Welcome
to Golden Gate, centrally located between the
pristine beaches of Naples/Marco Island, and the
Everglades National Park, Big Cypress Preserve,
and the Collier-Seminole State Park. If you want
to explore southwest Florida fishing, then Golden Gate
canal system is where you can stay close and save time and money.
There are many other lakes in
the region but, they are all man-made rock pits
or water retention areas for the numerous
housing and golf course developments. Most of
them are stocked and offer some excellent
bass,
catfish and panfish fishing. But,
many are located on private property, fishing is
usually restricted to residents and their
guests. If in doubt, assume the lake is private
and ask for permission before wetting your line,
but these restriction are why we service the
area with
professional guide service with boats and
access.
Don't confuse the areas shortage of
natural lakes and the restricted area
lakes with a lack of places to fresh water fish.
Southwest Florida has hundreds of miles of
drainage canals containing tons of fish called
the Golden Gate Canal System. This
region has three major canal systems: Lehigh
Acres,
Cape Coral and
Golden Gate. Certain parts of each system
are locally famous for good bass and panfish
fishing. Each system has a few boat ramps, some
bridges to fish from and plenty of areas where
you can fish from the banks.
Driving around the region you
will also notice that there are drainage canals
along many of the major roads. Don't overlook
these as possible fishing spots. If there is a
safe place to pull off the road, stop and give
it a try. You will see people doing this every
day and they usually are catching fish.
This part of the state has
year-round largemouth bass and panfish fishing.
Most of the bigger bass are caught during the
cooler months when the fish are more actively
feeding and at their peak bedding time. Panfish,
including bluegills and redear sunfish will
almost always bite a worm, cricket or small
minnow.
Black crappie, preferring colder
waters, aren't as prevalent in this part of the
state. Lake Trafford has the best crappie
fishing in the region with the winter month
being best. Oscars, exotics like the
peacock bass fish that are working
their way into southwest Florida from the
Miami
area, can be very abundant in the
freshwater canals, particularly along the US 41
canal in eastern Collier County. Catfish,
mudfish and several species of gar are also
common freshwater residents.
If you are wanting to get more
of the South Florida feel, try the Florida
Everglades just west of Naples. This area has
some of the best bass fishing in the state, it's
not unusual to catch 50 to 100 bass in a day of
fishing. To make it even better, the wildlife is
just second to none. Alligator are plentiful and
a meca for bird watchers.
The boat ramp will be located in the northeast
parking lot of Golden Gate Community Park. The
width of the ramp is 24 feet and it will
accommodate motorized boats of average size such
as flats boats or fishing boats and will provide
access to eight miles of canals. The project is
expected to be completed by the summer of
2009. A second phase of the Golden Gate
Community Park water access project will include
a kayak launch on the west side of the park by
the tennis courts. The kayak launch will access
to the Golden Gate Canal.
"As the canals in southern Golden Gate are
filled in for the restoration, this will provide
freshwater fisherman an alternative
opportunity," said President Brian McMahon,
Collier County Standing Watch.
Boat launch fees will apply at these locations. Currently, fees are $5 per launch or $75 for an
annual, non-commercial boat launch pass.
"This new boat ramp will allow recreational
boaters better access to the waterways in
Collier County," said Curt Ledbetter, president
of the Naples Fishing Club, "and I look forward
to the completion of this project
We at
BassOnline.com encourages anglers to
practice catch-and-release when fishing for
any bass. Overall, this species is
a hearty fish and nearly 100 percent will
survive being caught and released when properly
handled. However, bass do not
survive as well in live wells or as long out of
water as some other fish. It is important
that they be released quickly to maximize their
chances for survival.
Golden Gate Canal l
Map
