by Geoffrey Balog
Lake Glenada is located between Avon Park and Sebring just off of U.S. Highway 27. Lake Glenada is a medium sized lake by central Florida standards with a surface area of 197 acres. The shape of the lake is somewhat irregular and can be divided into three bowls. The center of each of the bowls varies in depth from 35 feet to 25 feet with the shallowest being 15-feet deep. It’s roughly ¾ quarters of a mile long and ½ mile wide. It has a small but paved parking lot which can accommodate about 10 boat trailers. The launch is a single concrete ramp with a dock. There is also a T-shaped fishing pier which anglers frequently use to fish from shore. The area to beach a boat on the shoreline is very limited.
Lake Glenada though small in size produces nice size bass with the largest to date reported to FWC Trophy Catch program being an 11lb 7oz bruiser caught by Adrian Echols in August of 2014. There have been many stories about the one that got away but Adrian’s is the largest reported to the FWC to date. Lake Glenada is also a favorite among local panfishermen with large numbers of shellcrackers, specks, and bluegill caught regularly along with your standard catfish, gar, and mudfish. Primary baitfish include shad, bluegill and a variety of shiners.
Water quality runs from semi-clear to darkened green associated with the summertime algae blooms. The shoreline is a mixture of cattails, emergent grasses, eel grass, hydrilla patches and developed agricultural areas. The campus of the South Florida State College is located on the northern edge of the lake which provides some unique sites and fishing habitat. The bottom of the lake consists of scattered grasses and some shell rock areas and quickly falling contour lines give bass ample opportunity to egress into the depths during the coldest of days or to escape the summer heat.
Lake Glenada offers anglers a wide variety of fishing techniques. Along the shorelines, top water frogs, plugs and spinners can be used effectively. Soft plastics such as Texas rigged worms, swimbaits, and flipping baits are great in the cattails and emergent vegetation. In the submerged grasses crank baits, rattle traps, swim baits, and Carolina rigged soft plastics produce well. In the deeper areas of the lake, deep diving crank baits and drop-shot rigs often produce the biggest bites. Favorite soft plastic colors for this lake include June Bug, Watermelon Red, and Green Pumpkin.
With easy access from U.S. Hwy 27 and little residential build-up along its edges, Lake Glenada makes for a fine local fishing hole.
Good Luck Fishing, see ya on the water.