Orland Area Trip

[Vern]

Taking the whole family to the land of the mouse ears next week. We are only doing 3 days int the disney parks, so I have a couple free days. Can anyone suggest a diy fishing outing. Can't hire a guide (2 nights and 3days at the Carrabian beach resort has drained my funds). My parents have a winter home in Haines city and I will be there for 3 days. There are lots of lakes around there, but I have never fished them. Any suggestions would help.

[ttas67]

ok, for a second there I thought you said you were taking the family to the mouse's ear. you probably have to live in ktown to know what that is.

[Troutman]

I did some research online for trophy bass FF in Orlando awhile back. I even talked to a couple of guides on the phone. It seems that no one specializes in FF for Bass in Orlando. Everybody wants to take you to the salt. I will be down there in June and luckily the place I'm staying is on a large private Lake. There are several public lakes in Orlando that can be fished from the bank and can be found online.

[Nharrier]

The good news is that there are lots of places to fish; the bad news is you need a boat. There are essentially no safe places to wade fish other than in salt water. That said, for $20-$30 you can rent a canoe and fly fish for bass and panfish. About one hour north of Disney World I suggest you check out the Wekiva River State Park where you can rent a canoe and fish for miles but you have to paddle back. Downstream and just out of the park there is Wekiva River Marina. It is mostly a launch site for kayaks and canoes. A word of caution, go during the week. The weekend is full of screamers splashing water, blocking the river, etc. The Wekiva River is a designated as a National Scenic River and is worth the trip as therapy after spending time with the Mouse tourists. BTW the Wekiva River State Park has plenty of trails and a spring for swimming which might entertain the family while you are fishing.

Also check out the Florida State Parks website for there are other places. have fun and I hope you get to experience the real Florida.