Osborne Chain-of-Lakes

In the summer, the climate can be quite unpredictable. From mid-May to early July, known as the "stormiest" part of the season, severe weather conditions are most likely to occur. This includes powerful and destructive winds, tornadoes, intense lightning, hailstorms, and flooding. From early July to mid-August, the weather is the hottest, with occasional dry spells. These weather patterns can impact South Florida’s fishery and can stress fish populations.

In the summer months, weather can be unpredictable which could affect the fishery on The Osborne Chain-of-Lakes. Peacock bass are increasingly active with higher water temperatures and can be caught with a variety of methods such as in-line spinners, feather jigs, flies and live shiners. Anglers should aim for structures such as docks, trees or bridge pillars. Peacock bass can also be found in areas of sparse aquatic vegetation. The Florida bass are moving offshore following the spring spawning season. Anglers seeking to target Florida should concentrate on fishing in deeper holes, where the water temperature is lower, while looking for structures, cover and bait as key indicators for locating these fish. Lures such as crankbaits, jigs, and plastic worms work well throughout the summer. The sunshine bass fishing is seeing a rise in activity during the summer months. These fish are usually found in areas like canals with flowing water, control structures, or deep holes in Lake Ida or Lake Osborne. When targeting sunshine bass live bait, such as shiners or shad, fished near the bottom could produce the most bites.

The Osborne Chain-of-Lakes is also an excellent place to target a variety of panfish including bluegill and redear sunfish. Anglers aiming to catch these fish should look for patches of vegetation with small jigs or live worms for the best results and continue to move until fish are found.

The Osborne Chain-of-Lakes also offers unique opportunities for anglers to catch several nonnatives including Mayan cichlids, clown knifefish, and snakeheads. Live bait is the most common option for targeting exotics. Cichlids can be caught like panfish by targeting vegetation, while clown knifefish are regularly caught on shiners near deeper water or structures like bridges. Clown knifefish can also be caught using rattletraps in those deeper pockets of water and tend to be more active at dawn and dusk. Ideal locations for targeting snakehead are shallow waters, particularly in canals, close to the shore/bank, with areas of dense vegetation, muck, or near structures that provide cover. As ambush predators, they tend to strike at lures that are fished slowly and parallel to the bank. Top lures are the most effective choice, while chatterbaits and weedless rigged flukes are also popular choices.

Utilizing the fish attractors on these Lakes is an excellent way to catch fish native fish. For more information about the attractors and their exact locations visit the FWC Fish Attractor Web Page and the Interactive Fish Attractor Finder.