Return to Headwaters

I was one of the lucky folks who got to kayak fish Headwaters before the launch ramp opened up. We didn’t know it was called Headwaters back then. We just called it Fellsmere Reservoir. I fished it almost every weekend and I would usually see the same people every time I was there.

I could tell you how good the fishing was but you’d probably think I was lying. I’ll just say for most of my life my personal best largemouth was seven and a half pounds. I can’t count how many times I topped that at Headwaters, sometimes two or three times a day. It made me look like I was a much better bass angler than I really was. We’d push kayaks into the water at first light, and most days found us racing back to the launch trying to get back before the swarms of mosquitoes emerged at dark. That may sound like a long day on the water, but time flew by because we caught so many quality bass. On a busy day there might have been 20 kayaks on the water, but with about six square miles of water to share, crowding wasn’t an issue.

Headwaters is much bigger than six square miles, that is just the northwest corner of the reservoir that was open for fishing back in those days. A channel called Ditch 13 marked the southern boundary of the legal fishing zone. Beyond that was the “enhanced” area that looked oh so good on Google Maps. Many folks sneaked into that forbidden zone and were rewarded with incredible scenery and epic fishing. It was a serious commitment because the boundary was a 3 mile paddle from the kayak launch. Was I one of those adventurous souls who dabbled in the forbidden zone? Yeah, I admit it and I have a trespass warning from the FWC to prove it.

Headwaters was flooded in 2015 and was stocked with over a million bass, bluegill and crappie. I started fishing there in 2018. For a few years, I and a handful of kayak and canoe anglers had this bass fishing heaven as our exclusive playground. All that ended on August 10, 2020 when the boat ramp opened. For some of us, that marked the end of our Headwaters adventures. August 2020 is also when the popularity of Headwaters exploded. It quickly developed a reputation as one of the premier trophy bass destinations in the world.

After a nearly four year hiatus, I brought my kayak back to Headwaters. I drove to the end of the dusty Fellsmere Grade Road to the kayak launch at the northwest corner of the reservoir. That road is still as washboard and dirty as ever. Don’t expect to have a clean boat and truck after visiting Headwaters.

My plan was to paddle about three-quarters of a mile south to fish around a big square structure we used to call the Indian Mound. Apparently that was a good idea because others had the same destination in mind. Five boats, most of them guides, were anchored around Indian Mound soaking shiners. I saw them catch some bass, but based on the lack of hooting and hollering, I suspect none of those bass were particularly big. Well, I did hear some hollering, but that was one guide yelling at another for anchoring too close. I caught a nice bass, pushing four pounds, about fifty yards away from the shiner dunking crowd. I have to admit that felt quite satisfying.

One thing I used to love about Headwaters was the constant concert of squawking birds and croaking frogs. The cacophony of birds and frogs is still there, but now is joined by the constant drone of outboard motors. There were a lot of bass boats on the reservoir. I don’t ever recall a moment when I couldn’t hear at least one boat racing about. I am happy to say, aside from one exception, all the boaters were courteous, kept a respectable distance from my kayak and didn’t throw any onerous wakes my way.

I employed my traditional Headwaters strategy, which is to keep moving, keep chucking lures, catching a fish here and there until I stumble into a sweet spot where I’d catch a bass on almost every cast. I never stumbled into that sweet spot, but I did pick off bass here and there all day. By the end I had caught about twenty bass. Half were dinks but half were quality fish in the two to five pound range. I didn’t hook up on any monster fish, but twice felt the agony of watching a bass in the eight pound class ignore my well presented lure.

One thing is certain, Headwaters is still a very healthy fishery. The entire reservoir is filled with verdant fields of hydrilla, cattails and lily pads. Look down into the water almost anywhere and you’ll see minnows, bluegill, shiners and baby bass darting about. There is no doubt Headwaters is buzzing with life and quality bass are plentiful.

Headwaters is not the same. The special charm is gone, brushed away by an armada of bass boats and more challenging fishing due to increased pressure. But Headwaters is still an elite fishery, well worth a visit. I’ll be back, maybe not every weekend, but I’ll be back.