How to fish in florida canals

Florida is home to so many freshwater canals with many species of fish, like canal catfish, largemouth bass, peacock bass, sunfish, bluegill, tilapia, snakeheads, Florida gar, and even abandoned pet fish.

How to locate fish

Finding any movement in the water is the best course of action. You just might be lucky if you see anything that looks like a fish! Fish might not be too active, depending on the time of year. If the weather is too hot or too cold, it will also affect the likelihood of fish being active. It is generally advisable to try to visit the canal in the morning, right before sunrise, and right before twilight during the summer months because the weather will be less hot than in the afternoon.

Fish Spawn beds

Finding spawn beds can occasionally result in a successful catch. Fish typically spawn from February to May. The majority of fish will establish a spot along the canal’s edge, which occasionally stands out because it resembles a hole filled with nothing but sand.

Getting Bait to Fish

The best advice I can give is to stay away from areas where fish are known to spawn because they can see you and many of the fish there may not be interested in the bait you throw to them. Ultimately, though, it all comes down to the individual fish. Sometimes, though, I find it preferable to try casting my line into a spawn bed from the opposite side of the canal because the fish there will become irritated if a bait approaches the spawn bed and will strike the bait as a result. Though they usually return to the spawn bed, keep in mind that depending on the bait you use, you may end up frightening the fish away. They may or may not go for fake baits, but they are more likely to go for live, moving baits.