Blue Pond near Hawthorne: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Set in Alachua County, Florida, this is Blue Pond. Elevation runs to 98 feet. At 9 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Alachua County list. The nearest place of any size is Hawthorne, 6.3 miles away. Citra lies 8.1 miles off, Interlachen another 12 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Blue Pond

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish reported in the area, according to open records, include bluegill, blackbanded darter, spotted sunfish and brown darter. Treat it as evidence of what swims in the area. On Blue Pond the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 81°F for July and 55°F for January. Cold never shuts this water down; heat is the only limit. Season rules are a separate question. March through May is the strongest run, with autumn a second stretch. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Blue Pond fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the panfish, a small hook, a float and a piece of worm outfish everything fancy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Riley Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Blue Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.