Spots Near Wilderness Lodge

[CrustyMono]

This summer I am going on a family trip to Disney. We will be staying at Wilderness Lodge. What are the best spots to fish from the bank? What works best? Is there a place I can get on a watercraft for free? Thanks

[Onvacation]

Do a Disney search. Within the past month or so, there was a pretty long thread covering most of this. In a nutshell, don't plan on walking around Disney bank fishing. Opportunities are very limited. Expand your search to Orlando fishing and you will find a lot of places to go.  

[BassObsessed]

If you can fit it in do a Lake Toho fishing day. Very possible to get a new PB from there. Let me know if you need more info on it.

[frogflogger]

Every bit of fresh water you see in Florida - be it a pond or canal, lake - has a chance of harboring a bass of a lifetime. When I was guiding in the everglades I ran across two bank anglers that were fishing along the tamiami trail. They had a 12 lber. on a stringer that they had caught out of a little corner of water by the highway inaccessible by boat.

[BassObsessed]

11 hours ago, frogflogger said:

Every bit of fresh water you see in Florida - be it a pond or canal, lake - has a chance of harboring a bass of a lifetime. When I was guiding in the everglades I ran across two bank anglers that were fishing along the tamiami trail. They had a 12 lber. on a stringer that they had caught out of a little corner of water by the highway inaccessible by boat.

You aren't kidding. Alot of the small neighborhood ponds hold some giants. This girl was over 10.

[Avalonjohn44]

Since an alligator killed a kid this past summer, Disney has tightened down on bank fishing.  In late Sept 16, I fished a couple of times late (after midnight) and nobody bothered me at Caribbean Beach resort.  There are a lot of signs up saying no fishing at several resorts, there were none at my resort but there may be some now.  It sucks, because nothing closed out a Disney day like a few casts and a late dip in the pool. Now the pools are closed after 10 or 11 and the lakes are being shut down for fishing...

[Avalonjohn44]

As to your other questions... There are no free watercraft at Disney, and you're not allowed to fish from the rentals. You can buy a bass excursion on a Nitro Boat or a Pontoon, it's pretty expensive, but fun. Around $250 for 3 hours.

 

As for what works, I always do good with topwater frogs/rats, senkos, magnum trick worms and roboworms on a drop shot.

 

Somebody else mentioned other places to fish, there is Turkey Lake right up Rt 4 (Bill Fredrick Park), with a park that rents boats, but you need to get there early because they only have a few.  There are any number of small ponds along the the road I've seen people fishing at. Make sure you have a license because cops are everywhere. 

 

There are also a ton of guides that will pick you up at your hotel too depending on what you want to spend. They seem to have pretty much the same prices within fifty bucks. I never used a guide down there, time being a factor with kids and the parks, so can't recommend a good one...