Finding Fish Without A Deph/fish Finder

[buzzfrog]

so off the shore and fishing wild, so of course i know laydowns, but what do i really look for, I figured a fresh down tree hasnt had time to draw them, I look at a row of maybe 7 downed trees with no big branches just straight trees, there maybe limbs under the water, i cant see. Any tips will do, i have no electronics, i get common things like weedlines and the normal stuff. Just a few hints that can get me some sucess. Also what advantages does a lake map have. I mean does it show depths or somthing

[hooah212002]

Overhanging trees and natural points. Generally speaking, you can imagine the shore extending out into the water, so if there is a point on the shore, fish that. A lake map would be GREAT. It will show you depth, at the very least, but good ones will show you what vegitation/structure/bottom make-up is in what area. It will show you what areas are sand, vegetation, mud, rock etc. if you have access to one, GET IT.

[deep]

I'd read about structure, and cover; and try to understand how fish (bass) use them depending on seasonal patterns. Hint: most recreational fishermen at least in this part of the country is used to fishing shallow visible cover, which may not be the best way to catch quality or quantity all 12 months. JM 2 cents.

Here's the minimum I'd expect from a "lake map" (contour changes).

[papajoe222]

That freshly downed tree is actually a fish magnet. The micro organisims and insects on the leaves will jump start the food chain and if there are bass in the area, it won't take long for them to find the buffett. Fishing from shore isn't a shortcoming, in fact I find it a blessing of sorts. You are very limited to the water you can fish and so you will be more thorough in the way you attack it. Besides, most lures that sink, will rise as you bring them in and in most cases, that will keep them in the same area(close to the bottom).

I fished a lot of tourneys in my hayday and one thing that I did that kept me on top of my game was to do things differently. I use the normal, seasonal quidelines, used wind to help me locate active fish, studied maps, etc. What I did differently was I didn't fish the obvious unless it really jumped out as a fish magnet. A lone deadfall, a point or indentation on a weedline, would get my attention. What I feel kept me in the money was that I approached everything differently than most.

My best advice is to always have a hunter's mindset. Approach the area cautiously, read the water as best as you can from your prey's needs, and unless it's working consistantly, don't do what everyone else is doing. Different approaches, not just lures will reward you with some surprises and you'll gain a lot of knowledge others never read about or see on TV

[Nitrofreak]

Good question and one you will get a ton of different opinions on !!!

As far as lay downs are concerned, no matter the age, the way I always approach them is to work them from the outer most parts and work my way in, it does help if they have branches going every which way and it does help if they have been there a while, the more branches it has the more cover it will provide for bait fish, the longer it's been there the more algae it will have for the food source to attract bait fish.

Look for something different in the lay down, maybe a branch that is at a 45 degree angle compaired to the rest of the lay down will also key you in on where they could be in that tangeled mess of timber.

Maps, they are your best friend without electronics, what I look for on maps are humps, drop off's, feeder creeks, and structure in general, a lot of maps will show you general depths but not all maps are accurate, so be really careful when you are checking out new areas, one of the key things I look at on a map is points, How long are they?, the longer the better, do these points offer some steeper drop offs with some wide flats as you move along the point? fish will often stage on these flats and or shelves, especially if it has a little grass or a stump or two, I also look for multiple points, places where a body of water will split into two different sections and go seperate ways, like a Y shape, the point of the Y shape will be the "highway" if you will for the fish to travel as they make their way to and from areas that they will frequent.

There are so many "keys" when reading a map, the only way to really understand what your map is telling you is to be on the water a lot.

There is no way of knowing what an area holds from just looking at a map, electronics will help you understand some of these things in time, but a map will be one of the best tools you can have once you understand and learn what a map can provide.

Take your time, fish each area to the best of your abilities, make notes, and mark these areas where you have caught fish and mark areas that continuously produce fish, those areas will provide clues as to what structure fish use to navigate and ambush prey.

Don't be afraid to get off the banks and into open water if a map shows a little hump or a sudden change in structure, you will soon find out these areas are also fish magnets and can produce some good quality fish in numbers and in size.

It is going to take time on the water, patience will be key in how well you understand what a map has to offer.

Good luck and be safe !!!

[buzzfrog]

thanks, guys, not to sound dumb but in the pic of the abover map, the darker the blue is, the deeper it is, so those lines showing around, would be the drop offs or the underwater humps.. also the pontoon we got, does have like a lowrance, 22, lol its screen is the size of my inner palm, it is in B&W, it only shows deph, no structure and I do see fish, not sure what kind, since they all look the same. I try to go to options on the screen, but everytime i do it goes blank, not a battery problem, just a POS problem, lol the owner said he never took it inside and well the elments over the year must a beat it down.. last quickie, if i am watching the deph rise super quick, then drop, Does than indicate a hump, i could crank or use a football head over.

