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Fish Orlando

Lake in Orlando

The “Forecast” tab provides a general quarterly fishing forecast for the Fish Orlando program.  For even more up-to-date information, we suggest you call or visit a local bait-and-tackle shop or guide service.  At times we will provide information for some local contacts, which indicated they were willing to be listed herein.

Fish Orlando’s mission is to PROVIDE and PROMOTE convenient quality fishing opportunities in the greater Orlando area. Initiated by the FWC in 1998, the program is supported by the City of Ocoee, City of Orlando, City of St. Cloud, City of Winter Park, City of Winter Springs, Orange County, BASS PRO SHOPS Orlando, and a variety of other businesses and volunteer/civic groups. Because over 90% of those fishing today got started by a family member, Fish Orlando’s marketing slogan is “Bringing Quality Fishing to Families”.

For a listing of directions and tips for public fishing opportunities in Orange County, call 352-732-1225 or email: fishorlando@MyFWC.com for a free Fish Orlando Fishing Map.

A calendar of Fish Orlando Area Events is available.

See the "Regulations" tab for rules. For a complete listing of regulations please see the Freshwater Fishing Regulations page.

Fish Orlando! “We’re bringing quality fishing to families.”

 

NOTE: For more information about Fish Orlando, call 352-732-1225 or email: fishorlando@MyFWC.com.

 

The Fish Orlando BIG WATER BODIES (Butler Chain, Conway Chain, Johns Lake, and Winter Park Chain):

These are the primary months that bass spawn in Central Florida. In the clear waters of these BIG WATERBODIES, look for bass beds in the shallows, adjacent to deeper water that is protected by the wind. We have seen bass spawn as deep as 12-15 feet, as the clear water allows for the sun to penetrate these deeper beds. Once you find the males on beds, the bigger females will be close by. Slow trolling a shiner on the drop-offs next to the bass beds can often result in a TrophyCatch bass (8+ lbs). Top water plugs, jerk baits, swim baits, spinnerbaits and swim jigs (including bladed swim jigs) work well on overcast days or at dawn and dusk. It helps if there is some wind as well. When the bass aren’t as active, switch to a fluke, finesse worm, wacky rig, or drop shot rig. Don’t forget to use lighter fluorocarbon or monofilament lines (6lb – 12lb test)!

 

The Fish Orlando FAB FIVE water bodies:

Clear Lake: Hybrid striped bass fishing is at its peak this quarter. The cooler water temperatures will encourage their feeding frenzies. Try fishing the deep holes with crappie minnows or a small domestic shiner fished, at differing depths. Concentrate on the holes where bait is marked on the depth finder. The bite is usually better when a cold front is coming in from the north with overcast skies and a little rain. The deeper areas are listed on a topographical map, which can be obtained by emailing or calling the Fish Orlando office (see contact information above). Minnows can be purchased at Palmer Feed Store which is located just a few minutes from the lake (407-841-8924).

Lake Ivanhoe: While largemouth bass are in spawning mode, fishing should begin to be productive up close to the bank. Try the edges of the submersed vegetation with finesse plastic worms or soft jerk baits. If this is unproductive try fishing around the emergent vegetation (i.e. pads, bulrush and cattails). If the fish are lethargic try rigging the baits “wacky” style or fishing them in a dead stick manner.

Starke Lake: The once prevalent submersed vegetation that was eradicated by the winter 2012 hydrilla treatment has recovered. Since then, problems with poor water quality has kept bass fishing from recovering to historic levels. The largemouth bass that are in the lake should be moving into the grass areas to spawn. Try flipping soft plastic craws inside areas that have cattails. Also try casting u-vibe speed worms Texas-rigged on 1/8 oz weights in the pads and grass. A lipless or shallow running crankbait fished so that it hits the tops of the submerged vegetation is a good method to check for active fish. The 3 fish attractors were each refurbished in November 2020 with 25 mossback fish attractor trees. If a strong cold front occurs, some bass may move into these attractors temporarily. A Texas-rigged plastic worm is a good lure to use in these fish attractors. Hybrid striped bass were stocked in March/April 2021 to provide an additional fishery until the water quality and bass fishing improves. They were caught as 2+ year old fairly consistently last winter and some should now be available as 3+ year fish. Try around the deep water near the fish attractors using crappie minnows.

