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North Central Region Fishing Forecast | ||||
The following is a general description and quarterly forecast (*bold updates) for fishing conditions in major public water bodies in this region. For even more up-to-date information, we suggest you call or visit a local bait-and-tackle shop, fishing marina or guide service. We have provided information for some local contacts, who indicated they were willing to be listed herein. If you would like additional descriptions of these and other fishing sites listed by county, you can visit the Great Outdoors Recreation Page listing for Florida's North Central Region. Please note, however, that their site is not routinely updated to reflect current fishing conditions. Clicking the clock/thermometer above will take you to a very detailed weather site, where you can get forecasts, historic weather information, moon phase, tide charts and sunrise/sunset times. A few sites have additional links to local web pages or to topographic maps and brochures. We will continue to expand these links as they become available to us. Alligator Lake (Columbia County):Alligator Lake (approximately 800 acres) is located in Columbia County near Lake City. Nearly two-thirds of the total lake surface area is within the city limits. Prior to 1997, only 338 acres were accessible to the public. Subsequently, Columbia County purchased an adjacent 987 acres with money obtained through the Preservation 2000 Communities Trust. This purchase included nearly 450 acres of former lake bottom that were diked and drained for agricultural practices in the 1950's and 1960's. Several sinkholes are located in the north and south basins of the lake which provide direct connection to the aquifer. One of these sinkholes has been responsible for frequently draining the northern lake basin. This results from increased hydraulic pressure upon sinkhole sediments as groundwater levels subside during periods of drought. During these events, the southern areas of the lake retain water, as a shallow connection exists between north and south basins. Columbia County's Alligator Lake Park opened in April 2002. The entrance to the park can be found off of Old Country Club road in Lake City. A small boat launch on the north marsh central drainage canal and walking access or boatless fishing will provide unique angling opportunities. Note: Alligator Lake is a Fish Management Area (license is required to fish in north and south lake basins and north and south marshes). (Local contact: Greens Marine and Sporting Goods, Lake City 386-755-5390) *The sinkholes recently emptied the north basin of Alligator and the weeds are head high; unfortunately all efforts to establish a fishery in this body of water have been for naught. The southern basin is low but the boat ramp remains open. Shallow drafting flat bottom boats would be better here. Black crappie like to hang out in the deep water of the southernmost sinkhole area and should be ready to bite as temperature drop through this quarter. Largemouth bass like to hold near any woody structure throughout the lake. Casting crayfish imitations around these areas would be a productive approach for catching bass in this lake. Hamilton County Phosphate Pits (Eagle and Lang) (Hamilton County):Both of these lakes are Fish Management Areas (license is required to fish). Both are green and fertile and deeper than average north Florida lakes, but typically grow more fish per acre due to abundant forage. Eagle Lake -Eagle Lake (200 acres) is old and very fertile. Steep sides, a maze of narrow cuts with points and sand bars and cattails in the coves characterize the lake. No concrete boat ramps exist. Largemouth bass fishing is best in spring; bluegill, redear sunfish and brown bullhead catfish are best in the summer; black crappie and stocked sunshine bass are best in fall and winter. Eagle Lake produces the fastest sunshine bass growth in this region. Fish up to 8 pounds have been reported at only 23 months of age. Trolling motors only may be operated on Eagle Lake, although gasoline motors may be attached to the boat. *The past duckweed and other submerged vegetation issues have been resolved. With the help of mechanical harvesting and plenty of herbicide the lake looks like its old self again. As the seasonal mixing of the lake’s waters occur largemouth bass fishing should improve. Fish will seek out drop-offs, ledges and submerged structure in an attempt to ambush members of the abundant shad population. Use diving shad imitators or bottom rigged shiners in an attempt to catch deeper dwelling bass. These methods work on schooling sunshine bass