Fishes!
 

Can anybody tell me what fish live in Lake Sumter?

I saw some beauties from the edge of the dock, along with bottled-nose turtles and my first alligator.
I was impressed with how healthy the lake appeared... it was a joy to see.
Tell me what kind of fish we've got in there!

Don't know about the fish, but the "bottle nose" turtles are Florida Soft Shell turtles. They are well described in a brief page on Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_softshell_turtle

Now someone help out with the fish?

Many of the fish that hang out near the boardwalk are carp. They are the bulky, slow moving fish that have a dark color ranging from green to brown. They stay near the boardwalk because people feed them. Striped bass are the sleek, quick moving fish that are silver in color with dark stripes on their sides. Also, there are a good number of rainbow trout which can be recognized by the rainbow colors on their sides. And, being Florida, there are catfish in the lake.

You can commonly see soft shell turtles, occasionally a snapping turtle, and every so often an alligator in the lake. There is one about 4 feet long that cruises by the boardwalk every so often. There are some larger alligators in Lake Sumter that are currently being removed by alligator hunters as a precaution since they can be quite dangerous.

Lake Sumter is not open for fishing because it is privately owned.

I'm not a fish expert, but have learned about local fish by living here in the bubble.

There are also bass, crappie, bluegill, and oscar. Oscar (an non-florida exotic) have a brightly-colored open circle near their tale.

Next April-May-early June, you will see large rings in the lake bottom, just out from the edge. Those are beds formed by spawning fish who swep the area with their tails. The larger female fish and the smaller male, who swims guard against infiltrators, are easy to spot.

At least 2 decent sized gators call the lake home; they often drift near the boardwalk behind the Waterfront Inn. I have also seen a few baby gators...little ones of about 18".

What makes the circular holes in the bottom of the lake - kinda look like nests - fish or turtles.

Fish. Usually bass and panfish.

Alligators are currently being removed due to people feeding them. Some have become aggressive so they all are being removed

Wow... how cool is all that! Thanks everybody, for taking the time to share great information! I didn't realize that Florida would be home to some of the same fish as we have in Lake Michegan.

I don't fish, but come from an illustrious line of serious, passionate, consummate fishermen. I just enjoy the beauty of nature, when I am privileged
enough to catch a glimpse!