New to Florida HELP

[BADBASS FRANK]

Hello, 

 I recently just bought a house in deltona florida. im very big into fishing and just moved from connecticut. I've been fishing to a couple of ponds and lakes nearby with little to no luck. I had plenty of friends up north and we would all meet up and hit local gems but out here i dont have anyone so its kinda hard starting from the bottom. most of the ponds or lake i go to i have a hard time telling if they are private or not. I would really appreciate anyone's inputs or suggestions or even maybe pointing me out in the right direction.

 

I have a fishing kayak that i brought from up north now i'm looking to buy a small jon boat but for now i've been fishing banks. anyone in the area who is willing to fish, hit me up. It's always funner (not a real word lol ) fishing with a buddy. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

Frankie 

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard, Frankie!

 

Lots of Floridians here. They'll chime in soon. Good luck!

[Tennessee Boy]

Welcome

[Fishing_FF]

Welcome fellow Floridian!!!

 

I'm not sure what lures you are using or how you are presenting them. My guess would be you're probably fishing too fast. It is something I've seen a lot when people fishing down here say they aren't catching anything. It isn't a beginner problem either as even now there are times I have to remind myself to slow down, especially since the hot days of summer are here. 

 

I got a kayak recently, and will be out fishing one of the catch and release lakes in Orlando on Saturday. It is a lake I've bank fished and boat fished with a couple different friends. Depending on where you are at in Deltona, it is about an hour trip. I'll be out for a good chunk of the day. You are more than welcome to join me. 

[davecon]

2 things-

 

SLOW DOWN

 

Google maps is your friend

[Don51]

Google maps really isn't your friend! I gave up chasing ponds because most turned out to be private property or not accessible. Talk to other fishermen when you go out! You won't get their honeyholes but you may pick up a few new spots. It's a lot different fishing than up north. I hate the lack of species! If the bass aren't biting you can't switch gears like you can up north. No trout, pickerel, yellow perch, white perch, even the crappie are hard to find and don't willingly bite. I have been terribly disappointed Florida fishing! Good Luck!

[Topwaterdude]

Florida fishing can be very challenging the consensus always seems to be the fish jump in the boat by the hundreds and that can happen but you gotta pay your dues and spend alot of time on water,but the potential is there for insane days, alot of fishing pressure in Florida,so these bass aren't stupid. Alot of guys will say throw in the heaviest cover u can and that's great advice cause that will produce but sometimes you gotta think outside the box and try different approaches my best advice is if you are having problems locating fish, join a local bass club,fishing with local guys you will learn alot about those areas and make new friends.

[SC53]

Top water dude is correct.

Florida bass get a lot of pressure and it is year round, not like up north where it gets iced over for months. Fish up north seem easier to me to catch than fl bass as they only get so many days a year to eat.

As for other species there are pickerel, catfish and panfish to catch but again, they feed year round like bass and don’t have to feed as heavy during certain times of the year like their northern cousins. 

A lot of what you see on google will be private.  I would suggest looking for retention ponds near highways, businesses and outside of developments. They may look like they don’t hold fish but you will be surprised.  

Since you have a kayak you could make the trip down to the fellsmere reservoir and try that. Check the group out on FB if you do that thing. They will give you some insight and updates.

[BADBASS FRANK]

On 5/16/2019 at 4:04 PM, Darren. said:

Welcome aboard, Frankie!

 

Lots of Floridians here. They'll chime in soon. Good luck!

Thank you so much kind sir. 

On 5/16/2019 at 6:22 PM, Fishing_FF said:

Welcome fellow Floridian!!!

 

I'm not sure what lures you are using or how you are presenting them. My guess would be you're probably fishing too fast. It is something I've seen a lot when people fishing down here say they aren't catching anything. It isn't a beginner problem either as even now there are times I have to remind myself to slow down, especially since the hot days of summer are here. 

