Lake Jo Ann in Hillsborough County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lake Jo Ann sits within Hillsborough County in Florida. The setting is warm bottomland. Small at around 13 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Hillsborough County are larger. Land O' Lakes is the closest place, 2 miles off. Further out sit Lutz (3 miles) and Cheval (5.2 miles). This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Lake Jo Ann

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Nearby survey and observation records mention largemouth bass, bluegill and bowfin. Records come from public data, not from a stocking programme. On Lake Jo Ann a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 82°F and January near 59°F on the long-run figures. There is no cold season worth the name. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Plan around that when you fish Lake Jo Ann.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Catfish Lake is 0.2 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Lake Jo Ann for certain.