NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

December 12, 1997

CONTACT: Lt. Dewey Weaver (904) 758-0525

SUNSHINE BASS FISHING HOT IN SANTA FE LAKE

Fishermen are reaping the harvest of sunshine bass stocked into Santa Fe Lake by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) according to surveys conducted by FWC fisheries biologists.

Following a two-year interval in which sunshine bass were not stocked into Santa Fe Lake, 49,000 fingerlings were stocked in the spring of 1997 and are now catchable size. The fast growing, good-eating fish is a cross between a striped bass and white bass and reach catchable size very quickly. They have body shapes similar to largemouth bass but have smaller mouths and broken black lines run from the head toward the tail. These fish are hybrids and do not spawn under natural conditions.

Sunshine bass are very aggressive feeders and take live bait quite readily. Research has shown that they can be caught year-round, but they prefer to school and feed vigorously during colder months of the year.

"The reduced stocking rate this year as compared to previous years, will provide a bonus to some anglers while the sunshine bass will not compete for food with other sport fish," said Jerry Krummrich, fisheries administrator for the FWC.

Sunshine bass feed on threadfin shad and will readily strike top water lures, small spinners, small minnows, crank baits or lures trolled in the mid-lake area.