From Lakeland, 41 waters from our guide are no more than 75 minutes away by road — 34 lakes, 6 bays and estuaries and 1 river or creek. 6 of them are salt or brackish water, 34 fresh. Across these waters, 48 fish species are on record.
Lake Bonny is 3 minutes from Lakeland
Starting from Lakeland, the nearest water is Lake Bonny at 3 min (1.4 mi). The drive time is measured to the ramp: Lake Bonny Public Boat Ramp.
Next by drive time:
- Lake Parker — 4 min (2.1 mi)
- Lake Hollingsworth — 5 min (2 mi)
- Banana Lake — 14 min (8.3 mi)
Launching near Lakeland: 213 ramps
Around Lakeland you will find 213 boat ramps, 70 fishing piers and 2 shore-fishing spots on the waters in this guide. The boat ramp closest to the city center is Lake Bonny Public Boat Ramp on Lake Bonny, about 1.2 mi in a straight line. Without a boat, start at Lake Bonny Park on Lake Bonny, the nearest pier — about 1 mi from the center.
What bites near Lakeland: Largemouth Bass first
Of all the species, Largemouth Bass is on record at the most waters — 35 out of 41. Next come Brown Bullhead (34), Black Crappie (33), Sunshine Bass (33) and Channel Catfish (32).
For each of these 5 fish the closest water is the same: Lake Bonny, 3 min (1.4 mi).
Where to start: Lake Parker
Our ranking for Lakeland weighs the drive, the depth map, the fish on record and the ramps; it puts these 3 first:
- Lake Parker: 2,120 acres, 22 fish species on record, max depth 24 ft (surveyed), 6 ramps and 500 fish stocked.
- Lake Bonny: 290 acres, 17 fish species on record, max depth 14 ft (surveyed) and 2 ramps.
- Lake Hollingsworth: 354 acres, 19 fish species on record, max depth 15 ft (surveyed) and 2 ramps.
Tampa Bay goes down to 93.2 ft
The deepest water in this guide is Tampa Bay: 93.2 ft at its deepest point (surveyed). Other deep spots are Old Tampa Bay (93.2 ft), Crooked Lake (38 ft) and Boca Ciega Bay (38 ft). Maximum depths are known for 39 of the 41 waters.
10 stocked waters near Lakeland
10 waters here have stocked fish on record, led by Withlacoochee River (559,407 fish), Lake Apopka (513,463 fish) and Clear Lake (158,213 fish).
Camping within reach of Lakeland
You can camp next to the water: 8 campgrounds are within reach of Lakeland. The closest are Boots and Saddles (19.7 mi, by Withlacoochee River), Withlacoochee River Park (24.1 mi, by Withlacoochee River) and Foster Bridge (Backcountry) (26.9 mi, by Withlacoochee River).
