Written by Atlas Editorial · Last updated
Lake Jackson is a 4,000-acre natural lake just north of Tallahassee, Florida, known for largemouth bass. The state says the best bass fishing runs February through May. It is a sinkhole lake that periodically goes dry.
Lake Jackson today
Measured readings, not a bite prediction. Where each number comes from · All Alabama lakes today
- Acreage
- 4,000 acres
- Max Depth
- 30 feet (about 7 feet on average)
- Length
- N/A (not published by the state)
- Shoreline
- N/A (not published by the state)
- Impounded
- Not a dammed lake: a natural sinkhole lake that goes dry about every 25 years
- River System
- Public water; landings run by Leon County
- Access
- Public — five Leon County boat ramps and three hand launches around the lake
The Water
Lake Jackson map: hotspots, ramps and more
Numbers = fishing hotspots · R = boat ramp · C = campground · P = fishing pier · B = bait shop · M = marina. Tap a pin.
Lake Jackson is a 4,000-acre natural lake just north of Tallahassee in Leon County, and Florida's wildlife agency says it has been nationally known for its largemouth bass. It is shallow, about 7 feet on average with a maximum of 30, and full of plants: the agency names hydrilla, eelgrass and maidencane as the best bass cover. The lake sits on sinkholes and drains itself now and then, going dry about every 25 years by the agency's count, so water level decides which ramps work. When it is low, the agency says Sunset Landing and Crowder Road Landing are the ones to use. Anglers have logged 81 bass of eight pounds or more here in the state's TrophyCatch program. Five public ramps and three hand launches are mapped on this page with GPS. Nobody publishes a regular dated report we can cite, so the spots here are access points, not promises.
“Lake Jackson holds fish in patterns you can set your watch to. The bite isn't a secret — it's what most fishermen don't know about where the grass thins onto a hard ledge.”
Alabama Fishing Atlas Editorial
Today's Conditions
Major and minor solunar windows shift daily with the moon’s transit. Fish the windows above, or check the Seasonal Playbook below for Lake Jackson’s current pattern.
Seasonal Playbook
Spring is the season Lake Jackson is known for. Florida's wildlife agency puts the best bass fishing from February through May, spring into early summer, and names hydrilla, eelgrass and maidencane as the best cover to fish. Its standing advice is to work near the lily pads for Florida bass. Bream are the other spring target: the agency says to use crickets, worms or beetle-spins. The lake is shallow, about 7 feet on average, so most of it is plant cover from bank to bank. Bass fall under Florida's statewide rule of five a day, with only one of them 16 inches or longer. Bass clubs use the lake too; the agency keeps a Lake Jackson tournament calendar, updated on Tuesdays, so you can see which ramps will be busy. No dated spring report is published for the lake that we can cite, so treat this as the agency's standing advice and not a catch report from this year.
After May, the agency says, fishing at night becomes the norm on Lake Jackson, to get away from the heat. That is the one summer pattern it gives, and no dated summer report is published for the lake that we can cite. The rest of its advice holds through the hot months. Florida bass: fish near the lily pads, and in the hydrilla, eelgrass and maidencane it names as the lake's best bass cover. Bream: crickets, worms or beetle-spins. Chain pickerel, the jackfish, hit spinners and other shiny lures, and the agency recommends them for keeping new or young anglers busy. Lake Jackson averages about 7 feet deep and tops out at 30. Because it is a sinkhole lake, the level moves, and in low water the agency points boaters to Sunset Landing and Crowder Road Landing. The bass limit is five a day, only one of them 16 inches or longer.
Early fall is topwater time on Lake Jackson. Florida's wildlife agency says topwater baits, frogs in particular, work best here in the early part of the fall during the late evening, fished near the lily pads for Florida bass. Bream stay on the same simple program the agency gives all year: crickets, worms or beetle-spins. For steady action it suggests spinners or other shiny lures for chain pickerel, the jackfish, which it calls a great way to keep new or young anglers busy. The lake is about 7 feet deep on average, with hydrilla, eelgrass and maidencane as the main cover. Water level matters at the ramps: when the lake is low, the agency says to launch at Sunset Landing or Crowder Road Landing. The bass limit is five a day, only one of them 16 inches or longer. No dated fall report is published for the lake that we can cite, so this is standing advice and not this season's catch.
