St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is famous for its huge largemouth bass. This part of the river near Palatka has been consistently good for big largemouth bass for many, many years. There are plenty of bass fishing tournaments held here and many impressive catches are caught on the river. Many of the fishing guides use big, live shiners and there are so many big bass caught that range from 8 to 12 pounds and bigger ones are possible too.
Rodman Reservoir (Lake Ocklawaha)
Rodman Reservoir, or Lake Ocklawaha, is an artificial reservoir on the Ocklawaha River. This reservoir is also known as a big bass fishery with many big largemouth bass caught in the 8 to 13 pound range and even bigger every year.
Crescent Lake
Crescent Lake is another popular lake to fish fairly close to Palatka, Florida. The St. Johns River and Rodman Reservoir are both better for big bass, however, Crescent Lake can definitely hold its own for numbers and quality fish too. Anglers catch large bass in the 7 to 10 range, but bigger fish are possible.
