Me and a buddy are planning a road trip to St Johns, and considering Orange Lake too. I'm reading the water levels at St Johns is way up. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Me and a buddy are planning a road trip to St Johns, and considering Orange Lake too. I'm reading the water levels at St Johns is way up. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Phoenix 921ProXP Mercury 250 ProXS
I would skip the St Johns it's not what it used to be.
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Pulled by my truck
Heard Orange is fishing better these days.
Might get a shot at a true giant during that time period.
I'm looking at making a similar trip in Feb/Mar and have all of Florida to entertain as possible locations. I fished the St Johns earlier this year in the Bass Nation qualifiers and do not plan to go back. 2 days of practice yielded 3 fish. and 2 tournament days landed me 5 keepers which was good enough to make the state team on the coangler side.
Go to Texas, at least they aren't spraying everything in sight and ruining the fishing like they do here.
Fish down here are HIGHLY allergic to yankees. They get whats called yankitis. Highly deadly to the entire state of Florida.
I'd do the Rainbow River and it's spring fed 72º water temp. Gauge it right and You also get co-eds tubing...
Welcome to FL.
St Johns north end (above PCD) is fishable, but doubt you'd catch many, if any, bass. Its in the worst condition I've seen in over 25 years. Plenty of parking at boat ramps though.
And its almost guaranteed Orange will get nuked one week before you arrive, leaving a bubbling cauldron of decaying ooze. Maybe even a few dead floating gators all swolled up and read to pop.
Suggestions: Avoid the mismanaged mess in FL, pick the weather and fish GA and SC.
Florida fishing is very tough, big time hit or miss. Good Luck.
Phoenix 921ProXP Mercury 250 ProXS
Dont know about going north, never been there but it wouldnt surprise me that the small mouth fishing is better. The FWC has destroyed our fisheries. Big O and to a bigger extent Lake Istapoga, lake walk on water, and the whole st johns. Completely wiped out Dextor/woodruff way before any hurricane. On Kissimmee they erased Philadelphia point and grassy island...once again they did this way before any of the hurricanes. This just names a few of the lakes that applied aquatics have legally turned into mud holes by lobbying crooked politicians. When the owner of applied aquatics is also on the state board for weed eradication then something is grossly wrong. Its a definitely a conflict of interest and criminal. Yea its as crooked as a snake and the worest case for our fishery but she gets away with it. Too bad she is not on the Hilary/Bill Clinton bad side...lol ��
Enjoyed my time on Champlain. Coldest winter fishing ever, mid July.