Cypress Lake – The North End

Happy Monday, Spacefish!

As of yesterday (September 21st), we’ve officially entered “fall.” But just because the calendar says so doesn’t mean the air temps—or the fish—got the memo. Yesterday was blazing hot, and those summer fishing patterns, both inshore and freshwater, may hold on for another couple of weeks.

Today I want to shine a light on a new lake I’ve been fishing. It’s part of the Kissimmee Chain, but it often gets overshadowed by its powerhouse siblings, Toho and Kissimmee. The lake I’m talking about is Cypress Lake. I’ve fished it twice since discovering it, and today I’ll recap my trip working the north side.

Launch Spot & Areas Fished

There’s only one public launch and ramp for Lake Cypress: the Lake Cypress Public Boat Ramp, located at 3301 Lake Cypress Rd, Kenansville, FL 34739.
One of my favorite parts about fishing here is the drive. Most of my bass trips involve 40 minutes to an hour-plus on the road. This one clocks in right at an hour from Melbourne, but the route—heading up 192, cutting onto Hickory Tree Road, and connecting with Canoe Creek Road—is a pleasant ride that skips the St. Cloud/Kissimmee traffic mess.
From the ramp (dead center on the lake’s east side) you’ve got to commit to fishing north or south. Since I was in the kayak, I decided to break it up: first trip north, second trip south. There are also a couple of inflow points worth checking, but on this trip I literally got boat-raced to those spots. Instead, I shifted focus to other areas, found fish, and never needed the inflows.

Salad Fishing

I’ve said it before, but I’ll keep hammering this home: success on the Kissimmee Chain is all about salad fishing. If you can find areas with a mix of vegetation—hydrilla, reeds, pads, etc.—you’ll find bass. How many and how big? That depends on the day, but you’ll almost always put fish in the boat.

This trip played out just like that. I caught a couple at first light on topwater, but once the sun rose things slowed down. From about 9 AM to 1 PM, though, I dialed in the depth and cover and really got on them.

The Bite

The action came from two key setups:

#1: Scattered hydrilla in ~6 feet of water
Most of my fish came from this depth using a Z-Man Chatterbait (Bluegill pattern) paired with a Bitters Switchblade trailer. At ⅜ oz, it was heavy enough to get into the strike zone and cast well into the wind. I even caught a rare Chain Pickerel on this set up, which was pretty cool.

I experimented with retrieves until I found what worked: a stop-and-go retrieve outperformed a steady one. When I hung up in the hydrilla, ripping the bait free and letting it fall often triggered reaction strikes. If you fish this way, trust me—braid is your best friend. I recommend at least 30 lb test to muscle both bait and fish out of hydrilla. Mono or fluoro likely won’t cut it here.

#2: Thick hydrilla in 3–5 feet, near reeds and lily pads
This zone held the biggest concentration of fish. Honestly, I’m convinced I could have camped here another four hours and put 50 more in the boat. My go-to here was the Bitters Vibe Speedworm (Xmas Blue Tail), rigged weedless with a pegged ⅛ oz tungsten weight. This all-terrain setup shines in hydrilla, pads, and reeds. I went through an entire pack—they were locked in on the color and profile.

Conclusion

I didn’t land any giants, but I had a classic “bass thumb” kind of day—fish after fish, until my thumb looked like raw hamburger meat.

If you are not familiar with the term, bass thumb, it is a bass angler’s badge of honor. Google’s AI Overview sums it up nicely:

“An abrasion on a bass angler’s thumb caused by repeatedly ‘lip-gripping’ a bass, a common fishing technique. The inside of a bass’s mouth is lined with rough, sandpaper-like scales and sometimes small, abrasive teeth. When a bass shakes vigorously while being held, its rough lips and teeth rub against the angler’s thumb, causing the skin to become abraded or even cut. Many anglers view this as a sign of a successful fishing trip.”

So anytime I come back with my thumb shredded, I chalk it up as a win. Cypress Lake might not be the star of the Kissimmee Chain, but it’s got the numbers and plenty of action. If you’re looking for a place to go catching—not just fishing—this overlooked gem is worth your time.

I’d also like to extend a big thanks to Kayaks by Bo for being our official paddle partner, the Space Coast’s go-to shop for all things paddling. Whether you’re chasing Bass in the thick vegetation of the Kissimmee Chain or prowling the Indian River Lagoon for Snook and Reds, they’ll get you rigged and ready for your next adventure.

Thanks for taking the time to read this report, I hope you all have a great week! Be safe, be happy, and go rip some lips!