As a shore man, i looked at any lay down as a hot spot, but now i feel i have some choices.I will get me a lake map today

[deep]

Points, humps, creek channels, ridges, and flats. These are the 5 things (structures) Bill Siemantel says to look for. A hump is just an underwater island. Structures are good, cover on the structure is even better. I've said it before, but some of you might want to read and re-read Bill Murphy's and Bill Siemantel's books; not just for catching trophy bass either.

buzzfrog, you seem to be luckier than me in that lake maps are readily available. I have to rely on USGS maps, google earth, low water pics and such. And dragging big jigs.

[Nitrofreak]

thanks, guys, not to sound dumb but in the pic of the abover map, the darker the blue is, the deeper it is, so those lines showing around, would be the drop offs or the underwater humps.. also the pontoon we got, does have like a lowrance, 22, lol its screen is the size of my inner palm, it is in B&W, it only shows deph, no structure and I do see fish, not sure what kind, since they all look the same. I try to go to options on the screen, but everytime i do it goes blank, not a battery problem, just a POS problem, lol the owner said he never took it inside and well the elments over the year must a beat it down.. last quickie, if i am watching the deph rise super quick, then drop, Does than indicate a hump, i could crank or use a football head over.

As a shore man, i looked at any lay down as a hot spot, but now i feel i have some choices.I will get me a lake map today

If it shows the bottom then you are looking at structure, structure is the bottom conture of a body of water, or a piece of land, cover is anything that lays on top of the structure, rock piles , brush piles etc... if you see a super quick rise then a drop, yes it could be a hump but it also indicates it could be an old creek bed or a ridge, fishing that area with a jig or a C-rig will help you determine what the area could be by giving you feedback, it may even be a large rock, you know from fishing from shore what most of these feel like I am sure.

Don't pass up the opportunity to fish things of that nature from all different angles and see what you can learn from it.

[buzzfrog]

the finder dont show the bottem, it just shows the number going up and down, but thank you for advice, we are going out either friday or Saturday.. though stuck with only 4 rods.. probably frogs, pitchin, crankbait and good ole T-rig,

[WRB]

So to recap you have a boat (pontoon) and a older sonar unit, so you are not shore bound.

The shore cover like lay downs can hold a few summer bass, mostly young of the year or juvenile bass and occasional auldt bass my move onto shore cover. During the hot summer days most of the dull site bass seek deeper structure or cover, at least deeper than 8'.

Check out the cover you like to fish, but if nobody is home move to deeper water up near the dam area, if the lake is a man made reservoir. Spens some time fishing the major points, those long points that are at lest 100 yards long. Also get yourself a bag of Carolina Keepers, plastic weight stopper that you can easily change the T-rig into a Carlonia rig by adding the keeper between the eight and hook. Place the keeper about 24" above the hook to hold to bullet weight from sliding down, works very good. Next you need to down sie the worm to. 6" curl tail and size 1/0 worm hook. Slow down and cast or drag this rig from the point bank down s deep s you cn feel the weight making contact on the bottom and work all around the point, both sides.

Good luck.

Tom

[buzzfrog]

thanks, i dont have a trollin motor, would i drift, it came with a POS trolling motor, i cant get it to work,?? lol so they only thing i have on my side, is at least i am off the shore, lol like would i positstion myself on one side of point and fish till i drift up to close to shore or to far away, do fish scatter off points if i would back up if i came to close to the shore ,, i am thinking main lake points, so they gotta feel the waves from the trafic, and should be used to them hope i didnt confuse you, yes man made lake

[WRB]

Get your self an anchor and about 50' of 3/4" anchor rope. Mark the anchor rope every 10' from the anchor; 1 stripe for 10', 2 stripes for 20' etc. Quitly approach the point, slow down about 150' off shore and ease the anchor down to the bottom, let put another 15' or so rope nd tie it off. You wnt to end up about 90 to 100' off shore in front of the point, so you can cast towards the shore and make fan cast to cover the area. You cn pull in some anchor rope or let more without lifting the nchor up and be able to fish froma stationary plate form. Double anchoring; anchors from the bow and stern give you more boat control, 1 anchor should get you started. You can move the bot closer to shore nd cast out, move up wind nd cast back, etc. This take more time then using a trolling motor, but a lot better than being on the bank.

Tom

PS; If you are fishing from shore, the sme location; points surrounded by deeper water should hold more adult size bass from late summer through winter.

