The Kit Lake Solace

MARCH 2026

            It was a month of multiples on Kit Lake, my home water in central Florida’s largemouth bass country. Living arrangements came and went. Fishing saw multiple starts. And smart anglers used multiple fly rigs for multiple situations.

            Lake water has dropped so much that Juan, the old man from the other neighborhood who walked his dog at Kit Lake, was able to walk on the dried, flat, portion of lake bottom, and pick up stuff like he was a low-tide-treasure-hunters on the Thames.

Bluegill City is back. Lots of redds grew many fish at the start of the month with aggressive bluegill and several small bass taking flies later in the month.

Several weather patterns came our way. Seasonal warm air greeted us at the start of the month, and Tina had the fishing answer by arriving early and fishing with small unweighted nymphs approximately two feet below small poppers. Then, midmonth we took a rare tail of the dragon cold snap that sent fish down for a few days. Anglers who were prepared with multiple outfits went inside the drop-offs with sinking flies on eight weight rods and found a few bass willing to move.

The water cooled more midmonth, and anglers who boated into the deeper waters took sprays of over the bow. Maria had the key to success; waiting for several cups of coffee to get started. Then she found a less windy spot near shoreline irregularities, and tested water of three or four feet with slow sinking flies.

To take advantage of the eagerness of bluegill around the lake, experienced anglers went up and down. Stiffer rods of trout weight were found to hold better to the more tentative bites. And small flies, topwater and subsurface, got bit more. From midmonth on Driving Range fish chased down unweighted pheasant tailed nymphs over abandoned redds in about 4 feet of water.

     Bass could be found, but in different areas. Some were had Look for sticks from dead lilly pads, fish by casting beyond and stripping back past.

     Low water is still challenging Kit Lake anglers, but, old post are emerging from the lowered surface providing new opportunities. If the past is a food predictor, next month will settle down in to consistent opportunities multiple new spots.