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Fishing the
Hillsborough River
by
Pip (on the FRF Message Board)
At
higher water levels, this rapid can reach Class II
The Hillsborough River begins in
southwest Pasco County in the Green Swamp. From the Green Swamp, the
river begins as an overflow from the Withlacoochee River, north of
US Highway 98. Its headwaters begin as a slow moving sheet flow that
percolates through a heavily vegetated riverine forest that has no
discernable channel. Approximately a quarter of a mile south of its
beginning point, a channel emerges and becomes more defined as a
channelized riverine system (SWFWMD). The Hillsborough picks up a
little steam with the influence of Crystal Springs which discharges
millions of gallons of water per day. Once in Hillsborough County,
the river flows through two large regional parks and conservation
areas, the Hillsborough River State Park and the Lower Hillsborough
Wilderness Park.
For this article, I will concentrate
on fishing the “upper” section of Hillsborough River, from the
Hillsborough River State Park through the Lower Hillsborough
Wilderness Park into the urban section of Tampa ending at Lettuce
Lake Park at Fletcher Avenue (near USF). And because you won’t be
able to explore this section in a day, I will break it down into
smaller “fishable” sections. The remaining section of the
Hillsborough River runs through the urban sections of Temple Terrace
and Tampa. The urban section may have decent fishing, but it does
not compare to the remoteness and tranquility of the “upper”
section. Here is a
link to the Lower
Hillsborough Wilderness Park which has a good overall map of the
section I’ll be discussing.
An average bass caught upstream of Trout Creek park
There are primarily five fishable
sections of the “upper” Hillsborough River. For simplicity, each
section is named after the host park with canoe access. I should
note at this point that each section is easily paddled up or down
stream, as the normal current in these areas are mild at best (even
during periods of high water). There are narrow sections where the
current pushes pretty good but they are not desirable for fishing.
Hillsborough River State Park
The
Hillsborough River State Park is
located on US Hwy 301 in Hillsborough County north of Plant City
(map page # 83 in the Florida Atlas & Gazetter). It’s a typical
state park that offers camping, nature trails, canoe rentals, and a
large (shallow) swimming pool for the kiddies.
An interesting geological feature in the state park; the river is
characterized by limestone outcroppings creating a series of shoals
and (deep) rock ledges. The park also boasts a couple of rare (for
central Florida) class II rapids in the extreme upper section.
Hillsborough River State Park is a
popular destination so be prepared to encounter a lot of people
using the river. The park’s rental canoes are aluminum and noisy!
When fishing the state park you’ll need to be patient, wait for the
noisy canoes to go by and continue fishing. There is no point
trying to outrun a group of canoes, because this will cause you to
get too hurried and miss fish. The upside is that most “tourists”
are just canoeing, not fishing.
The Hillsborough River is a canoe trail. This is a common sight
anywhere on the river. Of course, note the lack of fishing rods!
My advice for fishing the state park
is to fish slow(er) with a little more weight than normal. For
example, I was fishing a plastic worm with a 1/16 oz weight, but
because of the rock ledges and depth I would use a heavier weight
(1/8 to 3/16 oz.). Medium diving crankbaits and jig-n-pigs (a
1/4oz. football jig in particular) should also be considered
depending on the conditions. The state park “trail” ends and
connects with Dead River Park. A larger sign will tell you when
you’re leaving the state park and a smaller sign on river right will
tell you you are in Dead River Park.
Lower Hillsborough Wilderness
Park
The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness
Park is a 16,000-acre regional park is located in northeast
Hillsborough County and consists of several smaller “activity”
specific parks which include Dead River Park*, Flatswood Park,
Off-Road Loop Trail, Morris Bridge Park*, Sargeant Park*, and Trout
Creek Park* (* denotes parks with canoe launches).
In keeping with FRF tradition, here is the obligatory alligator
shot! No shortage of these guys!
Dead River Park
Dead River Park is located south of
the Hillsborough River State Park off of US Hwy 301 and is the most
remote and primitive of all parks mentioned. To get there, turn
onto Dead River Road (off of Hwy 301) then follow the road until you
think you can’t (and shouldn’t) go any further, then keep going
until you arrive at the park. It’s remote! The park is only
accessible via automobiles on Saturdays and Sundays, the rest of the
week is hiking and mountain bikes only, so plan your canoe trip here
on the weekends. The canoe access is unimproved (to say the least)
so take care putting-in. Once you are in the river you are rewarded
with a deep, wide, and slow moving section of the Hillsborough. I’d
say the average depth is at least 10ft in most sections.
