Top Bass Fishing Spots - East Central Florida

KAYAK FISHING REPORT

Top Bass Spots in East Central Florida

Happy Monday Spacefish!

So as we approach Memorial Day weekend, I am looking ahead to summer (which to me, is the official start of “summer”) because I am done with school as of Friday! So I will get more time for fishing starting next week! Last week I broke down my top inshore fishing spots for the summer time, this week I am going to do the same for Bass fishing – I will not go with a “formula” like I did for inshore fishing, because Bass fishing is a little different, and each of these places I mention all fish a little bit differently. So, today I am going to give some brief information on each spot, and will be diving into them more in-depthly in the coming weeks.

Spot #1: Headwaters Lake (Fellsmere)

So first let me say that I feel like this place is definitely experiencing the “shine” wearing off from when it first opened… Paul MacInnis wrote an extraordinarily good piece here on Spacefish about that a few weeks ago (read it here)! But that being said, it’s still a really good place to go fish. I don’t always come down here and catch lunkers, but I always catch fish in good numbers, and usually a good 4-6 pounder, or two will find their way into the bag. This is a lake that is covered with hydrilla, and finding fish is more of a challenge than picking the right bait to throw.

Launch Spot – Fish Fellsmere Grade Recreation Area

Top Bait(s) – There are a few I could go with here – I usually start and end with a Texas Rigged (⅛ or 3/16 oz tungsten, pegged with a bobber stopper) Zoom UV Speed Worm in Junebug Red. But a weightless or weedless jerk-bait/fluke in Watermelon Red, or Watermelon Seed will work really well here too, and of course, a weedless topwater frog is deadly over the hydrilla. But I have also caught a bunch of fish on a weedless swimbait.

Top Structure/Cover Type – Hydrilla, in some places it is topped out, finding the ditches, and areas where the hydrilla is scattered is key.

Read my previous fishing reports on Headwaters:

Spot #2: Lake Tohopekaliga (Kissimmee)

So this is the lake that has turned out PB’s left and right for destination anglers. For me to this point it has not been that. I have yet to catch a Bass here that can even remotely compete with biggest Bass that I have caught, I have caught bigger fish at a bunch of other places. But what I have found here is a great number of days, and to be honest I’d rather catch a bunch of fish, than catch bigger fish in smaller numbers. Of course, in a perfect world I would have it all, but I just take what I can get! The key to churning out high volume days for me at this lake has been figuring out what type of cover these fish are relating to that day, and then sticking and moving from spot to spot maximizing casts in the areas they seem to be holding in.

Launch Spot(s) – Whaleys Landing Public Boat Ramp or Big Toho Marina

Top Bait(s) – Shout out to Adrian D, who showed me the art of the swimming worm – top choices for me are the Gambler Slim EZ in Copperfield; or the Yamamoto Swimmin’ Senko in Watermelon Red – which I have had great days on fishing this lake in the fields of Kissimmee grass. I rig this bait just like I do a speedworm. Honorable mentions would be speedworms in Junebug or Watermelon Red; and weedless/weightless flukes in natural colors like Watermelon Red, and Watermelon Seed.

Top Structure/Cover Type – The big one that I have had success in here is the Kissimmee grass, but I have found fish in hydrilla, and under lily and lotus pads as well.

My previous reports on Lake Toho fishing:

Lake Toho

Spot #3: Orlando – Lake Underhill & Lake Ivanhoe

Okay, so I kind of merged two places together here, I have fished each spot once before (I will be going back to both this summer!), and they were both awesome days of fishing! They both fished very similarly. They are both smack dab in the middle of the urban jungle of Orlando, and have some of the cleanest & clearest water you will fish. Like most places I have fished in Orlando, there are Bass factories that produce good number of days, but unlike the Winter Park & Conway chains, these lakes are known for producing bigger fish as well as a lot of fish.

Launch Spot(s) – Lake Underhill Park and Gaston Edwards Park

Top Bait(s) – With the clear water, these places fish a little differently than Headwaters & Toho. I have not had success power fishing; but I have done well with natural color jerk-baits and flukes. The Bitter Baits Skip Shad in Houdini caught the fish pictured above, and the Fish, or Die Warbird caught the fish pictured below. Both were rigged, weightless, and weedless. Senko style stick worms can produce in these lakes as well, natural colors and darker colors both have worked for me personally, with a slight nod given to lighter/natural colors due to the water clarity.

Top Structure/Cover Type – There are some hydrilla in both lakes, more so in Underhill, but these lakes both have (or at least did last summer) a ton of underwater eel grass that the Bass seem to really enjoy hunkering down in. So weedless presentations are key.

My previous reports on Lake Underhill and Lake Ivanhoe:

Ivanhoe (Orlando)

Spot #4: Fox Lake (Titusville)

As I mentioned a few weeks ago when I went in depth on Fox Lake, (https://spacefish.com/byte/fox-lake/) this place has always produced good numbers for me, but recently it produced good numbers, with a few quality sized fish. The water here is very dark, and tannic, and there isn’t much aquatic vegetation in the actual lake, so go beat the banks, and take your time fishing the pads, and you can get on a good bite here.

Launch Spot – Fox Lake Park

Top Bait(s) – Junebug Red or Black/Blue Speedworm, hands down is the killer bait here. I’ve caught over 100 fish at this lake in 4 trips; 85-90 probably came on the Zoom Junebug Red Speed Worm, Texas rigged.

Top Structure/Cover Type – So there isn’t any hydrilla, or underwater grasses here. The key for me is the lily pads, or finding fish up shallow near the shorelines feeding. There isn’t much depth change at this lake so in the hotter periods, the fish will seek shade under the pads.

My previous reports on Fox Lake:

Fox Lake (Titusville)

Conclusion

I am sorry for not “diving” in and going into great detail in this report, but I wanted to make sure I got both an inshore, and freshwater “top spots” list piece out there before summer cranks up. I know this is a little different from my usual reports, but I’m hoping this will help newcomers find some spots to start fishing, as well as veterans maybe looking to switch things up and try the other genre for a change. My goal is to fish some of the top spots again soon over the summer and provide more depth and detail.

I’d like to say thank you to Kayaks By Bo – for being our official paddle partner! Big news out of Kayaks By Bo, they are on the move! They will be reopening in a new location at the end of this month! Follow them on social media (facebook/instagram) for more information. But as of this writing, they will be open again on May 29th, at their new address – 1127 W. King Street, Cocoa, FL 32922.