Florida's wildlife agency gives no winter pattern of its own for Lake Jackson, and no dated winter report is published that we can cite, so this section sticks to what the agency and the map support. The agency's best bass window opens in February and runs through May, so late winter is the start of the season the lake is known for. Its standing advice is to fish near the lily pads and in the hydrilla, eelgrass and maidencane. Black crappie are on the agency's species list for the lake, along with bluegill and redear sunfish. Lake Jackson is a sinkhole lake that goes dry about every 25 years, and low water closes off some launches; Sunset Landing and Crowder Road Landing are the agency's picks when the level is down. Five public ramps and three hand launches are mapped on this page. The bass limit is five a day, only one of them 16 inches or longer.
Species on this water
Largemouth Bass
What the lake is known for. Best February through May, per Florida's wildlife agency; fish near lily pads and in hydrilla, eelgrass and maidencane. Topwater frogs in early fall, late evening.
- Creel limit
- 5/day (combined)
- Best season
- Spring
- State record
- 16 lbs 8 oz
Bluegill
Bream take crickets, worms or beetle-spins, the agency says. Redear sunfish are on its species list too.
- Creel limit
- No statewide limit
- Best season
- Spring/Summer
Crappie
Black crappie are on the agency's species list for the lake. It gives no pattern for them.
- Creel limit
- 30/day, 9-inch min
- Best season
- Spring/Winter
Fishing Guides
Stay & Eat
On the Water
Boat ramps
Sunset Landing Park
Tallahassee, FL
- Parking
- spots
- Fee
Leon County landing on the west side, one launch lane plus a separate canoe launch. One of the two ramps the state recommends in low water.
DirectionsCrowder Road Landing
Tallahassee, FL
- Parking
- spots
- Fee
Leon County landing, one launch lane. The other ramp the state recommends in low water.
DirectionsFaulk Landing
Tallahassee, FL
- Parking
- spots
- Fee
Leon County landing, one launch lane, no launch fee listed in the state inventory.
DirectionsRhoden Cove Landing
Tallahassee, FL
- Parking
- spots
- Fee
Leon County landing on the east side, one launch lane.
Directions➤ Map of all 8 boat ramps on Lake Jackson
Bait shops near the lake
Regulations
Regulations on Lake Jackson
- Bass (combined)
- 5 black bass per day under Florida's statewide rule. · No statewide minimum length for largemouth bass; only 1 of the 5 may be 16 inches or longer.
- Crappie
- No minimum or special daily number for crappie is given on the state's Lake Jackson page; Florida's statewide freshwater bag limit applies. · No minimum length for crappie is given on the state's Lake Jackson page.
- Striped/White Bass
No special rules are listed for the lake on the state's page. Bass follow the statewide rule: 5 a day, only 1 of them 16 inches or longer.
A Florida freshwater fishing license. The whole lake is in Florida, in Leon County.. Always verify current rules before your trip.
Full Alabama fishing regulations ›Nearby Waters
Lake Jackson questions
Fishing regulations, water conditions, and seasonal patterns change. Alabama Fishing Atlas provides informational content only. Verify all regulations with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before fishing, keeping any fish, or launching watercraft. We are not liable for decisions made based on information published here. Full disclaimer →
Data sources
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Lake Jackson — https://myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/sites-forecasts/nw/lake-jackson/ (size, depth, plants, sinkhole history, low-water ramps, fishing notes; checked 2026-11-12)
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Boat Ramp Inventory — https://gis.myfwc.com (ramp names, positions, lanes, fees, managers; retrieved 2026-11-12)
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Northwest Region Fishing Forecasts — https://myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/sites-forecasts/nw/ (list of state-managed fishing sites in the region; checked 2026-11-12)
Data last reviewed: 2026-11-12