Size: The state record is 7.02 pounds. The Big Catch minimum qualifying sizes are 2.00 pounds or 16 inches for adults, and 1.50 pounds or 12 inches for youth (BigCatchFlorida.com).

Identification and similar species: The barbells make this fish easy to identify as a catfish. Chin barbels on browns are dark-pigmented, not whitish as with Yellow Bullhead. The sides of brown bullheads have a distinct, irregular brownish mottling over a light background. The belly is creamy white. They have square tails.

There are many reasons to bank fish. The most obvious is not owning a boat due to cost or storage space. Many waters don’t have ramps or are only accessible by foot. And you don’t always have the time to load up, launch, and retrieve a boat. But whether your boat-lessness is permanent or temporary, most anglers will find themselves working their feet instead of a trolling motor at least some of the time. Here’s how to take advantage of those times.

Footwear

Tennis shoes are probably the most readily available bank and wading shoes — you probably already own a pair. With our mild Florida climate, “sneakers” can be quite comfortable, even when wet. But that’s their main problem: they’re not waterproof, and even during warmer weather having to change out of wet socks and shoes is inconvenient. During cooler weather, wet sneakers can be downright cold. No matter how hard you try to stay dry, it always seems like your sneakers still end up getting wet.

You might think that the extremely popular modern sandal comes next. They’re great on the boat, and I use them exclusively when kayaking (which definitely involves some wading). However, the open design is simply not safe for at least some of the terrain I see nearly everywhere I bank fish. For beaches, yes — but for partly-wooded lake shores, rocky canal banks, and brushy pond edges, no.

Rubber work boots are the next safe step up. They are dirt cheap, and you can even wade a bit into water almost a foot deep, while still staying dry! When you are limited to a brushy bank, being able to go out even a little bit into the water will often allow you to cast around or past bushes or other shoreline vegetation. You can also edge a little closer to offshore vegetation or cover that might be harboring big bass just out of reach of someone stuck on the bank. The disadvantages of plain rubber work boots, however, are several. They’re hot. They’ll fill with water like a pair of five-gallon buckets if you go too deep. They don’t fit your feet very tightly, which can leave a boot behind in deep mud, or cause heel blisters when covering harder terrain.

If you heed the unanimous advice of dozens of outdoors writers, you’ll eventually end up with a quality pair of waterproof outdoors boots. There are numerous options available, but I prefer knee-high, form-fitting rubber boots that lace up. If you duck hunt, then odds are high that you already own a pair. The close-fitting ankles and lacing on these boots make sure they stay put, even when sucking a foot back up out of two-foot-deep mud. For less muddy or shallower use, most anglers will be more comfortable in waterproof leather boots which are cooler than rubber with more “breathability.” These usually have rubber soles, with leather uppers of various heights (you’ll pay more for taller boots, as I did for my knee-highs). Normal rubber soles with a deep tread will handle most lakeside terrain; felt or studded soles designed for northern rocky lakes and rivers are useless down here. While definitely easier on the feet, these boots require some maintenance, mainly of the leather uppers to keep them waterproof and supple. Even with care, they will eventually start to leak. Be aware that many boots come insulated or lined against the cold of northern climates; Florida sportsmen will want to make sure they buy uninsulated versions.

Due to the potential presence of alligators in any of Florida’s waters, my “wade fishing” goes no deeper than my knee-high boots. I am pretty cautious about doing even that or just walking the shoreline. Anyone near water should stay alert and exercise due caution at all times. For more tips on staying safe, see FWC’s Living with Alligators page.

Other equipment
Unless you’re fishing obstruction-free waters, medium to heavy rather than light tackle will be best-suited for bank angling. In a boat, you’re usually working fish away from cover out into open water, but from shore you’ll often have unavoidable obstructions to deal with. I prefer longer rods, which give me more reach and better control when I don’t have the option of dashing from one side of the boat to the other.

You’ll need some way to carry your lures and other fishing gear. A small tackle box works well for a start; what I’ll do is transfer a basic selection of lures for whatever I’m after from my “main” tackle box into my “carry” box. However, I’ve come to prefer a roomy waist tackle pack that is hands-free. Spacious fishing vests are also available — but hotter to wear. Speaking of which, a water bottle holder on your tackle pack or vest is a lifesaver for long treks from the car.

Note that wading staffs, a must for wade anglers up north, won’t provide much support in Florida with its soft, mucky bottoms. However, I carry a landing net and have found it’s long handle helpful for maintaining balance on canal banks.

