FLORIDA POND /BANK FISHING

[Mopar1]

Need some help here. My trip from Canada to ocala and orlando of course has been cancelled.  Is it worth me coming early June to pond and bank fish the orlando spots , little lakes and ponds. Fishing from the bank.  Flight, car rental, accomodations$.  Canadian dollar is very low as well.  I want to make this worth it. Should i wait until sept or try next feb??  Any help would be very much appreciated.  Thanks

[Don51]

June is very hot, humid and in rainy season. September isn't much better. Your best month, weather wise and fishing wise would be February. Cooler, no humidity and the bass usually bite much better. 

[redux]

I agree with Don. June-September weather can be pretty tough in central FL. Unless you are good with 100+ temperatures in the shade and near 100% humidity reconsider a summer trip and look to February instead. It makes for some hot water and fishing can slow way down.

 

It's not odd for temps to reach 120 on my front deck during those months.

 

If you have to come down during summer and expect to spend a lot of time fishing from 11 am to 6 pm get a full set of sun gear - Long pants, long sleeve with a hood, gaiter, hat with a good bill, large sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and light weight shoes. It stays light/hot down here til pretty late during summer so you're exposed for a very long time and it gets hot early.

[Fishing_FF]

September as mentioned will put you in the middle of our summer heat. Trying to bank fish in the summer is challenging, especially if the lake has some deep water. If you want to bank fish during the summer, you're looking at early morning before and as the sun is rising or late evening as the sun is setting. With those times, you'll probably need to consider mosquito repellents. 

 

One thing about February that hasn't been mentioned is cold fronts. Our Florida fish don't like the cold fronts that bring cooler water and blue bird skies. They will shut down and skunk even the best of fisherman. 

 

My recommendation is to get a guide if you can afford it. You'll stand a better chance to find fish rather than being stuck on the bank, hoping the fish will be shallow. 

[redux]

Agree with FFF on early/late fishing. During summer mornings from 6-9 and evenings 6-dark are the most comfortable times. Also they tend to be the most active times since they don't need sunglasses any more. Take 9-6 to do whatever the family wants. Win win.

 

Mosquitoes can be terrible depending on where you are. A lot of the Orlando areas are pretty heavily sprayed and there are some cities with programs (so I am told) that drop pellets in lakes to kill the larva. So depending on the area they aren't an issue. Or maybe, as a native, I don't notice them?

 

On the topic of cold fronts. I messed around with reaction baits during the last few fronts this winter and had some decent results. Too bad that ship has sailed for now, but I'll check that approach again in 9 months.

[Mopar1]

Thanks everyone for your comments that helps my decision !!  I will take all of your advice and forget about June and Sept and come next Feb.

 

The places I was going to try were: Turkey Lake, Lake Underhill, Lake Ivanhoe, Clear Lake, Barnett Park and Teneroc.  OF course I got these places from researching on the web. I'm sure there are some honey holes out there that the locals know about. If anyone is willing to share them it would be VERY much appreciated. I don't expect you to post globally but I could message you privately ?  I plan on spending time around Orlando, maybe Ocala NF and Fort Myers. I just picked Orlando because it seemed to be the best fishing. Also read Deltona could be good as well.

 

 

[N Florida Mike]

November’s your best month after May. Temps have dropped enough by then to cause increased activity  all day. Other than that , February - April.

[Fishing_FF]

22 hours ago, Mopar1 said:

Thanks everyone for your comments that helps my decision !!  I will take all of your advice and forget about June and Sept and come next Feb.

 

The places I was going to try were: Turkey Lake, Lake Underhill, Lake Ivanhoe, Clear Lake, Barnett Park and Teneroc.  OF course I got these places from researching on the web. I'm sure there are some honey holes out there that the locals know about. If anyone is willing to share them it would be VERY much appreciated. I don't expect you to post globally but I could message you privately ?  I plan on spending time around Orlando, maybe Ocala NF and Fort Myers. I just picked Orlando because it seemed to be the best fishing. Also read Deltona could be good as well.

 

 

If you are looking at Turkey Lake for February, your best bet is to look into their boat rental program. It’s roughly $32 (US), and runs Thursday-Sunday from 0700-1100. It’s a small deep lake, so when the cold fronts pass through, the ability to use a boat to go out to the deep holes where they hold up will help put the odds in your favor. 
 

Ivanhoe is dealing with a bad algae bloom from the dust, dirt, and debris of the I4 construction. The water use to have 8-12 feet of visibility, but it is currently less than a foot. The lake will recover. It will just take some time after the construction is done. 
 

Clear lake doesn’t have great bank access. You best bet for that lake is the dock with some wild shiners. 
 

Barnett Park isn’t stocked with bass, but if you are looking for some bluegill and catfish, game on. If you are looking for other ponds with bluegill and catfish then look at Bear Creek and Lake Island Park would be good options. These ponds are usually restocked with small channel catfish in the fall, 200-800 per stocking depending on the ponds need. 
 

If you are looking for other bank fishing options that have bass, then a Lake Santiago, Lake Underhill, and Starke Lake should be on the list. As it gets closer, feel free to send me a PM, and I’ll give you some other locations that have paid off when I bank fished. 

There are other members that live or live near a Fort Meyers and Deltona area that will probably chime in to help with those areas. 

[Mopar1]

Thanks FF. I will definitely PM you before I come.  I will certainly take advantage of the boat rental program at Turkey Lake.  Appreciate the information!

[Djenko]

On 3/18/2020 at 8:13 PM, Mopar1 said:

Need some help here. My trip from Canada to ocala and orlando of course has been cancelled.  Is it worth me coming early June to pond and bank fish the orlando spots , little lakes and ponds. Fishing from the bank.  Flight, car rental, accomodations$.  Canadian dollar is very low as well.  I want to make this worth it. Should i wait until sept or try next feb??  Any help would be very much appreciated.  Thanks

I'm a year late but yes it can be but google earth is your best friend.