How to fish in a "new" body of water

[jcjgbigras]

After seeing the latest heated topic on fishing spots, I thought I'd ask a question from a different perspective:

How do you guys approach a new body of water? I'm sure at some point all you experienced fisherman went to a lake/river that you had never fished in before. What strategies do you employ? Do you study maps (paper or Google) before hand? Do you talk to locals (ie: at Timmies) on your way there ?

I guess this is where experience comes into play? Knowing your species behaviour (ie: bass like rocky shorelines with over hanging trees, pike in weeds, etc...)

As I'm typing this I'm answering my own questions in a way but being a novice fisherman myself , I'd like to know how do you guys strategize prior to fishing a new lake/river?

thanks in advance
Guy

[almontefisher]

For me it is a bit less science then the major techie guys. I look at a lake quickly on a map, figure out the topo side of it and then do the exact opposite of what I thought to do lol. Usually works great for me. Mostly I can go to a new lake and figure things out pretty quick as it is always the same with fishing. Drive around the lake to see it first. Find points, bays, shoals etc and fish around them. Once you figure out what they are biting on then the rest will happen on its own. Serious guys spend hours on topo maps, gps systems and chart and plan on their $800-$1000 dollar sonar units. Now on their behalf most of the guys that do the latter are also in it to make a few bucks so it makes sense to make sure you have everything figured out. For me it is a day on the water with family or friends and fishing is a big part but it is the fact of being out and relaxing and enjoying myself. Yes I want to catch fish but I never seem to be upset to much if I dont catch any.

[lape0019]

Guy,

Now that is the way to ask a question.

For me, I play on my GPS unit and look for areas where that are points with transitions from deeper water to shallows and go from there. If that doesn't work, fish your strengths. For me, this includes pitching pockets and weed lines as well as docks and man-made structure (I am a bass guy). And if that doesn't work and you plan on fishing this place a lot, hire a guide! That will cut your learning curve in at least half and will probably save you some gas money in the end.

There has also been a lot of talk here and at the Thursday night get together at Paddletales on the importance of topographic and paper maps. A lot of detail that was placed on paper maps is not shown on the Navionics map cards so it has got me thinking I might want to start buying/looking at these a little more closely.

Adam

[jona38]

I use google earth a lot. It's surprizing the amount of info you can pick up from the pictures people post on there. Seams everyone loves to throw up a pic of a sunset over a weedy bay with some turtles, ducks or whatever. If you take the time to filter through them and look past the actual point of interest there is some useful info to be seen in the back rounds. I also use Navionics both at home and in the boat pretty heavily. Worst case Ontario, I'll just hammer the shorelines. Jon

[jcjgbigras]

Thanks for the comments guys.

[scarkner]

Thanks for the comments guys.

The first thing I do is search on Fish-hawk and OOD (ontario out of doors) to see what people are posting. If I don't see my answer then I may post looking for general guidelines. BUT - I won't do that on a board or site where people dont yet know me.

The reason I quoted you though is because that's a huge piece of the puzzle right there! Just acknowledging that you are asking for help, that you have actually read the replies AND saying thanks!!!

Where I have asked for help I also try to post a follow up when I actually try a spot (sucessfull or not). I have found that on difficult water bodies, or when targeting specific fish, if I am unsuccessful and share that, the tips and pointers actually get much more productive and eventually I do get on the fish (and again, post comments or photos to say I finally nailed them!).

ALSO - For Ontario (and i think other provinces) I found a great book called "Fishing Ontario" from Backroad Mapbooks. http://www.backroadmapbooks.org/
Their line of fishing map-books are a bit pricy, but very good at giving you a quick overview. For example, my little cottage lake (Silver Lake) is shown with information about a few spots to try, species present, where to launch a boat and fish stocking information. The book also gives pointers on nearby lakes to try like "if you don't have success on silver you might want to head a few kilometers down the road to little round lake...."

Finally, try the new MNR Fish online tool. I have found that it is getting to be a better and better resource for finding new lakes and targeting specific species. Again as an example, Silver Lake doesn't have walleye. I can use Fish-online to show me all the lakes within a specific distance of Silver Lake that contain Walleye, I can see the public boat launches, and for some lakes they have additional information on stocking, etc.
http://www.web2.mnr.gov.on.ca/fish_online/fishing/

Enjoy!!!!

[Steady Eddy]

For me, as a shorebound angler, it's foot work. A lot of it! If it's bass and/or pike I'm after there is hours and hours of walking shorelines. I don't go troutin' nearly as often, because when I do, it's hours and hours of driving on roads that no ford escort belongs on. That being said, even if I don't see a trout I return home happy! So far, I've found about a half dozen "go to" spots that aren't crowded. I just realized as I'm typing this, I take walks near water with a fishing pole more than I actually fish.

[jcjgbigras]

Thanks for the tips scarkner. Steady, lol on your last sentence.