Lake Trafford
Collier County
Size: 1,500 acres
Location: Near Immokalee, Florida in Collier County
Lake Trafford is the largest south Florida lake after Lake Okeechobee. Aquatic vegetation consists of cattail, American lotus, eelgrass, and planted bulrush. Fish species present in the lake include largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, and large brown bullheads. Access to Lake Trafford is mainly by boat. However, there is a small county park located on the lake that provides some bank access. A nice public fishing pier, damaged by Hurricane Irma, has now been renovated and restored. Lake Trafford Marina and the park both have public boat ramps. Services available from the marina include boat rentals, guide service, airboat tours, and bait and tackle. Anglers wanting the most current lake conditions can contact the Lake Trafford Marina at 239-657-2401.
Lake Trafford experienced several large fish kills in the 1990s and 2000s, resulting in a major cooperative lake restoration and enhancement program by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Collier County, and the South Florida Water Management District - Big Cypress Basin. Project activities included a major dredging and muck removal operation (see photo), bass stocking, and native vegetation plantings. Lake Trafford has responded very well to these restoration efforts. One of the most telling signs of recovery have been increasingly larger bass caught in the lake, and documented by FWC's TrophyCatch bass catch-and-release program. The first TrophyCatch-eligible fish (8 pounds or larger) weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was submitted in 2015, and the largest is a 10 lbs. 7 oz. bass just recently submitted in June 2017. Although the lake did not make BassMaster's Top 100 list in 2016, a very nice cap to this success story was their follow-up story "Lake 101: The little lake that could". Lake Trafford has been an outstanding example of restoration and cooperation.
Lake Trafford Marina: 239-657-2401
Lake water level is currently near the normal high for the late summer months. As summer rainy season wraps up and moves into fall, look for water levels to slowly decrease throughout fall and into early winter. Anglers are still catching some bluegill near the shallow sandy areas and around some of the offshore bulrush and cattails. The gravel bed fish attractors installed a few years ago have also provided great bluegill fishing, especially at the pier. Both crickets and red wigglers have been excellent baits for most anglers. As we move into fall and the weather cools down a little expect the bluegill bite to slow a bit. However, at that time the black crappie bite should be starting to crank up again. Crappie are best targeted in the deeper areas of the lake early in the morning that time of year as they are still actively feeding offshore. Anglers might find success trolling jigs or drifting with live minnows over the deeper open-water areas.
Anglers can contact the Lake Trafford Marina (239-657-2401) for additional information on current lake conditions.
Popular Species
Fish graphics by Duane Raver, Jr.
More species information is available for:
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 Lake Trafford:
Lunker Club (8 – 9.9 pounds): 16
Trophy Club (10 - 12.9 pounds): 2