Alligator Lake (Columbia)
This 800-acre Fish Management Area is filled with sinkholes, including some that connect directly to underground aquifers. Attract black crappie with live minnows. Redear and bluegill prefer crickets and worms, while bass respond well to soft plastic bait. Catfish can be lured with chicken liver.
A single-lane boat ramp is available on the north side of the lake, with room for about 20 cars. Bank fishing is permitted for boat-free angling.
Cedar Key (Levy)
The Gulf waters off of Cedar Key are teeming with Spanish mackerel, pompano, ladyfish, sea trout and bluefish. Redfish and speckled sea trout usually stick to the oyster bars and sea grass beds, respectively. Try shrimp and jigs as bait.
Chassahowitzka River (Citrus)
Pronounced "chess-a-whiskey," this shallow river should be navigated with caution. Relatively warm, spring-fed water affects fishing all year. Anglers should find stocks of snook, redfish, and sea trout.
Crystal River (Citrus)
The docks and seawalls in Crystal River are a gathering place for snook. Catches should be plentiful with crabs, minnows and baitfish as bait. Deep holes near the shore should provide a good harvest on cooler days, and the grassy areas will yield sea trout.
Doctor's Inlet (Clay)
This tributary of the St. Johns River hides a large amount of bass in its eelgrass beds. Deep holes are a great place to try, as are any areas upstream of Palatka.
Eagle Lake (Hamilton)
Large (200 acres) and abundant, Eagle Lake provides excellent fishing year-round. Spring provides the best largemouth bass, while bluegill, catfish and redear are best in the summer. Black crappie and sunshine bass are great during the fall and winter months.
Boaters should be aware that gasoline motors may be attached to fishing vessels, but only trolling motors may be used.
Econfina River (Taylor)
The shallow waters of the Econfina yield up plenty of cobia, sea trout and redfish. The Econfina River State Park's boat ramp is always open for saltwater angling in the Gulf.
Overnight accommodations are small, but clean.
Fernandina Beach (Nassau)
Fernandina's warm waters make it the perfect spot for a variety of fish—trout, cobia, bluefish, sheepshead, sea bass, king mackerel, flounder, pompano and grouper. Five-foot-long, 140-lb. amberjack have been
harvested here.
Homosassa River (Citrus)
The river's unique headwaters allow both salt and freshwater species to freely mingle. Snook, mullet, and sheepshead can be found next to gar, largemouth bass, and bream. The inshore flats can yield tarpon with bait such as flies, crab, mullet or shrimp.
Horseshoe Beach (Dixie)
Producing sheepshead, cobia, redfish and sea trout in its shallow waters, Horseshoe Beach is best for seasonal fishing. Summer anglers will find a large amount of red snapper, but this fish is sometimes available year-round. Spring and fall will yield plenty of king mackerel with either live or frozen baits. Grouper is a fantastic year-round catch.
Lake Rousseau (Levy, Marion & Citrus)
The structure and shade provided by vast amounts of cypress trees, grow an abundance of bluegill, redear, catfish, bass and crappie. Stick to the river channel, which harbors plenty of fish in its depths.
Lake Rowell (Bradford)
Lake Rowell is connected to Lake Sampson by a canal and lies upstream. It is considered very fertile due to a shallow, mucky bottom and hydrilla growths. Big catches of largemouth bass are quite likely.
Lake Sampson (Bradford)
Lake Sampson has a hard sand bottom perfect for wade angling and fly-fishing. Several permanent fish attractors make catches easy. Catching 7- to 8-lb. bass is not uncommon.
Lake Wauberg (Alachua)
Lake Wauberg is probably best known for its extensive crappie population. Grasses and algae-rich waters feed and harbor crappie, bass, redear sunfish and bluegill. An adjacent campground provides a relaxing vacation spot.
Lang Lake (Hamilton)
This gradually sloping pit is full of vegetation and fish. Largemouth bass and bluegill are the most popular catches.
Be wary of the boat ramps; four-wheel-drive vehicles would be helpful in launching and recovering your craft. No gasoline motors may be used on the lake (trolling motors only), but they can be attached to the boat.
Lochloosa Lake (Alachua)
Surrounded by ancient cypress trees and spotted with grass beds, Lochloosa Lake is a great spot for summer angling. Bluegill, redear sunfish and bream are abundant from April to September, but some species of bream are available throughout the year (try grass shrimp as bait and focus on the deep-water grass beds). Summer and fall will bring in full catches of crappie in the open water; use grass shrimp and minnows as bait.