Turkey Lake:

Like Starke Lake, largemouth bass should be in spawning mode. Topwaters or soft plastic jerk baits cast back into the emergent grass pockets are usually productive. If bites do not come with an active retrieve, try “dead sticking” i.e. leaving the lure sit motionless for a minute or two at a time. A Senko rigged weedless is another good lure to try if the bite is slow. The area where the two lobes of the lake come together in a bottleneck is often a good spot. If a cold front sweeps through, fishing can be tough, but occasionally probing the dredge areas in the lake using crankbaits and Carolina-rigged plastic worms can save a trip. The dredge areas are listed on a topographical map, which can be obtained by emailing or calling the Fish Orlando office (see contact information above).

Black crappie (Speck) fishing is usually good this quarter and fishing with minnows is one of the best ways to catch these delicious fish. Try drifting and/or trolling minnows or jig/minnow combinations at different depths and speeds in the south lobe of the lake, or in the north lobe straight out from the fixed fishing pier towards the boat concession area.

Due to deed restrictions, there is no public boat access on Turkey Lake, but the FWC, the City of Orlando and Bass Pro Shops Orlando have teamed together to provide a Boat Loaner Program where four boats can be rented for only $32 each (7 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.; Thurs - Sun). Call the City of Orlando’s Bill Frederick Park at 407-299-5581 to reserve a boat. A few close places to purchase crappie minnows are Palmer Feed Store in downtown Orlando (407-841-8924), Get Hooked Bait and Tackle in Ocoee (407-347-3072) or Ace Hardware in Winter Garden (407-656-2593).

Lake Underhill: A 34 acre hydrilla treatment was conducted in June 2022, which knocked back the hydrilla, primarily in the north lobe. Thanks to conservative vegetation management strategies, there still should be plenty of hydrilla to fish in the lake. Try a fluke, senko, or wacky rigged bait on the inside edges of the hydrilla. You can also try flipping both the shoreline and lakeward edges of the topped out vegetation when the sun is high. If the shallow bite is not on, use your depth finder to find where the deeper open water hydrilla fades to a thick/thin edge or a clean bottom i.e. a breakline. Try crankbaits, Carolina-rigs and a drop shot rig with a small 4” straight-tail worm along this deep breakline. When they are active try spinner baits and hard jerk baits.

 

URBAN PONDS (Barnett Park Frog Pond, Bear Creek, Lake Island Park, and Santiago): The URBAN PONDS are managed as put and take channel catfish and hatchery reared largemouth bass fisheries. For catfish, try fishing chicken liver rigged on a #6 or # 8 hook around the “Baited Fishing Area” signs or aeration diffusers (where you see bubbles coming to the surface). Barnett, Bear Creek, and MLK Jr Park Pond were stocked in September 2023 with smaller catfish (6 – 10 inches) and should be good until the end of the quarter. Lake Santiago was stocked in April 2023 with larger grow-out catfish and should still provide good fishing.

For the latest freshwater fishing rules please see the Freshwater Fishing Regulations page.

 

Statewide bag and length limits (if no other regulations apply): No person shall take in any one day more than the following bag limits of freshwater game fish:

  • 5 largemouth bass, only one of which may be 16 inches or longer in total length. There is no minimum length limit for largemouth bass.
  • 50 Panfish (no minimum length) including bluegill, redear sunfish (shellcracker), spotted sunfish (stumpknocker), warmouth and redbreast sunfish, individually or in total.
  • 25 Crappie (also call speckled perch or “speck”; no minimum length).
  • 20 Striped bass and sunshine bass (individually or in total), of which only 6 may be 24 inches or longer in total length.

