Headwaters Fishing Guide Service
Fellsmere:
Bass Online Headwaters Guide Service offers all of the freshwater fishing services you need when thinking of fishing Headwaters lake. Many consider it the latest and maybe the best fishing destination in America.
Bass Online has been guiding the area for more than 15 years, well before Headwaters lake opened. As a result, the fishing guides below are the most seasoned and well-respected in the industry. We have the experience and do it differently than all the others; read our reviews; no one has more.
Choose to fish with a local proven professional, you won’t be disappointed, and we have a trophy bass waiting for just you! Read complete details.
Capt Bill Goudy Jr
USCG Verified
Child Friendly
Angler’s Top Choice
Capt Bill Goudy Jr is a licensed Master Captain. Born in southeast Iowa and raised on the Mississippi River. A master of the Winter Haven Chain and a full-time guide in Central Florida…[Read More]

19’ Ranger
1 to 3 people

Full Time
Capt John Larsen
USCG Verified
Child Friendly
Angler’s Top Choice

22’ Sterling
1 to 4 people

Full Time
Capt Steve Spatafora
USCG Verified
Child Friendly
Angler’s Top Choice

21’ Falcon
1 to 4 people

Full Time
Capt Frank Derylak
USCG Verified
Child Friendly
Angler’s Top Choice
Capt Frank Derylak is a full-time guide and tournament angler from Central Florida with over 30 years of experience in the local waters of Florida. Captain Frank fell in love with fishing [Read More]

21’ Phoenix
1 to 3 people

Full Time
Capt Mark “Turtle” Hilles
USCG Verified
Child Friendly
Angler’s Top Choice
Capt Mark Hilles originally from Berea, Ohio. Now retired, very blessed to have fished in various bass fishing tournaments. Learn a lot, catch fish, so let’s go fishing and have a blessed day![Read More]

