Lake Santa Fe

Panfish can be found around docks and cypress trees scattered around the lake. Target those fish using crickets, earthworms, and grass shrimp. If you are targeting black crappie, focus your efforts offshore, either in open water or around any submerged structure, including marked fish attractors. A good fishfinder will help in locating offshore structure and suspended fish. With water temperatures cooling, crappie may begin to make their way closer to shore. Troll or drift crappie jigs or minnows and try to cover as much water as possible. Experiment by fishing different water depths, lure depths, lure colors and boat speeds and use that information to duplicate your success in other areas of the lake. Numerous trophy bass were reported during the spring and summer months, most from Little Santa Fe Lake. Anglers can find largemouth bass in near-shore maidencane beds, under docks, and around cypress trees. Look for bass to move closer to shore near the end of the fall and into winter as they prepare to spawn. Soft plastics either flipped, pitched, or dragged near structure should draw strikes. As the water cools, anglers should try slow-trolling live golden shiners parallel to the outer grass edges. Precipitation is predicted to be below normal this fall, which may decrease water levels and limit access to shoreline habitat. Keep an eye open for roving schools of feeding bass offshore. Look for birds diving or surface commotion to find these feeding fish. Approach these feeding schools with stealth, and you should be able to catch multiple fish before the action stops. Effective lures for schooling bass include shad or minnow imitators including spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and plugs.