Went to the dam at Santa Fe for a day of bass fishing. There was some nice cloud cover early in the morning as I headed out. Got on the water at 7:30 a.m. and fished until about 2:30 p.m.

I landed 5 largemouth bass, all on crankbait. I tried some jigs, spinner baits and worms, but the only thing I could get them to hit was the crankbait. For a newbie - it was an awesome time. All the bass were around 2lbs, except the first bass which was right around 3lbs by my estimation (must buy a scale!). It was a great follow up to my first bass earlier in the month. I'm really hooked now!!

All the bass were taken along the shore, near substantial cover. This resevoir is only 70 acres and at its deepest is only 15'. Most people who fish there are hunting for the stocked trout or catfish. I don't think the bass here get's much pressure.

One of the things I noticed is that all my bass happened after good casts to new locations. As I approached (in my float tube) and hit the spots I wanted - I had some luck. I also missed a couple fish....

Santa Fe has three islands and lots of cover (over grown trees and bushes) along the north shore. The islands are man-made and have nice drop-offs. Other than the reservoir being shallow - there are some spots tailor made for bass fishing. The south shore is pretty much cover free and that's where most of the trout fisherman hang out - so they're easy to avoid.

Almost forgot... all bass were released, of course!

Is this the Santa Fe Dam area in the San Gabriel valley?

It's in Irwindale off the 605 Fwy.

http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?BFCat=&Pyt=Tmap&newFL=Use+Address+Below&addr=&csz=irwindale%2C+ca&Country=us&Get%A0Map=Get+Map


Is it that little blue spot in the green?

The entrance to Sante Fe dam is off of Arrow Hwy & Azusa Canyon Rd. If you take the 605, get off on Live Oak Ave. and go east. Live Oak is the last exit before the 210 interchange if you're heading north or the first if you're coming from the 210 heading south. Live Oak will bend around the rocks to the dam and turn into Arrow Hwy going east. From that point, continue eastward about one mile until you come to Azusa Canyon Rd. ( the rocks of the dam follow the Hwy right to the entrance at Azusa Canyon Rd. ). Go left at Azusa Canyon and continue to the front gate. If you take the 210 from the east your best bet would be to get off on Irwindale Rd. and go south. When you hit Arrow Hwy, make a right (go west ) and continue about a 1/4 mile till you come to Azusa Canyon Rd.. I believe the entrance fee is still $6.00 as it has been for a while. I remember the days when it was free and then went up to $3.00, how we all thought that was outrageous. Ha! Anyhow, I've fished this lake many a time since I live about 10 minutes away and it can be pretty productive for bass. The north side is probably the best due to the vegitation and secludedness ( is that a word!? ). I usually fish the trout there either at the beginning by the first parking lot or at the extreme oppisite side by the very last parking area. These are by far the best destinations after the stocks since that is where they put 'em in. Well, I hope this helps you out if you're thinking about going and, oh ya, one more thing to remember. The place can be a zoo on the weekends so get there early and if you can, fish the north side cause there are less mutants there. That's just a term I give to the hoards of park goers and mass of fisherpeople that line the shore. Especially in the areas I mentioned at the front and back sides of this lake. Good luck and fish this lake hard if you want success.

GO BRUINS....GO RAMS....GO FISHING....!!!!

GO BRUINS....GO RAMS....GO FISHING....!!!!
FLOWING THROUGH MY VEINS!!!!

Can I get some information on float tubing at Santa Fe Dam?

Thanks
Mo

$6 entrance fee... $6 to launch a tube.

It can be noisy... radio's blasting at one end can be heard for quite a distance. If the races are going at Irwindale Speedway, you can hear them too.

Weekday's are probably best.

Thanks SJ. I appreciate it!

Mo

is the north side of the lake accesible to shore fisherman? do you know of any other reservoirs like this one in the area?

Yes, there are parts of the north shore that are accessible to fisherman - some very nice spots in fact.

I'm not aware of any other reservoirs in the area. I've never been to Sam Dimas' reservoir, but it might be another worth checking out.

There's also Legg Lake... I have never been there, but I understand bass are caught there as well. It's somewhere in Rosemead.