I'm generally pretty good at locating fish in bodies of water that have noticeable weed lines and cover. But this weekend I'm fishing a lake with very clear water, few weeds, and a rocky bottom.
Where would you start looking for fish? They don't seem to be in close to shore where visibility is quite high.. and if they are suspending deeper I wonder how I'll ever find them.
Thoughts?
Clear Water Lakes
Read back a few days ago about my trip to Sharbot lake P.P....this lake was bang on to what you are talking about....crystal clear water...deep and rocky....very few weeds anywhere....the only time the fish showed up was after the sun was down...and when it hadn't risen yet...but when they were there...yahoo...great bite....something to consider..
RJ
RJ
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wolfe
- Diamond Participant
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- Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2004 11:04 am
- Location: Marietta, NY & Wolfe Lake, Ont.
Mossman,
Find the shoals and/or rocky points -- work them all around for both S/M bass and walleye. It's tough learning a new lake and a new style of presentation, but I think you're heading in to a good, active smallmouth time, so concentrate on them with a variety of surface lures (weather, time of day permitting), suspending rapalas, jigs & crankbaits. Work your way around the shoals, and in different depths off the structure. You should scare up something.
In the a.m. hours or dusk hours, fling a few surface lures towards the rocky shoreline such as Spooks, Torpedoes, etc. Nothing like a smallmouth caught this way, if you ask me.
Best of luck. Report back to us, please!
W.
PS: what lake are you fishing, by the way??
Find the shoals and/or rocky points -- work them all around for both S/M bass and walleye. It's tough learning a new lake and a new style of presentation, but I think you're heading in to a good, active smallmouth time, so concentrate on them with a variety of surface lures (weather, time of day permitting), suspending rapalas, jigs & crankbaits. Work your way around the shoals, and in different depths off the structure. You should scare up something.
In the a.m. hours or dusk hours, fling a few surface lures towards the rocky shoreline such as Spooks, Torpedoes, etc. Nothing like a smallmouth caught this way, if you ask me.
Best of luck. Report back to us, please!
W.
PS: what lake are you fishing, by the way??
Thanks, Dad, for taking me fishing when I was a kid.
The report:
The lake in question was Lake Clear. I did better this time than I did before .. of course bass season is open now and it wasn't during my first visit
I managed to pick smallies up around various islands that had rocky shoals extending off of them followed by a drop off. Top water baits weren't very effective in the early morning.. however they paid off if in the evening. I also had some some success with a suspending rapala husky jerk being twitched and yanked.
Thanks for the information everyone provided. It definately gave me some more confidence on this particular body of water.
The lake in question was Lake Clear. I did better this time than I did before .. of course bass season is open now and it wasn't during my first visit
I managed to pick smallies up around various islands that had rocky shoals extending off of them followed by a drop off. Top water baits weren't very effective in the early morning.. however they paid off if in the evening. I also had some some success with a suspending rapala husky jerk being twitched and yanked.
Thanks for the information everyone provided. It definately gave me some more confidence on this particular body of water.
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Walleye Killer
- Participant
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:04 pm
- Location: Barrhaven
- Contact:
Hey Mossman,
Members of my family have had a cottage on Lake Clear since I was very young and I've had a lot of chance to fish it. Next time you're there try the channel into little lake clear in the morning. It's one of only a few spots in the lake with a decent weed bed and it seems to attract the fish. I find topwater and suspending works best but thats only my opinion. There's big bass hanging out there as well as some fair size pike. There's also a weedy sand bar combined with rolling sandy bottom about a hundred yards off the foymount shore of the lake. I've had good luck there in the past mid-day trolling with smallie and pickeral. Actually last monday I managed a 3 3/4 pound 17 1/2inch smallie at 1:00 in the afternoon in ten feet of water trolling a perch wally diver in that very spot. Just a few ideas for you in case you go again. Good luck and great fishin.
Walleye Killer
E.S.
Members of my family have had a cottage on Lake Clear since I was very young and I've had a lot of chance to fish it. Next time you're there try the channel into little lake clear in the morning. It's one of only a few spots in the lake with a decent weed bed and it seems to attract the fish. I find topwater and suspending works best but thats only my opinion. There's big bass hanging out there as well as some fair size pike. There's also a weedy sand bar combined with rolling sandy bottom about a hundred yards off the foymount shore of the lake. I've had good luck there in the past mid-day trolling with smallie and pickeral. Actually last monday I managed a 3 3/4 pound 17 1/2inch smallie at 1:00 in the afternoon in ten feet of water trolling a perch wally diver in that very spot. Just a few ideas for you in case you go again. Good luck and great fishin.
Walleye Killer
E.S.
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AverageAngler
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- Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 2:06 am
- Location: BARRHAVEN, OTTAWA, ON
- Contact:
-AA-
Ill back his story! There are CRAZY Bass in those waters! I couldnt beleive it! Too bad they didnt hit for us!!
-AA-
Members of my family have had a cottage on Lake Clear since I was very young and I've had a lot of chance to fish it. Next time you're there try the channel into little lake clear in the morning. It's one of only a few spots in the lake with a decent weed bed and it seems to attract the fish. I find topwater and suspending works best but thats only my opinion. There's big bass hanging out there as well as some fair size pike. There's also a weedy sand bar combined with rolling sandy bottom about a hundred yards off the foymount shore of the lake. I've had good luck there in the past mid-day trolling with smallie and pickeral. Actually last monday I managed a 3 3/4 pound 17 1/2inch smallie at 1:00 in the afternoon in ten feet of water trolling a perch wally diver in that very spot. Just a few ideas for you in case you go again. Good luck and great fishin.
Walleye Killer
E.S.[/quote]
-AA-
Members of my family have had a cottage on Lake Clear since I was very young and I've had a lot of chance to fish it. Next time you're there try the channel into little lake clear in the morning. It's one of only a few spots in the lake with a decent weed bed and it seems to attract the fish. I find topwater and suspending works best but thats only my opinion. There's big bass hanging out there as well as some fair size pike. There's also a weedy sand bar combined with rolling sandy bottom about a hundred yards off the foymount shore of the lake. I've had good luck there in the past mid-day trolling with smallie and pickeral. Actually last monday I managed a 3 3/4 pound 17 1/2inch smallie at 1:00 in the afternoon in ten feet of water trolling a perch wally diver in that very spot. Just a few ideas for you in case you go again. Good luck and great fishin.
Walleye Killer
E.S.[/quote]