New Lake Suggestions

[MIbassin]

Hey guys,

 

Tomorrow i am heading out to a new lake and to do some exploring. The lake is a 30 acre glacial kettle hole that is basically shaped like a bowl. The deepest it gets is 50 feet right in the middle. The entire lake is surrounded by pads on the shoreline that come out maybe 20 yards. The water is quite clear from what i have heard. Sand and weeds make up most of the bottom. The following species are present:

 

Largemouth Bass
Smallmouth Bass
Chain Pickerel
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
Yellow Perch
White Perch
Brown Bullhead

 

What would you guys to to catch bass? I was thinking about trying some of my swim baits and pitching jigs into the pads. Should i fish the deeper water even if there is no abrupt contour change?

 

Also, i am fishing it in the afternoon 10-4, it is the only time frame i can.

[TwoCan]

You can never go wrong throwing a jerk bait in clear water. If you have one in bluegill or especially perch, I wouldn't hesitate to give it a try!

[MN_Bassin]

In order to fish the deeper water when there's no major contour change, you may need to look for other indicators such as birds keying in on baitfish or a weedline that extends farther out of some reason. That would give you an extra advantage, instead of casting blindly. Personally, I'd throw a swim jig on the weedlines, or punch farther in the pads.

[WRB]

Small featureless deep natural northern lake, the prey will be located in and around the weeds. The afternoon offers terrestrial prey like frogs, mice etc., along with the insects for the bluegill and young of the year fish to eat.

Start with the outside weed line break, then work towards the inside weed line anywhere that faces into the prevailing wind/ breeze.

Small use size beaver T-rigged with 1/8- 31/6 0z bullet weight, whatever 4" weedless swimbait on a 1/4 oz ball head jig, Johnson 1/2 oz silver minnow spoon, these should keep you busy for a few hours.

Tom

[MIbassin]

Small featureless deep natural northern lake, the prey will be located in and around the weeds. The afternoon offers terrestrial prey like frogs, mice etc., along with the insects for the bluegill and young of the year fish to eat.

Start with the outside weed line break, then work towards the inside weed line anywhere that faces into the prevailing wind/ breeze.

Small use size beaver T-rigged with 1/8- 31/6 0z bullet weight, whatever 4" weedless swimbait on a 1/4 oz ball head jig, Johnson 1/2 oz silver minnow spoon, these should keep you busy for a few hours.

Tom

Thanks! Also, in addition to the inside weed line, do the pads come into play at all?

[WRB]

Thanks! Also, in addition to the inside weed line, do the pads come into play at all?

Lilly pads are part of the "weeds", usually associated with soft mud bottoms. The silver minnow with a 3"-4" white or chartreuse trailer ( cut off a ribbon tail worm ) pork rind bass strip is ideal for pads.

Tom

[MIbassin]

Anybody else?

[MIbassyaker]

Good call on the silver minnow -- I always forget about those.

 

Sounds similar to a few of the little lakes I fish. These lakes sometimes have a few different well-defined weedlines where each type of vegetation tends to give way to others as you go deeper, pads or reeds, to coontail to cabbage, for instance. But the pads always seem like "low hanging fruit" to me; i'll start there, and move deeper only if/when it gets slow. (although I expect in this case you'd find the smallmouth deeper if the lake has both LM and SM). I'll rig something to run across the top and fall between the pads, something to run fairly shallow along the edge of the pads and over the next type of vegetation down, and something I can work more slowly in deeper water.

[MickD]

As a strategy I would do a cruise along the windy side, (unless there is a stream coming in, in that case cruise that side first) starting 50 yards or so outside the weeds and working deeper, looking for structure in the form of weedbeds, rock piles, grass, lumber, marking with GPS or memory, then use the techinques mentioned above for the pads.  If it has a stream, use the technique below at any depth less than about 10 feet.  Deeper may call for a sinker rather than swivel for faster sink.

 

If that yields nothing, go to any structure you may have found.  If it is in 10 feet or less, a big swivel, then 18 inches of FC, then a 5 inch Zoom Super Fluke on a 4/0 EWG hook, starting with baby bass color, then white.  then. . .  Try different retrieve techniques, from slow drag to lift and fall, but especially short but  aggressive jerks with 5-10 seconds of wait.

[Big C]

I would throw frogs in the pads, a swimbait or chatterbait along the weedlines, and a shakey head or jig at key targets like laydowns and stumps.  My rule of thumb with new bodies of water is have a topwater, a fast(er) moving sub-surface lure usually a baitfish imitator, and a slow moving sub-surface lure usually something finesse. 

[A-Jay]

You didn't say WHERE ? ?

 

If you're in MI, the water's clear and it gets any pressure at all - The shallow pads might be tough sledding - especially if there's no wind at all.

 

Try this - drop shot with 6 or 8 lb test and a SK Rage Craw on a 3/0 EWG thin wire hook.

 

Position yourself in deep water off any points & or steep drops you can find and work the drop shot from shallow to deep until you find out where the fish are holding - Any small wood piles deep could be good but if they can be seen from the surface they will get beat up and may be better early, late & at night.  You'll have to bump into them while "Prospecting" with the drop shot.

 

I fish a couple of lakes like you've described that most think are bad fishing.  But by making long casts with light line and the drop shot craw - I've done quite well mid-day during the summer. 

 

Another effective tactic is to fish a heavy tube (at least 1/2 oz) on spinning gear in the same manner except you SNAP the bait off the bottom and then let it go back on a totally slack line. As soon as the bait hits the bottom snap it again, do not let it rest. The constant move along the bottom and the speed of the fall are the triggers.  Fish usually grab the bait on the fall (especially SMB).   You usually do not feel the take, the fish is just there on the next snap - so be ready.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay