Derby Lake
Fishing and stocking
Stocked through the 2024-25 season program: channel catfish and hybrid striped bass; 2,200 fish in the published allocation. One of 23 stocked waters on the Polk County record.
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What swims here
Channel catfish
Hybrid striped bass (wiper)
Season program record
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission publishes this water by season or program window, not by dated schedule, so there are no truck dates to list; the rows below are the published program allocations. The Florida season shape statewide: year round, reported by fiscal year.
Agency feed checked today.
| Season | Species | Size | Fish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 season | Channel catfish | 1,700 | |
| 2024-25 season | Hybrid striped bass (wiper) | 500 |
When to fish Derby Lake
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:05 am-12:05 pm and 10:28 pm-12:28 am | 4:22-5:22 am and 4:41-5:41 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:51 am-12:51 pm | 5:22-6:22 am and 5:13-6:13 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Stocked through the 2024-25 season program
Computed this evening, Oct 23
Gear for this water
For the catfish (channel catfish on the season program here)
| Rod holders | catfishing is a waiting game; fish two rods where legal |
| Medium-heavy rod | 7 ft medium-heavy, 15 to 20 lb line, sturdy reel |
| Circle hooks on a slip-sinker rig | 2/0 to 5/0 circles on a Carolina rig; let them load up |
For the striped bass and hybrids (hybrid striped bass (wiper) on the season program here)
| Topwater walkers | early mornings when they push bait to the surface |
| Medium-heavy rod | 7 ft with 15 lb line minimum; hybrids hit like freight |
| Flutter spoons and swimbaits | match the shad; count down to suspended fish |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Picnic Lake | 0.4 mi | 2024-25 season |
| Tenoroc FMA Lake 2 | 0.5 mi | 2024-25 season |
| Pine Lakes West | 0.5 mi | 2024-25 season |
| Pine Lakes East | 0.7 mi | 2024-25 season |
| Shop Lake | 0.8 mi | 2024-25 season |