Pro angler Pete Thliveros targets boat docks in deeper water during midday hours on Crescent Lake. Photo by Bud Reiter.

The midsummer months may not be the most pleasant time to pursue bass, but there is no reason why it can't be a productive time. In fact, given that elevated water temperatures raise the metabolism rate of the bass, it's pretty obvious they have to eat.

If they have to eat, they can certainly be caught. It does take some different tactics than those that have proved successful during more temperate months. If your summer bassin' takes place in northeast Florida, here are three lakes that can yield a lot of summer bass, and a look at the tactics that can make that happen for you right now.

SANTA FE LAKE
At 5,856 acres, Santa Fe and the connecting Little Santa Fe seem to provide a mid-sized lake. But they fish a lot bigger than they look. Featuring a very narrow littoral zone, there is more water area deeper than 20 feet than shallower than 3 feet. Between those two extremes is a wealth of water in the 8- to 16-foot depth range. Add the fact Santa Fe has an excellent population of threadfin shad, and it's easy to see the bass don't have to snuggle up under whatever shallow shady cover they can find.

Midsummer anglers on this lake are well advised to think deeper than shallower. That even applies to shoreline cover the first thing in the morning.

"At dawn, I would be looking for the deepest outside edges of the maidencane I could find," said life-long area resident Gary Simpson, who in addition to managing Gainesville's premier fishing supply emporium, The Tackle Box, also pens the fishing columns for the Gainesville Sun newspaper.

"The first thing in the morning," he continued, "a lot of bass will be right on those outside edges in 5 to 7 feet of water. The most productive technique I have found is to toss a very lightly weighted plastic worm to the outside edge and just let it flutter down. A lot of your strikes come as the worm falls. If there are any open pockets just inside the edge, they're targets also."

Top worms on Santa Fe are those in the 6- to 7-inch range, fished with 1/8-ounce weights and in June bug, Red Shad, translucent blue or Pumpkinseed colors.

On most days, that outside edge maidencane action is over within a couple of hours. Under some circumstances, however, a number of bass may remain in the cane -- or the "straw" as local anglers refer to it -- throughout the day. If the water level is up and there is 6 or 7 feet along the outer edge, or if there is a heavy overcast, some bass remain in the cane throughout the day. Flipping the thickest, deepest patches, and especially any areas that might have floating vegetation drifted in around them, with a compact 3 1/2-inch craw can sometimes score at midday.

On most days, however, midday anglers have to set their sights a bit deeper. And there are two effective options.

"Scattered around the lake in 8 to 14 feet of water are beds of green soft, bottom-growing moss," Simpson said. "It's kind of slimy and not a lot of fun to fish with a worm because it will ball up on the sinker. But it can hold a lot of bass this time of year."