My football team went over to UCF and lit it up pretty good in a 7v7 tournament this past week, so I was riding high and wanted to keep scoring in NW Orlando so my wife and I went over to fish the northern part of the WInter Park chain of lakes on Friday and then on Sunday I went out solo to Headwaters Lake – which I said I wasn’t going to “cover,” but since I also had another area I wanted to go out and re-hit it for the kayak gang! I took my cousin Mark there last week, and I feel like that corner of the lake has changed so much since last summer I needed to cover it again.

Where to Launch

My wife and I fished together, everyone can rest easy tonight knowing I kicked her butt this time around! She got more bites early in the morning on the frogs, but once it became a sub surface in the cover game, her little spinning gear combo wasn’t ready to pull them out of the gnarly stuff. I had to explain to her that summer fishing is a different ball game. Spring fishing during the spawn is like college football in the Big 12, and summer fishing is like college football in the SEC West (Buckle up, Texas!) But anyway, we launched out of Fort Maitland Park, located at 900 Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL 32751. This is a really nice, and well kept park, they even have a kayak loading zone right there by the launch and you can slip right in off the shoreline. Now if you bring a boat over, or if you’re one of the hardcore kayak people that use a trailer to haul your stuff, then you will have to pay 25 dollars for a truck/trailer space. Which apparently is new, and I talked with some really perturbed people that morning that were not happy having to pay 25 dollars to park. But if you don’t use a trailer it’s free.

Fishing Spots

So after launching from the public launch, we worked our way around the NW part of Lake Maitland, we fished in and around the docks, and fished over the submerged grasses. The great thing about these Urban Orlando lakes is, they are significantly less pressured than the famous lakes that feel wild and remote if you can believe it or not. Everytime I have fished one of these lakes, I catch them in bunches. Even the lakes with boat ramps, you will see way more water skiers and jet skiers than you will see people out on the water to fish. The size of these fish seem to skew more to the smaller scale, but it’s nice to be able to go out and catch a bunch of fish in one trip. Once we got to the canal that connected Maitland to Lake Nina we went up and fished Lake Nina. In this Lake the fish were concentrated on the offshore parts of the Lily Pads, and as it got hotter and brighter we pushed in and fished gaps in these giant pad fields, and skipped baits under docks for bites. On the way back in I concentrated on skipping docks and caught fish literally under every dock on the way back in. I never caught a Bass over 2.5 pounds, but I literally lost count north of 30 of how many times I got bit.

What Worked Well

I fished Zara Super Spook Jr’s in Golden Shiner, and Florida Bass – I got nothing! Then, after seeing my wife pick up 3 on the Fish, or Die Ambush Frog in King George’s Wig (White) I switched up, and got a nice one from under a dock. Once we got in the canal, I caught a few on the Fish, or Die Warbird (4 inch) in Swampfox (Silver w/ Gold Flake) on a 2/0 BKK Screw Lock Worm Hook. Out on Lake Nina I caught them on 3 baits; The Fish, or Die Minutemen swim bait in Swampfox on a 3/0 VMC Screw Lock with a silver underspin. I buzzed this along the edges of lily pads. Once that bite died I worked a Gambler Burnin’ Worm in Watermelon Red, and a Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm in Junebug Red in and around the gaps in the vast lily pad fields on the east and west sides of this small lake. I flipped them into gaps and retrieved them out slowly. I had it rigged on a 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG Worm Hook, Texas Rigged with a 3/16 Oz Tungsten Weight, pegged with a bobber stopper on straight 30 pound green braid.

I also fished a Fish, or Die Minutemen on a 3/0 Mission Fishin screw lock hook in Bugle (Green Pumpkin Purple Flake) – which is a great Florida Bluegill imitator. This bait was effective buzzing at the surface and just subsurface if the pads and letting it nosedive into holes. Back on Lake Maitland it was the Minutemen in Bugle through the submerged grass, as well as weedless and weightless jerk baits skipped deep under docks that caught fish. The Salt Strong Jerk Shad (fluke) in Alabama Leprechaun (meant for inshore, but a killer Florida Bass color!); and the Fish, or Die Warbird (5.5 inch) in Liberty Tree (Watermelon Red) were the big fish catchers under docks. I rigged the Warbird on a 2/0 BKK screw lock, and the Alabama Leprechaun on a 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG Worm hook. I fished these on Ugly Stik/Penn spinning combos with 10 pound braid, and 20 pound fluoro leader tied with an GF knot. Another tip for when using Fluoro or Mono – tie a non-slip loop knot to your hooks/baits – this knot gives the bait extra action!

