Breaking Down The Central
For the purpose of LocalAngler, we’ve defined the Central region as the following counties: Marion County, Sumter County, Lake County, Seminole County, Orange County, Osceola County and Polk County.
Popular Fisheries
Marion County
The Ocala National Forest is loaded with quality ponds and lakes that have an abundance of quality sized fish. With that said, there’s a few that stick out. The Ocklawaha River runs through the Ocala National Forest and lies just west of a bunch of chain lakes in the forest. Lake Kerr is a notable, towards the northeast section of the county. Tons of quality fish in the entire area, you just gotta be willing to find them!
Sumter County
Lake Sumter, the namesake lake of the county, features a great fishery for bass anglers and crappie anglers alike. As you go to the western portion of the county, you’ll run into Half Moon Wildlife Management Area, and there’s countless lakes and ponds out that way. Lake Panasoffkee also holds some lunkers, with more than 2 dozen fish registered over 8 lbs!
Lake County
Lake George… Not the one in New York. The one in Florida. The Second largest lake in Florida. It’s kind of a big deal. The southwestern portion of Lake George tends to hold lunkers all the time. Aside from this, there’s also Harris Chain of Lakes. This is sort of a mecca for high weight limits. Lake Harris and Lake Eustis, among the other lakes in this chain, rarely disappoint. It can be a tough fishery, but once you dial in, you’ll be on’em!
Seminole County
The northern border of Seminole County runs along the St. Johns River, and shares bank with Lake Monroe, Lake Jessup and Lake Harney. All of which are known to produce good fish from time to time. Another notable waterway is the Econlockhatchee River, aka Econ. This is a scenic river, great for smaller boats and paddlers. Quite a few fish can be caught here, as well, so don’t forget your rods!
Orange County
Lake Apopka is the biggun here. However, don’t forget to check out Butler Chain. This is a great area with quality fishing involved. Lake Conway and it’s sister lake are also a good bet for some big bass. The very eastern border of the county also runs along the St. Johns River, with a few little pocket lakes along the way.
Osceola County
Many bass anglers have heard of Kissimmee Chain and all of it’s greatness. I don’t know if anyone truly knows how many 8+lbs fish have been pulled out of this area. Lake Toho, or Tohopekaliga (yikes), is a favorite by many. I wouldn’t come to this area, unless you’ve got strong shoulders and don’t mind flipping hawg after hawg.
Polk County
Riddled in chain lakes all around Lakeland, Winter Haven and beyond. Butting up to a portion of the Kissimmee Chain, you can anticipate pulling out big fish all throughout this area of Florida. Must be something in the water. That, or fish just really like the lures that you through here. There’s one management area that is overlooked here, in particular, and it’s Tenoroc. Who knows about this? What do you know?
What We’re Looking For
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