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Posts: 311
| What is the first thing you guys look for when fishing new water? |
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Posts: 574
| river inlets/rockpiles/beaches/deep dropoffs near any of the others |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | Smokin Joe - 3/12/2008 2:39 PM
What is the first thing you guys look for when fishing new water?
usually lambeau's tackle box... 
S. |
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Posts: 311
| Sorno, that is funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| Boat ramp, then weed. |
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| The boat launch and shoals that are hittable with my boat. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Look at the shoreline around the lake area you can see from the launch. Assuming there is no map in the boat, a good rule of thumb is to try to imagine the contour and shoreline makeup continuation from the shore out into the water, many times it's right on. Pine trees usually mean less weedline along the shore, popples and birch can mean more. A low, more open area in the back of a bay full of popples and birch surrounded by pines out into the deeper water can mean a sharp entry into the bay, then gradual slope to a weedline in the back of the bay. If there's a creek coming in, that can be a total home run area.
Points speak for themselves, as do islands. Round rock is good. Sharp break off round rock is good too. Weeds inside the round rock leading to a sharp break can be perfect. |
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| Good stuff Steve. What do the trees on the shoreline have to do with the structure under the water? |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | sworrall - 3/12/2008 3:19 PM
Look at the shoreline around the lake area you can see from the launch. Assuming there is no map in the boat, a good rule of thumb is to try to imagine the contour and shoreline makeup continuation from the shore out into the water, many times it's right on. Pine trees usually mean less weedline along the shore, popples and birch can mean more. A low, more open area in the back of a bay full of popples and birch surrounded by pines out into the deeper water can mean a sharp entry into the bay, then gradual slope to a weedline in the back of the bay. If there's a creek coming in, that can be a total home run area.
Points speak for themselves, as do islands. Round rock is good. Sharp break off round rock is good too. Weeds inside the round rock leading to a sharp break can be perfect.
Expanding on this just a bit, eroding cut banks can mean a couple of things, 1) exposure to current, and 2) deposition of fines from the cut bank in the immediate area is good substrate for weeds. Weeds + current = find something good in lambeau's tackle box!
S. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Aspen and similar trees generally grow in more fertile, moister areas, less rocky. Pines usually indicate a sharper break with less soil, dryer soil(better drainage), more rocks. Soil under pines tends to be very acidic, too. The trees basically indicate the soil type, and what is on the bank will extend (and as Sorno said, sometimes erode) into the water.
Expanding further, think 3D. What you see above the water is in 3D, so imagine what is under the same way, naturally extending what obvious features in the landscape into the water. Sure, there will be surprises, but there will be more 'uh huh, that's what I thoughts'. |
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Posts: 767
Location: Ames, Iowa | 1. The least inhabited (by humans) part of the lakeshore.
2. Wind and its direction
3. and then some flats, points, reefs, weeds, rocks associated with the wind |
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Posts: 170
| Any structure that is adjacent to deep water.
Also, sloping rock slabs leading into the waters edge. If there is sand on shore close/adjacent to the rock slab, better yet...as water runs off into the lake, very often the deposits will result in week growth.
Edited by JimLang 3/12/2008 7:16 PM
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Posts: 95
Location: LOTW every chance I get | Thanks for that explanation Steve. I think I have always intuitively done what you are saying, but I have never seen it put into words like that. Makes sense. Dave |
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Posts: 785
| I look for obvious structure on a lake map like sunken islands/reefs, saddles, points, and combinations of them. If the lake is low on these classic structures then by far the most productive spots on the types of lakes I fish will be the largest food shelves (flats) that are in the main lake or with fast access to deep water. Also large bays that are open to the main lake can be good as well. The common factor on these spots will be weed beds or in some cases boulder fields.
Before fishing a new lake I will print a map off the DNR website and shade in the 5' or 5' and 10' contour (depending on water clarity) with a green colored pencil. It has been proven many times that the areas of the thickest or most green shading on the map near open or deep water will typically be some of your better spots. This may not apply on all lakes of course, but on many natural lakes with weed growth it is a good method. |
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| Mr. Worrall, Thank you for that post, I have a whole new "game plan" when I hit a new lake. Very informative post!!!! |
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