 

I got a kayak recently, and will be out fishing one of the catch and release lakes in Orlando on Saturday. It is a lake I've bank fished and boat fished with a couple different friends. Depending on where you are at in Deltona, it is about an hour trip. I'll be out for a good chunk of the day. You are more than welcome to join me. 

i'm so mad i just saw this darn it, I would have totally meet up. Let me know next time you are out fishing if you don't mind. i'll try to be more attentive to the page, its new to me so i kinda forget about it lol  

Thank you all for the quick response, tips and being so welcoming, you guys rock. Hopefully there's some type of central florida meetup were we all go out fishing 

On 5/17/2019 at 5:15 AM, Don51 said:

Google maps really isn't your friend! I gave up chasing ponds because most turned out to be private property or not accessible. Talk to other fishermen when you go out! You won't get their honeyholes but you may pick up a few new spots. It's a lot different fishing than up north. I hate the lack of species! If the bass aren't biting you can't switch gears like you can up north. No trout, pickerel, yellow perch, white perch, even the crappie are hard to find and don't willingly bite. I have been terribly disappointed Florida fishing! Good Luck!

yeah i totally notice it that and that's where my frustration comes in, i've seen some juicy ponds but all private, i waste more time going from pond to pond checking than actually fishing when i do find one.

[Fishing_FF]

26 minutes ago, BADBASS FRANK said:

i'm so mad i just saw this darn it, I would have totally meet up. Let me know next time you are out fishing if you don't mind. i'll try to be more attentive to the page, its new to me so i kinda forget about it lol  

 

No worries! My next kayak fishing day that I have available is June 3rd, location yet to be determined as I’m debating Fellsmere Reserve, a spot on the Kissimmee Chain, or even give Lake Ivanhoe a try.

 

[gnappi]

Welcome. 

 

When I moved to the Orlando area we had area code from there to Key West, sigh so much change. I now live in the DEEP south of Florida's Broward county.

 

Anyway, A GPS with good waterways already installed (meaning NOT nautical maps) by default will show you whilst driving by areas many waterways close to the road, invariably not on private land. Look to industrial areas, big box stores like Home Depot and Wal Mart for honey holes. Most industrial areas are empty after hours giving you plenty of places to fish, most not posted and many without much fishing pressure. 

 

Areas with a ramp WILL be fished heavily, so unless you hand launch your yak or Jon expect this as a fact. 

 

As far as telling private water, it's a given that most community waterways are private unless you have access to them from a shopping center or other public areas not posted.

 

Otherwise assume it's NOT private if it's not posted. The worst that can happen is a Police officer tells you to leave. Failing to leave with get you cited for trespass. I ignore the very few residents who tell me places are private if I am not in someone's back yard. Even then if I'm in my boat and gained access from public land they have no cause to try and prevent me from fishing in their back yard. The vast majority of homeowners who do see me stop to chat about fishing most have no idea there are fish in their yard :-)

 

I'm no attorney but per most Florida statues being a "reasonable" person I read the following in my favor as a boater.

 

From Section 253.141, Fla. Statutes...

 

"The land to which the owner holds title must extend to the ordinary high watermark of the navigable water"

 

Regarding bass fishing, you're not "up north" any more, what worked for me (Rapala top water and various Mepps below) hasn't done diddly for me down here. Swim baits, frogs, plastic worms, live shiners, take your pick, they all work. If not change it up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hawgenvy]

I bank fish lots of Florida ponds down in Palm Beach County. Some are spectacular. Some have dinks only. All have bass. Some are small, featureless ponds that miraculously have huge bass. Lately I have had the best luck in lakes with tilapia. You'll see their huge well-groomed beds that are 3 to 5 feet across. Apparently, those meaty cichlids can really fatten up bass. Don't overlook ponds in industrial parks -- they are nice and empty on weekends. The best ponds are often those in golf course communities, as they are well stocked and maintained and nobody ever fishes them --- except you. You just have to get chummy with a resident that will put you on the guest list. However, some communities don't allow fishing by anyone. As far as types of baits, they all work well in Florida. 

[dh1337]

welcome from jacksonville ,fl. I recommend giving the fish some different looking shapes. I primarily fish Texas Rig from the start of may until September it's too hot here to rely on spinners and crank baits. my father prefers the zoom baby brush hog in green pumpkin blk flake. I believe this bait looks alot like a lizard or skink and draws hard strikes in multiple golf course retention ponds nearby. I prefer the gary yamamoto cowboy in baby bass color or crushed perch or fat ika in green pumpkin. remember the bass are hot just like you we believe this time of year the more midsize baits that have an interesting tail and arms do wonders the bass dont want to waste energy trying to grab a 10 inch worm when they are hot they want a quick bite. I highly recommend bass color baits because if there are bass in a pond then there are small bass in said pond that get eaten by the big bass. if you see bream or lots of lizards in the area the crushed perch and classic green pumpkin will work wonders as well. keep a pop r in foxy shad tied on or a silver ratl trap if your going early or late you might get lucky and get into some bait fish getting hit but it's rare this time of year. 

