Title: What’s Hot, What’s Not — Orlando’s Fab Five Lakes (October 7)
The weather: The first real cool front of the season came through September 24. Orlando lows dropped to the mid-60s, about 5 to 7 degrees below normal, with a stiff north-northeast wind and dry air. It stayed fall-like through the weekend, then warmed to the upper 80s by September 28. Storms returned October 1, with highs of 88 to 90 early this month. Right now it’s wet and a bit cooler, with highs in the low 80s Wednesday and Thursday and an 80% chance of rain. It warms back toward the upper 80s by Saturday. The fish already felt the September front, and the rain-cooled days have kept the fall bite going.
Starke Lake (Ocoee)
- Hot: Plenty of fish along the fish lanes. The shoreline planting this spring and the fish stocking are showing up. FWC added largemouth bass in December and hybrid striped bass in April. Work the FWC-marked fish attractors with Texas or Carolina-rigged worms, crankbaits and wacky-rigged senkos.
- Easy to get to: Starke Lake is less than five minutes from Get Hooked Bait and Tackle. Grab your shiners at Get Hooked Bait and Tackle, launch the boat, and you’re fishing.
Lake Underhill
- Hot: Fish are holding right under the bridge pilings, and bridge areas are good spots to cast since the bank is hard to fish. Deep eelgrass edges at 12 to 15 feet with Texas-rigged worms and flukes, and 8 to 10 feet on cloudy or low-light days. Live shad is the go-to for bigger fish. Pick up your shiners at Get Hooked Bait and Tackle on the way.
- Not: Bass here are catch and release.
Lake Ivanhoe
- Hot: Bass at 8 to 15 feet near vegetation. FWC suggests a quarter-ounce Texas-rigged worm or a wacky-rigged trick worm on the drops from 6 to 12 feet, and flukes when they push bait up. October and November are one of the lake’s two best bass windows.
- Not: Crappie. This lake’s crappie bite is typically December through March, so it’s early.
Turkey Lake
- Hot: Texas-rigged worms on the fish attractors, lipless crankbaits and deep divers, and topwater at dawn and dusk.
- Not: Bass are catch and release, and gas motors are prohibited. Bass Tracker boat rentals run through Bass Pro Shops.
Clear Lake
- Hot: Hybrid striped bass are the cool-season target, and the fall cool-down is bringing them back. Fish liver on the bottom around the dredge holes, or try canal mouths.
- Not: Catfish are the warm-season fish, so they’ll fade as it cools.
Bait for all five lakes: Cast nets are prohibited on all five lakes, so don’t net your own. Stop by Get Hooked Bait and Tackle, 358 Story Rd, Ocoee, (407) 347-3072, for fresh shiners, and check each lake’s bass rules before you go.