A public boat ramp provides access to the lake from Highway 301.
Nassau River (Nassau & Duval)
The colder months deliver the largest bass in Nassau River. Try deep-diving lures and live eels for the 20-pounders. Redfish, drum and sea trout should be plentiful, as well.
Newnan's Lake (Alachua)
Surrounded by cypress trees, Newnan's Lake offers the best fishing when the water is high. Catfish and bream are the most popular catches. Try the deeper areas of the lake for catfish; bream will be found along the shoreline.
Orange Lake (Alachua)
A giant of a lake, this 12,550-acre fish management area has vast amounts of lily pads, which often prevent shallow-water angling. The deeper areas of the lake offer bluegill, redear sunfish, bass and crappie.
A boat ramp and a fishing pier with fish attractor is located at Heagy-Burry Park at the southwest portion of the lake. Boats also can launch from Mike's Fish Camp.
St. Johns River (Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Putnam, Lake, Volusia, Seminole, Orange & Brevard)
One of the most famous rivers in Florida, the St. Johns is known primarily for its bass population. Stick to live bait for the most success. Deep waters and the areas around submerged structures should produce a good amount of catfish, bluegill and bass.
Santa Fe Lake (Alachua)
Separated into a "little" north area, a "big" southern arm and a "pass" which connects the two, Lake Santa Fe is a fishing haven in the midst of residential Florida. The connecting pass is the best place for sunshine and largemouth bass. Despite the surrounding homes, fishing continues to be successful here.
A boat ramp and fishing pier can be found on the north side of the lake.
Santa Fe River (Alachua, Union, Columbia, Bradford, Suwannee & Gilchrist)
Freshwater shrimp, waterscuds and aquatic insects are abundant in the heavily vegetated waters of this Suwannee tributary. As a result, the fish growth is phenomenal. Redbreast sunfish and stumpknocker are the most
common catches.
Steinhatchee River (Taylor)
Brackish river waters house redfish, spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and jack crevalle. Anglers should find plenty of grouper, snapper, and redfish off-shore. Head out of the river for summer scalloping along the coast, between Rock Point to the beaches.
Suwannee Lake (Suwannee)
Suwannee Lake is stuffed with both cypress trees and largemouth bass.
The best fishing tactics vary according to season, but top-water lures and dark plastic worms should ensure a good catch anytime of year, anywhere in the lake. Bluegill and redear are attracted to crickets and worms year-round. A boat ramp and pier are available with parking for 60 cars. Anglers without boats can fish from the pier or the bank.
Suwannee River (Dixie, Levy, Lafayette, Suwannee, Hamilton, Columbia & Gilchrist)
Frequent—and extreme—changes in water level keep the fishing interesting, with the best fishing at low tide. Tree roots and rocky shelves provide habitats for plenty of fish in the upper Suwannee area; a greater amount of vegetation makes the lower Suwannee more habitable for bass. Bait resembling crawfish bring the most success, as Suwannee bass prefer this particular shellfish.
Numerous boat ramps can be found along the river's shoreline.
Tsala Apopka Lake (Citrus)
Made up of more than 19,000 acres of heavily-vegetated shallow marsh and open water ponds, Tsala Apopka is a vast span of fishing opportunities, but the Hernando Pool and Little Lake Henderson are the most productive. Panfish and largemouth bass can be found near the boat ramps (steer clear of mucky spots) and bluegill and redear are abundant along the shorelines. Try the unusual—but useful—hotdog or moist dog food as bait.
A boat ramp near the intersection of Highway 41 and S.R. 200 provides access to the Hernando Pool. Inverness's S.R. 470 and Duval Island Road contain boat ramps for Inverness Pool and Floral City Pool, respectively.
Waccasassa Bay (Levy)
Bordering the Gulf Hammock Wildlife Management Area, Waccasassa Bay harbors large amounts of redfish and sea trout. Stick to the oyster bars and sand bars through fall, as these are popular areas for fish.
Withlacoochee River (Levy, Citrus, Marion, Sumter, Pasco & Hernando)
Fluctuating water levels can make the Withlacoochee a spotty place to fish, but persistence and patience should result in favorable catches. Try the area below the dam at Lake Rousseau for a year-round source of catfish. Mullet have been caught downstream, using handfuls of meal combined with BB-sized pellets of plastic white grub on small hooks. Public boat ramps can be found along the length of the river.
