| Florida's Lake George large mouth fishing is rated and | | | | keep casting it closer to the structure. |
| reported as another top largemouth lake that is | | | | Area #6 Lake George Point offers single and |
| nationally known. This article will concentrate on lake | | | | schooling bass to those throwing vibration lures and |
| George. We will list 12 Area's on or around the lake | | | | stickbaits near the weedline. Stripers also move |
| that have been known to hold largemouth. You can | | | | through this area in cooler months and often will |
| also visit the Florida Fish and wildlife conservation | | | | unexpectedly strike a crankbait intended for a bass. |
| commission webpage and click on Interactive maps | | | | If you locate stripers, cast Carolina-rigged plastic |
| to get more detailed information. | | | | worms and let the soft plastic undulate naturally in |
| Lake George is one of the premier largemouth bass | | | | the bottom current. If you notice the line move, pay |
| fishing lakes in central Florida. It is the second largest | | | | attention. When it tightens, strike hard. A fish is |
| lake in the state (46,000 acres), and is located 18 | | | | moving off with your worm. Switch to topwater |
| miles northwest of Deland and 29 miles east of Ocala. | | | | chuggers if the stripers start crashing the surface. |
| The following Lake George fishing reported areas | | | | Stripers love shiners, too. |
| have been identified by the Florida Fish and wildlife as | | | | Area #7 Drayton Island The Drayton Island docks |
| holding good populations of largemouth bass | | | | and pilings, and the boat trails that lead to them, hold |
| Area #1 Black Point with one of the deeper | | | | bass in early spring. Weedless spoons and plastic |
| drop-offs in this area, offers good fishing for a | | | | worms with light, 1/8-ounce slip sinkers are best. |
| variety of species throughout the year. Fish a | | | | Area #8 This area adjacent to a marsh offers |
| Carolina- or Texas-rigged plastic worm down the | | | | relatively deep water just off the grass. Bass move |
| open-water drop from 3 to 15 feet for largemouth | | | | into the grass to spawn and out to the grassline in |
| year-round. Crankbaits will entice striped bass in the | | | | late spring, where a weedless plastic worm will trigger |
| cooler months. Small wild shiners or medium domestic | | | | strikes. Use small, dark-colored plastic worms and, so |
| shiners will entice big bass strikes, and they'll catch | | | | as not to ruin its built-in action, use the smallest sinker |
| stripers and large catfish, too. Starting with the first | | | | that takes the plastic to the desired depth. Beetle |
| full moon in April, use live worms or crickets to catch | | | | Spins also produce. This is a good bedding area for |
| bluegill throughout summer. | | | | bluegills April through June. Live bait anglers favor |
| Area #2 Back of Muddy Cove offers springtime | | | | earthworms, grass shrimp, or crickets fished close to |
| largemouth bass fishing. It's a good bedding area and | | | | the bottom under a float. |
| excellent for sight fishing. Fish spinnerbaits and | | | | Area #9 A sharp drop-off to 10 feet, just 30 feet |
| buzzbaits early and late in the day. Best fishing is | | | | from the shoreline, makes the weedline in this area |
| often after heavy rains or when the tide has peaked | | | | especially productive for largemouth bass from late |
| and starts to fall. This holds true for most shallow | | | | spring through late fall. A Carolina-rig will locate fish. |
| water. Deeper water on the flat invites more fish. | | | | Alternately, cast vibrating plugs or small crankbaits for |
| Area #3 Between Hog Island and Saunders Bass | | | | best results. Fish are often suspended here. |
| often frequent the cut between Hog Island and | | | | Area #10 Work plastic worms or jigs with grubs |
| Saunders Cove. Fish weedless floating worm rigs, | | | | down the sloping drop-off for bass. Try different |
| soft plastic jerk baits or weedless spoons. The | | | | colors until you find the one that gets the strikes. |
| southwest corner of the island is known for its good | | | | Solid blue or blue-tailed worms are effective. |
| fishing in the spring and fall. | | | | Grape-colored worms with green glitter work well, as |
| Area #4 East side of Hog Island On the east side of | | | | do Tequila Sunrise, Red Shad, Green Pumpkin and |
| Hog Island, with its harder bottom and eelgrass, is a | | | | June Bug. |
| feeding flat that yields bass year- around, especially in | | | | Area #11 A hard, sand bottom and relatively deep |
| spawning season. Use weedless lures and work them | | | | water near shore make this a great spring and |
| through the grass or topwaters over the grass. Big | | | | summer bass spot. The Carolina plastic worm rig is a |
| bass will come out of the thick greenery for a wild | | | | lake tradition.. Fish lures that allow you to adjust your |
| shiner deployed along the edge of the eelgrass line or | | | | depth - spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps. This area and |
| in the small coves surrounded by bulrushes. | | | | others like it, hold schooling bass at different times of |
| Area #5 Georgetown Fish the many docks and pilings | | | | the year. |
| along the Georgetown shoreline for largemouth | | | | Area #12 Kinsley Point on the south end of Drayton |
| summer and fall. Drift a floating crankbait into the | | | | Island has good bass fishing year-round. Fish the |
| wooden structure; when it drifts close to the pier, | | | | visible and submerged pilings off the point for |
| begin your retrieve. Cast and retrieve your lures past | | | | largemouth and stripers. Anglers using artificials favor |
| the structure from different directions until you can | | | | crankbaits; live bait anglers score big on shiners. |
| establish a strike pattern. Work the broken-down | | | | Plastic worms in dark colors work well in the wooden |
| piers. Piers are often interspersed with fields of little | | | | structure and along the grassline that wraps the |
| lily pads, called dollar bonnets. Fish them with soft | | | | point. The direction of the flow of water will tell you |
| plastic jerk baits, swimming worms, and weedless, | | | | which way to cast. Start by bringing the lure back |
| ribbon-tailed jigs. Shiners are powerful fish-getters; | | | | with the current but also try casting cross-current. |
| the challenge is to keep the bait near the structure. | | | | One boat fishing technique is to drift with the |
| Here's a local secret: purposefully snag your line on a | | | | current, stern first, using the electric motor to slow |
| small stick or surface vegetation to keep the shiner | | | | the drift. Cast to the sides of the boat, toward the |
| in the best spot to catch a trophy. Otherwise, the | | | | direction of current, retrieving the lure with the |
| shiner will swim away from danger and you'll have to | | | | current. |