Tag Archives: Lake George

Lake George Fishing Spots – The Southern Humps – Part 1

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I have been looking for Lake George fishing spots recently.  On a recent post about Lake George Florida Topo map from Navionics I showed  you (the ever loyal reader) 3 little mounds I had spied.  Let me offer you a bit more information about that find.

First a bit about their location.  For now we will call them the Southern Humps.  First the GPS coordinates are in contention.  The Navionics app for android shows them at 29’13.843′ N    81’34.930′ W  But those coordinates don’t jive with Google at all. Google has the spot at (approximately as Google doesn’t show lake bottom contours)  29.2275, -81.5804.  Nevertheless coming from the south end of Lake George from the mouth of the channel fenders take a heading of 170 for 1.5 nautical miles.  or from Marker 11 (southern mid lake) take a heading of 331 for .6 nautical miles.  You can’t miss the sonar signature.  The Navionics app says that the humps are 7 feet deep at their shallow point and shows the surrounding lake bed is 10 feet.  But current water levels (July 20 2013) have them at 6 feet and 9 feet respectively.

Lake George Southern Mounds

Click the image to the right to enlarge the map.

The area showed numerous fish on the finder.  A lot were shallow and seemed to be bait fish, while there was also a lot of activity at 5 – 6 feet all around the mound edges and in between the mounds.  There also seemed to be structures in the middle of the 3 humps.  I’ll also note that their were at least 8 crab trap or catfish trap buoys in the area as well (There weren’t any other buoys other than near the mounds for at least a quarter-mile).

There was eelgrass on and around the humps but that faded away the further you got from them.  I could tell this from the sonar signatures as well as what was returned on my lines when I got too close to the bottom using a spinner bait.

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Lake George Bass Fishing

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lake georgeLake George is a favorite spot of mine especially along the southern shore and the old targets in the Lake George Bombing Range.

Lake George Topography

Lake George is the second largest freshwater lake in Florida, only world-famous Lake Okeechobee is bigger in the Sunshine State and is located 18 miles northwest of Deland and 29 miles east of Ocala. Clearly the largest with the St. Johns River system. Lake George covers some 46,000 acres or 11 miles long by 6 miles wide, George lies about halfway between the headwaters of the St. Johns River and the river’s closure with the mighty Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville.

Lake George is an average depth of 8 feet deep. The west side of the lake is encompassed in the Ocala National Forest. Three major springs flow into Lake George on the west side. Salt Springs enters the northwest side of the lake through the 4.3 mile Salt Creek. Silver Glen Springs enters the lake about midway down on the west side, and multiple springs comprise Juniper Creek that flows into Lake George on the southwest side, with Juniper Springs at the headwater of the creek. The large island on the far north side of the lake is Drayton Island.  Check this out If you are looking for a Lake George Florida Topo map.

Lake George Bass Fishing Areas and Tips

Lake George is one of the premier largemouth bass fishing lakes in central Florida.  It has extensive aquatic vegetation, primarily eelgrass, that provides excellent habitat for bass. Wade fishing in eel grass with plastic worms fished on the surface or with other top-water lures is productive. Fishing with live golden shiners is an excellent method for catching trophy bass during the spring spawning season.

Hot spots on the lake include Juniper, Salt and Silver Glen spring runs on the western shoreline. In winter and early spring, look for bass to congregate at the jetties on the south end of the lake. Casting deep-diving crankbaits near old dock structures along the northeast shore and off Drayton Island can also be productive. When the bass gather around schools of bait, the fishing can be fantastic. Shiners are an excellent bait along with crankbaits, Texas-style worms and other soft plastic baits. Areas which have historically produced good bass fishing include the east side of Hog Island, The Bombing Range, Black Point, the Georgetown docks and pilings, and Lake George Point.

Winning Techniques: Topwater lures, plastic worms, live shiners for trophy-sized bass in the spring.

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