as well. Black crappie (specks) will congregate and fishing for them with multiple rods will increase your chances of locating a school. Use a mixture of crappie jigs and live bait to help determine their feeding preferences. Lang Lake -Lang Lake Fish Management Area (86 acres) is a reclaimed pit, meaning all the islands and shoreline have been graded to create gradual slopes with deep water only in the center of cuts. The vegetated shelf thus created is a fertile fish factory with cypress trees, cattails and hydrilla out to about eight feet, dropping like a wall to 20 feet. An 18 inch minimum size provides quality largemouth bass fishing. Large bluegill are caught mostly in late spring through fall. Trolling motors only are allowed although gasoline motors may still be attached to the boat. A minimum size of 10 inches has been established for black crappie. *During the fall, Lang tends to be a better fishing lake then Eagle for bass, with reports of larger fish being caught here. Panfish and crappie population numbers are average. Erosion continues to be a problem at the limestone boat ramp, so a four wheel drive is always the safest bet. (Local contact: Powell's Bait & Tackle, White Springs 386-397-2500) Doctors Inlet, St. Johns River, and Black Creek (Clay County):Both the inlet and the hard sand bottom areas in this stretch of the St. Johns (south of I-295) support healthy stands of eelgrass and great fishing for largemouth bass and redear sunfish. Schooling bass are present all year and redear are caught spring, summer and fall. If you enjoy wade fishing, this is a great stretch of river. Nearby Black Creek is deep with vegetated shorelines. It is a good water body for black crappie year-round and all riverine panfish (especially redbreast and bluegill sunfish) during spring, summer and fall. Striped bass utilize Black Creek as a cool weather refuge in summer and are present here and around St. Johns River bridge pilings commonly during winter months. (Local contact: Whitey's Fish Camp 904-269-4198) The coming months are some of the best if you are looking to fish for striped bass in the St. Johns River. Many of the bridge pilings around the Jacksonville area and farther south to Green Cove Springs provide excellent cover that attracts stripers. Fishing live bait or jigs in deep water is a great way to catch this species. Shallow running plugs can also be effective when they are worked along pilings using a stop-and-start retrieve. Black bass and bream will still be feeding and can be caught on live bait or artificial lures. If you are fishing in Black Creek during the winter, you will want to target the creek mouths, small holes and vegetated areas where the fish tend to congregate. *This is a great time of year to fish for largemouths and bream in the St. Johns River and its tributaries. Bass anglers will want to fish over eel grass beds and target the deeper holes that tend to attract largemouths. This section of the St. Johns River is tidally influenced, so bass tend to move where cover is optimal for feeding. Look for structure that allows fish to rest in the current, while feeding on passing items being carried by the rising or falling tides. Black Creek is another great spot to fish for bass and bream. The spatterdock edges that line Black Creek provide great cover and attract fish to the shallower areas. Common artificial baits are great for pulling in bass, while live bait, such as worms and crickets, is very effective for bream, especially redbreast sunfish. Lochloosa Lake (Alachua County):Lochloosa Lake (5700 acres) is designated as a Fish Management Area and located 5 miles south of Hawthorne near the town of Lochloosa. Most of the shoreline is bordered by old-growth cypress trees, and knotgrass and spatterdock (bonnets) are the predominant aquatic plants in the lake. A public boat ramp provides access to the lake from U.S. Highway 301 in the town of Lochloosa, and at Lochloosa Harbor Fish Camp just north of the town of Lochloosa, also accessed from U.S. 301. In addition, a public pier is located south of the town of Lochloosa on Burnt Island and is a popular fishing site for those without a boat. Lochloosa Lake offers good bluegill, redear sunfish and warmouth (bream) fishing during April through September; however, some bream can be caught year-round. Anglers targeting bream should fish with grass shrimp in deep-water spatterdock or deeper grass patches. Black crappie fishing is best from January through April in the spatterdock with grass shrimp and minnows. During summer and fall, crappie anglers should drift open water with grass shrimp and minnows. For more and updated information please call: *Largemouth bass fishing on Lake Lochloosa has improved relative to previous years. Although anglers are unlikely catch many bass in a day, those that are brought in will generally be of quality size. Additionally, bluegill and redear sunfish can be caught on crickets, grass shrimp and live minnows in the pads at the northwest side of the lake, most off Little Lochloosa and the south end of the lake. The knotgrass patches on the east shore and around Burnt Island are also worth a try. Crappie anglers should drift open water with live minnows or jigs during October and November, and start fishing closer to shore as December approaches. The fall and winter months of last year proved to be an extremely successful period for black crappie anglers, and expectations are just as high this year. For those anglers without a boat, keep in mind the fishing pier at Burnt Island located south of the town of Lochloosa off of Hwy 301. Newnans Lake (Alachua County):Newnans Lake (5800 acres), designated as a Fish Management Area, is located about two miles east of Gainesville on Highway 20. The lake is surrounded by cypress trees that provide good angling when water levels are high. Sparse areas of emergent grasses, bulrush, and spatterdock (water lilies) are found around the shoreline of Newnans Lake. The most consistent fisheries on Newnans Lake are catfish and bream, and these can be caught year-round in deeper areas of the lake and the lake shoreline, respectively. For a map of local lake features click here. For updated information please call: *Water levels increased about one foot since the summer months at Newnans Lake due to afternoon showers. Anglers may still be able to target the last of bedding bluegill during the full moon in October around the emergent grasses and bulrush. The east shoreline from Powers boat ramp to Hatchet Creek is generally the most productive area, but Palm Point has been a hot spot as well. The crappie fishing has been hit-and-miss lately, but catches in the fall months could be an indicator of how successful the winter and spring catches will be. Orange Lake (Alachua County):Orange Lake is the largest lake in the North Central Region at 12,550 acres. It is designated as a Fish Management Area and is located about 20 miles southeast of Gainesville. Orange Lake averages 5.5 feet deep with a maximum depth of 12 feet. Water levels fluctuate an average of 2 feet, annually. Outflow is controlled by a fixed-crest weir located at Highway 301 (southeast portion of lake). Orange Lake receives inflow from Newnans Lake through River Styx and from Lochloosa Lake through Cross Creek. Cross Creek (1.8 miles) is navigable to most boats during normal water levels. Orange lake has an extensive aquatic vegetation community, dominated by spatterdock (lily pads) and periodically hydrilla. Shallow marsh areas are inaccessible to anglers due to the dense growth of vegetation. Bluegill, redear sunfish, black crappie and largemouth bass are generally caught in the deeper spatterdock, emergent grasses and hydrilla. Marion County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission allocated funds to establish a fishing pier at Heagy-Burry Park (southwestern part of the lake). The pier is handicap-accessible. A fish attractor is located near the pier, which provides for good fishing. For updated information please call: * Regular afternoon showers have brought Orange Lake about 1 foot higher than early summer water levels. High-quality catches of largemouth bass, black crappie and bream were stable over the last several months, and the trend for bream and black crappie should continue until water temperatures start to decline, using grass shrimp and minnows as your best bet. As the water temperature starts to cool down, black crappie anglers should drift or troll minnows and/or jigs along the emergent grass edges or pads. Largemouth bass anglers can currently enjoy catches of one to two pound fish around the majority of the hydrilla edge, although catches of larger fish are common as well. Spinnerbaits, jerk worms and plastic worms will be the top baits. Lake Rousseau (Citrus, Marion and Levy counties):An impoundment of the Withlacoochee River, as part of the original Cross Florida Barge Canal project, this large lake is full of cypress trees, hyacinth and pennywort islands and sometimes hydrilla. Abundant cover and structure grow plenty of bluegill, redear sunfish, catfish, black crappie and largemouth bass. The deeper river channel is always good to locate and fish underwater bends. The rest of the lake is referred to as the "flats" or the backwaters. (Local contacts: Big Bass Village 352-447-3474, toll free 