Water flow:
Visibility: 28 inches
Water temperature at mid-day: 68 Degrees F
Water condition: Stained
Best time of day to fish: Mid Morning, Evening
Best stretch:
Best access point:
Fly fishing hatches in order of importance:
Mayflies, Dragonflies
Fish species: Largemouth Bass, Panfish, Crappie, Gar, Grass Carp
Fishing season: Year Round
Nearest airport: Orlando International Airport
Recommended fly fishing leader: 9 Foot Leader
Recommended fly fishing tippet: 2X Tippet
Best fly fishing rod: 9' 6 Weight Fly Rod
Best floating fly line: Freshwater Bass WF Fly Line
Best sinking fly line: Class V Sink Tip Fly Line
The Winter Haven Chain of Lakes is a large group of around 60 different lakes located midway between Orlando and Tampa. A little less than an hours drive from either one of these metro areas you can find access via boat ramps on about a dozen of the lakes many of which are connected by a canal system allowing boaters into most all the lakes during higher water.
Most of the lakes are shallow ...
Best techniques for the week include Technique 1) Fish Clousers deep, cast and count them down (5 to 10 seconds) then use a steady retrieve to generate a reaction strike. Try counting down 5 sec, then 6 sec, then 7 sec... Add a Sink Tip or a new Sink polyleaders to your line, and you can fish deeper and faster. These tools can double the depth of a clouser. A Fluorocarbon (Mirage) leaders, this will get the fly down faster than a mono leader. Sink tip lines and full sinking lines take this to a new level, (and are a perfect use for that old rod you never use anymore.) Technique 2) Poppers and divers (with rubber legs,) should be fished on warmer afternoons and sunset. Low light conditions, and even during the day under shady over hang and around docks. Technique 3) Reaction style fishing-Cast long, bomber casts in deeper water. Cas to the area that you would normally place the boat to fish the weedlines. Deeper is better. Sinking lines and Game Changer flies fished deep, with movement. 4)Rubber legged spiders above or Wilson's bully spider below the surface for Bluegill. Move slow. They will be next to solid structure like metal sea walls, dock pilings, or knock down cypress.
When the wind settles down, we will find the fish cooperative. Crappie (Specs,) Bass, and Bluegill will be in water that is easily fished with a fly rod. Pheasant tail nymphs, squirmy worms, and dragonfly nymphs are perfect for bluegill fishing, subsurface. A small mayfly hatch is currently attracting bluegill attention. They are gey to clear size 14-I would try an Adams if There was any sign of them. Small foam spiders and dragonfly dries will tempt the bluegill and bass on the surface. Search for woody structure and canal seawalls to attract fish. Popper fishing can be very effective on warm afternoons.