Lake George

North Florida connection: Lake George is part of the St. Johns River system. Use our North Florida lakes and rivers guide to compare it with the St. Johns River, Crescent Lake, Rodman Reservoir and other nearby fisheries.

Throughout this description of Lake George, you may notice that we occasionally lose sight of the fishing. While the fishing is often just short of fabulous, the lake has many other features as well. As you continue reading, please keep the fishing faith and enjoy the read. Read More

• • Region: Deland Florida
  • Duration: 4, 6, 8, & 12 hrs
  • Cancellation: 8 hrs in adv.
  • Weather-Related: Full refund
  • Instant Online Confirmation
  • Includes All State Taxes

• Florida Freshwater Fishing License for those ages 16+
• Live bait if desired is also additional and is purchased the morning of the trip. (optional)
• Food or Specialty beverages

Amenities:

• Fishing Chairs
• GPS & Fishfinder
• Life Jackets
• Catch and Release Allowed
• Keep Fish Allowed within Laws

About this Tour:

• Boat Specs: 20+ ft
• Boat Capacity: 4 People
• All Fishing Equipment
• Boat & Fuel
• Photos

Fishing Techniques:

• Light Tackle
• Heavy Tackle
• Livebait
• Fly Fishing
• Artificial Lures

Fishing Equipment:

• Spinning Rods
• Baitcasting Rods
• Left & Right Handed
• Fly Rods (request only)
• Braid & Mono Line

What is Entailed:

• Fishing in beautiful North Florida on a boat fully equipped with top-quality rods, reels, hooks, and artificial lures.
• Exploring top state-ranked Lake George in search of trophy largemouth bass, hard-fighting black crappie (speck), and so much more.
• Guided fishing tour by a USCG professional fishing captain knowledgeable of North Florida and all of its waters.
• Take home a souvenir of your big catch, complete with perfect photos taken by your guide, which you can share on social media as desired.

Local Operator Information:

Complete Operator information, including local telephone numbers for your destination, is included in your Confirmation email. Our Trip Managers select only the most experienced and reliable guides in each destination, removing the guesswork for you and ensuring your peace of mind.

Additional Information:

• Participants are encouraged to bring comfortable shoes, a light-colored shirt, a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.

Top Palm Coast Fishing Captains

To see a complete list of excellent Lake George Fishing Guides, please click here!

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LAKE GEORGE

Lake George Information

Did you know Lake George is the second-largest freshwater lake in Florida? Only world-famous Lake Okeechobee is more prominent in the Sunshine State. 

Lake George covers about 46,000 acres and is roughly 11 miles long by 6 miles wide. FWC identifies it as a natural impoundment of the St. Johns River and one of Florida’s largest lakes. Lake George lies about halfway between the St. Johns River’s headwaters and the river’s confluence with Jacksonville’s mighty, the Atlantic Ocean.

A Bit of History

British in the 1700s purchased Florida; John Bartram, an explorer, named the lake after King George.

As we mentioned initially, Lake George is the second-largest lake in Florida, after Lake Okeechobee. It was the third-largest lake behind Lake Apopka. Still, the conversion of the littoral zone on Lake Apopka’s northern side to farm fields in the previous century reduced its surface size, making it the third-largest, and giving the title to Lake George.

 To the east of the lake is Salt Cove, taking the flow from Salt Creek. Just south of Salt Cove is Lisk Point, named for Dr. Lisk, who built a house near the point. Steamboats coming down from Jacksonville made a counterclockwise loop around the lake, with their first stop at Lisk Point.

There is an operational U.S. Military bombing range called Pine Castle Bombing Range in the Ocala National Forest, just west of Lake George, and a designated bombing range in the lake itself. The bombing ranges date back to WWII, when the Navy built bomb targets in Lake George and nearby Crescent Lake and stationed people in the area to keep up the marks and do search and rescue operations for downed pilots.

 Although the bombing doesn’t happen anymore, the framing of the lake’s targets is still apparent.

Things to know about George

The average depth is less than 8 feet; Lake George’s west side is situated within the Ocala Forest. The flow of three significant springs into Lake George on the west side provides a significant amount of salt content. Salt Springs enters the northwest side of the lake and contributes mineral-rich, saline spring water to this part of the St. Johns system.

