Florida’s Top Largemouth Bass Waters For 2009
- A couple of bass caught from Kissimmee, Florida. Photos provided by Ray Frenette’s Guide Service.
The FWC released their top largemouth bass fishing lakes for the state of Florida for 2009. We are going to do a short recap of these lakes and the fishing opportunities in these lakes.
Lake George is one of the top bass fishing lakes in all of Florida and it continues to produce year after year. It is part of the St. John’s river system and it has extensive vegetation that gives bass plenty of places to hide.
Some of the hot spots that they listed were the Juniper, Salt and Silver Glen spring runs on the western shoreline of the lake. In the colder months, bass tend to congregate at the jetties along the south end of the lake. The northeast shore and off of Drayton Island provide old dock structures that are always good places to look for bass. There is one fish camp on the lake and a couple of others just north and south of Lake George on the St. John’s River. There is one fish camp located on the lake and it is called Pine Island Fish Camp. As far as launching your boat, there is also one public boat launch with limited parking along the south end of the lake off Blue Creek Lodge Road.
Lake Toho is a very popular lake that has been featured on many fishing shows. This lake is located adjacent to the city of Kissimmee in central Florida. This lake is known for holding very big bass with 10 pound bass being caught here every year. Fishing with live shiners near shoreline vegetation seems to be the most popular way to consistently catch bass here.
There are 2 fish camps, one marina, one county park and 5 public boat ramps available to anglers. Combine that with 2 fishing piers and plenty of access points for bank fisherman along Lakeshore Drive and Neptune Road at the north end of the lake and you can see why so many people spend their time fishing this lake.
Lake Kissimmee is a huge lake and it is nationally known for producing high quality fish year after year. With over 35,000 acres, plenty of fish habitat and lots of bass, you have plenty of places to try to catch a bass here. There are 3 fish camps, 2 public boat ramps and a state park available to anglers.
Rodman Reservoir is located east of Gainesville, Florida and it covers 9,500 acres. This lake has lots of largemouth bass habitat, which helps this lake put out quality bass every year. Catching bass here is easiest by using live shiners, just like every other bass lake in Florida. The pool area along the river channel is where most big bass are caught on this lake. This area is known as the “stump fields.”
At normal water levels, anglers can find boat ramps near the town of Interlachen off C.R. 315 in Orange Springs and Kenwood. You can also find boat ramps at the Rodman Recreational Area off Hwy 19 and at Eureka off of C.R. 316.
Lake Tarpon is a 2,500 acre lake located near the Tampa / St. Petersburg area of Florida. With average fish in the 12 to 16 inch range, you’d think that this lake shouldn’t be on this list, but there are plenty of big bass in this lake and this lake has been conistently producing big bass over the years.
Lake Tarpon has 2 public boat ramps within count parks. Anderson Park boat ramp is located on the west shore off of U.S. 19 and Chestnut Park boat ramp in located on the east side of the lake off of C.R. 611. There are some boardwalks and fishing piers that can also be productive areas to fish for bass.
Lake Weohyakapka (Lake Walk-In-Water) is located south of Orlando and east of Lake Wales and is just south of S.R. 60. This lake is known for its excellent big bass fishing. There is a protected slot limit for fish between 15 and 24 inches long, which should help to maintain this excellent bass fishery. While lures will work here, most of the big bass come on wild shiners near some type of vegetation. There is a public boat ramp located on Boat Landing Road, which runs east off of Walk-in-the-Water Road, just a few miles south of S.R. 60.
Lake Istokpoga is a 28,000 acre lake that often gets overlooked. In the past, there have been angler surveys with estimates of more than 1,000 bass caught over 8 pounds in less than a year. That’s some pretty good fishing. There are several fish camps and 4 public boat ramps that provide access to this lake.
Deer Point Lake is a popular bass fishing destination located in the panhandle of Florida near Panama City. The bass fishing is very good here, although, it does slow down in the winter with the colder weather. The spring time is definitely the time to get out on this lake though. The bass fishing really heats up here in March, April and May. This lake has a tremendous amount of flooded cypress trees here, which is great for bass fishing, but not for operating a boat. Be careful on this lake when operating your boat.
The Suwannee River is an excellent river system for catching good numbers of bass. This isn’t the place to go to try to catch that 10 pound bass. Good numbers of bass are here though, which might be what you are looking for. Crayfish are the main food source for bass on this river system, so plan accordingly when you drop a line into this river.
The Everglades Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3 may be a little bit of a drive for most anglers, but it’s definitely a place worth fishing if you have the time and the money to get down here. Time it just right here and 50 bass days are easily possible. Time it wrong and you still may land 10 or more bass on a half day fishing outing. The Everglades is not known for putting out huge numbers of big bass, but there are lots of decent-sized to good-sized bass in the Everglades.
Lake Monroe is a shallow 9,400 acre lake that had an excellent sampling of bass in the spring of 2008. An electrosampling of this lake had higher catch rates than any other lake on the St. John’s River System and there were good numbers of bass 8 pounds and bigger. 2009 may offer some excellent fishing on this lake, so it’s definitely worth a trip if you are going to be in this area. The lake is located on the north side of Sanford near Orlando, Florida.