One last thing, this is weird. I am weird, I fully acknowledge it. I am not ashamed. But every time I catch a Bass at a new place, I kiss it on the head. I have no data, facts, or science to back this up, but I 10000% believe it brings me fishing success. So there’s that.

Where to Launch

Fellsmere Grade Recreation Area – No actual address listed just punch it into your GPS if you have never been there. Not a single trailer was in the lot this past Sunday or last Sunday – no one is fishing the Stick Marsh during the draw down, apparently. Now the actual kayak/canoe launch for Headwaters Lake is un-launchable. It is completely overgrown. These two young guys got there when I did, they actually brought a machete and hacked their way through. I tied a rope to my kayak, drug it through the thigh high grass about 0.4 miles down the bank until I found a spot I could get through without a machete. I prayed, and asked St. Christopher for divine deliverance through the brush without stepping on a Water Moccasin or having a Gator explode out of the brush to take a swipe out of my leg. I made it safely to and fro.

Fishing Spots

So I covered some ground on this trip. I got after it. One area that was productive was this little pocket south of the Indian mound where the hydrilla is cleared up. I fished the pads and the areas where wind blown water was pushing water around the corners of the Indian mound. You will know this area when you see it , it juts out into the lake and is elevated above the water and fenced off. Pretty much anywhere around the Indian mound is productive. The other area, or really areas I should say, anywhere where there are field of scattered hydrilla – you can check out my instagram @knox_spacefish_kayakangler for an on the water video where I actually explain what “scattered hydrilla” means. But Headwaters is a kingdom of hydrilla, once you find areas where it breaks up, and there are clumps of it here and there then you will be in a field of “scattered hydrilla”. Also hydrilla ditches are productive. From what I understand they flooded a farm to make this lake, and the ditches are old roads (I think?) so if you can find these areas these will be productive areas.

What Worked Well

I really wanted to catch them on Frogs, and outside of one quality fish caught on a Fish, or Die Ambush Frog, my first two hours I rode the struggle bus. Then I switched over to weightless and weedless jerk baits/flukes, and again it was the Fish, or Die Warbird in Liberty Tree (Watermelon Red) and the Salt Strong Alabama Leprechaun that but fish in the yak. I also caught a few on my last Fish, or Die Musket (Trickworm) in Huzzah! (Okechobee Craw) also rigged weightless and weedless. I used the same hooks as the Orlando trip. The last two hours I was out on the water the wind picked up, the water started moving and there was a little cloud cover, once this happened I went back to my go to’s. I caught fish on the Hendrix Whippin’ Swims in Silver Flash, and on Gambler Burnin’ Worms in Watermelon Red, and Zoom Ultra Vibe Speedworms in Junebug Red. I had them rigged the same way as I did in Orlando.

Ongoing War vs The Tackle Industrial Complex

I have nothing against the big dogs of the fishing industry. But I am all about finding new baits, tackle, etc. I am all about supporting small business, I am all about supporting Veteran owned business, and I am all about using products that are made in America. If you are interested in picking up some Fish, or Die baits head over to fishordiebaitcompany.com and use promo code “Spacefish (Recruit)” on your purchase for a discount! Also check out Hendrix Fishing at hendrixfishing.com and Mission Fishin’ – which is based right here in the Space Coast, in Titusville at missionfishinlures.com.

I hope you enjoyed my report this week. I hope this helps – as always you can hit me up on my email, but as of a month ago, I am on social media – Facebook and Instagram – I am using these platforms to compliment what I am doing with my writing and reporting. My mission and aim each week is to do it for the people, to help anyone who is looking to get into fishing, especially paddle fishing. I am no guru, I am just someone who wants to pass it on, and get more people fishing, helping to protect our natural resources, and most importantly get away from screens and have meaningful life experiences. I hope you’re able to get out and fish this week, and find some tight lines. Until next time!