1-877-463-4742, bigbassvillage.com; Lake Rousseau RV Park/Fishing Resort 352-795-6336, lakerousseaurvpark.com); Dunnellon Bait and Tackle (352) 465-2755) *Currently hydrilla is not a hindrance for either fishing or navigation, and overall the habitat looks inviting. Lake water levels are normal for this time of year allowing cautious free range over the lake. Last quarter reports from local bass tournament anglers show above average catches of 12-14 inch bass being caught from the upper half of the lake. The golden shiner population seems to be on the low side, compared to years past, so using shiners for bass would likely be productive. Fish live bait or imitations close to pennywort (dollar weed) mats or boat docks. Black crappie will begin to school up and drifting through the stump fields while presenting jigs at different depths should be productive. St. Mary's and Nassau Rivers (Nassau County):This 125-mile river starts in the acid swamps of Okeefenokee and becomes a tidal river below US 17 north of Jacksonville. Upstream is redbreast sunfish and small largemouth bass territory. The salt marsh zone is famous for striped bass (the same is true for nearby Nassau River). (Local contacts: Charlie's Fish Camp 904-225-0102; St. Mary's River Fish Camp 904-845-4440) *Both of these coastal rivers give anglers the opportunity to catch a variety of freshwater species. In the upper reaches of these rivers, black bass, bream, and catfish can all be taken. The St. Mary’s River is known for its healthy populations of bluegill and redbreast sunfish. The shallower, vegetated banks are the most productive sunfish habitats in these rivers. Live baits, such as worms and crickets, are great choices for sunfish in these waters. Both the Nassau and the St. Mary’s River have good populations of largemouth bass as well, most being in the 2 to 3 pound range. Targeting cypress stands and other woody structure along river shorelines is a great way to fish for largemouth bass. Good largemouth fishing can be found in the areas around King’s Ferry, Boulogne and St. George. In the lower stretches of these rivers anglers can fish for a variety of saltwater species including drum, sea trout, and flounder. Live bait is an effective way of taking these species, with mud-minnows, shrimp, and crabs being popular choices. Lake Sampson and Lake Rowell (Bradford County):This two-lake chain near Starke provides good habitat diversity. Rowell Lake (364 acres) is upstream, has a cypress border, is shallow with a mucky bottom and usually cycles from dense to moderate hydrilla growths. Largemouth bass grow large in this fertile lake. Sampson Lake (2042 acres) is connected to Rowell by a canal. This lake has a sand bottom, several 14-foot deep holes and FWC permanent plastic fish attractors. The hard sand bottom makes wade fishing enjoyable and is one of the best places in the northeast region to enjoy flyfishing and wading (also try Ocean Pond in the Osceola National Forest, Baker County if you enjoy this sport). The entire lake is ringed by a marsh of cattails, water lilies and a band of maidencane grass. The marsh is mucky and only the outer edge holds fish except during high water. (Local contact: The Slab 904-964-9374). *FWC recently completed a fish community survey on Lake Sampson. Good numbers of bluegill and redear sunfish were found in the south and southwest side of the lake. Live bait, such as earthworms and crickets, is a good choice for bream and can be fished around vegetation in the shallower portions of the lakes and around the mats of vegetation away from shore. Forage fish are abundant in the northern portions of the lake which may attract largemouth bass and pickerel. Also, don’t forget to fish any structure you might find in deeper areas late in the year. Bass anglers still tend to head into Lake Rowell where the numbers of larger fish may be better, but keep looking for new areas in Lake Sampson as well. Texas-rigged soft plastics and crankbaits are some of the most popular choices. At the time of this writing, water levels in these lakes were still high enough to allow boat anglers to easily access Lake Sampson. Additionally, water levels were high enough to prevent some anglers from passing under the railroad trestle to access Lake Rowell; however, most low or small boats can still pass. Lake Santa Fe (Alachua County):This 5850-acre lake has a "little" northern area and a "big" southern arm connected by "the pass" where shad school and fishing is usually good for schooling largemouth and stocked sunshine bass. Numerous homes surround the lake, most with docks and ski boats; fishing is always best early and late or at night and on