Florida's Lake Panasoffkee If you're looking for good mid-winter bass fishing, consider heading for Florida's Lake Panasoffkee. Best bass months at this Sumter County lake are from mid-January through April and from late September through November. Bluegills usually begin bedding here in April, while shellcrackers usually bed in May and June. Although a wild shiner is the most widely used bait for big bass at Lake Panasoffkee, several artificials including Rapalas, Reel Magics, Bangolures, Dalton Specials, artificial eels and the Cotee Weedless Swimmin' Glitter Worm are quickly gaining acceptance. Fly fishermen, using popping bugs, frequently connect with limit hauls, particularly at the north end of the lake, in the Outlet, and in the Princess Lake area which flows into the Withlacoochee River. Live worms seem to work best for shellcrackers, while grass shrimp, Beetlespins, tiny jigs, popping bugs, and wiggler worms are tops for filling a bluegill stringer. Speck fans insist that a Missouri minnow is the ticket to success. Located 70 miles north of Tampa, just west of I-75 on State Road 470, the Lake Panasoffkee community is 15 miles from Webster, home of the "World's Largest Flea Market." It has a new library, tennis court, and recreation area. A good headquarters for your fishing is Pana Vista Lodge, the only full-service fish camp on the lake, which has been owned by Jim and Eloise Veal since 1954. Pana Vista has been a fish camp since the late 1800s, possibly making it the oldest such facility in Florida. For more information about the lodge, call 904-793-2061. From a marshy area at the north end, to a grassy area at the south end, Lake Panasoffkee measures nine miles in length and is about two miles wide. Some 20 million gallons of fresh water pours into the lake daily through natural springs. Also feeding the lake is Panasoffkee Creek at the south end, along with Little and Big Jones creeks at the north end. The Outlet River flows into the Withlacoochee River, two miles away. The only development is on the western shoreline. The lake bottom consists of sand, shell, and marl. Lake Panasoffkee is quite shallow, with an average depth of about six feet. Its deepest part is only 9-10 feet. Instead of working shoreline cover and structure where the smaller bass hang out, to catch bigger fish it's necessary to move toward the center of the lake and concentrate on or in grassy areas. In addition to a few patches of submerged hydrilla, the lake has coontail, shrimp moss, maidencane, pepper, and eel grass--all essential to a robust fishery. Copyright (c) 1997 All Outdoors, Inc. All rights reserved.