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Florida Bass Fishing

Florida is known for many things. To many people it is all about amusement parks, palm trees, beaches, and fun in the sun. To the fishing community, Florida is a great place to find the next catch. Bass fishing is especially good in Florida. You simply need to know the best places to go. There is plenty of water in Florida, so you will have plenty of options to choose from.

Florida Largemouth Bass

While you fish in Florida you can come across many different types of bass. The most common of these bass that you will likely come across is the Florida Largemouth Bass. This bass is the largest of the sunfish family. This bass has light green and brownish sides with a dark lateral line.

Due to the largemouth bass’ appearance, it is often confused with smallmouth or spotted bass. The way that you can tell if it is a largemouth bass is if the upper jaw extends beyond the rear edge of the eye. The first and second dorsal fins are almost separated by a deep dip. There are also no scales on the soft-rayed second dorsal fin.

Female largemouth bass tend to be 22 inches or larger while the male bass reach 16 inches. They enjoy clear, still waters with plenty of aquatic plants where they have plenty of food and cover to hide. They also prefer the water to be 65-85 degrees in depths less than 20 feet.

Along with the Florida Largemouth Bass, you can also find spotted bass, striped bass, and sunshine bass. These tend to be more difficult to find in Florida, but they are still very possible with some luck and effort.

Fishing in Orlando

When people think of Orlando, they will probably picture Disney World or Universal Studios. On the East Coast of Orlando, you will find the Kennedy Space Center. It is also known as the Redfish Capital of the world.

Orlando, Kissimmee, and St. Cloud are also well known for trophy Black Bass. The Mosquito Lagoon near Cocoa Beach and Daytona Beach is a great location to go fishing. Do not let the name fool you, the mosquitoes are not as bothersome as the name of the lagoon suggests. The Mosquito Lagoon is just 45 minutes from the amusement parks in the heart of Orlando. It makes a great place to go with plenty of fish to keep you occupied for the day.

Best Fishing Lakes in Florida

The best fishing lakes in Florida are rated by angler popularity and success. The types of fish or the size of fish do not come into play here. If you have a specific type of fish that you are looking to catch, you might need to do a little more research to find out which one of these lakes would be best for you.

These are the Top 3 Fishing Lakes in Florida:

  1. Lake Okeechobee
  2. Butler Chain Lakes
  3. Rodman Reservoir

Lake Okeechobee

One of the best fishing lakes in Florida is Lake Okeechobee. It is the most famous big bass lake in Florida. Lake Okeechobee is well-known for the quality and quantity of the bass the lake produces. Its reputation has continued for years because it constantly keeps producing the biggest and best largemouth bass in Southern Florida. This lake also offers about 700 square miles to fish.

Butler Chain Lakes

The Butler Chain of Lakes are also great lakes to fish in. They are very similar to one another and cover about 4,720 acres. The chain of lakes consists of 11 lakes that are interconnected. Most of the successful bass anglers stay towards the bottom of the lakes and find 4 or 5 pound bass.

Rodman Reservoir

The Rodman Reservoir is also another great place to fish in Florida. This is a premier largemouth bass fishery in Northeast Florida. The reservoir is 15 miles long and covers 9,500 acres. It was created in 1968 when a dam was built across the Ocklawaha River. With depths of up to 30 feet, anglers have the best luck catching bass with deep crank baits.

Some other lakes to check out include Lake Ida Chain of Lakes, Stick Marsh, Lake Tohopekaliga, Airport Lakes, Everglades Holiday Park, Harris Chain of Lakes, and Lake Istokpoga. They are also very popular lakes in Florida to fish, and anglers have said good things about their catches.

Largest Lake in Florida

The state of Florida is about 66,000 square miles. Only 53,000 square miles is actually land. That means that over one fifth of the state is water. The largest lake in Florida is the fourth largest natural lake and the second largest freshwater lake in the United States. As mentioned previously, Lake Okeechobee is the largest Lake in Florida. This lake covers 448,000 acres. This lake is what is left of an ancient, shallow sea previously known as the Pimlico Sea. When translated, the name actually means big water. That is because the second largest lake in Florida is only one tenth of the size of this lake.

Florida Bass Fishing and Other Locations

Florida may be a place where people go on vacation. Next time you think of Florida, think of all the great bass you catch. Now that you know some great places to try your luck, check out Fishmasters to see the latest gear you should take to Florida fishing hotspots. Fishmasters provides the best fishing locations, product reviews, fishing tips, and more.

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