Recommendations for Santa Fe Dam/Reservoir - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

addicted2sp33d · 04-07-2013, 01:24 PM

Thought I'd follow this up with a report... of absolutely nothing!

There was a 7-10mph breeze coming from the West, so there was a lot of surface chop. My friend and I hiked along the northern shore and the southern shore that wasn't blocked off by the Renaissance Fair. We tried drop shots, crank baits, worms, grubs, power bait, even some stinky anchovies. Nothing... not even any missing baits coming back.

I talked to everyone that I came across, and none reported success of any kind, not even Bluegills or Crappies.

There was a guy with a PA12/14 fishing around the island in the middle, but we didn't see him hook up on anything either.

As for the depth, some of the locals said it was up to 50 feet deep in some places, while others said the Reservoir is like a giant shallow rice bowl, with a maximum depth of about 10 feet. Based on how long the drop shots would take line after hitting the water, I would guess the latter. At least as far as we could cast from the shore, it was no more than 6-8 feet deep.

There was a decent flock of scuba chickens there. Watching them dive, I would guess the water was not that deep because they would come back up after about 5-10 seconds.

There are also rocks or something down there that snag a lot of drop shot weights and lead heads.

Boat rentals are absolutely ridiculous - $25.00 per hour rowboat.

For better or worse, it was a quiet day. At least I saved the $25.00 entry fee at the Renaissance Faire.

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04-07-2013, 01:24 PM	#6
addicted2sp33d Here fishy fishy fishy... Join Date: May 2011 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 774	Thought I'd follow this up with a report... of absolutely nothing! There was a 7-10mph breeze coming from the West, so there was a lot of surface chop. My friend and I hiked along the northern shore and the southern shore that wasn't blocked off by the Renaissance Fair. We tried drop shots, crank baits, worms, grubs, power bait, even some stinky anchovies. Nothing... not even any missing baits coming back. I talked to everyone that I came across, and none reported success of any kind, not even Bluegills or Crappies. There was a guy with a PA12/14 fishing around the island in the middle, but we didn't see him hook up on anything either. As for the depth, some of the locals said it was up to 50 feet deep in some places, while others said the Reservoir is like a giant shallow rice bowl, with a maximum depth of about 10 feet. Based on how long the drop shots would take line after hitting the water, I would guess the latter. At least as far as we could cast from the shore, it was no more than 6-8 feet deep. There was a decent flock of scuba chickens there. Watching them dive, I would guess the water was not that deep because they would come back up after about 5-10 seconds. There are also rocks or something down there that snag a lot of drop shot weights and lead heads. Boat rentals are absolutely ridiculous - $25.00 per hour rowboat. For better or worse, it was a quiet day. At least I saved the $25.00 entry fee at the Renaissance Faire.