How do you guys go about learning a new lake? What do you look for when looking at maps or out on the water? What type of baits do you like to throw for which time of the year when you are out there trying to figure it out?
How do you guys go about learning a new lake? What do you look for when looking at maps or out on the water? What type of baits do you like to throw for which time of the year when you are out there trying to figure it out?
great question. Talk, fish, talk fish, talk, fish, talk, fish. Then fish, talk, fish, talk, fish. I dont know much, and my curve is still in the horozonal position. But I have learned this year to build a network. Share what you know and most likely others will share what they know. I really think this figuires majorly in the pro circuts. I dont think the pros can figuire a lake in a day or two without local knowlege. There is not enough time. I may be wrong. If I am wrong please, pretty please, educate me so I too can figuire out a lake in a day or two.
I always start by searching for something that looks like my home lake or home river. I try the things I use at home and see if i can make the patterns I am best at will work in the new body of water cause anywhere you go a fish is a fish.
If that fails I pull out the finesse tackle and start searching along steep drops and in areas where the channel swings to the bank
I usually get info from local tackle shops and marinas. If not hit the water with my confident baits in areas that I feel are holding fish.
Fall-jigs, ripbaits, swimbaits
winter-jigs, dropshot, darter head. spit shot
spring-swimbaits, ripbaits,
summer-hit the beaches to check the biatches
This is a great post! I'm struggling with this myself.
Also, what is a ripbait?
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ripbait or jerkbait
2-10ft diving type minnow style hardbaits (long and slender)...I usually fish them rapidly in a jerk..jerk..jerk.. pause.. cadence. LC staycees,pointers, rogues are some of my favorites.
A bass is a bass everywhere. Start out trying seasonal patterns on traditional cover/structure and expand from there. Every lake has its own personality but again a bass is a bass and if you stick to basics you can build on your findings.
I also like to start in an area that gives me the most spots to fish such as a part of the lake that has multiple creeks, channels etc. Try to learn a portion at a time rather than the whole thing.
Marks right on the nose with this one..Seaonal patterns is my first clue then I look at the map to see for my self three things 1) spawning areas 2) adjacent Deep water 3) taransitional areas/ natural migration routes in between. Now depending on the time of year/water temp depends on where I begin my usual assumptions. (ie... if its prime spawn conditions I won't start off slinging a DD22 in deep water). I'll start shallow to see if the bigguns have moved up and if not check the transitions ares to find them. Every lake is diffeent and what I may assume is prime Spawn conditions may olny be prespawn or actually post spawn conditions for that lake. With that said then I would fish my strengths depending on my assumptions in order to let the fish tell me what they are doing, then expand from there. This is what makes fishing to me truely enjoyable is figuring them out andthe capitalizing by develpoing the pattern further.
You have to find 'em to catch 'em...
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This is one area that ive learned alot about in the last several years. I love to fish tournaments, but im also in the military, which means Im usually never in one area for more than 3 years. Learning how to find fish on waters ive never seen is just a way of life for me. I can share a few things that I do that also ties in with what others have said
First, I sit down with the best lake map I can find and try to find a large creek that is pretty representative of the entire lake. A well defined creek channel with lots of bends is usually a good bet. I do this in order to isolate my practices to a smaller area instead of running all over the lake. Once I decide which arm im going to try I identify where all the shallow flats and spawning areas are. Next I go out from the spawning areas and identify all the secondary pts that are close to the spawning areas. Finally I identify the larger primary points and offshore humps and ledges. This usually takes about an hour to do. Once this is complete, its just a matter of season. Summer and winter start looking at primary points and offshore, prespawn and post spawn concentrate on secondary pts and other fish holding areas ( deep piers, riprap) that are adjacent to spawing areas, and in spawn go shallow (preferably on the north shore). There are some other small nuances that go into this, and bait selection can obviosly be huge, but for someone going to new water, this blueprint should help. Neat thing is, if you can find a pattern using this in that one creek arm, lots of times you can duplicate that pattern in the other creeks, but you have the luxury of going right to the water that you know should be productive, which saves loads of time and allows you to cover more ground. Hope this helps. Im certainly no expert, but this is what works for me.
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