South Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (FL)

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Lake depth chart

South Lake, FL

Max 6 ft

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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.

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Recent catches at South Lake

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 South Lake on the board.

Fishing South Lake: what the data says

674-acre lake. Hydroacoustic-surveyed Florida lake (FWC). Standard Florida warmwater roster; species not individually verified. The lake tops out around 6 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

South Lake maps at 683 acres behind 5.9 miles of shoreline — 2 islands included. With a 1.6 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. The basin spans about 1.8 mi end to end and 0.8 mi across at its widest. Brevard County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Fox Lake, is 2 mi to the south.

Largemouth Bass fishing at South Lake

When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 1 to 6 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 6 ft, winter 2 to 6 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Grass flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	dawn & dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	2 to 6 ft	dawn & dusk	Contour break (6 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	2 to 6 ft	midday & dawn	Grass flat (3 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	2 to 6 ft	midday	Contour break (6 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at South Lake

When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 6 ft, winter 2 to 6 ft. Start at Grass flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	2 to 6 ft	dawn & dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	2 to 6 ft	midday	Grass flat (3 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	2 to 6 ft	midday	Deepest hole (6 ft)	Tiny spoon

Crappie fishing at South Lake

Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 6 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 6 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 6 ft. Start at Deepest hole. It's a deep basin holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 6 ft	midday & dawn	Grass flat (3 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	2 to 6 ft	dawn & dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	2 to 6 ft	dawn	Contour break (6 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	2 to 6 ft	midday	Deepest hole (6 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at South Lake

When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 2 to 6 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 6 ft, winter 2 to 6 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deepest hole: a deep basin around 6 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	2 to 6 ft	dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)
Summer	2 to 6 ft	night & dusk	Deepest hole (6 ft)
Fall	2 to 6 ft	dusk	Deepest hole (6 ft)
Winter	2 to 6 ft	midday	Deepest hole (6 ft)

Notable structure

The chart marks 6 structure features on South Lake; the deepest is Deepest hole at about 6 ft.

Deepest hole: deep basin, around 6 ft
Contour break: drop-off, around 6 ft
Grass flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Contour break: drop-off, around 2 ft
Grass flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Grass flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

South Lake 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 South Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Florida fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is South Lake?

South Lake is about 6 ft (2 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 South Lake?

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

Where is the best fishing spot on South Lake?

Grass flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish South Lake?

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 South Lake?

Fishing on South Lake 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

Fox Lake 2 mi · Ruth Lake 5 mi · Titusville Indian River Lagoon 8 mi · North Indian River Lagoon 9 mi · Cocoa Indian River Lagoon 14 mi · Horseshoe Lake 16 mi · North Banana River Lagoon 18 mi · Indian River 19 mi, FL/MI · Lake Poinsett 20 mi · Central Banana River Lagoon 21 mi · Lake Jesup 23 mi · Lake Winder 25 mi

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

More water nearby: Brevard County fishing maps (8 charts). 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.