Lake Francis Fishing in Orange County, Florida

• Overview

  Lake Francis is set in Orange County, Florida. It stands 56 feet above sea level. Roughly 37 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Start from Apopka, 2.5 miles down the road. Orlando sits 15 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply. Trees shelter part of the bank when the wind gets up.

• Where to Fish on Lake Francis

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open occurrence data for the surrounding area lists bluegill, largemouth bass, redbreast sunfish and spotted sunfish. Presence in the area does not guarantee a fish in this exact water on the day. Lake Francis fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 58°F to 82°F. Warm water year-round keeps fish moving through every month. Shade and hour of day matter more than month. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. The season on Lake Francis follows the weather closely. Conditions on the day matter more than the month on the calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Lake Alden is 0.4 miles distant. None of that is settled for Lake Francis in what we hold.