Lake Sampson Depth Map & Fishing Spots (FL)

Skip to interactive depth chart

Lake depth chart

Lake Sampson, FL

Max 13 ft

Today's read

Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Dec 15 · upper ends and stained creeks turn on first, the main lake follows; Deep-South creeks hold bait into December

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Willow fly (summer mayfly)Active window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Oct 31 · recurring broods all summer — the heart of it is June–July, famously around July 4th on the Tennessee River lakes; any one hatch lasts days to ~3 weeks

dunhatches at dusk — clouds of bugs just before dark, continuing into the night — after hatching they fly to shoreline foliage — trees near lighted docks get covered; the feeding zone is the water under bug-loaded overhanging bushes and willows
spinnerthe following days: mating, egg drop and spent flies falling from the overhangs — the bream bite under the bushes runs as long as the bugs do

A two-level event: bream stack under the bug trees, and the big bass stack under the bream. Fish the same bushes twice — small for bream, big for the bass just outside them.

Crickets or small poppers under a float tight to the bug-covered bushes for bream; beetle spins and hair jigs just under the surface; for the bass, run a bluegill-pattern topwater or squarebill down the outside edge of the overhangs.

The event happens over under and just outside overhanging willows and bushes on steep banks; trees near lighted docks after dark

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageFeb 15 – May 15 · in ~6 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~6 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Lake Sampson

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Lake Sampson on the board.

Fishing Lake Sampson: what the data says

2,050-acre lake. Hydroacoustic-surveyed Florida lake (FWC). Standard Florida warmwater roster; species not individually verified. The lake tops out around 13 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.

Lake Sampson maps at 2,082 acres behind 9.2 miles of shoreline, broken up by 2 islands. A shoreline index of 1.4 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. End to end it runs roughly 2.3 mi, about 2 mi across. Bradford County claims this one. Lake Alto sits 11 mi south — the closest neighbouring chart.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Sampson

Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 13 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 13 ft. Start at Grass flat. It's a weed flat holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Grass flat (4 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	4 to 13 ft	dawn & dusk	Contour break (11 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	3 to 13 ft	midday & dawn	Grass flat (4 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	4 to 13 ft	midday	Contour break (11 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Lake Sampson

Come spring, look for bluegill tight to the bank in 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 3 to 13 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 13 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Grass flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Grass flat (4 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	3 to 13 ft	dawn & dusk	Grass flat (4 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	4 to 13 ft	midday	Grass flat (4 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	4 to 13 ft	midday	Deepest hole (13 ft)	Tiny spoon

Crappie fishing at Lake Sampson

When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 13 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 13 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deepest hole: a deep basin around 13 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Grass flat (4 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	4 to 13 ft	dawn & dusk	Grass flat (4 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	4 to 13 ft	dawn	Contour break (11 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	4 to 13 ft	midday	Deepest hole (13 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Sampson

Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 13 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 13 ft. Start at Deepest hole. It's a deep basin holding about 13 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	Grass flat (4 ft)
Summer	4 to 13 ft	night & dusk	Deepest hole (13 ft)
Fall	4 to 13 ft	dusk	Deepest hole (13 ft)
Winter	4 to 13 ft	midday	Deepest hole (13 ft)

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 11 features, led in depth by Deepest hole at roughly 13 ft.

Deepest hole: deep basin, around 13 ft
Contour break: drop-off, around 13 ft
Contour break: drop-off, around 11 ft
Grass flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Contour break: drop-off, around 2 ft
Grass flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Grass flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Grass flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Shell bar: gravel shoal, around 1 ft
Shell bar: gravel shoal, around 1 ft
Shell bar: gravel shoal, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Lake Sampson fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Florida waters are set by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — and special regulations can apply to Lake Sampson specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Florida fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Sampson?

Lake Sampson is about 13 ft (4 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Lake Sampson?

Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, channel catfish on Lake Sampson.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Sampson?

Grass flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Lake Sampson?

For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Lake Sampson?

Fishing on Lake Sampson is regulated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Check the official Florida regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Lake Alto 11 mi · Butler Lake 12 mi · Lowry Lake 12 mi · Lake Brooklyn 13 mi · Santa Fe Lake 14 mi · Sheeler Lake 15 mi · Newnans Lake 20 mi · Cowpen Lake 25 mi · Wauberg Lake 28 mi · Star Lake 29 mi · Doctors Lake 30 mi · Alligator Lake 31 mi

See how Lake Sampson stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Florida · best crappie lakes in Florida · best bluegill lakes in Florida · best channel catfish lakes in Florida

Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.