FISH SOUTHEAST

FLORIDA

CANALS!

ANGLER'S GUIDE TO

NORTH NEW RIVER CANAL

(G-15)

BROWARD COUNTY

Florida Game and Fresh Water

Fish Commission

801 NW 40^th Street

Boca Raton, Florida 33431

(561) 391-6409

DESCRIPTION–North New River Canal (G-15) parallels State Road 84 (Alligator Alley) and I-595 in central Broward County. It originates near the southern border of Water Conservation Area 2, and flows southeast to a water control structure near Davie Road.

The main canal is 13.9 miles long, and ranges in width from 85 to 165 feet with an average depth of about eight feet.  North New River Canal runs through the cities of Weston, Sunrise, Plantation, Davie, and Ft. Lauderdale.  The lateral canals in this system are generally narrower and shallower, one of which provides boat access to a small lake about one acre in size.        

From the boat ramp located in Markham Park, and heading west, it is 3.0 miles to the Indian Trace Road underpass and 5.7 miles to a water control structure near US 27.  Heading east from this ramp, it is 1.8 and 2.9 miles to  lateral systems north of the main canal, 6.9 miles to the University Road bridge and 8.2 miles to the G-54 water control structure.

BOAT RAMP DIRECTIONS–There is a double-lane, concrete boat ramp in excellent condition with adequate parking located on the main canal on the south side of Markham Park.  The park has picnic tables, grills, a swimming pool, camping, and several lakes open to fishing.

To reach the boat ramp from I-95 or the Turnpike take I-595 west and exit onto west-bound SR 84.  At Weston Road, turn right (North) into the park and follow the signs to the North New River ramp.  From the Sawgrass Expressway, exit at Sunrise Boulevard and head east approximately 0.7 miles to Harrison Boulevard.  Turn right (south) and travel approximately 1.8 miles to west-bound SR 84.  Travel west approximately 1.9 miles to Weston Road.  Turn right (north) into the park.  BJ’s Bait and Tackle (954) 475-0248 is conveniently located near the main canal and they will provide anglers with all the information and tackle they will need for an enjoyable day of fishing.

  There is shoreline access at the boat dock and at several places along the south shore of the canal west of Weston Road.  There is heavy vehicular traffic so be careful when getting back on the road.

Additional angling opportunities can be found in the L-35A Canal which can be accessed from two single lane, concrete boat ramps on the west side of Markham Park.  This canal runs northward almost nine miles and is a multi-use area with numerous water sport enthusiasts.  Please practice safe boating.       

GENERAL FISHING INFORMATION– North New River Canal provides excellent largemouth bass fishing, and good catches of butterfly peacock.  The butterfly peacock is a world renown gamefish that was successfully introduced by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the mid-1980s to eat undesirable exotic fishes and to provide more sportfishing opportunities for anglers in the metropolitan Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area.

Fallen trees, canal intersection, dead ends, and shoreline vegetation are generally productive areas for catching most species of fish.  Sportfish also congregate in the shade of bridges and culverts.  If there is a strong current in the main canal, spend more time fishing areas that offer refuge from the current (e.g., lateral canals, boat docks, cut-outs, and bridge pilings).  The downstream side of spillways and culverts with flowing water can be especially good places to fish. 

The North New River Canal has an excellent population of largemouth bass that average 13.7 inches (1.5 pounds), and 40% are larger than this.  Several bass over 20 inches have been collected from this canal. There are fewer butterfly peacock in this canal than in other canals further south but their average size is larger (14.3 inches and1.9 pounds) and 47% are bigger than this.

The bag limit for butterfly peacock is two fish per day, only one of which can be greater than 17 inches.  Butterfly peacock are sensitive to water temperatures below 60⁰F and periodic die-offs due to cool water temperature may occur in this canal system.

Fishing for butterfly peacock is best from March through May, but they are caught consistently throughout the year.  Butterfly peacock feed only during daylight and normally close to shore, although schooling peacocks sometimes feed aggressively in open water.  Most butterfly peacock are caught on live golden shiners or fast moving artificial lures and flies that imitate small fish. 

Butterfly peacock are more likely to be caught using live fish for bait than are largemouth bass, which make them an excellent fish for younger anglers, as well as those just learning to bass fish.  It is illegal to use goldfish or any other non-native fish for bait, except those legally caught from and used immediately in the same canal.

Largemouth bass fishing tends to be best during the winter months when the water cools, and at dusk, night, and early morning during the summer months.  Plastic worms work well for largemouth bass, but they rarely catch butterfly peacock.  The bag limit for largemouth bass is five fish per day, but only one of these can be greater than 14 inches.

The number and quality of panfish over six inches in North New River Canal is similar to other area canals.  Live worms and crickets are the choice baits for many panfish anglers, although fresh bread or bread dough works well, is readily available, and it costs less. 

North New River anglers might also catch one of several exotic fishes.  Possible exotic catches include Mayan cichlids from Central America, oscars from South America, and spotted tilapia from Africa.  Mayan cichlids are colorful and appear similar to mangrove snapper with a turquoise ring around a black spot at the base of its tail.  Oscars are a bream-shaped fish with a red or orange circle at the base of its tail, and they have a thick coat of protective mucus on their bodies.   Spotted tilapia are bream-shaped, golden in color with black vertical bars or spots, and some have red on them.  These exotic fishes were illegally released, pose a threat to native species, taste good, and you can keep every one you catch.

North New River Canal and other area canals receive a great deal of fishing pressure, so we encourage anglers to release most, if not all of the butterfly peacock, largemouth bass, snook, and tarpon they catch.  If anglers don’t release a majority of the sportfish they catch, these high quality fisheries will deteriorate rapidly.

Anglers, particularly those from outside the metropolitan Miami - West Palm Beach area, should be aware that vandalism occurs at some boat ramps. Therefore, care should be taken to secure your vehicle and keep valuables out of sight or take them with you when you leave the ramp.

An Acrobat PDF file of this brochure is available for printing on our fisheries publications site.