University of Central Florida

College Ambassadors: Hunter Sweeney & Samantha Howell

The University of Central Florida is one of the largest and most diverse college campuses in the nation. The school offers a ton of different degrees and classes that meet almost every student’s desires. The Central Florida area is a fisherman’s paradise so in our opinion UCF is the school for those who love to fish. 

Species

Saltwater

Redfish: Redfish are probably the most sought-after species at UCF. They are very abundant in Mosquito Lagoon as well as the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and the New Smyrna Beach area. While being tricky to catch at first, once dialed into the surrounding areas, they can be very fun to catch on almost any technique, fly, or spinning gear. 

Speckled Sea Trout: Trout is a very common species in Mosquito Lagoon with opportunities to catch once in a lifetime sized trout. Record setting trout have been known to be caught on the Space Coast.

Black Drum: Another abundant species in the Space Coast. They can be caught on just about any dead or live bait. Drop a crab under a bridge certain times of the year and hold on because these beasts get up to 30+ pounds. 

Snook: The true Florida gem can be caught on the Space Coast pretty much year around. With winter being a little tricky, snook can be caught many ways with sizes varying from ditch dinks to true Florida giants pushing over 40 inches. 

Tarpon - Micro-poons can be caught year around in impoundments and enclosed banks around the mosquito lagoon area. They are very fun on light fly setups. Springtime brings a nice push of larger tarpon in the IRL but can be tricky to catch per usual with these guys.

Freshwater

Bass: Can be caught year-round in local rivers, ponds, and lakes. If you don’t have a boat or remain close to campus, no problem at all. UCF has ponds around the stadium that are very fishable. This gives students a place to go, relax, and cast around with opportunities at bass over 5 lbs.

Crappie: In local rivers and lakes, wintertime crappie gets good. Lake Monroe, Lake Jessup, and the St. Johns River being some of the best crappie fishing in Florida. 

Shad: In the springtime, the St. Johns River gets a unique push of shad that sits on minnow schools. A very underrated species because they eat small white flies and jump like tarpon. Who doesn’t like that? 

Accessibility

Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River Lagoon (IRL):  Mosquito Lagoon is a fisherman’s top destination when it comes to flats fishing. Shallow grass flats, tailing reds in shallow water, record-sized trout, and if you’re lucky, a bonus rocket launch. From the UCF campus, Mosquito and the IRL are only a 45–60 minute drive towing a boat and roughly 30-45 minutes by car. If you run a skiff, have a kayak, or have nothing but some wading shoes, it doesn’t matter. These areas are very accessible year-round with fish being caught by any method of getting on the water. 

Local Ponds and Lakes: UCF has ponds on the property that you are allowed to fish in. Bass are caught regularly out of these ponds with fish getting over 5 pounds. Also within 10 minutes of campus, there are neighborhoods with ponds that are filled with bass. The Econlockhatchee River is also accessible within 10 minutes from campus. Here you can explore the river as well as catch some freshwater species. All within the city of Orlando are the Orlando Fab Five Lakes. These lakes are managed by FWC and have produced some giant bass. These lakes have produced 80 reported trophy catches between 8-9.9 pounds and 46 reported trophy catches between 10-12.9 pounds. Shore fishermen can’t get an opportunity like this anywhere else and because of the lakes' smaller sizes you don’t find too many boats on these lakes.

Harris Chain of Lakes and the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes: These famous bass fishing locations are also relatively close to UCF. The Harris Chains of Lakes and the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes are within an hour to an hour and a half drive from campus. Some students on the UCF Bass Fishing Team fish at these locations in college bass tournaments such as Bassmasters and Major League Fishing (MLF). There are also local bass tournaments that occur in Orlando year-round on great chain systems. 

The St. Johns River: The St. Johns River, commonly called “The River” here, is a very good crappie fishery from the late fall through the early spring. Crappies stack up in shallow brush and sawgrass islands to bulk up for their spawn. Lake Monroe and Lake Jessup are connected in this system and are 20-30 minutes from campus. These lakes produce a large quantity and quality of crappie during this time. 
Bass fishing on the river can be tricky, however during the springtime spawn, these bass can be caught up very shallow on beds. 

New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet: It is a little farther from campus, but the fishing is well worth the less than an hour's drive. The late summer and fall are prime time to fish the Ponce Inlet Jetty and New Smyrna Beach Jetty. Monster bull Redfish, slot Snook and Tarpon all roam the waters around Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna starting in the summer. All these fish can be caught on a boat or on the jetty. For those who love to Shark fish, you can fish for them year-round on New Smyrna Beach or on Daytona Beach around the inlet. New Smyrna Beach is the shark bite capital of the world so don’t be surprised to see them swimming in the surf. 

Community

UCF Reel Knights: This is the fishing and outdoors club here at the University of Central Florida. The club hosts many events throughout the year including football tailgates, baseball tailgates, one fishing tournament each semester (Fall and Spring), one camping trip in the early spring, and conservation events to help rebuild habitat in Mosquito Lagoon and the IRL.  This club is a great group of people who have similar interests in the outdoors. Making friends and going out fishing with new people and new places is a main goal of the club.  

UCF Bass Fishing Team: This team is for the people who have a goal to professionally bass fish in Bassmaster and MLF. The team may be relatively small, however, that means you are more of a team rather than competitors. If you don’t have a boat, no worry, you can fish as a co-angler.

Coastal Estuarine Ecology Lab (CEELAB): This organization at UCF works closely with the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) to help rebuild coastal estuaries in the state of Florida. They do a lot of oyster patty making and deployment in Mosquito Lagoon and the IRL. The UCF Reel Knights also aid in some of these projects. 

Hangouts/Shops

The River:  Many guys in the Reel Knights hang out on the St. Johns River a lot. If it’s sitting on the sandbar or jumping off rope swings, you’ll bet some group of guys will always be out there having a good time. This is also where a lot of people camp out at the countless number of camps on the river. 

Mudhole: If you are interested in rod building, Orlando is said to be the rod-building capital of the country. Mudhole has its main headquarters in Oviedo, 5 minutes from campus. Feel free to pop in and ask whatever questions you have. The environment is great, and the people are always willing to help. 

Bitter’s Bait and Tackle: Bitter is about 30 minutes from campus but when I say you’ll be in tackle heaven I don’t kid. They have almost everything, and what they don’t have they can order for you.  They have just about whatever you are looking for. They even have live bait. Their soft plastics are super reasonable with 2 packs of baits for $7.00. They also have a growing saltwater section for those looking for saltwater tackle. 

Orlando Outfitters: For the fly fisherman, Orlando Outfitters is an awesome place to get fresh and saltwater flies, fly lines, and accessories. For those who tie their own flies, Orlando Outfitters has a broad range of materials, hooks, and threads to tie almost any fly.