Floridianestates

Florida has gained an international acknowledgment for its exceptional saltwater fishing, but the outstanding freshwater fishing has not yet captured the widespread attention of the same amount of visitors. Residents of this state are in on the secret, however; that they have three very active freshwater clubs here in Collier County.

Tourists and out of state bass fishermen are very much welcome here with the amenities and lodgings available for them. Boats, equipments are for rent and this provides much convenience for travelers.

Since Florida has more than 7,500 lakes available, anglers sometimes face a tough decision about where to fish. It is really very important to consider the lakes. The following list of Top Bass Fishing Areas with Bass Fishing rentals aims to help anglers find a quality place to catch either a good numbers of bass or to catch a trophy bass.

1. Lake George

Lake George is one of the many natural lakes on the St. Johns River. It has extensive vegetation that provides excellent habitat for bass. Wade fishing in eelgrass with plastic worms fished on the surface, and other top water artificial lures are productive. Fishing with live shiners is an excellent method for catching trophy bass during the spring spawning season.

2. Stick Marsh Reservoir

Anglers in this river can locate bass throughout the reservoir among a variety of habitats including woody stump fields, submerged canals and hydrilla. Summer 2004 hurricanes drastically reduced levels of hydrilla throughout the reservoir, however, which can affect where bass are located. Anglers should keep this in mind when trying to pattern fish. Plastic worms, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, soft jerkbaits, and topwater propeller baits are effective. Wild golden shiners are the top choice for anglers looking to catch a trophy fish.

3. Lake Tohopekaliga

Most anglers here target trophy bass use live golden shiners during early spring. Shiners are fished inshore near native vegetation or topped-out hydrilla . Plastic baits (worms, crawfish and lizards) flipped along grass edges, hydrilla, and bulrush will also catch quality-sized bass. Spinnerbaits, soft jerkbaits and chugging baits can also be very productive at times

4. Lake Kissimmee

Lake Kissimmee is the largest of five main water bodies on the famous Kissimmee River in central Florida. Lake Kissimmee is nationally renowned for producing high quality fishing. Tournament anglers on Lake Kissimmee are posting winning weights of 18 to 20 pounds of bass. Results of an angler survey indicated that bass anglers had an excellent catch rate of 0.54 fishhour during spring 2004.

5. Rodman Reservoir

Rodman Reservoir, east of Gainesville and south of Palatka, covers 9,500 acres of prime largemouth bass habitat. Since its creation in 1968, Rodman Reservoir has been known for trophy largemouth bass.

6. Lake Tarpon

Anglers in this lake are most successful in flipping or pitching plastic worms along canal and bulrush edges. Offshore bass fishing is productive for anglers who fish around ledges, humps, coontail, and eelgrass beds. Popular lures offshore include shad-imitating jigs, crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwater baits. Fishing with wild shiners and live shad is also effective.

7. Lake Walk-In-Water

The lake is located south of Orlando and east of Lake Wales, and it is just south of S.R. 60. Lake Walk-in-Water has a national reputation as an outstanding spot to catch largemouth bass. Anglers frequently catch up to 25 bass a day with several ranging from four to eight pounds. The lake also produces many trophy bass exceeding 10 pounds each year. A 15- to 24-inch slot limit regulation and a three-bass daily bag limit are in place to help maintain quality bass fishing. Anglers may keep three bass per day, either under or over the protected slot range, of which only one bass greater than or equal to 24 inches is allowed.

8. Lake Istokpoga

Istokpoga is the fifth largest natural lake in Florida and has an average depth of only six feet. During angler surveys conducted from October 2003 throughout May 2004, anglers caught 124,993 bass, of which almost 55,000 were 2 pounds or heavier, and 1,448 bass were over 8 pounds.

9. Deer Point Lake

Deer Point Lake is a popular largemouth bass fishing destination in Floridas panhandle area near Panama City.