21’ Storm
1 to 3 people

Full Time
Capt Steve Niemoeller
USCG Verified
Child Friendly
Angler’s Top Choice

20’ Gambler
1 to 9 people

Full Time
Capt John Leech
USCG Verified
Child Friendly
Angler’s Top Choice

21’ Ranger
1 to 3 people

Full Time
Headwaters fishing guides Reviews
These guys know it!
Capt. Jai was awesome!
waited a lifetime for this!!!
CLICK HERE TO WRITE A FISHING GUIDE REVIEW
Headwaters Lake
Headwaters lake, in many respects, has its new look feel and offers excellent chances of catching the trophy bass for your personal best! The fishing at Headwater lake is outstanding, but the wildlife is worth the trip in itself. Headwaters lake is located between Fellsmere and Palm Bay in Indian River County, Florida, called the Treasure Coast.
Quite a few minutes drive from Vero Beach south and Palm Beach east. It’s an initiative that now has an impoundment open to public fishing, but our Headwaters guides call it the bass factory as they have daily catches by the dozens up to 10-12 pound bass. Why the bass fishing is second to none, the crappie anglers are having equal success based on the induvial fishing techniques.
Today many people drive to Fellsmere lake year-round for the new fishing and aquatic habitat, making it the best fishing in the world currently. Even experienced anglers can catch monster bass using a professional local fishing guide from Bass Online.
Fellsmere Reservoir Bass Fishing
Is Fishing in Fellsmere good, or is it all hype? In simple terms, most fish lakes have natural highs and lows, while Fellsmere Reservoir is a good fishing site year-round. It remains an impressive bass population using artificial baits or live bait.
The fishing facility has underwater vegetation and is a habitat-rich environment for topwater lures. There is often a rumor about catch numbers of triple digits per day, which has often happened to Bass Online customers and has been witnessed by fwc fisheries biologists.
The fact, so many people want to fish the fishery keeps our Headwaters lake guide service the bustiest on the water and sometimes hard to book. The fishing guides are busy because the odds are good that customers will be pleased! The fishing catch is unlimited until the biggest fish comes or the time runs out. The possibility of targeting only big giant bass is real; the technique can involve artificial lures like the flipping technique or simply using wild shiners. It’s your choice!
What to throw?
Because this Headwaters Lake fishing has so much potential, it is not uncommon to find a few thousand largemouth bass. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to go wrong in the river water management district called Lake Egan because the bass seems not to care for a variety of food.
Plastics, jerk baits, spinnerbaits, and swimbaits are excellent fishing methods due to the ample green vegetation sticking on weed-less lures until you find them in your area. Imagine extensive habitat work Headwaters Lake has no wonder Vero Beach anglers are the vegetation abound. The deepwater ponds and lakes surrounded by aquatic vegetation on Fellsmere Reservoir provide many places for trophy bass to hide. Your options are limiest, with lily pads, cypress trees, submerged trees, and access canals that have the capacity as well as vegetation for unlimited use of Topwater.
Best Techniques for Big Bass
Hundreds of acres are covered by a vast array of aquatic vegetation and submerged tree species. In addition, thousands of acres of emerging animals and their visual appearance can lead to confusion as to which area you should take on next.
Capt Bill will tell you the Fellsmere Reservoir basic fishing rules of fishing this bass factory. Find something to flip or pitch throw it in. Fish an area fast but hard, catch two of size, slow down and give yourself some luck. Catch two, here and there that’s no patterns, key moving. Keep an eye on how bass setup, where you catch them, and look for more of these areas and structures. Where do bass fishing anglers go? Look for the good stuff to start?
Is Headwaters Lake Catch and Release only?
NO, it is not! BUT, a new law has just been passed in 2022, which will make it a total catch and release. That also means, for all you YouTubers wanting that big shot at the end of the day. You can no longer do this; each fish has to be released as they are caught. You cannot hold them in your live well.
That also means no bringing fish to the boat ramp. There is no walking up the levee to get an Instagram shot, catch, or photo release. Instead, all bass need to be released in the neighboring wetlands where they were caught. Headwaters Lake follows catch-and-release rules starting in 2022.
Current Headwaters Lake Fishing Report
Maybe you use a Headwaters Lake fishing guide, or maybe not. Perhaps you’re a professional fisherman? A local angler wanting to experience a bass fishing trip on Headwaters Lake by yourself and just want to know the best technique to fish for largemouth bass? Capt Bill can discuss a few suggestions to find the perfect style.
All right, first off, follow Capt Bill and Capt Steve on Facebook to see daily catches. Also, visit our Instagram page for daily catches. But to see the massive success, we have seen the years of photos in our Fellsmere photo galley on Fellsmere is now very common and incredibly successful.
Fellsmere Reservoir Directions
Headwaters Lake is situated west of Sebastian, Florida, and just South of Melbourne on the Treasure Coast. The local Bass Pro Store is named after local fishing “Stick Marsh Outposts”? The Fellsmere Grade road is located between Brevard County and Indian River County along the C54 canal.
As you drive up Fellsmere Grade road also known as Stick Marsh Road. About 5 miles down on the left, you will see the entrance for the Fellsmere Reservoir area. If you continue on Fellsmere road to the end, about two more miles, it dead-ends into the Stick Marsh parking area by the boat ramp.
I95 offers you a great choice of travel from the north and can be accessed from the south. Due to its interstate access, the reservoir shows the perfect drive for everyone in every direction.
Fellsmere Reserve Boat Ramp
A partnership has been established with the FWC Fish & Wildlife fisheries biologists, River Water Management District in Central Florida, to provide land previously for anglers with boat ramp access to Fellsmere Reservoir, which was once cow pastures. All hotels are located in Indian River County, in Vero Beach, Palm Bay, or Sebastian by the water. The boat ramp is open from dawn until dusk for visitors.
The boat ramp has a floating dock with complete ADA-accessible parking areas. No tackle stores or shops; ice or gasoline is available. The basin by boat ramp is idle speed only; the access canal to the lake also has a speed limit.
Recreational Outdoor Activities
Naturally, fishing offers seasonal hunting, hiking, bicycle routes on levees, wildlife viewing, kayaking, or fishing charters daily. Access canal is narrow with blind corners; boating speed cannot exceed 25 mph. These speed limits are on channels with designated portions marked “disable speed” without wakes set by the river water management district.
Things to Remember about the Fellsmere Water Management Area
This was created as an act to develop better water quality projects. The reservoir covers an area of ten thousand acres for flood control. Enjoy Headwaters Lake waters if you can. Fishing is not a priority for these agencies. Safety is number one, and managing the bass factory is number two.
The Florida Boating Improvement Program limited parking and accessed the 10000-acre reservoir. Take care of this fishery. Keep your fingers crossed for more success in the future. Keep coming back.
Trophy Catch Tracker
Trophy Catch was the citizen-science government program run by the FWC to reward anglers who document trophy bass up to 8 pounds and release them. Visit our website to see Trophy Catch bass submitted and caught on Fellsmere Reservoir.
Accessible in Indian River County
As usual, hunters and anglers have the same hours as the rest of their customers — even in the old kayak launch zone. The gates at Headwaters Lake boat ramp cannot be opened until one hour before sunset.
Popular Species
The list below contains a variety of Florida fish species that Capt Bill regularly catches: largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, and redear sunfish other species.
Summary
We believe everyone involved wants Headwaters Lake to catch and release. But FWC didn’t do that. But as we mentioned, it will finally be changing. So if you catch a PB bass, you can take a photo and purchase a replica of your catch. So why are we be advocating for freshwater fish trophies lake?
Indeed Fellsmere reservoir is worth a trip if available; let me show you why it’s so unique!
Click below on the region of the map you wish to find a fishing guide!
Kissimmee fishing guides | Lake Toho Fishing Guides | Orlando Bass Fishing Guides | Vero Beach Fishing Guides | Stick Marsh Fishing Guides | Kenansville fishing guides
We are continuously adding new guides to this page. If you have went with a guide before and he is not listed please call the office for details, they have most likely got moved to a different page. If you are a bass fishing guide in the Southeast Region of Florida, tired of struggling, wanting to work with a team please contact us by using this guide contact form!
Central Florida Fishing Guides Service these locations
Celebration * Bradenton * Kenansville * Jupiter * Kissimmee * Lake Wales * Maitland * Mount Dora * New Smyrna Beach * Okeechobee * Orlando * Tampa