813basshole C’Mon Tampa show me 1 body of water I’m not risking my freedom to fish

[Will Jay]

OK so my central Florida folk please help me. give me a permission slip or something that’ll grant me access to one of the 5000+ honey holes in the area. I actually totally understand privatizing lakes and bodies of water so they don’t get overfished so people aren’t taking the fish out of their habitat for their ready I actually totally understand privatizing lakes and bodies of water so they don’t get overfished so people aren’t taking the fish out of their habitat before  their ready(largemouth should be 100% return rate) But man finding access to a body of water for the five days a month I’m down here is absolutely painful. It’s been about four months since I’ve had to come down here every month for business, and I’ve grown borderline defeated of finding a fishable lake/pond. 
 

If anybody has any pointers for me I got a 50 mile range, and would be eternally grateful. Grab your setups and meet me there, I’ll grab the grub and brews.  I know the big lakes but I don’t bring my boat. Just need to find a couple little thinkers I can walk up to and bank Fish. 

 

Thanks for any and all help in advance guys I will spend the rest of my morning driving in circles

[bigbassin']

Tampa bypass canal can be decent and it’s got plenty of public access. I’ve got bass up to 5 pounds out of there.

 

Water needs to be moving slightly and on the cleaner side to be productive in my experience. It also seems to fish better in the late winter/early spring, December-March. My guess is with less rain there isn’t as much dirty runoff entering the canal.

You’ll want to be in boots and jeans, most of the canal is lined with big rip-rap and knee high brush growing out of it. Certain spots also have gators stacked on top of each other so keep an eye out for that.

 

 In all honesty you’re probably better off wading for saltwater fish, while good public water is still slim for that you’ve got more access than freshwater as far as I found. Pretty much any pull off along the road around the bay that leads to a grass flat will likely have trout. Snook and redfish are always a possibility as well although the guys with boats do a lot better, particularly on the reds.

 

Your bass rod will do just fine, make sure you rinse the reel lightly afterwards. Tackle is the same, swim baits, flukes, and spooks being the most commonly used tackle.

[813basstard]

Ha..welcome to my world buddy.

Bypass has giants in it. You’ll have to be ready to walk as stated above. 
Other than that, there are a bunch of retention ponds in the Brandon area that I hear hold good fish.

 

Good luck!

[soflabasser]

Central Florida has lots of public bodies of water you just have to look for them and put your time on the water to learn them. The Tampa Bypass canal is a good place to fish for bass on land.

[txchaser]

Take a look on Fishbrain. I was surprised at how many people logged catches on there, and I doubt it is different in Florida than in Texas. 

[basscrusher]

Bigbassin is right...wade the beaches.   Saltwater fish fight better anyway.   Hook into a big snook on an x rap and you may spend a lot less time chasing green fish.

[Captain Phil]

By law Florida's waterways are owned by the public.   This does not mean you can fish anywhere you want. Unfortunately or fortunately, whichever side of the coin you are on, you can not trespass on private property without permission.  If there is access to a lake or waterway from a public launch point, residents can not theoretically bar you from fishing in a boat.  There have been legal battles over this issue for years. One in particular involved residents blocking a canal.

 

For example, wealthy homeowners who live on the Butler Chain west of Orlando have been attempting to keep out non resident anglers for years.  Eventually, someone died and willed land for a public ramp on the chain.  The ramp has limited parking.  It is only open from sunup to sundown.  The officials who are hired to police this chain often harass visiting anglers.  I have been stopped numerous times on the Butler Chain subject to a "safety" inspection.  On some lakes, I have been bared from using a boat ramp for being a guide.  

 

The best course of action is to ask for permission.  If you are courteous, respectful and leave the shoreline clean, you may find a lake homeowner willing to let you fish on their property.  It helps if you tell them you release all the fish you catch.  Never get into a fight with a lakefront homeowner.  You will lose that battle. 

[soflabasser]

A lot of Youtubers post fishing videos in your area. You can ask them where they are fishing and many of them will tell you where they are fishing or tell you where it is good to go.