Lake Sampson

ABOUT THIS PLACE

Lake Sampson sits outside Starke and is fished rather than swum. The state's own survey found good numbers of bluegill and redear sunfish on the south and southwest sides, with largemouth bass, pickerel and black crappie in the lake as well, and forage fish abundant through the northern end. Vegetation grows in the shallows and in masses offshore. The lake is joined to Lake Rowell, and the join is a railroad trestle: whether you can get under it depends on the water level, and most low or small boats still can. Anglers after bass often carry on through to Rowell, where the state notes the bigger fish may be more numerous. The survey records no surface acreage, no depth and no ramp locations, so none is claimed here. Black crappie sit offshore rather than in the weeds, and the state advises trolling and drifting to find them rather than anchoring over one spot. In a dry spell the water drops far enough that a mudboat or an airboat becomes the sensible craft. In a wet one the trestle can sit too low to pass under at all, which is the opposite problem and catches people out. The lake is a few minutes from the middle of Starke