[CHIP-MAINE]

i went to marco island on vacation few years ago and being right on the water brought my fishing gear. wasnt sure what to bring for lures so i just brought what works well here for bass in maine. the snook went nuts over big mepps. after losing the 3 i brought i went to a bass pro shop an hour away. they didnt have any and the help didnt have any idea what kind of lure it was. told them they needed to stock them because snook went nuts over them. did find some small ones at walmart but they were to small

[N Florida Mike]

Summer I slow down , because the fish do. Early morning bite is best when the temperature is in the 90s. Rain and temps in the 80s fire up the bass. I go as weightless as possible , because mostly I fish shallow lakes , and catch most of my fish on a variety of soft plastics, like zoom speed worms , senkos, flukes , zoom trick worms, culprit worms, zoom  speed craws , and zoom baby brush hogs. I use a small bb shot with the worms and lighter baits like the baby brush hogs.The color depends on the water , but I use a lot of watermelon colors and June bug. In darker, tannic ( presence of Cypress trees ) I use red shad and black grape and the reliable June bug. I catch a few on frogs too. Like @Fishing_FF said, slow down when you ain’t catching any. Use those baits and you will.

 

 

[Bodhasofa983]

What lake you fishing in Deltona live live here too I'll let ya know if they're productive or not

[Don51]

The dog days are upon us! It has been a real tough bite.  Florida Mike, I agree, you have a couple hour window early a.m. and by 10 or so the bite shuts right off! They certainly aren't chasing. TR worms and wacky worms are the only baits getting me bites. 

[frogflogger]

Fish slow or fish topwater - if persistent you can catch big bass on a frog in 85 degree water at noon. We did it lots of times but we spent hours without a strike, sometimes days. If you want variety head south - Palm Beach and down - it's a zoo of exotics in the canals.

[froghair3]

You failed to mention all the canals dug to raise the land out of the swamp. Any canal especialy after a rain with some water movement will supply a few nice bass. My best canal bass, 7 + , here in Charlotte county.

[BADBASS FRANK]

On 7/4/2019 at 7:32 PM, Bodhasofa983 said:

What lake you fishing in Deltona live live here too I'll let ya know if they're productive or not

Hey, so lakes ive been fishing is lake monrow, lake angela and lakes around indiana blv. ive been trying to find a decent spot but the bite is hard out here 

[Captain Phil]

I have been fishing for bass in Florida for over 60 years, tournament fishing for nearly 50 of those years.  Back when I was actively guiding, many northern anglers had problems catching our fish.  The best bass fishing in Florida is in small ponds, canals and residential lakes.  The worst is in large public lakes.  The Harris Chain is a good example.  Fish during the week and you can find fish.  Fish on the weekend when the boat ramps are full and fishing will generally be tough.  Summer heat makes this worse.  Florida bass feed mostly at night during the summer.

 

Here's some advice.  Use lighter line.  I catch most of my fish on 8 pound test mono and a spinning rod. Don't use braided line unless you are fishing extremely heavy cover.  The best overall bass bait in Florida is a plastic worm.  The less weight the better.   If you can't catch Florida bass on a wacky rig, try golf.  Seriously, this technique is deadly, especially in clear water.   Find out what a mojo rig is.   Slow down!!   When you are fishing as slow as you can, slow down some more.  The best worm is the good old Zoom Trick worm.  Watermelon seed in clear water, black or junebug in dark water.

 

If you have your limit and want big bass, flip heavy cover.  You won't get many bites.  Those fish that do will be worth waiting for.  Don't make bass fishing more complicated than it is.  Florida is full of bass.  Get off the computer and go catch 'em.

[Anthony Fiorillo]

Where in CT?  I moved down here 5 years ago and YES......totally different fishing than up north.  It took me close to a year to figure things out and get out of the habit of the way I fished up north.

[Bodhasofa983]

Monroe wont get good until prespawn time as for the other lakes mentioned....he waters been pretty high. Check flooded timbers with swim jigs frogs and senkos. You can never go wrong with a super fluke and chatter bait