weekdays. In spite of development, the fish habitat is outstanding with many areas of cypress and healthy maidencane grass beds. (Local contact: Chappini's Bait & Tackle (352) 475-9496). *Water levels and conditions are excellent. Local reports of game fish using near-shore habitat are encouraging for this quarter. Chunky bluegill and redear sunfish have been feasting on invertebrates washed into the lake or flooded by recent rain events. Crickets, earthworms, and grass shrimp are always good choices of bait for panfish. Plastic worms or suspending jerk baits fished along the maidencane edge can be very effective on largemouth bass and chain pickerel. Fishing over submerged structure in the deeper portions of the lake can also be a productive approach. Suwannee Lake (Suwannee County):This 63-acre man-made, state-owned impoundment is filled with cypress trees and largemouth bass. It is a Fish Management Area and a license is required. Two fishing piers, one fully handicapped accessible, and several earthen fishing fingers provide boatless angling opportunities. The lake is shallow around the edge with good vegetative cover and several old sink-holes out in the trees providing deep cover. Perennial tactics, depending on the season, include pitching jigs and spinners up into "no-man's land"--the brush around the edge, shiner fishing in winter and very early spring, cranking shiner imitators between the trees, and fishing topwater lures and dark plastic worms anywhere. Good fishing for bluegill and redear sunfish occurs during spring and summer. Note: Special harvest regulations are in place on Suwannee Lake. Minimum size limits of 10 inches for crappie and 18 inches for largemouth bass allow more fish to grow to desirable sizes. (Local contact: Greens Marine, Lake City 904-755-5390; Powell's Bait & Tackle, White Springs 386-397-2500) *Water levels and conditions are excellent. Very abundant smaller-sized largemouth bass have kept the small bluegill and redear sunfish numbers down. This provides the remaining, larger panfish with more available food and therefore faster growth rates. Suwannee Lake might be better described as a trophy panfish lake at this time. FWC surveys show a strong population of keeper sized bluegill and redear sunfish hanging out amongst the standing cypress. Black crappie thrive in this lake as well, and school during cooler months in the northern pool. Suwannee and Santa Fe Rivers (Columbia, Hamilton, Madison, Lafayette, Gilchrist, Alachua, Suwannee, Levy and Dixie counties):The Suwannee drains from the Okeefenokee Swamp through limestone shoals stretches to become a large flood plain river in the lower reaches. Drastic water level fluctuations characterize the river and keep the fishery dynamic. The Santa Fe is the major tributary, heavily influenced by springs and unlike the Suwannee, has vast areas of submerged vegetation in the middle and upper reaches. These areas harbor abundant freshwater shrimp, waterscuds and aquatic insects, thus producing excellent growth rates for fish, particularly abundant redbreast sunfish and pugnacious spotted sunfish (stumpknockers). The upper Suwannee has only tree roots and rocky shelves for fish structure. The lower Suwannee has a band of waterlilies and eventually in the tidal portion, numerous wooded and marsh-lined feeder creeks. High tide fishing is always slow with best fishing during lower tides. It is also helpful to remember that the outer bends are always deeper, sand bars are on inside curves and lilies on outer bend means the current has left the bank and panfish like to spawn here. Both Suwannee and largemouth bass occur. Large fish are not the rule and remember that all bass in the river, especially Suwannees, prefer to feed on crawfish, so crawfish-colored lures prevail. (*Local upper Suwannee contacts: Suwannee River State Park 386-362-2746, Canoe Outpost 1-800-428-4147, Spirit of Suwannee Park 386-364-1683; *Local middle Suwannee and Santa Fe contacts: Sandy Point Marina 386-935-0615, Gene's Bait & Tackle, Ft. White 904-497-2248; *Local lower Suwannee contacts: Sid's Treasure Camp at Fowler's Bluff 352-493-2950) The enacted "No Wake" zones from Dowling Park downstream to the upper estuary have been lifted. *If water levels remain within the banks of these two rivers this quarter, fishing should be excellent. If seasonal showers bring river levels near the root zone, aggressively fish for all panfish in either river. Suwannee and largemouth bass will hit crayfish colored crankbaits fished close to drop-offs and woody snags. The confluence area of these two rivers upstream on the Santa Fe to Sandy Point is where most of the big Suwannee bass are