Fishing Up and Down Lake in Putnam County, Florida

• Overview

  The Putnam County end of Florida holds Up and Down Lake. Height above sea level is 112 feet. At about 25 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. You are 1.9 miles from Interlachen. For a city, Gainesville is 28 miles off. Within a short drive: Mirror Lake about 0.5 miles, Lake Ida a shade over 0.6 miles, Jewel Lake about 0.7 miles, Sand Hill Pond a shade over 0.7 miles and Faye Lake about 0.9 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Up and Down Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Biodiversity records within roughly six miles include blackbanded darter, largemouth bass and brown darter. Presence in the area does not guarantee a fish in this exact water on the day. Up and Down Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 81°F; by January the average is down near 55°F. The whole calendar is open, with dawn and dusk the productive hours in summer. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Anyone fishing Up and Down Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Mirror Lake at 0.5 miles is the sensible second choice. Treat Up and Down Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.