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Alachua County

Newnans

Newnans Lake (5,800 acres), designated as a Fish Management Area, is located about two miles east of Gainesville on Highway 20. The lake is surrounded by cypress trees that provide good angling when water levels are high. Sparse areas of emergent grasses, bulrush, and spatterdock (water lilies) are found around the shoreline of Newnans Lake. The most consistent fisheries on Newnans Lake are catfish and bream, and these can be caught year-round in deeper areas of the lake and the lake shoreline, respectively.

For more information on FWC management activities at Newnans Lake, visit the Orange Creek Basin Working Group webpage.

FWC maintains fish attractors at Newnans Lake, visit the Fish Attractor webpage for locations.

Shore and Pier Fishing Opportunities/Boat Ramp Locations:

Earl P. Powers Park Boat Ramp/Fishing Pier: 5902 SE Hawthorne Rd, Gainesville, FL 32641

Owen Illinois Park Boat Ramp: 11309 SE 16th Ave, Gainesville (Windsor), FL 32641

Palm Point Park: 7401 Lakeshore Dr, Gainesville, FL 32641

For updated information please call:

Travis Tuten, FWC fisheries biologist, 352-955-3220, for tag information.

Gary's Tackle Box, 352-372-1791 for fishing information.

Water levels in Newnans Lake steadily declined throughout the fall, but rain from recent cold fronts should help stabilize them and get the creeks flowing. Overall Black Crappie are less abundant, but there are more crappie between 1-2 pounds out there than in the last couple years. Anglers targeting Black Crappie may want to fish closer to shore in the bullrush or near the trees this spring as the fish move up to spawn. The pads on the north and east sides of the lake are also known to offer up some great catches. Try using minnows, grass shrimp, and artificial jigs. Anglers should be aware of tagged Black Crappie with rewards. If you catch a tagged crappie, call the number below to receive information on how to claim your reward. If you are interested in bass fishing, FWC has stocked almost one million Largemouth Bass around Newnans Lake since 2019. After a big rain, try getting up into some flowing water at one of the creeks on the North or South sides of the lake and there just might be a bunch of bass in there feeding on shad. Offshore patches of pads usually hold one or two nice sized bass as well. FWC biologists captured eight bass over eight pounds this past fall while sampling at Newnans Lake, with the biggest one weighing 11.7 pounds! That is a monster-sized bass and it is still out there waiting to peel some drag.

Popular Species

Popular Sport Fish Species

Fish graphics by Duane Raver, Jr.

More species information is available for:

Largemouth bassBluegill, Redear sunfish, Channel catfishBlack crappie

FWC Trophy Catch Logo

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 Newnans Lake:

Lunker Club (8 – 9.9 pounds): 9

Trophy Club (10 - 12.9 pounds): 1