Village Angler Bass Fishing Guide Service

Lake Apopka: (Approx. 31,000 acres) is the southern- most lake of The Harris Chain, located primarily in Orange County. Famous in the 50's and 60's for its Bass and Pan fish, it supported 23 fish camps along its eastern & southern shores. It was declared a dead lake by the mid 1980's, the result of chemical pesticides and fertilizers allowed to "run-off" from the profitable muck and citrus farms that flourished on its shores. Currently, Lake Apopka is on a strong comeback.

For more information on this, please visit the St. Johns River Water Management District's website on Lake Apopka Basins to read more about the restoration projects that have been instituted since the 1990's.

Lake Apopka flows North via the Apopka Lock and Dam thru the 6 mile long Apopka-Beauclair Canal, and connects Lakes Beauclair (1000 acres), Carlton (300 acres), and Dora (4,500 acres) before reaching Lake Eustis (7000 acres), the mid-point lake of The Harris Chain. The Dora Canal empties into the southeastern corner of Lake Eustis, after it meanders one mile from Lake Dora; cited in Florida History books as the state’s most beautiful mile of waterway, lined in a canopy of 2000 year old cypress tree stands teeming with nature and wildlife.

The Harris Chain of Lakes is located primarily in Lake County, Florida, 30 miles northwest of Orlando. It is part of the Oklawaha River basin, a sub-basin of the St. Johns River. It is known by locals as the Harris or Oklawaha Chain of Lakes. The Harris Chain consists of 9 primary (74,000 acres) lakes, all flowing north, and eventually draining into the Atlantic Ocean near Jacksonville, Florida via the St. Johns River.

The Harris Chain was added to the National Bass Fishing Hot Spot List back in the 1980's when it became home for the B.A.S.S Megabucks trail (1986-1990). Pro bass anglers of the day agreed that the chain was the most diverse in structure and vegetation types of any & all that they fished. Kissimmee grasses, maiden cane, bull rushes, cattails, and lily pads are abundant emergent aquatic types of vegetation found throughout the chain.

Bottom growing grass types are Eel, Shrimp, Southern Naiad, Musk, and Coon Tail. Structure such as docks, residential canal systems, dredge areas, and State Game and Fish “Fish Attractors” complement The Harris Chain diversity these pro anglers spoke of.