About midway down on the west side of the lake, Silver Glen Springs enters the lake. From Juniper Creek, multiple springs flow into Lake George on the southwest side, with Juniper Springs at the creek’s headwater.

The large island on the far north side of the lake is Drayton Island. The St. Johns River flows out of the lake at the north end at Rocky Point. 

The Lake’s Wildlife

The lake also hosts various wildlife, ranging from migratory waterbirds and alligators to several common marine animals. Local springs in Lake George (and throughout the St. Johns River) impart enough salt to the system to make the habitat suitable to resident and migratory marine species, including the Atlantic stingray, various mullet species, striped bass, and blue crabs.

There is a large enough blue crab population to support a local fishery, making it one of the world’s only freshwater blue crab fisheries.

There are miles of Lake George Conservation Area to explore. Hiking trails through the palms are top-rated; the sights of old southern hardwood and cypress trees are a glimpse of ancient Florida at its best. It’s not uncommon to see a glimpse of ospreys, foxes, squirrels, deer, and wild turkey, as well as an occasional owl.

Fishing Lake George, Florida

Mat-fishing tactic: Around floating vegetation and shoreline mats, free-lining live shiners beneath the cover can be especially effective for largemouth bass. One Bass Online Lake George trip produced a quality 5-pound largemouth with this approach, while artificial worms, spinnerbaits and other weedless presentations remain good options around grass and reeds.

Designated as a Florida fishing destination, Lake George is famous for largemouth bass, bluegill, striped bass, crappie, and shell cracker. Boating, including pontoons, speedboats, kayaks, canoes, and other watercraft, is a popular activity enjoyed on the lake.

When you’re fishing Lake George, note a cluster of pilings out in the lake. There are three of them, and they are laid out in a circular pattern and serve as ‘targets’ for the bombing range. The center cluster is the largest and is significant because it has a ship sunk in the middle of the piling circle. Local anglers, who know the boat is there, find it a fine place to take crappie year-round.

Striped bass and sunshine bass are cool-water fish. FWC notes that fall through spring is generally the stronger period, with the Croaker Hole, the south-end jetties and cool spring refuges around Juniper Cove, Silver Glen and Salt Springs among the important seasonal areas.

Stands Among the Best

Lake George is considered a Florida trophy lake; it’s not uncommon to catch six to nine-pounders. The overall health and population of fish on the lake are excellent. It peaks during the spawn, as all the fish in the surrounding creeks come into the lake’s edge to spawn. One of the popular areas is Nine Mile Point. Bass fishing success comes with plastic worms rigged in Texas-rig or Carolina-rig, targeting the pilings. The darker colors seem to work well in the brackish water. You’ll also find some good mixes of eelgrass and reeds along the bank here, suitable for bass fishing. Anglers use spinnerbaits, worms, and even spoons to bring the bass out of the grass.

There are many fish camps and facilities around Lake George, particularly along the lake’s northern side. Others at the South end, at Volusia Bar, and the Pine Island facility is on the Eastside. Additionally, the town of Crescent City is only 15 minutes East of George and has ample facilities for overnight stays.

Where’s it located?

It is positioned between Jacksonville to the north, Daytona Beach to the east, and Orlando to the south. Lake George is a beautiful escape, back to old Florida. Astor to the south has widespread access to Lake George; it has all the basic town needs, and it’s on the river.

Palm Coast and Daytona are a straight shot away and offer a wide range of housing options, restaurants, and stores, all within minutes of Deland Municipal Airport. 

Is Lake George Freshwater or Brackish?

Lake George is part of the freshwater St. Johns River, but it has mild estuarine characteristics because saline springs feed the lake and the lower river is influenced by the Atlantic. That mix helps explain why freshwater grass beds and largemouth bass coexist with species that tolerate more salinity, including striped bass, mullet, blue crabs and Atlantic stingrays.

For anglers, the practical takeaway is that Lake George is a unique transition fishery rather than a typical isolated freshwater lake. Water flow, springs, temperature and seasonal salinity can all influence where fish concentrate.

Lake George Nearby Fun

When it comes to a popular tourist destination, none exceeds Daytona Beach. The home to attractions like the Daytona International Speedway or Daytona Beach Bandshell, on top of the beautiful beach.

The theme parks and Disney World, the country’s favorite family-friendly attraction, are geographically near Lake George. Jacksonville is to the northernmost point of the st johns River and has its own set of amusement, shops, and museums for the family.