Fellsmere Reservoir (Headwaters) 2025

[TOXIC]

Just got back from our 4th year of going to the Disneyland of bass fishing, Headwaters in Fellsmere Florida.  It was an epic trip once again and keeps us coming back for more.  We leave from Virginia and drive straight to Palm Bay, Florida for out first night.  We get up early the next day and head to the lake which is about 20 miles away.  We rig up in the open field or overflow parking area on the opposite side of the access road to the ramp.  Speaking of the infamous access road, which in the past was littered with boat trailer parts due to the sad state of the road consisting of massive washboard rough sections and baby powder dust that infiltrates every nook and cranny of both boat and truck, it has now been hard packed with a crush and run and tar mixture that is 500% better.  We were actually able to tow in and out with electronics mounted and boat cover off.  Ramp area is busy as usual but courtesy is still high and is no problem.  There has been spraying both by boat and helicopter to open the canals and launch area from excessive vegetation and continues to be a hot topic amongst users of the lake.  This was our first time staying at a farm that was 5 miles from the ramp and you could actually see the access road from the back of the property.  Prior to this trip we either stayed in Palm Bay or in set of rooms located on the water of Blue Cypress lake. There were pluses and minuses to our lodgings this trip.  The room we stayed at is the only room available on the farm and is somewhat like a studio apartment.  It is located in a commercial size shop building.  The pluses far outweigh the drawbacks and topping the list is security.  The farm is at the very end of an electronic gated road and is very isolated.  It was very nice not having to remove electronics and stow gear every night as well as covered parking. The distance to the ramp was another plus. If you want additional information on this location, feel free to contact me.  We reserved it for the same dates next year. 
 

Now for the fishing! I’ll combine all 7 days to try and keep this from being a novel.  The lake was in transition.  Florida had an unusual cold snap where water temperatures dropped to the mid to high 50’s.  We arrived on the first real warming trend and found the water warming as the week progressed.  By the end of the week, we found 70+ degree water.  This year was a numbers more than size trend.  I estimate over the span of the week, I personally caught 250-280 fish. Broken down by size it was 60% 1-2lb range, 30% 3lb fish and 10% 4lbs and up.  Big fish was an 8.15 and I caught a 6 and 7.  All of the guides posting on social media were saying that the bass were on the beds but we personally looked at 30 to 40 beds that were not tilapia and only found 4 that had bucks on them.  Our pattern was the same every day.  First off because of the temperature swings, we had dense fog every morning that delayed us so the earliest we could blast off was 7:30-8:00.  We tried earlier one morning and it was treacherous to say the least.  I started with a Yamamoto DShad in green pumpkin/black fleck (297) on shorelines tight and out 5 feet from the bank.  Weightless on a 4.0 Gamakatsu EWG hook.  I stayed on this pattern until the fog burned off or around 10:00am when the bite slowed.  I then switched over to a weighted 5” Senko in various colors including green pumpkin/black fleck and numerous others with a combination of green and red.  Unbelievably nothing in purple/blue combinations worked as well for me.  I used a Bullet screw in nose weight in 1/16th or 1/8th. This combo caught 95% of my fish.  I did catch some on a Fat Senko, 6” Senko and a 6.75 Kut Tail.  I caught some peanuts cruising weedlines using a Ned and 2.5 inch Scope Shad.  The dink bite was too strong with that bait.  There were 2 patterns that emerged after the early morning bank bite died off and where we caught our quality fish.  Reeds and wood.  More specifically isolated reeds and wood.  The lake has areas of standing wood that normally produce. There is a submerged old orange grove where I caught my big fish last year but this year it was overrun with cormorants and did not produce.  We did find other wood and it yielded some good fish.  Far and away the best pattern was reeds and for me the more isolated the better.  If I found a reed clump with 3 to 5 single stalks, I threw at it every time.  Both my bigger fish came off this pattern and it held up all week.  My partners big fish came off a reed bed no bigger than the boat and last in line were the reed islands. Other baits that caught a few fish were chatterbaits, swim jigs and spinnerbaits.  My partners big fish came off the 5” weighted Senko but uses a “hitchhiker willow leaf blade” screwed into the tail. 
 

Well, there you have it, our latest trip to Headwaters and I’m currently back in Virginia waiting on a predicted 6 to 8” snowfall freezing my tail feathers off with a blaze roaring in the fireplace counting down the days to next year’s trip. 

[Mike L]

Excellent!!

I’m glad everything worked out for you, had a good time and landed a bunch. 

Great job

 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

[geo g]

Thanks for posting this!

[Fishingmickey]

Great write up Tox! Thanks for taking me along.  250-280 bass in a week sounds like a blast!

FM

[pdxfisher]

Great writeup of a fantastic trip!