caught. In the Suwannee River, target eddies behind large cypress trees and feeder creek mouths with plastic imitations for bass as well. The winter months are when the lower tidal creeks of the Suwannee hold larger than average spotted sunfish. Fish for these hand sized beauties on a falling tide. Note: Boaters should be extremely cautious on both rivers, as low water has made clearance over sand bars and other underwater hazards less certain. Use low water periods to develop better understanding of what exposed areas look like under normal river levels. Also available are current water levels throughout Florida on the Internet a www.usgs.gov Tsala Apopka Chain (Citrus County):Lake Tsala Apopka is 19,111 acres of shallow, heavily vegetated marshes intermingled with open water pools. Water control structures separate the lake into three main pools named after nearby towns: Floral City, Inverness and Hernando. Public boat ramps are available 1/4 mile east of the intersection of U.S. Highway 41 and S.R. 200 (Hernando Pool); ¼ mile east of City of Inverness on S.R. 470 (Inverness Pool); and on Duval Island Road off C.R. 48, one mile east of U.S. Highway 41 (Floral City Pool). Local Contacts: River Land Bait and Tackle (352) 465-2755) or The Art of Fishing (Fly Fishing Specialist) Hernando (352) 637-3316 for more up-to-date information. *Water levels are up and boat ramps are open. Fortunately, the relatively small and localized fish kills that occurred last quarter within the chain have passed. The cause of the kills was directly related to low dissolved oxygen levels, brought on by the mixing of swamp waters from the Withlacoochee River’s drainage. The northern most pool (Hernando) and the last one to receive river waters was not impacted at all. As for fishing black crappie, angling picks up this time of year and many successful anglers dip hooked minnows close to lily pads. Casting white plastic grubs at the edge of maidencane grass seems to work also. If the day is windy, focus your efforts to the shores where the chop is breaking as this seems to be where hungry bass have been waiting for drifting forage. Snagless frogs and rats would be a lure of choice for targeting bass in and around dense stands of pads. Wauberg Lake (Alachua County):This fertile 254-acre lake in a state park (electric trolling motors only) is famous for black crappie more than any other species. The fertile green water supports shad and a deep grass line is good to hold fish. Big largemouth bass are caught in spring, and redear sunfish and bluegill during spring and summer. There is a nice campground here for a relaxing fishing vacation. (Local contact: Tackle Box Gainesville 352/372-1791) *Black crappie fishing should pick up in November and peak around Christmas; bluegill and redear sunfish will feed on grass shrimp and crickets. Small tube rigs for panfish are deadly when tipped with a section of mealworm. For a different presentation when using tube baits, insert the jig head only half way into the body of the tube. This provides a small air pocket in front that helps to plane the tube left or right on it’s descent. Withlacoochee River (Citrus, Marion, Sumter, Levy, Hernando counties):This 157-mile stream originates in Green Swamp in Hernando County and flows north to the Gulf at Yankeetown. The stream has many limerock areas and associated swamps. Water levels fluctuate except in Lake Rousseau and the area just above the influence of Rainbow River. Water color is dark during the rainy season and clear during low water. Public ramps are located at S.R. 44 in Rutland, C.R. 470 north of Lake Panasofkee, the Outlet River west of Lake Panasofkee on C.R. 470 in Sumter County, C.R. 39 north of SR 200 in Citrus County, U.S. Highway 41 at Dunnellon and SR 40 at Yankeetown. (Local contacts: The Art of Fishing (Fly-Fishing Specialist) Hernando 352-637-3316; Anglers Resort Dunnellon 352-489-2397. *River water levels are up, but remain cautious when boating as there are still isolated rock outcrops, sandbars, and floating wood that can do damage to outboard motors. Good bluegill and mixed catfish species can be caught close to any log jams where current is passing around or through. Expect to lose some gear but the rewards can be worth it. Typical baits like chicken liver and earthworms will work for the catfish, and stick with the latter for panfish. As for largemouth bass, from Rt. 200 downstream to the Rainbow River is by far the most consistent water. | ||||
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Our mission: Managing fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people.
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