Doctors Lake

[stewa107]

I'm going to be taking a trip to the St John's River System in October. Ive been looking at maps and was thinking of trying Doctors Lake in Clay County. Does anyone have experience here for largemouth? 

[N Florida Mike]

I won a tournament there once with red shad culprit worms fishing eel grass patches. I haven’t fished it now in years. Much of the eel grass in the river system is gone now, which is one less pattern you can depend on. I would start with grass if you can find some, or lily pad patches..I used to also do well with black or black grape producto tournament worms in the river system.They are still available on line. Id get the larger size ( 8 inch ?) . I never fished with them in there , but Id also try spinnerbaits or chatterbaits around any grass you can find.

I would try docks also ( skipping under and around them), and cypress trees when the tide is high.

It is generally shallow , but you can easily get a depth chart on google and try to fish the few deep holes too with rattletraps or crankbaits.  There is a deeper channel of sorts just inside the 17 bridge that goes into the lake for a few hundred yards in the middle. If it’s real windy you could try swimming pen creek or the few canals…

 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, N Florida Mike said:

I won a tournament there once with red shad culprit worms fishing eel grass patches. I haven’t fished it now in years. Much of the eel grass in the river system is gone now, which is one less pattern you can depend on. I would start with grass if you can find some, or lily pad patches..I used to also do well with black or black grape producto tournament worms in the river system.They are still available on line. Id get the larger size ( 8 inch ?) . I never fished with them in there , but Id also try spinnerbaits or chatterbaits around any grass you can find.

I would try docks also ( skipping under and around them), and cypress trees when the tide is high.

It is generally shallow , but you can easily get a depth chart on google and try to fish the few deep holes too with rattletraps or crankbaits.  There is a deeper channel of sorts just inside the 17 bridge that goes into the lake for a few hundred yards in the middle. If it’s real windy you could try swimming pen creek or the few canals…

 

Well now I want go…..

[N Florida Mike]

Come on ! You probably didn’t get enough of the Sante Fe either, did you ?

Im actually sitting here at Trout Creek off the St Johns writing this… When they do the palatka tournament launches , they go about this far north and turn around lol.

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, N Florida Mike said:

Come on ! You probably didn’t get enough of the Sante Fe either, did you ?

Im actually sitting here at Trout Creek off the St Johns writing this… When they do the palatka tournament launches , they go about this far north and turn around lol.

Purple worm heaven 

[N Florida Mike]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Purple worm heaven 

I’ve done better with black grape or red shad in those waters, but I haven’t fished purple as much though…