Lake Panasoffkee

[opaleski]

Went to the boat ramp. Very disappointed as to what shape this lake is in. It used to be clear with great weeds in it, now it looks dark and sloppy. Anyone fish it lately??

[Hez]

I fished it yesterday actually.

It was my first time on the lake, so I can't compare, or offer any comparisons to what it was in days past.

My observations were:

- There is still tons of vegetation...to where it tops out at the surface and makes it difficult to navigate.
- I caught 15 fish...only 2 were keepers (over 12")...they were all about 10" and a 1.5 lbs...chunky...and feeding like crazy. They would hit the bait hard....but they were just small.
- water clarity was clear, but just a lot of vegetation.
- Majority of the canals looked non-navigable due to vegetation.

It almost seems to me that they killed off everything in the lake at some point in the past few years, and re-stocked it with fingerlings and they are all about the same size now.

[TampaJim]

Last time I fished it, was full of silt. The bottom was VERY deep with it.
Most of the lakes in Central Florida look like an ad for RoundUp effectiveness.
It’s really quite sad what a mess we’ve got nowadays. Truly terrible.

[Casslaw]

Hez I’m glad you caught some fish! Panasofkee hasn’t had a “shoreline” since they removed the lock on the river and that was a long time ago. When I used to fish it a lot the river was good fishing, just had to watch out for huge boulders but the water was gin clear.

Panasofkee is an odd lake, most of the south portion of the lake you couldn’t get to shore unless you were in a Jon boat. I blew my first motor on that lake from hydrilla cutting the water supply to the lower unit...I was 12 but still I loved my 20hp Mercury!

All offshore weeds...eliminate the dinks, or catch them all so you can get to the bigger fish closer to the bottom. Find 8’ of water on the north east side of the lake and go at the thickest stuff you can find.

Id heard they destroyed the lake but at least it sounds like it’s coming back. By far one of the best bluegill/shellcracker lakes in the state and it used to be heavily underrated for bass. I used to fish the shellcracker beds as that was the easiest way to get a bait to the bottom but I was in a 14’ Jon boat so wind always played a factor for me when I was a kid.

I truly hope that lake is making a comeback. As a kid that’s where I learned to fish a frog and buzzbait, and at Pana Vista lodge I bought my first spinnerbait...yellow & blue skirt and the wire was a flexible cable...my dad laughed but I caught so many fish on that spinnerbait! That lake taught me how to fish weeds.

[Hez]

Hez I’m glad you caught some fish! Panasofkee hasn’t had a “shoreline” since they removed the lock on the river and that was a long time ago. When I used to fish it a lot the river was good fishing, just had to watch out for huge boulders but the water was gin clear.

Panasofkee is an odd lake, most of the south portion of the lake you couldn’t get to shore unless you were in a Jon boat. I blew my first motor on that lake from hydrilla cutting the water supply to the lower unit...I was 12 but still I loved my 20hp Mercury!

All offshore weeds...eliminate the dinks, or catch them all so you can get to the bigger fish closer to the bottom. Find 8’ of water on the north east side of the lake and go at the thickest stuff you can find.

Id heard they destroyed the lake but at least it sounds like it’s coming back. By far one of the best bluegill/shellcracker lakes in the state and it used to be heavily underrated for bass. I used to fish the shellcracker beds as that was the easiest way to get a bait to the bottom but I was in a 14’ Jon boat so wind always played a factor for me when I was a kid.

I truly hope that lake is making a comeback. As a kid that’s where I learned to fish a frog and buzzbait, and at Pana Vista lodge I bought my first spinnerbait...yellow & blue skirt and the wire was a flexible cable...my dad laughed but I caught so many fish on that spinnerbait! That lake taught me how to fish weeds.

Thanks Cass, I honestly had a good time. And even caught a bluegill on a speed worm lol.

Thanks for the info. So for the big fish I need to fish that offshore thick stuff? Interesting....there seemed to be a lot of it on the north end.

There were tons of beds, but the wind was blowing pretty hard so that made it difficult to fish the beds. I couldn't even tell you if they were active or not.

[Casslaw]

I always found the northern end of the lake to be a little deeper than the south end and to have scattered holes that were 1-2 feet deeper than the surrounding areas. Depending on the wind and how the weeds are acting I always fished the thickest stuff in the deepest part. Call it flipping, pitching, whatever.

Prop lanes from boaters making making their way through the hydrilla also were targets of mine. Any area that made it easier to get my bait through that thick surface mat and get my bait down to where the fish were holding. The areas where it went from matted hydrilla to stopping a couple feet under the water was where I’d throw spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and topwaters, but if the wind is blowing I know boat control can be hard on that lake, although you’re in a ‘glass rig so you may not get blown around like I do.

The south end of the lake used to be so clear the only reason you couldn’t see bottom the whole time was because of the hydrilla. And ‘coots! My lord do they flock to that lake like no other i’ve ever seen!

[Hez]

I always found the northern end of the lake to be a little deeper than the south end and to have scattered holes that were 1-2 feet deeper than the surrounding areas. Depending on the wind and how the weeds are acting I always fished the thickest stuff in the deepest part. Call it flipping, pitching, whatever.

Prop lanes from boaters making making their way through the hydrilla also were targets of mine. Any area that made it easier to get my bait through that thick surface mat and get my bait down to where the fish were holding. The areas where it went from matted hydrilla to stopping a couple feet under the water was where I’d throw spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and topwaters, but if the wind is blowing I know boat control can be hard on that lake, although you’re in a ‘glass rig so you may not get blown around like I do.

The south end of the lake used to be so clear the only reason you couldn’t see bottom the whole time was because of the hydrilla. And ‘coots! My lord do they flock to that lake like no other i’ve ever seen!

I did see some birds...but no coots...at least not in large numbers. Now that you mention it, I did see a few.

The way you describe it is exactly how it was yesterday. Hydrilla topped out with holes in a few places....and a lot of vegetation just 1 or 2 feet below the surface. Visibility was probably 6'.

I have to learn how to fish this thick grass. I see it all the time like this...Conway Chain...John's Lake...now Lake Panasoffkee.

Thanks for the tips Cass

[Hez]

Had a club meeting last night and reviewed the results from the last tournament on Panasofkee. Out of 17 anglers, only 1 limit...12 lbs won it...he caught them all on topwater in 1 hole ...different times of the day.

2nd place was 3 fish for 8 lbs...about 6 people zeroed...

Not good.

[Casslaw]

Ouch, that makes me sad. I’ve caught 9 pounders out of that lake in the early 90’s. Probably only fished it twice since I’ve gotten my boat in June and it was a dink fest but at least they were there.

If the tournament was last weekend...I didn’t catch much Sunday beause of the strong south wind and the weird weather pattern.

That lake has always been moody but that many people getting blanked bothers me.

[Hez]

Tournament was on 11/18...windy that day if I remember right...