Can you help me fish this lake?

[loudcherokee]

Hey guys,

I've been a bank fisherman all my life and have only been out on a boat to fish maybe twice. Today I got the chance to go out on the boat with a buddy, and while we had a great day on the lake it was a disappointing day for fishing. Not a single bite. Not a nibble. Not even a little tick on the line. The only fish caught was a 2lb largemouth from the dock as we were leaving. I saw her suspended about 3 feet down and dropped a senko in front of her nose and she inhaled it.

The lake is Norris Lake. I tried to find a good map online but realized I don't know how to read a lake map. I'm assuming the bass are suspended as the water temp was 55 degrees all day. I don't know how to find points, drop offs, rock piles, etc. We had a fish finder, but no idea how to read it or know what it is telling us besides water temp and depth. it's a hummingbird 385ci. 

We basically went all over the lake looking for trees that have fallen into the water and threw all kinds of stuff around them, on them, under them, and in them. The water is way down, about 10 feet down, and the banks are steep. Even only about 50 feet off the bank we were seeing depths as much as 70 feet in some places. Out further the deepest I saw was close to 180 feet. It's even deeper in other places. The water is crystal clear and visibility is about 10 feet I would guesstimate.

Basically, I learned today that I know NOTHING about fishing from a boat. I've been pretty successful on the bank but I've been wanting a boat, but after today I'm thinking of keeping my feet on dry land.

Can someone offer some tips or hints or something to point me in the right direction? Where would you fish on this lake? We launch from Norris Dam Marina and it's a pontoon so we would like to stay somewhat close without having to boat to the other side of the lake. The boat only goes about 22 mph and guzzles gas. We're planning another outing in a couple of weeks and would like to be more successful so any help would be appreciated, especially with knowing WTH we're looking at on the so called "fish" finder. More like rainbow colored water finder haha.

LC

[Fishes in trees]

Guess what, son?  There is a learning curve to learning how to fish from a boat.   Navigation - boat control - boat driving for starters.

Secondarily, actually feeling a strike from a moving platform is different from feeling a strike when you have two feet on the ground.  There isn't any substitute for putting your time in and learning.  If you're smart you'll figure it over time and if you ain't  you won't.

Bass fishing any major reservoir in a pontoon boat is not a simple thing.  Boat control in any vessel can get problematic, more so if you're trying to bass fish out of a pontoon.  For starters, what kind & how much trolling motor power do you have?    Now, if you ever decide to go multi-species and get into drifting for catfish, a pontoon can be just the ticket.  Good luck.

[loudcherokee]

4 hours ago, Fishes in trees said:

Guess what, son?  There is a learning curve to learning how to fish from a boat.   Navigation - boat control - boat driving for starters.

Secondarily, actually feeling a strike from a moving platform is different from feeling a strike when you have two feet on the ground.  There isn't any substitute for putting your time in and learning.  If you're smart you'll figure it over time and if you ain't  you won't.

Bass fishing any major reservoir in a pontoon boat is not a simple thing.  Boat control in any vessel can get problematic, more so if you're trying to bass fish out of a pontoon.  For starters, what kind & how much trolling motor power do you have?    Now, if you ever decide to go multi-species and get into drifting for catfish, a pontoon can be just the ticket.  Good luck.

The pontoon is an 8 passenger with two fishing seats up front, but currently no trolling motor. I did kind of feel like we could have been spooking the fish. It was windy yesterday and we kept drifting into the bank and had to fire up the outboard to pull back out.

We did find a nice cove that had plenty of lay downs and a stream feeding into the lake, and anchored down to fish and eat our lunch. We tried fishing that spot for a couple of hours and still got nothing. He even threw out a minnow under a bobber and not even a nibble from any other species. I had some catfish bait I tossed out on bottom and had nothing.

We're both multi-species fisherman I guess you could say. I primarily fish for bass but at the end of the day I'm happy to just be there with a line in the water and will often times go to live bait and just relax with a bobber or fishing bottom for cats.

LC

[Ratherbfishing]

Navigation using the stars was my greatest challenge!  But seriously, a boat is nice-if for no other reason than to put you within casting distance of places you can't ordinarily reach from the shore because of trees, steep banks, etc. And I think you'll be able to retrieve a greater percentage of snagged lures.  It won't offset the cost of the boat itself BUT it will make you feel a little better.

My suggestion is this:  Until you get the hang of things, use the boat as an extension of the shore or bank.  You don't have to go "all in" from the beginning.  Anchor if you want or wedge the boat against the shore (whatever works for you) but fish it like you would from the shore-only, perhaps, in more productive spots.  And then spend a portion of each day venturing out.  You may never entirely get away from the shore but probably, at times, you will.  Good luck!!!!

[flyingmonkie]

When I visit my buddy in NE Oklahoma, he always wants to take me fishing in his Crownline.  No sonar, no deck, NO TROLLING MOTOR... no thanks.  In no way does having a boat (any boat) make things easier, and a boat without the proper equipment (and expertise with that equipment) is just counter-productive.

I'm with Ratherbfishing.  Use this as an opportunity to go bank fishing off the beaten path.  

Norris Lake looks FREAKING amazing (seriously, wow), and in a couple weeks, you should be in spawn primetime.  Look for pockets/coves that are protected from wind and current, beach the boat about half-way in, and then get off and walk/fish your way to the ends.  With the water low, this should be cake!  You'll be in your comfort zone, and you'll be fishing in areas that don't get much (if any) foot traffic.

If I were you, I'd head up the NE creek arm of the lake and start going up into the coves and pockets.  You have several options within a mile or two of the marina - I'd start on the backside of the first little island, and then then hit the big cove across the lake from it.  There will likely be fish in various stages of the spawn in any of these areas.

Don't forget to tie the boat to something before you walk off and leave it.

[loudcherokee]

Thanks for the tips flyingmonkie. We're planning another trip soon and I should probably be able to talk him into beaching the boat lol.

Norris lake is pretty cool, but intimidating for me. When I bank fish, I have one spot to concentrate on. This lake on the other hand is huge. While not known for its LMB fishing, it does hold a decent population of LMB. The lake is more known for striper and i think waleye and catfish. There's rumors of Volkswagen sized catfish near the dam, but I think that rumor exists for all resovoirs across the country with deep water lol.

I've been looking up several videos and things on fishfinders. It looks like we'll have to play with the settings a bit to find underwater structure.

LC

 

[scaleface]

Keep the lure in the strike zone as long as possible . If you guys are  casting  perpendicular too the bank , the baits might actually be in a productive area a small percentage of the retrieve . Get the boat closer to bank , cast parallel and the lure might be in the productive zone the entire cast . Thats the biggest mistake guys new to boat fishing make .

[frogflogger]

55 degree water means smallmouth bass near shore where I come from

[Turkey sandwich]

I think you're u answered your own question as far as how to get better with a boat. A boat helps access fish you certainly can't from shore, but if you can't find them or spook them immediately, it doesn't matter.   Learning how to read maps and fish finders along with having a trolling motor make a huge difference.  Right now, fish will be headed into shallow coves and you can probably access a lot of them from shore.   One suggestion I might make is to invest your free time in learning the above and buying something like a kayak or John boat that won't break the bank, but will get you off the shore without having to drop $10k+ while you learn.