Tactics
Most of these principles will apply equally to bank or boat fishing. You’ll be targeting obvious structure, and ideally you’ll try to line up your casts so that your lure spends more time in the strike zone than it does in “dead” water. However, the latter can be hard to accomplish from shore. Wading out slightly past shoreline brush, or closer to the far edge of shoreline weeds, will often help you place a cast parallel to the shoreline that will cover likely territory. Bank anglers also need to keep stealth in mind, keeping a low profile and walking softly in order to get close to their quarry without spooking it.

Flipping-style casts can be very important. If the shoreline is fairly brushy and you can’t wade past it, the only way to get a cast out may be to stick your rod tip past the brush and swing-cast left or right to likely spots along the shoreline. This is another reason I prefer a longer rod — preferably seven feet — for bank fishing. Another helpful technique is bouncing a lure off the surface so it can skitter farther under overhanging cover.

Weedless lures are more of a necessity when bank fishing. Shoreline structure and trees will be harder to avoid. And if you snag one, you’ll have a better chance of getting a weedless lure back than one with multiple treble hooks.

Playing a large fish will be more challenging from shore, because there will usually be more obstructions to deal with. Again, a longer rod will give more control, allowing you a bit more leeway in “steering” fish around or away from vegetation or shoreline brush. On the other hand, wading can put you closer to the action, and it can be quite exciting to have a large fish boiling the water right next to you before you manage to land it. A word of caution, however: yet another reason to make all your hooks barbless is the possibility of having a large fish brush you with a mouth full of trebles.

Size: 12,550 acres.

Location: Alachua County.

Description: Orange Lake is situated 15 miles southeast of Gainesville in southern Alachua County. At nearly 13,000 acres, it is the largest lake in FWC’s North Central Region. Orange has a storied reputation as one of the best freshwater fisheries in Florida for largemouth bass, black crappie, and bream when conditions are right. Because of its relatively shallow depth (6 feet average) and connection to the Floridan Aquifer through numerous sinkholes, water levels can be very dynamic, and habitat conditions on the lake can change dramatically. During periods of extended drought, the lake can drop low enough to eliminate access. Abundant rainfall, such as that which accompanies tropical storms or hurricanes, helps to replenish the lake. These cycles of drought and refill have been recorded on Orange Lake since the early to mid-1900’s, and they have likely been occurring before recorded history.

The lake’s fish populations have proven to be resilient in the face of such dramatic changes in water level, and it is likely that they even benefit from these periodic resets in habitat conditions. Since the most recent drought of 2012 and the refilling of the lake in 2013, fishing in Orange Lake has been getting better every year. Recent creel surveys (angler interviews) have shown excellent fishing for black crappie and bream. Anglers trolling or drifting jigs and minnows in open water do well for crappie in the fall and winter months. As the fish move into shallower waters in preparation for the spawn later in the spring, anglers do better targeting nearshore vegetation. Good catches of bluegill and redear sunfish can be had from spring through early fall as the fish congregate to spawn in nearshore vegetation. Live baits such as grass shrimp, crickets, or earthworms fished in open holes in the vegetation account for most of the fish. Although a little slower initially to rebound than the panfish, largemouth bass fishing can be described as excellent for both numbers and size of fish. Creel surveys, electrofishing surveys, TrophyCatch submissions, and bass tournament results have indicated a healthy bass fishery. In March 2019, Orange Lake yielded the second-heaviest bass ever submitted to the TrophyCatch program at 15.8 pounds. A remarkable five-bass tournament bag limit of 45.2 pounds was caught in Orange Lake in the same month. Bass anglers on Orange typically do well flipping soft plastics in and around emergent pads and floating vegetation mats, especially during the springtime spawn. Anglers should also target submerged vegetation such as coontail and hydrilla beds with spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, soft plastics, and topwater lures.

In addition to healthy populations of fish, Orange Lake’s abundant aquatic habitat supports excellent numbers of other wildlife. Waterfowl hunting, alligator hunting, frogging, and bird watching are also popular activities which draw many people each year. The lake can be accessed from Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Park near the community of Cross Creek and at Heagy-Burry Park near the town of McIntosh, just off of US 441. The lake can also be accessed from nearby Lochloosa Lake via passage through Cross Creek. A handful of fish camps also provide launch opportunities on the lake for a nominal fee.