Help Me Be Successful!

[MIbassin]

Hey guys,

 

Heading up to a brand new lake this saturday.....the forecast calls for a high of 87 degrees and mostly sunny, no fronts have moved through the area.

 

I can not find a topo map and the ONLY thing i know about the lake is that it is littered with stumps on the shoreline. 

 

I dont know clarity, depth, bottom composition etc...

 

What would you do?

 

I will be on the water from 7am to 8pm!

[MIbassin]

I also just read that the lake is loaded with large rocks, gravel bars and drop offs. This is new fishing to me, I'm used to fishing grass! help!

[Tuckahoe Joe]

It's not much to go on but  I'd start out with topwater (I always do in the summer).  Around here the topwater bite is usually hot early in the morning.  The earlier the better.  If they're not hitting topwater, maybe try some squarebills or jigs around the stumps/rocks.  Like I said, not much to go on but it's what I would do.

[MIbassin]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking, should I start with the square bill after topwater and then go to the jig in the afternoon?

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Sounds like a plan.  Odds are they'll be more active earlier and as the sun gets up they'll hold tighter to cover.  Either that or go deeper.  If you can't get bit on a jig or squarebill, try a lipless crank or spinnerbait in deeper water or along drop-offs.  Try not to overthink it.  I always overthink fishing a new body of water and I always try and put together a plan before I get there but quite often when it comes to actually fishing it, that plan goes out the window.

[MarkH024]

Throw a football head jig, tubes, slow roll a swim jig, shakey head with a worm or craw.  Try a spook early in the am, later as the sun goes down. Pop-R would be another.  Lots of options to go with.