Entrepreneur Spencer Schar is a keen angler, with a particular interest in bass fishing. This article will look at bass fishing in Florida, highlighting the best bass fishing spots, from Rodman Reservoir and Lake Okeechobee in North Florida to Lake Istokpoga and its huge trophy largemouth bass. The attached infographic contains some interesting statistics about bass fishing worldwide.
Boasting rivers full of fish and hundreds of lakes, Florida is an angler’s paradise, presenting ample quantities of top-quality bass in particular. The state’s temperate climate and healthy vegetation have paved the way for the creation of incredible fisheries throughout Florida, presenting plenty of opportunities for vacationing anglers to pursue both trophy catches and large quantities of bass all year round.
In North Florida, the Rodman Reservoir is the ideal location for targeting largemouth bass, with the cooler waters slowing the fish’s metabolism and allowing them to grow larger. Covering 9,500 acres in Putnam county, the Rodman Reservoir is one of the most productive fishing destinations for big bass in the whole of Florida. You can learn about some of Florida’s most sought-after angling target species by viewing the attached PDF.
Florida’s largest lake after Lake Okeechobee, Lake George spans six miles at its widest point, encompassing 46,000 acres in total. With an average depth of eight feet, the fishery is relatively shallow, presenting a brackish environment that serves as an ideal habitat for sunfish, striped bass, and big bass.
Meanwhile, in west central Florida, Lake Tarpon is renowned for its trophy-sized bass, as well as supporting a healthy population of sunfish, catfish, bluegill, and blue tilapia. The embedded video contains more information about Lake Tarpon, which hosts numerous annual bass fishing tournaments.
Also known as Lake Eden, Fellsmere Reservoir in East Central Florida is a worldclass manmade lake in Indian River County covering approximately 10,000 acres in total. The lake’s structural habitat and underwater features provide exceptional bass fishing opportunities for visiting anglers, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation having stocked the reservoir with almost one million sport fish, as well as redear sunfish and bluegill.
Situated northwest of Lake Placid, Lake Istokpoga boasts ample stocks of largemouth bass, which are active year-round and can be very aggressive. With an average depth of just six feet, Lake Istokpoga is another shallow lake where vegetation is found in abundance, including eelgrass, bulrush, lily pads, cattails, hydrilla, and Kissimmee grass, providing fantastic cover for bass. Here, fishing with live bait such as shiners can be very effective when fishing for bass and may also attract schools of speckled perch.