The Tenoroc Fish Management Area Lakes near Lakeland, Florida provide a special opportunity to fish in Florida’s famous phosphate pits. These lakes range from 7 acres to 227 acres and have depths up to 35 feet. The bass fishing can be incredible on these lakes and there are strict limits to make sure the bass population continues to thrive.
The Mosaic Fish Management Area also is made up of phosphate lakes. They produce some excellent bass and anglers can fish on the 12 different lakes that range from 10 to 200 acres with depths up to 30 feet.
For more detailed information from the FWC, take a look at their page that covers these popular bass fishing waters. http://myfwc.com/Recreation/FW_sites_topbass.htm
Alaska Sport Fishing
Alaska sport fishing is different from the commercial side of Alaska fishing. The sport fishing consists of fishing by anglers with a fishing rod, line, hook, etc. People come to Alaska for the remarkable salmon, trout and halibut fishing opportunities. You can have an amazing adventure here in Alaska, but you may want to find out the costs of this trip before you get too excited to plan a trip here.
We can help with that. Take a look at the top fishing destinations in Alaska with information on the top fishing lodges and resorts, guides, charters and much more.
Southwest Alaska
The Inside Passage
Southern Region
Northern Region
South Central Alaska
Kenai Peninsula
Prince William Sound
Alaska Commercial Fishing
Commercial fishermen in Alaska have one of the harshest jobs in the entire world. With isolated fishing grounds, high winds, cold water, seasonal darkness and short fishing seasons which calls for very long hours when the fish are in season.
There are some great websites out there that will give you more information on the commercial fishing in Alaska. It all starts with the Alaska Fish and Game website. http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/
Most of the commercial fishermen are targeting salmon, halibut and crabs, but you can definitely find more information on the Alaska Fish and Game site.
Alaska Fishing Jobs
Landing a fishing job in Alaska may seem like a dream come true, but commercial fishing is considered to be one of the most hazardous occupations in America. For those that are willing to take a little risk for an adventure in beautiful Alaska, there are jobs available each season. Most of the salmon runs occur during the summer, which creates an opportunity for college students to experience something different while making some money to carry them through the next school year.
There are numerous types of jobs that are available each summer, but it may not be as easy as you think to land one of the very good jobs. From commercial salmon and halibut fishing jobs to crab fishing jobs, there are many opportunities in a variety of places throughout Alaska. We put together a list of a few different websites that have more information about Alaska fishing jobs.
- http://labor.state.ak.us/esd_alaska_jobs/seafood.htm
- http://www.alaskajobfinder.com/
- http://www.fishingjobs.com/afjc/
Alaska Fishing Lodges
Otter’s Cove Bed and Breakfast
Alaska is home to some of the finest salmon, trout and halibut fishing in the world and you can find plenty of fishing lodges to accommodate all types of budgets. An Alaska fishing trip can definitely cost a lot of money, but there are some types of lodging available that are very affordable.
On the other spectrum, you can very easily spend a ton of money on an Alaska fishing trip by paying for a guide or charter service and staying in some of the nicest luxury fishing lodges available. There are some lodges in certain areas that will cater more to salmon and trout fishing, halibut fishing and even northern pike fishing.
Some of the top places to find Alaskan lodging accommodations with world class fishing are:
Southwest Alaska
The Inside Passage
Southern Region
Northern Region
South Central Alaska
Kenai Peninsula
Prince William Sound
All Canada Show
The popular All Canada Show has already kicked off its latest tour with Minneapolis this past weekend of January 2 - 4. Over the next month, there are 8 more shows that target the following cities: Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Des Moines and Omaha. The show will feature many resorts, lodges, cabins and cottages throughout Canada. Because of the economy, this might be a great place to try to get a deal with a resort owner.
For more information on the dates and times of the show, go ahead and check out their website at http://www.allcanadashow.com/.
2009 Christmas Shopping for Fishermen
It’s that time of year again. Christmas for a fishermen can be exciting. There are plenty of new products on the market that anglers would love to have, but to be honest, anything that I receive that has to do with fishing can be put to use at some point. Whether it’s a rod, lures, outdoor clothing, I try to make a point of catching something with my new products when I get out on the water in the spring.
So what are some of the more popular things that anglers are looking for this Christmas?
Strike King Redeye Shad Crankbaits (Made popular by Kevin VanDam. The Sexy Shad color is very popular.)
Fishing Rod Racks (We need new places to store our new fishing rods)
FishTV Underwater Viewing System (A very affordable underwater viewing system)
Portable GPS Units (Portable GPS Units are very popular Christmas presents for the fishermen of 2009. The unit below is by Garmin, which is a popular brand among outdoorsman.)
Walmart FLW 2009 Walleye League Schedule
The 2009 Walmart FLW Walleye League gets started March 21 on the Illinois River for the Heartland Division. Dates have been set for the Heartland Division as well as the Michigan Division, Minnesota Division and Wisconsin Division. For information on the events and the payouts, take a look at the 2009 FLW Walleye Leage Schedule.
