Largemouth fishing on Florida’s Lake George is ranked and reported as another nationally known top largemouth lake. This article will focus on Lake George. We will list 12 areas in or around the lake that are known to harbor largemouth. You can also visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission web page and click on Interactive Maps for more detailed information.

Lake George is one of the premier largemouth bass fishing lakes in central Florida. It is the second largest lake in the state (46,000 acres) and is located 18 miles northwest of Deland and 29 miles east of Ocala.

Florida Fish and Wildlife has identified the following Lake George fishing areas as supporting good largemouth bass populations

Area #1 Black Spot With one of the deepest falls in this area, it offers great fishing for a variety of species year-round. Fish for a mounted plastic worm in Carolina or Texas down the 3-15 foot open water drop for largemouth year round. Crankbaits will attract Striped Bass in the cooler months. Small Wild Gingers or Medium Domestic Gingers will attract big bass, and will also catch stripers and large catfish. Starting on the first full moon in April, use live worms or crickets to catch bluegill all summer long.

Area #2 Behind Muddy Cove offers bass fishing in spring. It is a good bedding area and excellent for sight fishing. Fish for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits early and late in the day. The best fishing is usually after heavy rain or when the tide has reached its peak and is starting to go out. This is true for most shallow water. The deeper water in the flat invites more fish.

Area #3 Between Hog ​​Island and Saunders Bass often frequent the cut between Hog ​​Island and Saunders Cove. Fish for weedless floating worm rigs, soft plastic baits or weedless spoons. The southwestern corner of the island is known for its good spring and fall fishing.

Area #4 East side of Hog Island On the eastern side of Hog Island, with its harder bottom and seagrass, there is a feeding area that produces largemouth bass year-round, especially in spawning season. Use weedless lures and work them through grass or shallow water over grass. Large snook will emerge from the thick vegetation for a wild brilliance unfurled along the edge of the seagrass line or in the small reed-fringed coves.

Area #5 Georgetown Fishing the many piers and pilings along the Georgetown shoreline for largemouth bass in the summer and fall. Attach a floating crankbait to the wooden frame; when it gets close to the pier, start to retrieve it. Cast and retrieve your lures past the structure from different directions until you can establish a pattern of attack. Work damaged springs. The docks are often interspersed with fields of small water lilies, called dollar bonnets. Fish them with soft plastic baits, swimmer worms, and weedless ribbontail hooks. Shiners are powerful fish hunters; the challenge is keeping the bait close to the structure. Here’s a local secret: purposely hook your line on a small stick or on the surface of vegetation to keep the black eye in the best place to catch a trophy. Otherwise, the black eye will swim away from danger and you will have to keep throwing it closer to the structure.

Area #6 Lake George Point offers single and training bass for those casting wobblers and stickbaits close to the weeds. Stripers also move through this area in the cooler months, often unexpectedly striking a crankbait meant for a bass. If you find streaks, toss in Carolina-mounted plastic worms and let the soft plastic ripple naturally in the undercurrent. If you notice the line moving, pay attention. When he squeezes, he hits hard. A fish walks away with your worm. Switch to surface chuggers if stripers start to crash into the surface. Stripers also love dark circles.

Area #7 Drayton Island Drayton Island’s piers and pilings, and the boat trails leading to them, are home to largemouth bass in early spring. Weedless scoops and plastic worms with lightweight 1/8-ounce sinkers are best.

Area #8 This swamp-adjacent area offers relatively deep water right next to the grass. Bass move onto the grass to spawn and come out to the grass line in late spring where a weedless plastic worm will activate the strikes. Use small, dark-colored plastic worms, and so as not to ruin your built-in action, use the smallest plumb bob that will take the plastic to the desired depth. Beetle Spins also produces. This is a good bedding area for bluegils from April to June. Bait fishermen prefer earthworms, shrimp or crickets caught near the bottom under a float.

Area #9 A steep 10 foot drop, just 30 feet from shore, makes the brush line in this area especially productive for largemouth bass from late spring to late fall. A Carolina rig will locate fish. Alternatively, cast vibrating plugs or small crankbaits for best results. Fish are often suspended here.

Area #10 Work plastic worms or worm templates into the sloping drop for bass. Try different colors until you find the one that catches your eye. Solid blue or blue-tailed worms are effective. Green shimmer grape worms work well, as do Tequila Sunrise, Red Shad, Green Pumpkin, and June Bug.

Area #11 A hard, sandy bottom and relatively deep water just offshore make this an excellent spot for bass in spring and summer. The Carolina plastic worm rig is a lake tradition. Lures for fish that allow you to adjust your depth: spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps. This area and other similar ones are home to the schooling of sea bass at different times of the year.

Area #12 Kinsley Point on the southern tip of Drayton Island has good bass fishing year-round. Fish visible and submerged piles off the tip for largemouth and stripers. Anglers using artificial favor crankbaits; Live bait anglers score big on dark circles. Plastic worms in dark colors work well on the wooden structure and along the line of grass that wraps around the tip. The direction of the water flow will tell you which direction to cast. Start by bringing the lure back with the current, but also try casting against the current. One boat fishing technique is to drift with the current, stern first, using the electric motor to slow the drift. Cast to the sides of the boat, in the direction of the current, retrieving the lure with the current.