Located on Florida’s eastern edge, Rockledge is just a few miles west of Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral, the launch site of America’s manned space program. There are numerous charters for ocean fishing and numerous shore fishing sites on the Indian and Banana Rivers. In addition, there are many freshwater fishing sites within a few miles’ drive of Rockledge.
Rockledge is part of the St. John’s River watershed. The river, which flows from south to north, forms two lakes near the town: Lake Winder and Lake Poinsett. Winder is the smaller of the two, about two and a half miles long and a mile wide. Both lakes are relatively shallow, and Winder has a great deal of weed growth, so much so that it’s sometimes difficult to find the point where the river enters the lake. Although they are sometimes weed-choked, Lake Winder’s southern and western portions are often very productive for black bass. Other fish, such as brim, speckled perch, and other pan fish, are not found in great quantities in Lake Winder.
St. John’s River flows north out of Lake Winder and follows a narrow, six-mile pathway to Lake Poinsett. The fishing along this stretch of “middle river” can be very good, especially for bass, catfish, and speckled perch. Lake Poinsett, about seven miles long and three miles wide, generally is no deeper than eight feet. Bass and speckled perch are abundant in Lake Poinsett, and many trophy bass are taken from the lake’s waters every year.