Lake Hancock Fishing Charters & Guides

Lake Hancock, FL

Polk County has more than 554 natural freshwater lakes that are anywhere from a few acres large to several thousand acres. In the 200 square miles around the county, there are more than 1,000 named lakes. It is, indeed, Lake Country. But the waters of Polk County don’t often make the “top ten” list of fishing destinations and none of these lakes will ever become famous as the host of a big fishing event like the BASS Masters Classic. But they do have a lot of good fishing. One of the best, although often controversial, is Lake Hancock. Lake Hancock is located in what locals refer to as the Polk Upland area, which is between the towns of Winter Haven Ridge and Lakeland. The lake covers 4,573 acres when it is at pool stage, but even that can change. Officials are looking into raising the lake level to help improve water quality and that would also put water up into the massive areas of shoreline cover on a more regular basis. That, in turn, would surely make fishing even better. The lake is part of the Peace River watershed, which is widely recognized as one of the most ecologically important areas in southwest Florida.

Fishing Lake Hancock

The main fish in Lake Hancock are largemouth bass. By Florida standards, Hancock would not win any awards for it’s monster bass, but there are good numbers of fish in the lake. The average size for bass is probably in the 1-3 pound range with an occasional four pounder. But water fluctuation and other issues have hampered the lake’s ability to grow bigger bass on a consistent basis. Overall, the lake is normally very shallow. The average depth is around 3-4 feet and although it does have some deep holes up to 15 to 16 feet deep, oftentimes summer droughts cause oxygen problems on the lake and have even led to some fish kills in recent years. The lake also has a good population of tilapia which provide good fishing for anglers who go to the lake. Bream fishing and catfishing is also fair to good on this lake and there is a good population of black crappie, although they are not going to reach the “slab” level like so many bigger reservoirs produce. For bass fishermen, the shoreline is the key to finding and catching fish. The banks are lined with cypress trees, fallen timber, stickups and various types of aquatic vegetation. Fish move up into the shallower areas to spawn in the spring and often get very close to the bank. The best lures to catch them on at this time of the year are weightless worms, plastic lizards and small jigs. Spinnerbaits in white or chartreuse colors are also good to produce fish. Later in the year, bass will pull further off the cover and find deeper water with submerged vegetation to lay up in. When the baitfish go to those areas as well, the fish will stay. Many times the fish move up shallow to feed early in the morning and late at night and topwaters are good for some action. One of the best baits on the lake is a seven-inch worm in red shad or tequila sunrise, fished around the lily pads or grass. Anywhere you can find a point or pocket formed by vegetation, you are likely to find a largemouth laying in wait for an easy meal. Fishing on Lake Hancock is also good for bream. Most of the good bream fishing is around the banks as well, but there are some pockets of grass that hold bedding bream up in the summer. Red worms under a cork are the most popular way to catch bream. Black Crappie are also found on the lake. The crappie usually hang off from the shore near deeper water except in the spring when they spawn. Shiners and small jigs are good lures.

Visiting Lake Hancock

Public access to the lake is difficult. There is one undeveloped ramp on the north end of the lake, but there is limited parking. Some homeowners on the southwestern end of the lake have access and this area also offers some good structure for bass in the form of piers and numerous small pockets. Public access to the shoreline is mostly available through the Circle B Bar Reserve, an Environmental Land Property owned and maintained by Polk County and the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This area was acquired for wildlife and water resource protection and marsh restoration in the Banana Lake outlet system, which drains to Lake Hancock. The most popular draw to this area is the Circle B Bar Reserve, which is a former cattle ranch that today boasts a wide variety of plants and animals. You can see several distinct ecosystems in this reserve of only 1,267 acres. You're almost guaranteed to see alligators in Lake Hancock, often considered the headwaters of the Peace River, which flows more than 100 miles from Polk County southwest to the Gulf of Mexico.