Orlando-Florida-fishing

Fishing the Winter Park Chain of Lakes, Florida. What makes these lakes special?

There are many reasons for visiting these lakes. The water is rather clear and healthy for fish and many other creatures including otters, birds, gators, and people.

There is plenty of history around these lakes with the city of Winter Park surrounding them. Winter Park was started by New Englanders as a vacation home community just outside Orlando.

People noticed these beautiful lakes as a railway from Orlando to Sanford; Sanford Airport, was being placed next to them. Presidents from many years ago have stayed at the Alabama Hotel on Lake Maitland Alpharooms (It was turned into condos a while ago).

One very interesting feature that everyone likes is the canals connecting all the lakes together. If you aren't catching fish in one lake, then go to the next one. The fish populations differ in each lake so; you can always fish about three different lakes each trip.

There is a scenic boat tour that goes through three of the lakes that can make going through the canals a pain. One of the canals is over a quarter mile long and only wide enough for the tour boat. You might wonder how busy a tour boat on these lakes can be.

Well, they actually have several pontoon boats and I usually see three full boats following each other on a week day.

I believe there are several famous people living around that lake, but I forgot who they are? wonder if you know? Also, there are always many birds around the lakes.

Bald Eagles, Osprey, Kingfishers, wood peckers, various wading birds, and ducks, call the lakes home.

Kraft Gardens on Lake Maitland is loaded with nesting birds every year.

There are so many, you need an umbrella. Seriously, it's bad. So there you have a few reasons why these lakes are different than any other around.

Whatever it is you like, whether it be fishing, kayaking, boating/skiing, sight seeing, birding, swimming and Carrot Top watching, it's great place to check out. Of course the great Orlando must be on your do list!

Lake Virginia

and Lake Maitland, and there is a six dollar fee to use the ramps each time (for motor boats only, not kayak or canoes, we're special).

You can also get a yearly permit at the Winter Park library or the tax collectors office.

The library is just north of the boat ramp on Lake Virginia, almost on the same street.

The Lake Virginia ramp is at the end of Ollie Ave off of 426/Fairbanks Ave., next to Dinky Dock Park and Rollins College. There are two lanes with a small pier you can fish off.

Lake Maitland
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There is also another pier on the other side of the beach/swimming area.

The Lake Maitland ramp is off of 17/92 in Maitland just a half mile south of Horatio Ave. There are two lanes with a dock on each side you can fish off.

The only other public pier I know of is the one at Kraft Gardens on the southern shore of Lake Maitland. We have seen people fish off the shore near the canals and bridges on the little public land there is around them.

Unfortunately, there aren't many spots to fish from land. I actually bought a used kayak just to get out on the water and really fish.

We have seen Large Mouth bass, Talapia, Spotted Gar, Bream (Brim), and Black Crappie. There is also supposed to be Sunshine Bass (Large Mouth Bass and Stripped Bass hybrid).

The bass usually school in the morning and afternoon, just before sunset, but they will change their patterns with the weather, so don't be surprised if they school at noon if it's cold.

It seems the best schooling is on Lake Virgina, that's where we have done our best fishing as well as many others. We have only caught Crappie on Lake Mizell, but they are supposed to be in good numbers on all the lakes.

While we caught big bass on all the lakes, the biggest so far, for us, have come from little Lake Mud Google Earth shows it as Lake Mud.

Lake Mizell
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It's a little lake between Lake Maitland and Lake Minnehaha, and the most natural looking one. I don't think it gets fished a lot cause of its size, but we like it because of its peacefulness, and of course, it's big fish.

We’ve also seen a lot of otters in that canal, so keep the camera in hand, because they are quick.

I've heard several people saying that Lake Minnehaha is great for fishing, but we have rarely fished it because, when we get there, there is always a water skier making big waves everywhere, so we turn around.

.Lake Mizell is also popular with fishermen due to it being rather quiet. The skiers would rather go on the larger Lake Virginia right next to it. After everything, I would tell someone new to the lakes to fish the east side of Lake Virginia. That's where we, and others, catch the most in a short time, especially if they are schooling.

It's not unusual to catch 15 bass in an hour at the right time, when they are schooling!

Another tip is to look for birds hanging around a certain area. There are Terns that we usually see in certain spots on the lake.

They know where the fish are better than us, usually, so I would hang out around them if you don't know where to go.

They wait for a bait fish to jump, trying to escape the school of big fish, and then fly over and grab any confused bait fish.

Lures and bait for Orlando-Florida-fishing!

First of all, I must say that if you're attacking a school of fish, they probably will eat whatever you throw at them. Schooling fish roam around looking for smaller fish to eat.

This means that your best bet is to use a lure that best looks like the fish they are looking to eat. Spinners and chrome crank baits work great for us.

Crappies also like the white spinners, it seems.

Many people use the old rubber worm in the many grass beds that cover the lake bottoms. Personally we don't use them much on these lakes.

We usually are after the schools that patrol the deeper waters at sunrise and sunset, which seem to love my chrome crank bait.

It's better fishing for that short time, but when they aren't schooling, you're forced to try everything else.

That's when you use the artificial worms, lizards, frogs, and, of course, live bait fish.

We don't have a fish finder on my kayak yet, but I suspect there are many deep holes near the shallows that the crappie hide in.

I usually find them by accident, blind casting all around me with a small spinner.

I just reel it in a little, let it drop a little, reel, drop, reel, drop, etc.

The spinner blade makes a certain movement as it falls, that will attract their attention.

Weedless setups are a must. There is eel grass everywhere. If you can see the bottom, you're looking at grass.

Orlando-Florida-fishing.

Links to more info about the lakes

weekend-guide

davesyaktales.blogspot.com

winterparkmag.com

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