Natural lake

Lake Okeechobee

Glades, Hendry, Martin, Okeechobee & Palm Beach Counties, Florida

Lake Okeechobee is Florida's largest lake, about 730 square miles but only around nine feet deep on average. It is famous for largemouth bass fishing in its vast marshes and grass beds, plus big crappie catches.

Air temp in Pahokee, FL Loading current temperature…

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Current air temperature at Lake Okeechobee (National Weather Service) ↗

Surface area467,200 acres

Max depth12 ft

Shoreline—

Boat motorsCheck local rules

Species

Fishery rating out of 5.

Largemouth Bass●●●●●

Fish the outer edges of eelgrass, bulrush, and maidencane.

Crappie●●●●○

Crappie under 10 inches must be released, with a 25-fish bag.

Bluegill●●●●○

Look for beds on open, sandy spots in the marsh.

Redear Sunfish●●●●○

Shellcracker. Beds in spring and deep shell bars in summer. Red worms on the bottom.

When they bite

Month-by-month activity for each target species.

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Largemouth Bass
Crappie
Bluegill
Redear Sunfish

SlowFairGoodHot

Boat launches

6 launch sites. Fees and hours change, so confirm before you go.

C. Scott Driver Recreation AreaFree
Okeechobee County ramp, freeDirections ↗
Clewiston City ParkFree
City of Clewiston ramp, freeDirections ↗
Okee-Tantie Recreation AreaFree
Ramp on the north shore near Okeechobee, freeDirections ↗
Pahokee Marina & CampgroundFree
Ramp on the east shore in Pahokee, freeDirections ↗
Torrey Island Recreation AreaFree
City of Belle Glade ramp, freeDirections ↗
More public accessPublic
See Florida FWC or the lake manager's website for all ramps and feesDirections ↗

Size & creel limits

Special rules for this lake, confirmed from official state regulations. Minimum size and daily limit.

Species	Min size	Daily limit
Crappie Crappie under 10 in must be released; other species statewide limits	10 in	25 / day

Other species in this lake: look up the limits at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ↗

Verified October 2026. Rules change, so confirm current limits with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before you fish.

Bait & tackle nearby

Closest shops to the lake and its boat launches. Call ahead for live bait and hours.

Fast Break Bait & TackleNearby
1505 State Road 78 W, Okeechobee, FLDirections ↗
Roland Martin Marina ↗Nearby
920 E Del Monte Ave, Clewiston, FL(800) 473-6766 Directions ↗
Slim's Fish CampNearby
215 Marina Dr, South Bay, FL(561) 996-3844 Directions ↗

Search more bait shops near Lake Okeechobee ↗

Local tips

Only one bass 16 inches or longer may be kept per angler per day, within a 5-fish bag.
Live shiners, swim jigs, and crankbaits are standard bass baits here.
Low water exposes rock hazards, so check the FWC and Army Corps hazard map.

Angler reports

Water temp, what's biting, and anything else other anglers should know about Lake Okeechobee.

Loading reports...

View on interactive map

Zoom and pan on a street, satellite or terrain map. Red pins are boat launches; blue pins are bait shops nearby.