10. Suwanee River

The Suwannee River is a pristine, black water stream flowing 213 miles in Florida from the swamp-like region at the Georgia border to salt-marsh tidal creeks at the Gulf of Mexico. This river is known for trophy largemouth bass.

11. The Everglades

The Everglades are south Florida marshlands intersected with over 200 miles of canals. Most anglers fish in the canals rather than in the marsh. Anglers work canal edges with plastic worms, soft jerkbaits, and minnow imitations. Flipping the vegetation is also a popular technique.

Wherever you decide to go, you can be sure that you can have the time of your life fishing and all at a convenience. You can just rent out a boat and eliminate the need to tow your own boat or worse have to buy your own. Other gears are also available as a rental for your own convenience and ease. There are also many lodges and inns plus cabins you can rent out for a weekend or more.

The PGA Village is the only golf complex open to the public that is owned and operated by the PGA of America. The village is located in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The PGA Village in Florida offers a trio of facilities, including three championship golf courses. The PGA Golf Clubs in the Florida village were designed by Tom Fazio and Pete Dye. There are four golf courses, three are 18-hole courses and there is one six-hole short-game training course. The layout of the PGA Golf Village is set against a backdrop of wetlands, palm trees and palmettos. Consumers may find it fun to play on one of the three 18-hole golf courses, or they may choose to play one the short six-hole course. The PGA Village gives golf enthusiasts the chance to live a complete golf lifestyle with access to public courses owned by the PGA if America. The Golf Village offers a Learning Center, historical center, and education center.

The learning center in the PGA Village is a 35-acre facility, which features practice areas for golf students. The PGA Learning Center at the PGA Village is one of the worlds largest and most advanced practice facilities, and it is the home of the PGA of America Golf Schools. The golf schools in the learning center are seen as the best golf schools in the United States. The learning center also includes a pro shop, delicatessen, HeathSouth, and a fitness center. The PGA Historical Center is another major part of the PGA Golf Village. The historical center contains trophies of golfs major championships, which are put on display for consumers to observe. The center contains historical documents about golf dating back to the 1600s. It is also the home of the Probst Library, which contains more than 6,000 hardcover books on golf, and more than 3,000 golf handbooks and yearbooks.

The PGA Education Center is another key aspect of the PGA Village in Florida. The education center is a 23,560 square foot facility that serves as the training forum for PGA students. Nine classrooms, a computer testing center and club repair laboratory are located in the PGA Education Center. The four golf courses of the PGA Village are all designed with different layouts and challenges. The South Course of the PGA Village is full of sharply sloped greens, and the South Course is rated as one of the top 50 courses in best value in the US. The North Course is filled with rolling hills, pine trees and challenging water hazards. This course is also rated as one of the top 50 in best value. The Pete Dye course is one of the most unique courses in the PGA Village. The characteristics of the Dye Course include pine straw roughs, coquina waste bunkers and grass-based bunkers. The Dye Course is a links-style course with wetlands weaving throughout the course. This course is rated as one of the top 150 in best value.

There are several housing options at the PGA Village. The PGA Village usually offers a variety of housing styles, including villas with a variety of fully furnished options. The accommodations in the PGA Village range from hotel-style guestrooms to one and two-bedroom golf villas and three-bedroom town homes. Amenities of the housing at the PGA Village include screened patios, full kitchens, whirlpool tubs, and laundry facilities depending on the choice of accommodations. The PGA Village has everything any golf lover could want, and is full of activities to keep golf enthusiasts satisfied. This village in Florida is a unique community with a relaxing atmosphere and vast facilities for all of its guests and residents.

Take A Look At The Florida Panhandle – Part 2 – Gulf Islands National Seashore And South Walton Beaches

The Gulf Islands National Seashore and the South Walton Beaches

The Gulf Islands National Seashore

The Gulf Islands National Seashore is the most westerly of the coastlines and spans from Mississippi to Pensacola Beach.

The Gulf Islands National Seashore contains thousands of acres of beaches, bayous, barrier islands, forts and other historic sites. With a variety of things to do, explore either by yourself or on a guided tour.

