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Lake County Florida contains 167 square miles of water
surface area with hundreds of fishable lakes. Some are
now closed to the general public but all the larger lakes have public boat
ramps grandfathered in from the days when the county was
less much populated. It would be impossible to list them
all, so I have listed some of the most accessible. Lake
Yale is technically part of the Harris Chain, but because it
is landlocked and must be accessed by it's own separate
ramp I included it in this section.
Lake Yale
 Lake
Yale contains 4,042 acres of water. This lake was very
clear until the mid nineties when chemical weed spraying and
the over stocking of grass carp removed most of the cover.
The introduction of grass carp has been the most
troublesome. Game officials have attempted to physically
remove the excess carp and even had to fence off and
replant wide sections of the shoreline grass. This
man-made disaster turned the once pristine Lake Yale water
to a murky algae-bloom brown.
Subsequent
droughts occasionally reduced lake levels to a point where
the lake was not accessible to most anglers for a period of
well over a year. The excellent water quality this lake was
once known for has yet to return and it stands as a stark
testament to another attempt by water managers to fix a
complex problem with quick solutions.
This lake has
always been a favorite of mine and contains a good
population of bass. They seem to run smaller than main
Harris Chain bass but make up for it in numbers. All the
Harris Chain tactics outlined in this website work well.
The lake is deeper than most and has a hard sand bottom,
making it ideal for a Carolina rig. The large pad fields in
the cove nearest to the Marsh Park boat ramp and in the area
behind Rabbit Island hold bass year round. The entire
southern shoreline borders a deep offshore ditch that runs
down the lake creating a great drop off for Carolina
rigging. Crankbaits take the larger bass in this lake.
The lake can be accessed from a nice ramp in Marsh Memorial
Park. The park is located a few miles north of Eustis off
State Road 452.
Clermont Chain
Click here to download a
printable map of the Clermont Chain
 The
Clermont Chain was once a peaceful pristine chain of lakes near the
little City of Clermont, Florida. Tremendous over
development in South Lake County has had a serious negative effect on
this chain. A dispute over the head waters in
the Green Swamp caused water levels to plummet putting most
residential boat docks far above the water. The
dispute was finally resolved but low water levels remain
problematic. Incredibly, amidst all of these water supply problems the
Water Management Authority approved a new water bottling plant in Clermont
doubling down on the problem.
The once clear
waters of Lake Minneola are now stained but the bass are
still there in good numbers. The canals connecting the
lakes are especially good if you can find water in them.
These lakes are best fished on the weekdays as jet-skiers
and cruisers are a distraction on weekends.
John's Lake
 The
John's Lake boat ramp is about 6 miles east of Clermont on
Highway 50. Even with the development of most of the
shoreline and it's close proximity to Orlando, this lake
produces excellent bass fishing. Everything about this
lake is right for bass. The water color is good with a
slight stain, there are many rocky bottom structures and
reefs throughout the lake and there is adequate cover
despite the building of huge homes around the shoreline.
During droughts this lake also suffers from severe water
level problems. Extreme care should be taken when using at
the Highway 50 boat ramp in low water. In the Spring
of 2003, the State of Florida restocked the lake with
500,000 bass fingerlings and the lake has regaining it's
reputation as a great bass fishery.
Lake Dorr and
the Forest Lakes
 Little
Lake Dorr is in my opinion the most beautiful bass lake in
Florida. Nestled in the Ocala National forest off highway
19, this lake looks like it came out of a picture
postcard. Surrounded by pine forest covered hills, the
black tannic colored water reflects a scene out of a
Canadian nature documentary.
Bass fishing in
this lake is a bonus. Top water action can be good early in
the morning with Carolina rigged worms working later in the
day. The bottom is very hard and deep and the bass are
beautiful and full of fight. The lake has a nice ramp in
Lake Dorr Park off highway 19 just north of the City of
Umatilla.
Throughout the
Ocala National Forest there are many other small forest
lakes. Most of the bass caught in these lakes run about 1
to 3 pounds, but a few can be very large. The National Park
prints a brochure that can be obtained at the park
information centers detailing all the lakes and providing
access information. Fly fisherman love these lakes as they
are a treat to fish with light tackle.
In case you're
wondering about Rodman Reservoir, Lake Toho or the St. Johns
River, they are not in Lake County. Rodman is about 45
minutes north of my home in Eustis. Lake Toho is about an
hour south and some of the best fishing on the St. John's
River is only about 1/2 hour from my home.
If you have any
questions or comments about Lake County Florida lakes,
please contact me.
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