[buzzfrog]

thanks WRB

[Raul]

Out of my 3+ decades of fsihing 2 I fished boatless, it became more productive since I began owning a boat for a simple reason, I could fish areas I couldn´t fish from shore, bass fisherman like to fsih what they can see but most of the times what you can´t see produces a lot more than what you can see, one of the reasons is that what can be seen has been pounded to exhaustion by fishermen that like to fish what they can see. How can you find fish without a finder --- first, by studying the contour of the terrain above water level, what you see above water level is most probably going to extend for many yards below water level, that will tell you what you will be fishing below water level, if you see flat or with very little slope that´s what will be under water: A lot of what you want to find will be seen above water level. So you start by studying the contour then you continue by studying the composition of the terrain ( dirt, sand, rocks and mixes of them ), bass prefer sand over dirt ( which becomes mud ), bass like rocks, the more rocks the better, later you add cover, study the vegetation, certain plants including trees grow on particular types of terrain, for example, in my neck of the woods willows only grow where the soil is moist year round, that only happens here along creek/river beds or natural springs, if you see a willow ( or dead willow ) standing in the middle of nowhere you can bet a creek/river channel will be at it´s feet, so there you have, a creek/river channel wich means change in depth and change in bottom composition, most probably you´ll find fish if you manage to follow the creek/river channel.

Do you need a graph to find fish ? no, also having the graph isn´t going to help if you don´t know how to interpret the graph, the graph only shows you what it reads, it´s up to you to put it into context.

[buzzfrog]

I am glad i started this thhread, it is like i am being schooled all over, the first part of saturday will be recreation, so as we cruise i will study everything

[SirSnookalot]

From shore early morning I fish the sunlight, fish like to warm up, later in the day I fish towards the shade, fish do not have eyelids. I look for bird activity, bait, and fish activity. From shore I like the wind in my face and fan cast but the emphasis is more along the shoreline.

[Nitrofreak]

Just keep in mind, Safety, without a trolling motor as a means of secondary propulsion, your primary is dependant on the engine for propulsion, should you loose that engine, you should have a plan for being able to get to shore for some help.

Lots of great advice has already been given, take your time and take it all in, enjoy your time on the water wether or not you catch fish and learn from the lake, she will give back if you treat her right.

[buzzfrog]

Just keep in mind, Safety, without a trolling motor as a means of secondary propulsion, your primary is dependant on the engine for propulsion, should you loose that engine, you should have a plan for being able to get to shore for some help.

Lots of great advice has already been given, take your time and take it all in, enjoy your time on the water wether or not you catch fish and learn from the lake, she will give back if you treat her right.

very true,,, very true

[rb56]

one of my best friends growing up and i would go fishing with his dad who taught me about all i know. he caught more big everything, bass, cat, than anyone i know. my friend had more pics of him holding a 7 lb. bass than you can shake a stick at...he once told me if you see a log in the water...more than likely you're looking at a bass.

[buzzfrog]

, haha that was good, so it may be they are there, you just gotta find what they want, lol

[Nitrofreak]

Oh yea !!

If you see something like that, dont just fish it one time, poke the living crap out of the area, it's possible there is more than one, don't be afraid to change it up a litlle too on the same spot if the bite turns off, or your not getting anything.

This is how you learn, fish it fast, slow, and everything in between untill you get a reaction, remember what you did to get that reaction and apply it to the next log or whatever you are fishing, if it works again you have established a pattern, and a technique to use.

[Busy]

I like Rauls post a lot & WRB is always spot on.

Raul mentioned willows in his area being a good way to find channels. I've been taught that hardwoods point towards creeks so if there is standing timber in the lake you can find the channel.

If you see hardwoods like this: I/ \I there was likely a creek between them at some point.

[hookset on 3]

That freshly downed tree is actually a fish magnet. The micro organisims and insects on the leaves will jump start the food chain and if there are bass in the area, it won't take long for them to find the buffett. Fishing from shore isn't a shortcoming, in fact I find it a blessing of sorts. You are very limited to the water you can fish and so you will be more thorough in the way you attack it. Besides, most lures that sink, will rise as you bring them in and in most cases, that will keep them in the same area(close to the bottom).

I fished a lot of tourneys in my hayday and one thing that I did that kept me on top of my game was to do things differently. I use the normal, seasonal quidelines, used wind to help me locate active fish, studied maps, etc. What I did differently was I didn't fish the obvious unless it really jumped out as a fish magnet. A lone deadfall, a point or indentation on a weedline, would get my attention. What I feel kept me in the money was that I approached everything differently than most.

My best advice is to always have a hunter's mindset. Approach the area cautiously, read the water as best as you can from your prey's needs, and unless it's working consistantly, don't do what everyone else is doing. Different approaches, not just lures will reward you with some surprises and you'll gain a lot of knowledge others never read about or see on TV

Papa, that's some excellent advice about having a hunter's mentality. Big bass exploit the best structure and cover.

You hear a lot of pros talk about the spot on a spot, which of course means that if there is a point with a stump on it in 12 ft. of water, it's a safe bet that the alpha bass in that area will claim it.