Need advice fishing deep lakes

[aeviaanah]

Ive been fishing the local rivers and am becoming pretty good at it. I know what works for the given application. The other day I fished a local lake and i was a bit lost as far as what to do or use. I resorted to trolling and managed to pull in a few bass.

Any techniques for "middle of the lake" fishing? Either trout or bass. I can apply what I've learned fishing rivers for bank fishing lakes.

Trolling or anchored tips?

 

[Captain Ahab]

Deep or shallow the key is finding fish holding structure. There is no magic lure or bait that is going to catch fish unless you get it in front of the fish's face 1st.

Do you have a quality sonar and GPS? Do you know how to use it correctly?

This is a pretty good guide to getting started: https://www.hightechfishing.com/pdf/chart_tutorial_HIGHTECH%20FISHING.pdf



I suggest in any lake to take the lake apart a small piece at a time. You need to start to think like a fish! In any deep water situation you need to start by using your eyes - look at the shoreline and try to envision how that shoreline will relate to what is under the water. Do you see a point (peninsula)? Chances are that the the point will continue under the water so now you have found an area with sudden depth changes (2 deeper areas with a shallow area between) The fish with stage a different parts of the point during different times of the day (and night) and with regard to water temps. Use your sonar to find the depth changes. The more sudden a change the more likely it will hold fish


Do you see a wooded shoreline that drops of steeply? You have a good chance of finding trees that have fallen in over the years and are now providing excellent bait fish (and predator) cover. Look for likely areas when there is storm damage, etc. and the, again, use your sonar to locate the structure.


Shallow coves with rock piles in the deeper ends - again, this is prime time fishing areas -



Once you find something fishy use your GPS to mark the spot. One of the tricks that I love to do is mark a piece of structure on the sonar and then use a buoy to right in the middle one of these:

I then anchor the boat a long cast away and work the area with various baits. Sometimes I have to re-position the boat a few times as the fish will only hit a lure or bait from a certain direction.


Remember, finding structure is the key but not all structure hold fish - finding bait and structure together will always help.

Fish tend to come into shallow water in low light conditions and deeper as the sun gets higher

Night time is the right time for many species - less traffic and many fish tend to feed at night when they do not have to fear sight feeding predators (like birds) and can use the cover of darkness to ambush prey.


Good luck and keep thinking out there

 

[aeviaanah]

Great post captain! I read the entire link you posted, I get most of of it but a second reading is needed to fully understand. I learned a lot and had many misconceptions myself. Great link!

Thanks for taking the time to write.

My fish finder shows fish symbols rather than arcs. It must intepret the data and make an educated guess for range and size of fish. So I guess when I see multiple fish it could just be the same fish moving around eh? Again, thanks...if u have any other tips, let me know!

 

[Captain Ahab]

Turn the fish symbols off and learn how to adjust the gain and then read that finder!

Nothing beats time on the water - you can read every article ever written but time on the water is still the best way for YOU to learn

Fish early, often and long!

 

[HOUSE]

Great advice from Captain A.

One helpful thing I've found is to study a topographical map of a lake and like Ahab said, find what kind of structure is down there. Most lakes have creek beds, channels, and points that stick out...but some of them have sunken roads, springs, and even houses down there. Bing maps has been a great help for me when fishing reservoirs, as you can rotate the camera angle and capture a glimpse of a reservoir at variable water levels. I printed out a map of East Fork here in Ohio and I've got a darn good idea of anything underwater 50-100ft from the shoreline anywhere around the lake. I also printed out a map of the area before the reservoir was built which has helped immensely.

Once you know what it looks like down there, then you have to find the fish like Ahab said. I usually look for schooling shad if I'm after stripers or other bass. Sometimes the birds can tell you where they are, sometimes you just have to look for 5 boats fishing the same spot, lol. Shad are easy to find in the fall, but darn elusive in the heat of the summer. A fishing log certainly helps if you fish the same lake year after year. Certain spots seem to always have them during similar weather conditions.

Finally, you can always sink a few brush piles of your own if you are allowed to and cheat!

PM me what lake are you fishing and I'll see if I can find any good images of it.

 

[aeviaanah]

Ahab I'll try shutting symbols off thanks for the tip!

Great advice from Captain A.

One helpful thing I've found is to study a topographical map of a lake and like Ahab said, find what kind of structure is down there. Most lakes have creek beds, channels, and points that stick out...but some of them have sunken roads, springs, and even houses down there. Bing maps has been a great help for me when fishing reservoirs, as you can rotate the camera angle and capture a glimpse of a reservoir at variable water levels. I printed out a map of East Fork here in Ohio and I've got a darn good idea of anything underwater 50-100ft from the shoreline anywhere around the lake. I also printed out a map of the area before the reservoir was built which has helped immensely.

Once you know what it looks like down there, then you have to find the fish like Ahab said. I usually look for schooling shad if I'm after stripers or other bass. Sometimes the birds can tell you where they are, sometimes you just have to look for 5 boats fishing the same spot, lol. Shad are easy to find in the fall, but darn elusive in the heat of the summer. A fishing log certainly helps if you fish the same lake year after year. Certain spots seem to always have them during similar weather conditions.

Finally, you can always sink a few brush piles of your own if you are allowed to and cheat!

PM me what lake are you fishing and I'll see if I can find any good images of it.

Hey house I appreciate the tips I'm going to pm you a few spots, thanks man