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Florida Fishing: the EvergladesLocated in south Florida, the Everglades is a one-of-a-kind fishing experience! The state of Florida manages parts of the Everglades; these managed areas are known as Water Conservation Areas, or WCA for short...the WCA's are marshland with man-made canals created for flood control purposes - over 200 miles of canals! - running throughout the marshes. Everglades Water Conservation Areas (WCA's) 2 and 3Two WCA's in particular are worthy of mentioning here, WCA 2 and WCA 3. Why these two? Because of the excellent bass fishing found at these locations when the conditions are just right! When is the Florida fishing for bass in the Everglades "just right"? In Florida, fishing for bass is best in late winter, and especially the springtime. April is generally recognized as when you'll find superior bass fishing in WCA 2 & WCA 3. As the water levels drop, the bass congregate in the canals. In the Everglades, that's the best time to fish for largemouth - before the water levels rise again and the bass have more room to spread out... While most anglers tend to stick to the canals, others venture into the marshes in search of a trophy. Some of the marshy areas are accessible only by airboat; but there's plenty of Florida fishing action for anglers using other types of bass boats, too. In fact, there are numerous boat ramps to access the canals, and we'll talk about that more in a bit...first, let's talk more about the the most popular, and rewarding, Water Conservation Areas.  Florida fishing for Bass (FWC photo credit)WCA 2 is the smaller of the two areas, only about 210 square miles of marshes, and about 25 miles of canals to explore. This marshland is in western Palm Beach and Broward counties. Most bass fishing at WCA2 is done at the L-35B and L-38E canals, each of which is about 12 miles long. Also, the Alligator Alley canal, running along I-75, is another popular fishing spot at WCA 2. You'll find the main access to the canals of WCA 2 at the Sawgrass Recreation Area, on U.S. 27, which is about 2 miles north of SR84. Another entryway to WCA 2 is at the Loxahatchee Recreation Area, found on SR 827 at the Palm Beach/Broward County line, off U.S. 441. Most of the bass fishing at WCA 3 is done in the canals along U.S. Highway 27 (Alligator Alley), Holiday Park, and the Miami Canal. Other canals that are very rewarding to fish during low water levels times in WCA 3 include the L-67A, L-67C, Miami, and Tamiami canals. You can fish by boat in all these canals. If you're bass fishing without a boat, the Tamiami Canal has plenty of bank access. Where are good spots to put into WCA 3? One access point is located at the Everglades Holiday Park, which is found six miles south of SR 84 on U.S. Hwy 27. Another place to put into the canals is at Mack's Fish Camp, which is a half-mile south of U.S. 27, off Krome Ave on Danell Lane. When the water level is high in these WCA's, anglers will often go into the marsh areas, where bass can be found in the open slough areas. L-67A canal in WCA 3, as well as the Alligator Alley canals in WCA 2, have access trails off of the canals, created to provide boats access to adjoining marsh areas, used mainly when the waters up. The L-67A Canal, in particular, has eight boat trails which gives anglers access to the marsh areas - when the water levels are high enough - for flats fishing. The L-67A Canal runs from Holiday Park Recreation Area to the S-333 spillway at Tamiami Trail (SR 41). Other than fish camps and recreation areas, there are many public boat ramps scattered along both Water Conservation Areas, particularly along I-75. Yup, at last, we're going to talk about.... Florida Fishing: Everglades Boat RampsHere's just a few of the public boat ramps to put into the two Water Conservation Areas: WCA 2A (at the north end of Area 2): Location is west of Deerfield Beach, in the Hillsboro Area. Exit I-95 at Hillsboro Blvd; go west. Turn right onto US 441/S.R. 7; then turn left on Rt. 827, also known as Loxahatchee, or "Lox" Road. Travel about 7 miles to the end of the road, where the ramp is found. WCA 2 (at the south end of Area 2): Canals L-38E, L-35B. Take the Sawgrass Expressway to I-75 north to U.S. 27; travel north on U.S. 27 for about 2 miles. The boat ramp is at Sawgrass Recreation Area. Another public boat ramp is found four miles further north on U.S. 27. WCA 3A (at the north end of Area 3): Take U.S. 27 to L-5; go west on L-5 at the signs for Holey Land and Rotenberger Wildlife Management Areas. There are three boat ramps on the south side of the levee; parking is permitted on the levee. WCA 3A (both north and south ends of Area 3): Follow the Sawgrass Expressway to I-75 north; there are 6 boat ramps located along I-75, three on each side of the road. Access to L-67A Canal is found here, too. WCA 3B (at the south end of Area 3, in the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area): Take I-75 to U.S. 41, which is also known as the Tamiami Trail. There are three boat ramps on the north side of the road; the middle ramp accesses L-67A Canal. Florida Fishing for BassMore Bass Fishing Pages...The most popular game fish in many states, Florida has long had a reputation as one of the top largemouth bass fishing destinations in the United States. Go to the Largemouth Bass page. If you're Florida fishing vacations bring you to south Florida, don't miss out on fishing for a unique species found only in the canals around Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Go to the Peacock Bass Fishing page to learn about this fierce-fighting, exotic import. We've created a page dedicated to the best of the best, Florida fishing and the top bass fishing lakes and rivers. Go to the Top Fresh Water Fishing Spots page. Finished learning about Florida fishing for bass in the Everglades? Return to the Florida Fishing for Bass main page. Click Here to leave the Florida Fishing in the Everglades page and return to the FFVA Home page.
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