Note: Some areas were severely damaged from the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons. These areas are probably still closed, so check before you go: Santa Rosa Area, Fort Pickens Area.

South Walton Beaches

Just east of Pensacola you will find the South Walton Beaches, stretching 26 miles of powdery white sands, vast pine forests, cool underground springs, marshlands, bays, bayous and blue gulf waters.

A most beautiful spot is Deer Lake State Park. Located east of Seagrove Beach off Scenic Highway 30-A. The south side of the park offers pristine beach and lake areas. North of Scenic Highway 30-A, you’ll find hiking trails meandering through unspoiled forests.

Grayton Beach Florida, another of the South Walton Beaches, was established in the late 19th century. Grayton Beach is a historic district, with many of the old wooden shacks now properly restored.

The Grayton Beach has a scenic hiking trail and shops for purchasing your unusual visitors’ items.

Seaside, is a town by developer Robert Davis who created a modern town with Victorian style cottages sprinkled with extravagant carvings. The town is like a film set which therefore made a good setting for the 1997 movie, the Truman Show – about a man brought up on the set of a soap opera.

Seaside encourages walking as the town is pretty and the shops and schools are near. There are museums, ice-cream store, market, market and art galleries – you need not imagine it – visit Florida Gulf Coast !

Spiegel Grove, the Largest Florida Keys Shipwreck for Scuba Divers

The latest shipwreck dive site in the Florida Keys for scuba divers is the USS Spiegel Grove. This is a former US Navy Landing Ship Dock that was sunk in 2002 to create an artificial reef in Key Largo, much like the Duane and Bibb ships were in the same general area. The Spiegel Grove is 510 feet in length and 84 feet wide making it the largest of the shipwrecks accessible to scuba divers in the Florida Keys. This wreck sits at a depth of 134 feet near Dixie Shoals and the depth at the highest point of the ship is about 60 to 65 feet depending on the tide level.

The Spiegel Grove had been lying on her starboard side after initial sinking and was reported to be a great dive. Hurricane Denis which greatly affected the south Florida area, actually made this wreck dive even better. The waves and surges from the hurricane were strong enough to push the entire ship to an upright position much like how the Duane is sitting. This resulted in better orientation of the ship for scuba divers especially since there are some swim throughs located throughout the wreck.

Most of the scuba dive operators in Key Largo have dive trips to the Spiegel Grove since this site is the latest rage in the local scuba diving. Since it is a deep dive, advance certification is required. Scuba divers can also dive the Spiegel Grove as part of their advance certification course. The dive plan for this wreck is very similar to that of the Duane. The dive site is often in an area with heavy currents so as soon as divers jump in the water, they have to go grab a line and pull themselves towards the front of the dive boat where the line is attached to the descent line. Divers then pull themselves down towards the wreck. Unlike the Duane which has descent lines on both ends of the ship, the Spiegel Grove has three lines since it is a much larger ship. The ascent and safety stop is on these same lines since the currents can be strong at any depth. It is highly recommended that any cameras and other devices are secured by lanyards since losing them in these currents is possible.

As one descends on the Spiegel Grove, one will see just how large this ship is. This will keep many divers excited. Lots of divers in the area have dived the Spiegel Grove before and are only happy to dive it again to explore the different compartments accessible in the wreck. This ship is also unique as it has a large crane in the stern area since it was used as a landing ship dock. For enthusiasts interested in the beauty of shipwrecks themselves, this will be considered a great dive. The only downside to this dive is the amount of marine life on the wreck. Barracuda, large angelfish and other fish can be spotted on the Spiegel Grove but not nearly as many as on the Duane. This is why some divers may still prefer the Duane over the Spiegel Grove if marine life is their primary interest in scuba diving. But the Spiegel Grove is still a relatively new dive site compared to the Duane so in time, the amount of marine life will increase at this site making it even better in the future. Both the Spiegel Grove and the Duane are highly recommended dives for all scuba divers with a minimum of advance certification when diving in the Key Largo area.