I'm heading to Kissimmee in 2 weeks for my annual 3 month escape from the frigid North. The past few years have been interesting with the hydrilla issues and low water levels exposing shoals and causing for locks to be closed making movement between the lakes in the Kissimmee Chain more difficult. I have searched and can't seem to get a straight answer regarding current water levels. I found one brief comment about low levels approaching the extreme lows of a drought 11 years ago but no other information no matter how I search. I found some statistics from the FWC regarding flow and levels but I'll be damned if I can understand them.

Any information or direction regarding Toho and the canal system down to Lake Kissimmee would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

We’ve had a fairly wet winter here in Central Florida. Toho and Kissimmee are up due to rain and the East Lake Toho draw down. Lots of Hydrilla on Toho as FWC stopped spraying and tried to use mechanical harvesters this spring and summer. Late November or early December, FWC had a contractor come in to do some deep water injections to help clear up some of the deep water hydrilla. I haven’t fished Toho since the treatment as the Toho fish are already super pressured and the cold fronts make our Florida finicky bass even more finicky. 
 

Kissimmee is the opposite in terms of hydrilla. It is been nuked to the point even the native grasses are almost nonexistent. The water quality is poor due to the lack of vegetation to help clean the water. The advice for Kissimmee would be the same as last year, find clean water to find fish. 
 

The locks state they are operational. I don’t remember them shutting down last year. I know they were open for the BPT and FLW tourneys in January, but I also very rarely use the locks so I could be wrong. 
 

Good luck!

6 hours ago, Fishing_FF said:

We’ve had a fairly wet winter here in Central Florida. Toho and Kissimmee are up due to rain and the East Lake Toho draw down. Lots of Hydrilla on Toho as FWC stopped spraying and tried to use mechanical harvesters this spring and summer. Late November or early December, FWC had a contractor come in to do some deep water injections to help clear up some of the deep water hydrilla. I haven’t fished Toho since the treatment as the Toho fish are already super pressured and the cold fronts make our Florida finicky bass even more finicky. 
 

Kissimmee is the opposite in terms of hydrilla. It is been nuked to the point even the native grasses are almost nonexistent. The water quality is poor due to the lack of vegetation to help clean the water. The advice for Kissimmee would be the same as last year, find clean water to find fish. 
 

The locks state they are operational. I don’t remember them shutting down last year. I know they were open for the BPT and FLW tourneys in January, but I also very rarely use the locks so I could be wrong. 
 

Good luck!

Great Info!

I spend so much time on Big O I kinda got outta touch with the chain. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

Yes Thomas, great info. Thank you for taking the time. Just the type of report I was looking for.

I  wonder if "nuking" Toho and Kissimmee results in making fishing in Cypress or Hatch more productive. I tend to ignore these 2 lakes in favor of Toho or Kissimmee. Well, I'll have fun finding out soon.

Thanks again.

6 hours ago, Nitro 882 said:

Yes Thomas, great info. Thank you for taking the time. Just the type of report I was looking for.

I  wonder if "nuking" Toho and Kissimmee results in making fishing in Cypress or Hatch more productive. I tend to ignore these 2 lakes in favor of Toho or Kissimmee. Well, I'll have fun finding out soon.

Thanks again.

No problem, but to clarify, Toho wasn't nuked. FWC put Toho on an alternative vegetative management strategy or something to that wording effect. Basically because of the pressure FWC was receiving about the use of herbicides, they picked a few lakes to try some of the alternatives to see if they work. While I am against the use of herbicides to the degree used on Lake O and Kissimmee, the mechanical harvesting of hydrilla on Toho has been a complete failure towards the opposite side. Two of my normal launches are completely grown over to the point I have to use a push pole to launch from the ramp. The sandy spawning areas in Goblets Cove area of Toho are completely grown over with hydrilla. Even the deeper channels that use to exist in Toho are completely grown over with hydrilla, and is why FWC elected to start some deep water herbicide injections.

 

Kissimmee and Cypress have been managed differently. Both these lakes have been nuked. I'm not sure the status of Hatchineha as I only fish it during the spawn. If it has been nuked, there is plenty of sandy flats for beds. 

Thanks again Thomas.

I tend to be a creature of habit and I've been concentrated on the Kissimmee Chain for a few years now. I know there are many more bodies of water in central Florida that I have pretty much ignored. The hydrilla is a double edged sword. PITA to fish but if you hit the right spot you can load the boat. What the chemicals are doing to the fish and wildlife only time will tell.

I sit up here in the frozen North and read continually about the devastation being brought upon the Florida eco-system and I begin to wonder if some of these reports aren't a bit overstated. Revenues from tourism and even residents associated with fishing and other watersports is obviously in the many billions of $'s. Why the hell would anyone with half a brain do anything to jeopardize that. Not saying that I'm a "denier", God forbid, but it really is hard for me to believe that the FWC would shoot themselves in the foot like this.

My dear old dad used to say, "if you can't find the answers, follow the money." Hmmmmm.

10 hours ago, Nitro 882 said:

Thanks again Thomas.

I tend to be a creature of habit and I've been concentrated on the Kissimmee Chain for a few years now. I know there are many more bodies of water in central Florida that I have pretty much ignored. The hydrilla is a double edged sword. PITA to fish but if you hit the right spot you can load the boat. What the chemicals are doing to the fish and wildlife only time will tell.

I sit up here in the frozen North and read continually about the devastation being brought upon the Florida eco-system and I begin to wonder if some of these reports aren't a bit overstated. Revenues from tourism and even residents associated with fishing and other watersports is obviously in the many billions of $'s. Why the hell would anyone with half a brain do anything to jeopardize that. Not saying that I'm a "denier", God forbid, but it really is hard for me to believe that the FWC would shoot themselves in the foot like this.

My dear old dad used to say, "if you can't find the answers, follow the money." Hmmmmm.

No problem, I’ll be out fishing quite a bit in January, so feel free to shoot me a PM if you need anything while down here. 
 

Safe travels and good luck fishing!

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On 12/31/2019 at 8:00 PM, Fishing_FF said:

No problem, I’ll be out fishing quite a bit in January, so feel free to shoot me a PM if you need anything while down here. 
 

Safe travels and good luck fishing!

Thank you sir. 

Have a happy, healthy, and fish filled New Year.