Many of the lakes in Lake County are only about an hour away from the Disney World theme parks. Big bass are definitely a possibility with 7 to 8 pound largemouth bass caught fairly regularly in this area and some bass over 10 pounds are caught here every year.
Clermont Chain of Lakes
The Clermont Chain of Lakes are located in the town of Clermont, Florida mostly with a couple of the lakes in the town of Groveland as well. This chain of lakes totals more than 8,600 acres with 11 lakes and a couple of boat ramps to make it easy to get access to the water. Most of the water will be tea-colored with the exception of Lake Minneola, which is relatively clear compared to most of the lakes in the Central Florida area.
Largemouth bass are the big attraction here for most anglers with good numbers of 2 to 4 pound bass and fish in the 5 to 7 pound range being fairly common. Bass up to and above 10 pounds are available here as well. Bluegill and other sunfish are here as well to go along with catfish and crappie.
Harris Chain of Lakes
Set amongst the quaint towns of Eustis, Mount Dora, Leesburg, and Tavares is the Harris Chain of Lakes. This chain is a part of the Oklawaha River Basin and includes Lake Eustis (7,806 acres), Lake Harris (15,087 acres), Little Lake Harris (3,359 acres), Lake Dora (4,475 acres), Lake Beauclair (1,140 acres), Lake Griffin (9,327 acres), Lake Yale (4,013 acres) and Lake Carlton (376 acres).
The Harris Chain of lakes are very fertile and the water here is murky. You can find some clearer water in the backs of some residential canals and in the spring creeks that feed the lakes, but otherwise, it is murky water here.
Anglers usually come here for the bass fishing and it is very good here with lots of bass and some huge bass up to and over 10 pounds caught every year. Anglers also target panfish here too with bream and crappie available throughout the chain.
Shiner Fishing for Florida Largemouth Bass
Shiners are the easiest and most common way to catch Florida bass. Most of the guides use them even if they would prefer to be using artificial lures and the reason for this is that live shiners consistently get bit by big bass. For whatever reason, the Florida strain largemouth bass is a lot more difficult to consistently catch with lures than the northern strain largemouth bass, especially the bigger, trophy-sized bass. So most guide services will offer live bait on every trip to make sure their customers have the best chance to consistently catch quality largemouth bass. Learn more about shiner fishing in Florida for largemouth bass.
Best Baits for Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass will eat so many different baits and there are so many different lures that are made for catching these fish. Anglers have more options than they really need, but since we have all these options, it’s nice to know about the different baits that are available.
Minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches are definitely the best live baits for largemouth bass. When it comes to artificial lures, you have so many options. Soft plastic worms, lizards, crayfish baits and minnows work great. Hard baits such as crankbaits, topwater lures, spinnerbaits, jigs and jerkbaits are also all awesome choices for largemouth bass.
To learn more, take a look at our pages below.
Best Live Baits for Largemouth Bass
Best Lures for Largemouth Bass
Best Rigs for Largemouth Bass
There are so many different rigs for largemouth bass. While you definitely don’t need to use all of them to consistently catch bass, it is important to learn how some of the rigs will help you fish certain areas or certain baits in a way to catch more fish. Most good bass anglers will use several different rigs in a variety of situations to consistently catch quality largemouth bass.
The standup jighead, Texas rig, drop shot rig, wacky rig and Carolina rig are definitely some of the best rigs for largemouth bass page.
Best Techniques for Largemouth Bass
There are many different techniques that are used for largemouth bass fishing. Casting a variety of baits to cover water is most popular, however, flipping & pitching is one of the best ways to catch bass around shallow water cover.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for largemouth bass page.
Learn More About Largemouth Bass
Our largemouth bass fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our largemouth bass fishing website to learn more.