I would limit fishing here to
upstream only. Below Dead River Park the section of the
Hillsborough is called “Seventeen Runs” and is a confusing maze
where the main channel disappears in a swamp. Upstream there is no
confusion here. Because of its depth and lack of current, I
believe that this section has potential for BIG bass. This is big
worm, spinnerbait, and buzzbait territory, but don’t be afraid to
throw a lipless crankbait either.
Sargeant Wilderness Memorial Park
After the Seventeen Runs section,
the Hillsborough converges into a single river channel where you
will find Sargeant Wilderness Memorial Park. It too is located off
of US Hwy 301 further south of Dead River Park. However, it is
easily accessible and has restrooms and an improved canoe launch. A
Tampa based livery, Canoe Escapes
uses Sargeant Park for a drop-off point for rental canoe trips going
downstream to Morris Bridge Park (2hr paddle) or further to Trout
Creek Park (4hr paddle). Group canoe trips are a common sight but
they pass by relatively quickly and almost always ask “catch
anything?”
Sargeant Park is mostly a downstream
fishing trip. You may go north towards the Seventeen Runs section,
but you’ll encounter many laydowns (it’s not maintained by Canoe
Escapes). If you decide to go north, I recommend the use of smaller
kayaks that can maneuver around and “slide” over the laydowns. With
a little work this section may produce a fishing bonanza as it
receives little pressure.
Downstream is pretty
straight-forward as river fishing goes. Fish stumps, bushes, lily-pads
etc. It is 4 miles to Morris Bridge Park, so if your fishing with a
friend the best option is leave a vehicle at Morris Bridge Park and
float this section. It a 2 hour paddle, so most likely a 4 hour
fishing trip.
Morris Bridge Park
Morris Bridge Park is located on
Morris Bridge Road (go figure). From I-75 take the Fletcher
Avenue/Morris Bridge Road exit and turn east onto Morris Bridge
Road. The park entrance is a few miles from I-75 (if you cross the
Hillsborough River you went too far). Unfortunately, I have not
fished this section of the Hillsborough River. However, I can tell
you that the park has a good boat ramp/canoe launch. In addition,
there are picnic pavilions and restrooms. This is the narrowest
section of the Hillsborough River, but there is fair pool on the
upstream and downstream sides of the park. This is “standard” river
fishing; fish laydowns, stumps, lillypads, and any current break
structure. My recommendation is use Morris Bridge Park as a
pick-up, drop-off, or mid-point lunch spot for floating the river
(starting at Sargeant Park).
Trout Creek Park
A view of the river at Trout Creek Park
Trout Creek Park is located on
Morris Bridge Road just east of I-75. Once you turn off of I-75, the
park entrance is just a “hop-skip and jump” from the exit. Trout
Creek Park is probably my favorite section of the Hillsborough
River. Because of a flood control structure located downstream
there is an excellent pool both upstream and downstream. The park
itself has a picnic pavilions and restrooms. It’s also a popular
trailhead for the mountain bike trails that connect with the rest of
the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Park.
This section of the Hillsborough
contains an abundance of lillypads and hyacinth patches as well as
cypress trees. Find any combination of these and you’ll find
bass. The bass will quickly let you know their activity…if you
don’t get a strike within 15-20 minutes of fishing you’ll need to
slow down or try something else. Fish upstream until you get to
“Natures Classroom”, a nature center owned by the local school board
for middle and elementary school programs (there is a dock with
boats floating in the river). Above Natures Classroom the river
gets too narrow to fish effectively.
Below Trout Creek Park the river is
also deep and wide but does not contain as much the vegetation as
the upper section. Again, this is “standard” river fishing; fish
laydowns, stumps, lilypads, and any current break structure.
Further downstream you’ll find Lettuce Lake, which is a park itself
(Lettuce Lake Park). Unfortunately, Lettuce Lake Park does not have
a canoe launch, so access to Lettuce Lake is limited to 2 options.
One, float downstream from Trout Creek Park; two, paddle upstream
from Fowler Park located in Temple Terrace on Fowler Avenue.
Because of its lack of access Lettuce Lake receives little fishing
pressure.
Well there you have it. Hopefully,
you will find the Hillsborough River as enjoyable as I do. It’s
great to have a natural resource such as this so close to a larger
metropolitan area. And if by chance the fish do not cooperate,
relax and enjoy the surroundings!
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