A group of us in Virginia are planning a trip to Palatka in February '21 to fish the St. Johns River. There will be 6 or 8 of us coming and none have ever been there. WE would like to fish the middle section around lake Monroe. Would this be a good area for first timers? Any recommendations on place we could stay in that area? We would probably arrive on a Sunday and plan to fish Monday thru Thursday. Thanks for any help.
Bassman13
Originally Posted by Bassman13
Monroe is far from Palatka, approximately 60 miles by air, around 80 miles by boat.
like John said Monroe is a long ways from Palatka
if you wanted to fish Monroe then look to stay in the northern Orlando area, you would also be closer to the Harris chain and even Kissimmee chain if you wanted to fish multiple areas.
South of Palatka and north of Lake George is an place called Renegades on the river, campground and cabins with boat slips. never been in a cabin but we take the camper there at least 1x per year. has restaurant and tiki bar area
In Palatka i would look at houses vrbo or if motel/hotel id stay at Hampton inn or best western, but you would be launching your boat each day if you stayed at one of those places.
Astor puts you south of George and closer to lake Monroe
Never being there, we are looking at google maps to try ang figure out where to fish. We were wanting to stay near Palatka, but open to other areas. What part of the ST Johns is in that area, upper, middle, lower? How would the bass fishing be in that area. Open to any advice on where to plan to stay and launch from.
Look at the George Town area lots of rentals multiple places to stay some have there own ramp with boat slips. Puts you at the top of lake George. Can fish the river or the lake. Our clubs stays there every year in January. Only bad thing is make sure to bring everything you need it’s about a 45 minute ride to the nearest descent store.
Palatka is the lower St Johns. It flows north, except on incoming tides. Tidal influence extends to the south end(s) of George and Crescent.
The River is still struggling to recover from hurricane impacts from Astor to Jax. Little if any grass and dirty water.
Not wishing to dampen enthusiasm, but I'd look into Central and South Florida lakes.
I like the south end of George and River south best...not saying it's best, just my preference. I usually stay at South Moon Camp by Astor. You can easily fish the river, Lake George, go south toward Dexter, etc. NOT a fancy place, but it's clean and reasonable. Cabins have kitchens and a couple GOOD restaurants close by. Good tackle shop in Astor also for any needed lures, etc. Like I said...just my preference...
let me know it I can help answer any questions..
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Are you bringing boats or hiring guides?
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Bringing boats
There’s a small motel just on the east side of the bridge in Astor. It’s not the Ritz by any means but we stayed there in February and they were really nice. The rooms are ok, plenty of parking and you can leave your boats in the water if you want.
You can be in Lake George pretty quick (watch out for the speed limits) or fish the river.
Personally I’d stay closer to Orlando where you can fish Harris, Kissimmee, Toho, Monroe, etc.
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Good advice
Brad Krone
WE are leaning toward the Georgetown area. Have checked a couple VRBO homes close to lake George. Looking at all otions. Thanks for any advice and recommendations.
near lake George - Renegade on the River is the best place. Call now for a cabin.
also on the south side near Astor is Parramores fish camp.
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Renegades. Book now. They only have 5 cabins and a small 3 bedroom house. The house could be perfect.
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U r waisting ur time and money . lake George sucks compared to years past. No grass and there will be a bazillon tx's with all the guys in a few very small areas. Then add all the out of towners like yall and you have a mess. Also expect a cold front to make things even worse. You will be lucky to catch 5 or more fish per day, especially if the wind picks up and the temps drop.
As negative as this post sounds, It was EXACTLY my experience during the two trips i took in Feb to Lake George and St Johns. People come from MILES around to try and sight fish. Anywhere there is a chance of finding a bedding bass will be swamped with people. I would look at going farther south to Toho or Kissimmee area. The actual St Johns at Palatka was great the one time i was there in Feb. However, this was pre-hurricane and the water was beautiful. Rodman is a death trap of trees and loaded with hydrilla. Kissimmee was an awesome place when i went. Fished an area known as the Gut. Being a little more south, the weather may be more stable as well.
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Lake George and Saint Johns fishes very different from other places across Florida. The first two trips I had there sucked. Think I caught 2 or 3 fish both trips. It was January both times and there were major cold fronts that came through. After the second trip I learned a few things and slowly I stated to understand what the fish were doing due to the lack of grass. The next trip I applied those lessons and I managed to win 2 club tournament in a row on that body of water. The guys don’t want to go back because they were all trying to bed fish and couldn’t. Trust me there are several places on lake George fish can be caught when there not on the beds and everyone is trying to catch them. If you fish other places you will be much more successful. I am by no means a local but from what I have observed this seems to be the way to catch fish in January or February.
The intention of our trip is not to "Bed Fish" but to fulfill a bucket list to fish the St Johns with the chance to catch some decent Florida bass.
Toho or Kissimmee could be a better bet. St. John’s/lake George is a very weird place to fish. Fish aren’t where they supposed to be. As far as bedding fish it is unlike anything you have seen before. So that also can be very difficult. And watch out for manatees especially south of George, they are everywhere.
That be true for you , but , i dont think it will matter. There will be people all over the place. I would seriously consider Toho or Kissimmee as suggested.
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