Lake Blue Cypress

Lake Blue Cypress is located on the Treasure Coast of Florida, about 20 miles west of Vero Beach, and covers 6,555 prime central Florida acres of land. Ideally situated beneath Farm 13, the lake’s name derives from the bluish glow of its cypress trees, as the brilliant morning sun reflects off its surface.

Lake Blue Cypress is reportedly the headwaters of the St. Johns River, which flows northward more than 300 miles to Jacksonville and the Atlantic Ocean. The St. Johns River Water Management District owns most of the 21-mile shoreline, surrounded by 29,000 acres of marshes, swamps, and cypress forests. The lake is about 7 miles long and 3 miles wide. 

The area is part of the District’s 150,000-acre reclamation project, which aims to reverse decades of pollution and restore the marshes. Lake Blue Cypress is one of the cleanest in the St. Johns District. The Indian River County Park, situated on the west side of the lake, features two boat launches, a floating dock, parking, two covered pavilions, primitive camping, canoeing and hiking trails, and restrooms and showers.

With a name like Blue Cypress Lake, you’d expect to find the reddish-brown and green trees painted blue. While they are not blue, these irregularly shaped cypress family members can grow up to 130 feet tall and have enlarged trunks at the base and conical “knees.”

You’ll find plenty of these large, fish-eating members of the hawk and eagle family at this Lake. Osprey is often mistaken for a Bald Eagle due to its white head. A full-sized adult has a body length of 23 inches with a wingspan of over 5 feet.

Located next to Middleton’s on the west side of the lake, Blue Cypress Village is the only development constructed primarily of cabins, mobile homes, and a few stilt houses. These weekend getaways serve as a base camp for big bass seekers and those seeking to escape the coasts’ congestion.

Fishing the Lake

The lake’s average depth is only 8 to 9 feet, allowing a good deal of water vegetation to grow. Though not ideal for swimmers, these aquatic conditions create terrific opportunities for bass anglers. As anglers will gladly tell you, Lake Blue Cypress is a fisherman’s paradise similar to Lake Oconee. Some of the cleanest water in Florida makes the perfect habitat for bluegill, catfish, chain pickerel, crappie, largemouth bass, shellcrackers, and warmouth.

Best known as one of Florida’s premier destinations for bass, the giant largemouth on record at the lake weighed an impressive 18 pounds, 2 ounces. It makes sense, as the lake’s shallow depths create prime conditions for lily pads, sawgrass, and submerged logs to weave among the cypress roots, the perfect homes for all the lake’s fish. The FWC restocked the lake in 2008. To watch the video, please click here!

Top Lake Blue Cypress Captains

To see a complete list of excellent Lake Blue Cypress fishing guides, please click here!

How to get started

To start your fishing day, put in at the boat ramp at Indian River County’s Lake Blue Cypress Park. Head under the bridge and out of the channel to the lake. Turning north will take you along the most picturesque part of the lake, and you’ll be sure to see many ospreys in the cypress trees. Within the first mile north of the boat ramp, several small creeks feed off the lake. 

The first one you’ll spot is Thum Creek, followed 1/2 mile later by Blue Cypress Creek. These make exciting side-trips and an opportunity to explore the cypress swamps, complete with sub-tropical ferns, alligators, and mosquitoes.

At about 2.5 miles, you hit the north end of the lake. Going east for another mile takes you to Moonshine Bay. After fishing there, head southwest for 3 miles across the lake. If you still have the energy to burn, south of the fish camps, the scenery changes dramatically with Kissimmee grass replacing the cypress trees. 

At 2 miles south, you’ll come to Fisher Creek and a small canal with limited access.

Lake Apopka Boat Ramps

Location
Lake Blue Cypress is positioned at 27°45′15″N 80°44′37″W. It is the headwaters of the St. Johns River. The lake is 21 mi (34 km) in diameter and over 6,500 acres (26 km²) in area. It is directly west of Fellsmere, 11 miles away. To the north is Palm Bay, to the west is Yeehaw Junction, and to the east is Fellsmere.

Additional information on lake status can be found at fola.org, floridaconservation.org, FWC.org, wikipedia.org