Finding the vegetation is a key for Reno Alley on these lakes this year, particularly where there's moving current. Photo by Bud Reiter.

Under normal conditions, life for South Florida bassers can be an up-and-down affair. Lately, at least as far as water levels go, it's been quite a bit down -- and it didn't take long to get there.

Just a couple of years ago, Lake Okeechobee was at almost record high levels, and water managers were desperately trying to drop those levels in anticipation of what was forecast to be an exceptionally active hurricane season. The Kissimmee Chain -- which in the interconnected world of South Florida waterways feeds the Big O -- wasn't overly high. But that was also drawn down to relieve pressure on Okeechobee.

They did get the water levels down, but then the hurricanes didn't show up. In fact, even normal rainfall took a leave of absence.

The end result was that in less time than it took to analyze the situation, water levels on many of the lakes downstream of Orlando went from the penthouse to the basement -- literally! Water levels not only became low, but this past summer, they hit record lows as a drought gripped the southern half of the Sunshine State.

That didn't bother the bass too much. Actually, it spells great news for future years, since the extremely low water provided a natural drawdown that would have been extremely difficult to duplicate artificially.

High water kills native aquatic vegetation, something that was causing major problems on the Big O.

But low water lets it return more lushly than ever.

As has been proven during man-made drawdowns, rising waters give the bass access to a greatly rejuvenated environment. They respond with increased spawns and tremendous year-classes.

That can provide world-class fishing for years to come -- and that's what anglers in this region can look forward to when water returns.

Unfortunately, in the here and now, low water is a royal pain in the posterior, as any angler in the region knows. For a full-sized bass boat, ramps are often difficult or impossible to use. For those lucky enough to be able to launch, low waters often restrict access to prime areas.

This situation affects a number of area lakes. But the lower end of the Kissimmee Chain on lakes Kissimmee, Hatchineha and Cypress are not among them.

In fact, despite record low-water levels, these three lakes are producing quality angling -- and are top bets this month!

"The lake levels were actually about a foot lower this summer than they were last year," said veteran guide Reno Alley, who fishes the lake regularly.

"It's about rock bottom. But that hasn't had a really negative effect."

Some ramps have suffered. The one existing ramp on Lake Hatchineha has been shut down and isn't likely to re-open. The Overstreet Ramp on Lake Kissimmee is useable for small boats, but marginal for a full-sized bass boat. But that still leaves enough other functioning ramps to get you onto the water.

"The Route 60 ramp on the south end of Kissimmee is fine, on even these low levels," Alley noted.

"So, too, is the ramp at Camp Mack, on the canal between Kissimmee and Hatchineha, as well as the fish-camp ramp on the east side of Cypress, just off County Road 532. You can get the boat in and out without a problem, but when you exit the ramp canal to the lake, I'd advise going out on the trolling motor instead of trimming the big engine up and idling out.

"There's a lot of silt on the bottom that the big motor can stir up and clog your water intake. You're better off to use the trolling motor to go out to the lake until we get some water back. Once you hit the main lake, there's plenty of water to run."

That's not much different than last year. But once anglers get onto the lakes, they do see some changes.