So I'm retiring at the end of October. I've never fished Florida and I would really like to give it a try, especially since it's getting pretty cold here in Kentucky. I have my own boat but I don't have a lot of money so I would prefer to camp so I can stay for several days and minimize the expense.  Are there any good Florida bass lakes that also have the possibility of shoreline camping, either primitive or in a campground?

 

 When I used to fish Kentucky Lake in the summers, I would just pull the boat up on the shore and camp at the Land Between the Lakes. Give me a reasonably flat spot and I'm happy, but I don't know if any Florida lakes are surrounded by public land.  I've been trying to use the State Parks website but it's not as helpful as I had hoped.  Any suggestions? Since I'm coming from Kentucky, lakes in the northern part of the state would be ideal so I wouldn't have to drive as far. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. 

Lake Seminole is a great lake in northern florida. Just type in lake Seminole camping. I know of atleast 2 campgrounds

Bill Fredrick Park that is on the west side of Turkey Lake offers both primitive and partial or full hook up camping. You can also rent a boat for somewhere in the range of $35. It is a strict catch and release lake for bass that is stocked yearly. Both the docks and camp sites are staging grounds for storm debris at the moment, but they plan on having everything cleared and open the first week or so of November. 

 

There are other places too like Kissimmee State Park, Ocala National Forest, and Alexander Springs State Park. All have camping and sizable bodies of water for fishing. Check out https://www.floridastateparks.org for locations that offer camping and fishing. 

 

Just like Bill Fredrick, a lot of parks are still in clean up mode. There are updates on storm clean on the website, and if you call the park, the rangers can provide a more definitive timeline. 

Ive done that a lot in the ocala national forest. Fwc puts out a book of some of the lakes in there. I have some recommendations and dont mind sharing a few spots, including one that is my favorite. My spots are all primitive,but free.  Send me a pm if you decide to go there.

Mike

I didn’t even consider the hurricane damage.