Fishing Lake Opal in Clay County, Florida

• Overview

  Lake Opal sits within Clay County in Florida. What surrounds it is warm green lowland. At 18 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Compared with other Florida water on our list, it sits high. Start from Keystone Heights, 3 miles down the road. The nearest city of size is Gainesville, 19 miles away. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Lake Opal

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Biodiversity records within roughly six miles include bluegill, warmouth, redfin pickerel and bowfin. Records show what people reported, so treat the list as a guide to what lives in the area. Take Lake Opal a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 81°F in July and bottoms out near 55°F in January. Wet and dry spells shape the year more than temperature. Late winter and spring fish steadiest here. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Lake Opal runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Lake Lily is 0.4 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Lake Opal for certain.