Like black bass and spotted sunfish they may be abundant in tidal areas near the mouths of rivers. They tolerate brackish water better than other sunfish but are intolerant of cool water. Rarely are they found in swiftly moving water. They are common in lower, more slowly flowing reaches of rivers.
Redear sunfish prefer large, quiet waters and have a tendency to congregate around stumps, roots, logs and in open water offshore. The daily bag limit is 50 Panfish including bluegill, redear sunfish (shellcracker), flier, longear, mus sunfish, shadow bass, spotted sunfish, (stumpknockers), warmouth and redbreast sunfish, individually or in total. They inhabit lakes and ponds, slow-flowing rivers and streams with sand, mud, or gravel bottoms, near aquatic vegetation.īecause of its willingness to take a variety of natural baits (e.g., crickets, grass shrimp, worms) and artificial lures (e.g., small spinners or popping bugs) during the entire year, its gameness when hooked, and its excellent food qualities, the bluegill is one of the more important sport fish in Florida and the eastern United States. The daily bag limit is 5 bass per day, only one of which may be greater than 22 inches in length.īluegills prefer the quiet, weedy waters where they can hide and feed. The value of the largemouth as a sport fish has prompted a movement toward catch-and-release fishing. They will strike almost any kind of artificial lure or live bait, but most are taken on plastic worms, surface plugs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, bass bugs and shiner minnows. Much of its popularity is due to its aggressive attitude and willingness to strike a lure or bait with explosive force. The largemouth bass is Florida's most popular freshwater game fish. In the winter, the shad migrate into the St John's and provide exciting action.Ĭloser to town, Fox lake has long been a local favorite especially for those who don't have a boat as Fox Lake Park provides quite a bit of shoreline access to the lake. In the spring and early summer, it's time to bring out the flyrod and #8 popping bugs for bluegills, which are in the shallows nesting.
John's for a chance to catch the largest bass of their lives. The Florida strain of largemouth bass grows larger than anywhere else in the specie's range and each spring many northern fishermen come to The St. John's River has long been known as one of the finest largemouth bass fisheries in the World. FRESHWATER FISHING IN THE TITUSVILLE AREA The St.