JDH85 Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 Hello, im JDH85 and I'm a Bass-a-holic. LOL. I recently got my first fishing vessel. 18ft Procraft Stalker glass bass boat w/a 150 Merc Black Max VR4. Side note: if anyone has any experience with this motor or similar (carbureted two-stroke) I would appreciate your input regarding maintenance and performance tips. On to the subject... I've made a handful of trips to Old Hickory Lake in Middle TN. This is my first experience with Old Hickory (or any "bigger" water for that matter) with the exception of one guided trip I took with Ian Huey (great guide, btw) last April. I have launched at the Cairo public access for the most part. One time I launched at Station Camp Creek...both are considered mid-lake, I believe (possibly leaning toward upper?). Navigating this body of water is a nightmare. Trolling around looking for bait has pit my boat against solid obstacles more times than one. Luckily, those have all happened at speeds sub-5mph. I refuse to get the boat on plane unless I'm in the main river channel. I'm chasing Largemouth bass, but I'm open to trying anything (non-panfish) just to get the skunk off of me. There are "community holes" marked on my GPS...should I look for a particular type for this time of year? I've thrown basically my entire box what appears to be lifeless water. I'm losing confidence fast. I have been doing a lot of studying about using my Lowrance HDS units but I'm not quite sure if what I'm doing is right. Basically trolling around and when I see a bait ball or two in the area, I start throwing lures at the visible targets. I'm not quite sure how to pinpoint a piece of underwater structure with my lure...tips on that would be appreciated. Or, if there is a resource y'all like for that kind of info please point me in that direction. Thanks Quote
Ski213 Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 First off welcome and congratulations on the boat. My biggest piece of advice would be to spend a lot of time looking through the forums. Tons of great info here. Transitioning to bigger waters can be tough. You'll get a lot more detailed advice, good advice. My simple advice would be to find baitfish with larger fish close using your graph. Fish there. Its your highest percentage shot in my opinion. Quote
Super User WRB Posted October 12, 2015 Super User Posted October 12, 2015 Here is my suggestion; you can't fish all of any larger body of water, break it down into smaller zones. General rule; divide the moan lake basin into 3 parts, the lower 1/3 is the dam deep water zone, the middle 1/3 is the mid depth area with humps and islands, the upper 1/3 is the shallower zone. Creek arms are divided into the same zones. It's the cooler water period, the lower 1/3 or deeper steeper bank areas are the places to focus your attention now. You are looking for any structure that offers deep to shallow water like major points, under islands or humps and creek channel bends near these structure areas. A good map helps to isolate these areas. Plan to look at areas between 5' to 35' and forget deeper zones for now. Tom 2 Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted October 12, 2015 Global Moderator Posted October 12, 2015 Agree with WRB. Break the lake into small sections and learn a section at a time. Once you get comfortable with each section you can put it all together and open up the whole lake. Learning big lakes takes years, don't expect yourself to be able to do it in a couple trips. Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted October 12, 2015 Super User Posted October 12, 2015 Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay Quote
Super User scaleface Posted October 12, 2015 Super User Posted October 12, 2015 heres my 2 cents worth . Look at the topographical map and find an area with a lot of ziz zag lines . That section should have a wide variety of structure in a small area . You maybe able to get a read on what the catchable bass are doing and expand from there . Quote
Super User Fishing Rhino Posted October 12, 2015 Super User Posted October 12, 2015 Look for transitions. Transitions are changes in depth (structure), changes in bottom composition, mud, sand, rocky, bare and vegetation from sparse to thick. Another transition is change in water temp. Keep in mind, in most cases, using a fish finder, you are seeing surface temps. Still surface temps can play a role in fish behavior. When you get into fish, take careful note of what the bottom looks like on the sounder, the depth, current, etc. When you move, look for another area that has the same characteristics. Chances are you'll find fish. One other thing. Don't just zoom around the lake from one area to another until you are familiar with the bottom. The sounder is your eyes on the bottom. You'll miss a lot. Cruise at a slower speed. Keep one eye on your sounder and the other on where you are going. I know, that's impossible, but it's my way of saying study the sounder, but don't get so engrossed that you don't also pay attention to where you are going. Quote
JDH85 Posted October 12, 2015 Author Posted October 12, 2015 Thank you to everyone who has welcomed me and to those of you who are offering tips. I am going to spend my time off of the lake getting better acquainted with my HDS units and studying lake maps. I've been advised by the locals that Old Hickory is a tough lake to fish anyway. Lots of pressure and an over-abundance of bait make the bite tough. Hopefully I can figure something out! Quote
jamey1e Posted October 17, 2015 Posted October 17, 2015 OP break the lake down into sections. That's what helped me the most. Instead of trying to fish the entire lake in one day I instead focus on small sections at a time. It wasn't until I applied this principle that I started to have any luck on bigger waters. Good luck! 1 Quote
GoCougs14 Posted November 3, 2015 Posted November 3, 2015 Can the same tactics apply to a smaller reservoir? Obviously at a much smaller scale, but can the same be said about deeper water towards the dam, and getting shallower until the inlet? The main waters Ive been fishing are less than 20 acres in size. Any good links/articles/or even books that focus on small reservoirs? Im reading KVDs Bass Strategies at the moment which has helped alot, but most of the focus is on large reservoirs/natural lakes. Quote
Highschoolbassin Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 Hey I fish old hickory as well. If you'd like to get together and fish one day just let me know or if you'd just like to learn more about the lake holler at me. I've got the xr4 as well and am loving it Quote
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