There’s a little-known secret in Lake County, Fla., that few local anglers would want anybody to know about. While many tourists and visiting fishermen to the Sunshine State choose coastal locations to drop a line, this Central Florida county of more than 1,000 named lakes offers some of the most diverse and abundant fishing opportunities in the state.
Regarded as a premier fishing destination in North America, Florida is often referred to as “The Fishing Capital of the World.” However, few areas in the state produce so many “big-catch” prospects as Lake County. During one month alone in 2005, more than 350 professional and amateur anglers converged for two separate nationally-televised fishing tournaments in Lake County.
Both tournaments were held on the Harris Chain (also known as the Ocklawaha Chain), which is notorious for its supreme largemouth bass and fighting black crappie. The large 13,788-acre Lake Harris and smaller 3,359-acre Little Lake Harris provide the best fishing in the nine-lake Harris Chain.
Along with excellent largemouth bass and black crappie fishing, Lake Harris is also bountiful with other species such as bluegill, redear sunfish and sunshine bass. In fact, Lake Harris made the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) Top 10 list for sunfish fishing sites in 2005.
Also topping the list for best statewide fishing sites in 2005 are the St. Johns River and Lake George. Both bodies of water are located on the border of north Lake County.
Lake George, the second largest lake in the state, is known for its incredible yeild of trpphy large mouth bass.  It tops FWC's list of 10 Black Bass Fishing Areas for 2005.
The St. Johns River is the largest river in Florida as it stretches from west of Vero Beach to Jacksonville. The river tops two statewide fishing lists as the fourth best site for catfish and the third best for striped, sunshine and white bass.
Other popular fishing locations in Lake County include the Clermont and Holly chains of lakes.
The Clermont Chain is comprised of 15 lakes that range from 20 to 3,634 acres. The Palatlakaha River and the larger lakes of Minneola and Louisa provide the best fishing opportunities on the Clermont Chain for largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill and redear sunfish. Channel catfish are also abundant as 20-pound catches are not uncommon.
The Holly Chain is comprised of three lakes north of the City of Umatilla. The chain features unusual contours for Florida lakes. The deepest water is found near shore, with a ridge rising in the center. Bass are often found near the deep water closest to the shore and where the bottom rises to the center ridge.

The Harris Chain, with its tens of thousands of acres of lakes and wetlands, represents the headwaters of the Ocklawaha River, the major river draining central Florida. Lakes such as Lake Beauclaire, Lake Dora, Lake Eustis, Lake Griffin, Lake Harris and Lake Yale with their desirable natural resources provide tourists and the citizens of Florida with diverse recreational activities. Many citizens also reside along the shores of these lakes, representing a major real estate market.
The Harris Chain of Lakes Restoration Council was officially created by action of the Florida Legislature during the 2001 legislative session (Ch. 2001-246). The Council consists of nine voting members representing a broad spectrum of individuals with diverse expertise and interests. Chapter 2001-246, Laws of Florida, charged the Harris Chain of Lakes Restoration Council with the responsibilities of reviewing audits and all data specifically related to lake restoration techniques and sport fish population recovery strategies, including data and strategies for shoreline restoration, sediment control and removal, exotic species management, floating tussock management or removal, navigation, water quality,and fish and wildlife.

The St. John's River, Meandering along the north border of Lake County, is Florida’s longest river and one of the few rivers flowing North in the state.
Traversing 310 miles of the Sunshine State from the swamps west of Vero Beach to Jacksonville, the St. Johns River is a popular waterway among Central Florida boaters. Several centuries ago, the slow-trickling river was the heart of the naturally gifted region and a Southern-style of living.
Beginning in the 1800s, many settlers came to Lake County by steamboat on the St. Johns River. Settlers flocked to Central Florida to homestead government property. By the 1880s, tourists had begun to take a liking to the sunny reception in Florida.
While steam boaters enjoyed the “honeymoon years” of the new mode of transportation during the late 1800s, vibrant towns began sprouting along the two dozen miles of St. Johns River shoreline in Lake County.
Crows Bluff, Hawkinsville and St. Francis all failed as fledging communities along the river, but for many boaters, including kayakers and canoeists, the series of Lake County ghost towns make for some sensational side trips.
St. Francis, also known as Old Town, is 116 miles south of Jacksonville on the west bank of the river. Pilings can still be seen in the St. Francis Dead River where a grand Riverside Hotel once stood. The town also featured its own weekly newspaper (The Florida Facts), post office, general store and warehouse. Even after the train derailed the steamboat’s burgeoning popularity, several of these towns continued to thrive until business came upon hard times when a freeze in 1894 destroyed hundreds of acres of citrus groves. While the land surrounding the series of ghost towns is relatively uninhabited today, the scenery changes dramatically when traveling north along the St. Johns River to the community of Astor.
Canals are lined with relaxing vacation homes, several marinas and other riverside business are bustling with tourists and local boaters alike. However, the activity surrounding Astor is nothing new.
The community has been inhabited for thousands of years by several groups including the French, Spanish and British. The Timucuan Indians once called this region home, primarily because of its excellent growing conditions, and an abundance of fish and game.