32309 · website cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Parks-and-Recreation/Boat-Landings?page23314=1&size23314=50
- Hopkins Landing — 1 lane, sand, parking for 3 trailers (firm unpaved), no fee, open around the clock, needs repair. Monticello, Jefferson County. end of Hopkins Landing road, Monticello 32344 · website jeffersoncountyfl.gov/p/county-departments/recreation
- Lake Miccosukee South Public Boat Ramp (Smaller Boats) — 1 lane, concrete, parking for 3 trailers (firm unpaved), no fee, open around the clock. Tallahassee, Jefferson County. Highway 90, Tallahassee 32309 · website myfwc.com/boating
Fishing piers
- Koon Lake — Tallahassee, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 16130 Ro Co Co Road, Tallahassee 32309
4 of the 5 places listed have both a fee and opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.
What is hard here
Wind is the limit, not the fish: 5,007 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle. With 94.1% of the water 5 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards. Winter water drops to 53°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do. Alligators live in Florida fresh water. Keep clear of the bank edge at dawn and dusk, and keep pets away from it. Summer water sits at 86°F: heat and afternoon lightning are the real risks, not the fishing.
Where this data comes from
- Florida FWC — FWC Florida lake bathymetry: class A, a survey of the bottom.
