Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission designated Rodman Reservoir as one of the best bass lakes. The reservoir, located just southwest of Palatka, is a heavily vegetated, stump filled area perfect for fish. In the spring, bass spawn in shallow areas, and by the summer moths, they may wander into the Ocklawaha River channel and the Cross Florida Barge Canal, where waters reach up to 30 feet deep. Golden shiners floated under a cork make great lures along the walls of hydrilla mats. Other weedless lures—such as jerkbaits, soft plastic worms and spinnerbaits—also attract large amounts of bass. Stumpknocker, redbreast sunfish, catfish, bluegill, spotted sunfish and redear sunfish are found in the fertile waters of Rodman Reservoir.
The Cross Florida Barge Canal and Ocklawaha River channel are great places, especially in the winter, to find black crappie on spinners and tiny jigs.
Lake George is a 46,000-acre natural impoundment of the St. Johns River, one of Florida’s premier bass fishing destinations. While the western shore’s eelgrass has been almost depleted by the 2004 hurricanes, the beds near the northeast sections have recovered well, and hold plenty of fish.
The Croaker Hole in Lake George is very productive for striped bass. Crickets are great for bluegill; worms usually work better for shellcrackers. Brown bullheads will congregate for spawning in the remaining eelgrass beds during some months. Live shiners and artificial bait should be used near eelgrass beds and deeper pilings to attract fish.
Duval & Nassau counties
Bass fishing is legendary along the St. Johns River, which flows north for more than 300 miles through Northeast Florida. The submerged vegetation along the banks provides a great habitat, while soft plastic baits, top water lures and jerkbaits produce the best results. Shad-imitating lures can fool fish in moving water.
The St. Johns River is commonly divided into three drainage basins. Because the St. Johns River flows north, the upper basin is the area to the south. The middle basin is the area in East-Central Florida where the river widens. The lower basin is located in Northeast Florida from Putnam County to the river’s mouth in Duval County, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
North of Jacksonville, the Nassau River winds its way eastward, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. December through May is the best time to fish striped bass, which is well known in the area and can top 20 pounds. Favorite baits include live eels and shad-imitating, deep-diving lures. Saltwater trout, drum and redfish are found in the same areas.
Clay County
Doctor’s Inlet, part of the St. Johns River, is a hot spot for largemouth bass and redear sunfish. Bass are found near lush eel beds year-round. Holes at the bottom of the inlet and areas upstream of Palatka are the best fishing areas.
Doctor’s Inlet provides room for popular water sports and great views of the water front houses.
Black Creek, located in Middleburg, is a wild and scenic place, great for fishing.
Flagler County
Fish are abundant in Flagler County. Lakes, canals, Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean offer anglers many catching opportunities. Freshwater fisherman can expect to see bass, speckled perch, crappie, catfish and bream.
The 16,000-acre Lake Crescent is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the state and a prime location for bass and black crappie. Look for bass near docks and other structures during the fall months. Weedless spoons, plastic worms, live shiners and jerkbaits are productive lures for fish in this area, which hold some of the highest fish counts in the St. Johns area.
Crappie anglers do well drifting on open water using minnows or jigs in the winter and early spring months. Dead Lake and Haw Creek, located at the south end of Lake Crescent, are popular fishing areas.
St. Johns County
St. Augustine’s coastal waters provide wonderful opportunities for any angler. Crescent Beach, only 25 minutes from downtown St. Augustine on Anastasia Island, is a great place to drop a line, as is Vilano Beach, a short three-minute drive from downtown. Hire a deep-sea charter boat to catch larger fish offshore, or cast off the pier. St. Augustine is home to the annual Kingfish Challenge and billfish tournaments. Marlin, dolphin, sea trout, flounder and redfish are abundant.
Atlantic Waters
Warm waters off the coast of Fernandina Beach offer year-round fishing. Red fish, trout, kingfish, pompano, sheepshead, flounder, sharks, tarpon, barracuda, bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, cobia, sailfish and blackfin tuna are found here. The great amberjack is legendary in the area, known to reach five feet in length and more than 150 pounds.
Flagler Beach
Anglers find great catches in the narrow island of Flagler Beach, located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. This deep-water channel is teeming with snook, bluefish, whiting, redfish, tarpon and snapper. Raw chicken is a great lure to bring in succulent blue crab. Anglers can cast off at Flagler Beach Pier, or launch a boat from the county dock or Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area.
Jacksonville
The Jacksonville area, nestled between the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the north-flowing St. Johns River, is a great fishing location where anglers catch grouper, sailfish, yellowfin tuna, Spanish mackerel, red snapper, jack crevalle, black sea bass and king mackerel.
More than 200,000 stripers are put in the St. Johns River. Sunshine bass, a cross between a white bass and a striper, are found here. The fish are similar in appearance, though a hybrid is distinguished from a striper by its broken pattern of stripes. A hybrid has a much smaller mouth and wider body than the elongated striper.
