Orlando Fishing Guide, Disney Fishing Vacation, Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Central Florida Saltwater Fishing
Lake Tohopekaliga (Lake Toho, West Lake, or simply Toho for short), native name meaning "we will gather together here", is a lake in Osceola County, Florida, United States. It is the primary inflow of Shingle Creek, which rises in Orlando. It covers 22,700 acres (91.86 km2), and spans 42 miles (68 km) in circumference. It is linked to East Lake Tohopekaliga by Canal 31 (St. Cloud Canal). The canal is 3 miles (5 km) long and runs through western St. Cloud. South Port canal is located at the southern tip of the lake and links it to Cypress Lake. It is 4 miles (6 km) long. Three places surround the lake, Kissimmee on the northwestern shore, Kissimmee Park on the eastern shore, and South Port at the southern shore. Lake Tohopekaliga is the largest lake in Osceola County and is known for its bass fishing. Click here to view map.
The Partin Ranch borders Lake Tohopeliga (we will gather together here) and gives birth to the great Kissimmee. The name Kissimmee originated between the 1750s and 1850s when soldiers were pursuing Seminoles along the shore of Lake Tohopekaliga and commenced to massacre the Indians when a brave Seminole woman began screaming “Kish-a-me. No kill. Kish-a-me. No kill!” Miraculously, the soldiers did heed to her offer and this lady sacrificed herself to save the remaining Seminoles who escaped to the wild lands along the shores of what is now known as “kish-a-me” or Kissimmee River. This lake is also the origin of the Seminole’s legend of the Kissimmee River. It is about a man who eats a fish found in a hollow log away from the water. Though he is warned never to eat anything out of place, he eats the fish and turns into a huge snake. He crawls down to Okeechobee Lake and then to the Gulf, leaving a winding river in his path. The towns known as Orlando, Hollywood, Apopka, Leesburg, Ocala, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Winter Park, Mount Dora, Avon Park, all the way up to Gainesville are all areas where people known as Seminoles and Miccosukees and Tequestas – and many other groups of indigenous peoples – used to inhabit.