Land O' Lakes Fishing Charters & Guides

Land O' Lakes Fishing Charters

The reason for the name of some places is obvious. Land O' Lakes in Central Florida is one of these places. This region of Florida is packed with shallow ponds, many of which hold lots of fish. Years ago, these ponds were open to the general public. The housing boom that took over Florida saw much of the public access from the bank get closed off. Once on the water, in many of these ponds, access is public. Getting onto the water may be an issue. That's where Land O' Lakes fishing charters can help. Guides have agreements with property owners allowing them to launch small boats and kayaks in the ponds for fishing. FishAnywhere has Land O' Lakes fishing charters guides who can get you into these honey holes. Beyond that, Land O' Lakes is just a short drive west to the Gulf Coast and Tampa Bay where saltwater fishing is excellent. The Central Florida theme parks are also just a short drive east on Interstate 4. The proximity to so much of Central Florida's best makes Land O' Lakes a great base for a vacation.

Land O' Lakes Freshwater Fishing

Most people interested in freshwater fishing in Florida are after largemouth bass. Ol' Bucketmouth is an opportunistic eater. Spinnerbaits, plastic worms and shallow-running silver crankbaits are top producers wherever the fish are found. These can all be fished by reeling them in at any speed or pulling the rod up, letting the lure idle, lower the rod and reel up the slack and pull again. The bass will tell you which method they prefer on a given day. The very biggest bass are often caught on live shad fished with or without a cork. If you do not use a cork, do not put any weight on the line. Hook the bait behind the top fin so the fish can swim. These ponds are also home to catfish and a variety of panfish. Panfish, which includes crappie, (pronounced CROP-ee), are most often caught with live bait. The bream family, warmouth and oscars all eat worms and crickets. Crappie, sometimes called speckled perch, prefer minnows. All of these are also caught on tiny spinnerbaits.

Land O' Lakes Saltwater Fishing

As noted above, Land O’ Lakes makes a good base of operations. Tampa Bay is less than 15 miles south and the coast at Tarpon Springs is about 10 miles west. Fish range from the small, but very tasty croakers caught along the beach to tackle-breaking monsters that are more than 500 pounds caught miles from shore.

Land O' Lakes Inshore Fishing

Croakers might well be considered the panfish of the ocean. Small, plentiful and easy to catch, they are an ideal fish to get children used to fishing in the sea. With a generous creel of 100 pounds per person, you should be able to take home plenty of fillets. Croaker hit small bits of shrimp or squid on small hooks. Use enough lead on the line to keep the bait in one place. Pyramid sinkers excel at this. The bay is also famous for trout, reds, snook and the silver king, tarpon. Light to medium tackle is preferred. With some minor differences, the same rigs are used on snook, reds and trout. Live bait like bull minnows, pinfish, menhaden and shrimp are ideal. If the water is murky, a popping cork provides a vibration signal for the fish to hone in on. The same cork rig works well with shrimp-imitating lures. These fish also hit lipless crankbaits. Schooling reds are known to hammer gold spoons. Tarpon are a different matter. Yes, they can be caught with live bait; live blue crabs are a top contender. Hooking up with a tarpon is easy enough. Getting one to the boat is another matter. Some guides say landing one tarpon for every seven hook-ups is an excellent success rate.

Land O' Lakes Offshore Fishing

Head offshore to find reef fish like grouper, snapper, amberjack and hogfish. Wrecks, natural and artificial reefs are common on the sea floor in this part of the Gulf of Mexico. To catch these structure-hugging fish, you need to be right on the reef with your bait. If you have the arms and back to do it, trying jigging to catch some of these fish. Offshore is also the home to sailfish, tuna, wahoo and king mackerel. These are cruisers and spend their time on the move looking for something to eat. Dusters and bubblers are the most common way to connect with the pelagics. When you are out, keep an eye on the sky for diving seabirds. When a flock is dropping like flies, it means they are feeding on baitfish. Something is driving the bait to the surface and you might as well catch some of whatever they are.

Book A Land O' Lakes Fishing Charter

If you are thinking of a trip to Central Florida, set aside a day or two to fish. Let FishAnywhere connect you with the best Land O' Lakes guides at the best prices to make sure your fishing adventure is one worth remembering.