Florida is known for its abundant waters and exotic fishing opportunities, which is why every fisherman insists on experiencing it for themselves. However, out-of-towners only have so much time to catch a lunker before they have to catch a ride back home, which is why it’s essential to come as prepared as possible. If you’re planning to visit a Florida fish camp to find your next big catch, here are eight tips to optimize your odds.

Fish in Different Places

It’s not impossible to earn a sizeable catch right from the dock, but you can open up more opportunities by casting where others don’t. In fact, the areas that most fishers avoid, like spots with tangled growth or lots of cover, are often the best places to find the greatest hidden catches.

Cast to the Wind

If you want your lure to be the first thing a fish sees on its journey, you need to cast your line against the current. Otherwise, bass may come in contact with your boat, or anything you’ve got hanging overboard, which can put them on alert before they even reach your bait.

Use Your Biggest Bait

You wouldn’t expect an adult to eat the same amount of food as a child, so don’t put the same restrictions on your ideal catch. Small lures aren’t going to grab the attention of large fish, because they’re usually on the hunt for a sizeable dish. So, if you want a big bass, use the biggest bait in your tackle box.  

Sharpen Your Hooks

Attention to detail can make the difference between sinking and sacrificing your greatest catch. If you want to improve your chances with every cast, throw a small file in your tackle box so you can easily sharpen your hooks in between catches. This will make it easier for you to hook and harder for fish to escape.

Choose the Best Time

There’s no right or wrong time of year to sink a lunker on your line, but there are some seasonal signals that can improve your chances. For example, after a long winter of little activity in the waters, fish are often itching to jump back into action for spring. Similarly, during mating and hatching season, fish are almost always posted to their eggs and easy to track down.

Invest in Your Equipment

Whether you’ve set a goal of upping your personal best or are just trying to increase your general big catch record, you can drastically improve your results with the right equipment. Investing in stronger lines, quality bait, and tools to fortify your hooks can make the difference between reeling and losing.  

Remember to Stay Patient

Being patient has never stopped anyone from earning a great catch. Even the most experienced fishers must continue to cast their line before landing a lunker, which means that you’ll have to dedicate a serious amount of time to taking home a trophy-sized catch.   

Pick the Right Location

If you’re searching for the biggest catch in Central Florida, tote your tackle box to Florida’s favorite fish camp, Grape Hammock. Located right at the southern end of Lake Kissimmee, our fish camp is the prime spot to make the biggest catches. For more information or to book your camping spot, contact us today.

If you are hooked on fishing and can’t stop reeling them in, you need to get down to Florida to experience the best angling in the country.

But what exactly makes Florida the “Fishing Capital of the World?” Some might say it’s the abundance of fishing opportunities offered by the state, others might point to all the different types of fish you can catch, and still others might contend that it’s the most scenic and pleasant place to fish.

We say that all three of these factors make Florida the best fishing trip destination in the country.

Water, Water Everywhere

Just pull up a map of Florida and look at it for a few moments. It’s impossible to miss just how much water there is in every direction. As a peninsula, Florida is surrounded on the one side by the Gulf of Mexico and on the other by the Atlantic.

There are over 1,300 miles of coastline to fish for saltwater favorites like tarpon, sailfish, cobia, and countless others. And we haven’t even mentioned the freshwater fishing opportunities yet.

The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that there are about 3 million acres of freshwater fishing spots in the state. It’d be difficult to cast a line from any point in the state without hitting some water!

Variety of Fishing Experiences

With all that water, you’d expect there to be dozens and dozens of different kinds of fish to catch—and you’d be right. Florida is a bass fishing paradise; from some of the best largemouth bass fishing in the world on the Kissimmee chain of lakes to the lesser-known Suwannee bass on the Suwannee River and the exotic and strange Butterfly Peacock bass in Miami, Florida’s lakes and streams are teaming with different bass species.

The coast is just a short drive from anywhere in Florida, so it’s no trouble at all to pack in a freshwater and saltwater trip in a short vacation. Whether you want to charter a deep-sea boat to track down a coveted sailfish or get out in the flats for some world-class tarpon fishing, you should have no problem finding a trip that’s perfect for you.

Beautiful Surroundings

In Florida, what makes the fishing experiences truly special is the scenic locations you’ll be spending time in while on the water. Sure, Michigan and Texas also have some of the best freshwater fishing in the country, but their settings pale in comparison to the tropical and exotic Floridian lakes and rivers.

Whether you are offshore in the turquoise seas of the Florida Keys or weaving through the mangroves in the Everglades, you are guaranteed to have an enjoyable day on the water even if you don’t catch anything. A fishing trip in Florida is never a disappointing experience.

Central Florida Bass Fishing

If you love largemouth bass or pan fish fishing, Lake Kissimmee is one of Florida’s premier sport fishing lakes, right in Central Florida. Come to Grape Hammock Fish Camp for a rare natural fishing trip experience.

We have cabins and camping sites right on the water for a truly immersive stay, and fishing boats for rent if you want to explore the lake on your own.

The term “lunker” is used by anglers to describe an exceptionally large fish for its type. You would hardly write home about a 2 lbs. largemouth bass, but a bluegill of the same size would certainly be worthy of the lunker title.

However, you will most commonly hear fishermen speak of lunker bass, because bass are the most popular freshwater trophy fish in America.

There’s no standard length or weight to qualify a bass as a lunker (though the Bassmaster Lunker Club™ has set the mark at any largemouth over 10 lbs.)—it is more of an informal way to talk about an unusually large or fat bass.

Lunkers in Lake Kissimmee Chain

Florida is home to some of the best bass fishing lakes in the world, and the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes is never far from the top of the list. The Bassmaster Classic—the Super Bowl of professional bass fishing—has been held in Florida twice since its inception, and both times it came to the Kissimmee Chain.

The two largest lakes in the chain, Lake Toho and Lake Kissimmee, are each renowned for being lunker paradises. It is not unheard of to catch over 30 bass in just one day of fishing on either of these lakes, but the real draw is the number of 10+ lbs. bass you can catch.

Lunker Baits

There are many baits and fishing strategies you can use to catch bass in Florida. And almost any of them can land a lunker in the well.

But, some methods are better than others when you are lunker hunting. In the summertime, the biggest fish tend to stay below the surface and out of the sunlight where the water is cool.

Though topwater fishing is one of the most exciting ways to spend the day, you will want to use a different strategy to target lunkers.

The best bait you can use to catch a trophy fish is a live shiner. Large plastic worms, crankbaits without bills, and swimbaits are all good options as well if you want to use artificial bait, but nothing outperforms trolling hydrilla beds with live shiners.   

Launch your boat at one of Lake Kissimmee’s original ramps at Grape Hammock Fish Camp. Make your fishing trip into a fishing weekend by staying in one of our cabins or sleeping under the stars at our campsite.

For more information about fishing, camping, or renting a cabin, feel free to contact us at 863-692-1500.