Fishing Lake Ruby in Polk County, Florida

• Overview

  Lake Ruby lies in Polk County, Florida. The country here is open low country. At some 259 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. Roughly 2.2 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Cypress Gardens at 2.4 miles is the nearest place to stop. Wahneta is 4.2 miles and Dundee 4.4 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lake Ruby

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Documented catches and surveys in the area cover bluegill, largemouth bass, Florida gar and blue tilapia. It is a record of sightings and surveys, so use it as a guide. At Lake Ruby the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 82°F in August and bottom out at 61°F in January. Year-round warmth means year-round fishing, with early starts in summer. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Time your trip to Lake Ruby by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The closest car park is half a mile away, so pack accordingly. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Lake Bess, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Lake Ruby, the notice at the access point is the final word.