Tossing a spinnerbait in April can produce bass like this lunker largemouth on the St. Johns River. Photo by William J. Bohica.

No matter where you fish for bass in northeast Florida, it’s hard to find a better time to do it than the period from mid-March to mid-May. Regardless of how severe the winter may have been, there are some bass spawning during late March. In many areas -- especially on the northern end of the region -- April can see the peak of the spawn. Once the spawn winds down, there are still plenty of bass in the shallows and they are ready to feed!

That’s as good as it gets, and there are plenty of places where it gets good. But here are two spots where spending some time can really pay off this month!

SANTA FE LAKE
At a combined 5,800 acres, Santa Fe Lake and the connecting Little Santa Fe Lake aren’t large waters in size. But they fish bigger than they look.

Located in Melrose, they sit in the “sand hill lake” country, and the bottom strata is hard sand with a surprising number of offshore shell beds, ridges and finger bars. Like similar lakes, they run deep. Maximum depths reach 27 feet, and a lot more water is deeper than 10 feet than shallower. The offshore habitat is significant, and the lakes are also two of the few water bodies in Florida with a large threadfin shad population, which provides a wealth of open-water forage. Unlike some other lakes in this general area, Santa Fe has also enjoyed a remarkably stable habitat over the years, which has promoted a very stable bass population.

The shallow littoral zone, comprising only a small portion of the lakes, is largely filled with maiden cane and cypress trees that can grow out to depths of 6 or 7 feet. For much of the year, the bass make only infrequent visits to those shallows during the early morning and evening hours. The fish spend much of their time at depths below 10 feet, where they have everything they need to flourish.

But that changes during the spawn. April is the peak of the spawn on Santa Fe and sees the majority of the bass relating to shallower water. That puts them within reach of most anglers, and there are a number of ways to connect with them.

One consistent area they use is what is commonly referred to as “the trees” on the south end of Santa Fe Lake. This 2-mile long section is a mixture of mature cypress trees, shallow maiden cane and fallen timber. It’s one of the better spawning areas on the lake, and anglers working it during the morning and evening hours are likely to score.