Visitors are often surprised to learn about the good Sarasota freshwater fishing that we have here. While saltwater fishing gets the bulk of the attention in Sarasota, and rightfully so, local lakes and rivers offer anglers the chance to experience success when targeting freshwater species.
Therefore lakes in Sarasota and Bradenton that are short drive away from the Sarasota beaches. These are lake Manatee, upper Myakka Lake, Evers Lake and the Braden River, and Benderson Lake. The first three are similar in that there are rivers that were damned to create reservoirs. They offer both freshwater River fishing, freshwater lake fishing, then tidally influenced brackish water fishing. Benderson Lake is a lake that was once a reclaimed strip pit and is now it used as a world-class rowing facility. Though it is in a fairly urban setting, it does offer very good fishing.
Upper Myakka Lake is very dependent on water level. When the water is very low fishing is tough. In the summer the park usually floods in fishing is not good either. Lake Manatee is much more stable as they use the dam to control the water level. Evers Lake, which is the Braden River, is very deep and does not fluctuate much.
All of the above lakes offer excellent fishing for bluegill and crappie. Lake Manatee is probably the best for those species. Largemouth bass are available in all these lakes as well. Upper Myakka Lake is the best largemouth bass lake in Sarasota. Evers Lake is conveniently located and gets a lot of fishing pressure. Fishing can be good, but it can also be very tough. The Manatee River below the dam offer some fantastic catfish fishing.
I generally use ultralight spinning tackle and target bluegill, crappie, and small bass when I do my Sarasota freshwater fishing. I do this because I am basically looking for action. Small spinner baits and jigs are my preferred baits. When targeting bass, I do best using top water plugs early and switching up to soft plastic baits later in the day. Read my article on freshwater fishing on my blog at fishinglidokey.com/sarasota-f...
Capt Jim Klopfer
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