Help From All Offshore Anglers!

[Rangerphil]

Hey all, I need a little help finding some bigger fish in this lake. I fished it last year and did fairly well but I fished it earlier in June. This time of year everyone says you have to fish the offshore humps to catch the big ones! This lake has some monster smallies along with lots of quality largemouth. The map below is the only one I can find anywhere on this lake. The lake has lots of grass and we caught most of the fish dropshoting the edges of the grass in about 12-16 fow.

So my question is where would you fish? This is a natural lake and has lots of rock along with the grass. Sorry about the map but that is all I could find. Please everyone chime in all suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Also, this lake gets alot of boat traffic. I don't know if that matters because I try not to let it bother me. Last year we caught most of our fish between Oakland beach and the terry bar, located bottom right side of the map. But we only fished the edges in 12-16 fow in that location.

[slonezp]

I'd start at any of the 3 predominant points in the morning and pull back to the humps/flats as the day progresses. Is this for a tourney? How many acres?

[Rangerphil]

Yes it is for a club tourney. The lake is 72 feet deep and 925 acres!

[slonezp]

When you're fishing the humps, fish shallow to deep and switch over deep to shallow. They may prefer one presentation over the other. Also, if wind is a factor, fish the wind blown side(s) of the humps. If your partner is competing with you rather than against you keep a wacky worm ready to go on deck. If one of you gets a smallie, chances are there will be a few following it to the boat looking for an easy meal.

[WRB]

Camp on Pickand Bar point across from Oakland beach. Spend some rme to determine where the deeper weed line breaks are and at what level the bass or baitfish are holgraphic, then consentratevat that depth, where the map labeled Pickland top bar. You maybe able to Lone Tree point point early and more over to the bar, that maybe risky however. Otherwise this lake doesn't have outside structure to fish and may not have pelagic baitfish that use outside water.

Tom

PS; can't read the names clearly so don't hold me to the spelling. Also read my thread regarding Berkley Bottom Hopper worms, nail weight rig.

[deep]

Wish there would be more topics like this so that we could all learn the nuts and bolts. Thanks for posting.

 

I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to structure fishing, but I'd like to exercise my brain a little. I don't think I have ever fished a natural lake (I spent quite a few minutes trying to find the dam on your map lol); and this certainly looks more than a hole in the ground. What sort of baitfish is in there (pelagic/ demersal)? Are there any runoffs into the lake, I'd think there are from the topo map. If there are, I'd mark the inlets on the map and follow the (deepest) contour line to substitute for the main and feeder creeks around which man-made reservoirs are built.

 

Locating the deepest water in the area and in the lake always seems to be a good start. Next I'd find the points, ridges, humps and flats. I see a couple of nice looking humps, one associated with the deepest water (60' I think?) and one with that prominent point (roland top?) with a couple of deep water areas close by. Might start there just as well.

 

Where do the bigger fish spawn?

[Rangerphil]

Thank you for all the help so far! Roland point does look good, to the left of there alot of guys fish that I know the grass comes way out in that location. I enjoyed the nail weighted worm thread it looks very interesting! I am unable to prefish so trying to get a game plan together before I go so I don't waste too much time jumping around. The hump located almost in the middle of the lake also looks good but to the left of there the flat comes way out before dropping into 40+ feet, that also has caught my attention! Thanks guys and if anyone sees something we may have missed please chime in!