 

BIG WATER BODIES (Butler Chain, Conway Chain, Johns Lake, Winter Park Chain):

Statewide regulations apply.

 

The FAB FIVE:

Clear Lake: Statewide regulations except possession of cast nets are prohibited. For convenience, all the regulations have been posted in informational kiosks at two locations (George Barker Park boat ramp and Clear Lake Park).

Lake Ivanhoe: Statewide regulations except panfish bag limit of 20 and possession of cast nets is prohibited. For convenience, all the regulations have been posted in an informational kiosk at Gaston-Edwards Park boat ramp.

Starke Lake: Statewide regulations except panfish bag limit of 20 and possession of cast nets is prohibited. For convenience, all the regulations have been posted in informational kiosks at the city of Ocoee boat ramp and at the fishing pier.

Turkey Lake: Statewide regulations except catch-and-release for largemouth bass, panfish bag limit of 20, channel catfish bag limit of 6, possession of cast nets is prohibited. Except for sanctioned events, gasoline motors may not be used on boats. For convenience, lake regulations have been posted in informational kiosks at three locations (boat concession, fixed fishing pier and primitive camping area).

Lake Underhill: Statewide regulations except catch-and-release for largemouth bass, panfish bag limit of 20, channel catfish bag limit of 6, possession of cast nets is prohibited. For convenience, lake regulations have been posted in an informational kiosk at the boat ramp.

 

URBAN PONDS:

Barnett Park Frog Pond: Statewide regulations. For convenience, these have been posted in an informational kiosk at the pond.

Bear Creek Park Pond: Statewide regulations except panfish bag limit of 20, channel catfish bag limit of 6, possession of cast nets is prohibited. For convenience, lake regulations have been posted in an informational kiosk at the pond.

Lake Island (MLK Jr. Park): Statewide regulations. For convenience, lake regulations have been posted in an informational kiosk at the pond.

Lake Santiago: Statewide regulations except panfish bag limit of 20, channel catfish bag limit of 6, possession of cast nets is prohibited, and boats are prohibited. For convenience, lake regulations have been posted in an informational kiosk at the pond.

 

OTHER WATER BODIES:

Lake Baldwin (225 acres): Statewide fisheries regulations but boats with motors have to abide by a “no wake” restriction.

Lake Fairview (401 acres): Statewide regulations apply.

Hal Scott Preserve (approx. 30 acres): Largemouth bass catch-and-release. Panfish bag limit of 20. Channel catfish bag limit of 6. Cast nets are prohibited. Gasoline motors may not be used on boats.

Little Econlockhatchee River: Statewide regulations apply.

Secret Lake: Panfish bag limit of 20. Channel catfish bag limit of 6. Cast nets are prohibited. Personal watercraft are prohibited.

Shadow Bay Park: Channel catfish 30 inch minimum size limit (1 fish bag limit). Largemouth bass catch and release, bluegill 12 inch minimum size (5 fish bag limit).

Fish Orlando Brochure

Fish Orlando Brochure

It's here! Several years in development, the Fish Orlando Brochure is loaded with fishing information and helpful details about the many waters within FWC's Fish Orlando program. This is a must-read for anyone fishing in Orlando or planning a trip to the area.

Trophy catch

TrophyCatch Tracker

TrophyCatch is FWC's citizen-science program that rewards anglers for documenting and releasing trophy bass 8 pounds or larger. The following TrophyCatch bass have been submitted from Fish Orlando sites:

Lunker Club (8 – 9.9 pounds): 80

Trophy Club (10 - 12.9 pounds): 46

Fish Orlando App

FWC's Fish Orlando App

The FWC's Fish Orlando app for mobile devices has been updated and is available again!

Fish Orlando Report

Fish Orlando Annual Report

The Fish Orlando Annual Report is now available online. It includes fisheries research and information on the Fish Orlando waters straight from the biologists!

Popular Sport Fish Species

Fish graphics by Duane Raver, Jr.

More species information is available for:

Largemouth bass, Bluegill, Redear sunfish, Sunshine bassChannel catfish, Black crappie