Finding fish on a large lake

[Mason_tay]

Im pretty new to bass fishing and have been having a problem finding fish, i dont have a depth finder or anything on my boat which is more than likely hurting my ability to find them. Does anyone have any pointers on how to go about finding fish without any electronics? I did a quick search and didnt really find anything that fit what I was looking for.

[scaleface]

Theres almost always shallow fish , just go down the bank fishing visible cover thoroughly and pay attention. Make every cast count for something . No random casting . Look at the slope of the bank  and envision it under water . If your not casting at cover cast at a depth . Its a learning process and its only failure if you dont learn anything .

[BassAssassin726]

Start with visible cover on the bank. Fallen trees, logs, rocks, etc etc. A single branch sticking out of the water could have a bass on it. Look for baitfish activity, look for birds feeding. You certainly don't need a fish finder to find fish. 

[toni63]

"Visible cover." Exactly. I spent the first 4 or 5 years fishing with no electronics from a decent sized jon boat. I just stuck to the banks, learned to flip n pitch to lay downs, stumps, docks, rocks, etc. Crank baits off of points. Learned to look for schools of bait fish getting chased and busting the surface and throwing around them. Birds eat the same food as bass, so they can be a good indicator of where the bait is and you can pretty much count on bass being anywhere their food is.

 

Learned to focus on shady areas when the sun is out (fish don't have eyelids and their vision is way more light sensitive than ours, they don't hang out in the sun unless the water is cold). I'd say for the first 2 to three years I pretty much used crank baits and spinner baits and when those failed threw a plastic worm and drug that along the bottom. Jigs I started using around year 3 when someone told me about the jig n pig.

 

And just like Scaleface said, pay attention with every cast what you are doing. When that first fish bites, it can tell you a lot about where they are that time and that day and you might find you can repeat that and catch fish.

 

Have fun. You just got hooked on something worse than crack and might be twice as expensive... lol

[Mason_tay]

Okay thank you guys. Im going out tomorrow and will report back. 

[fishballer06]

The Navionics web app can be a very useful tool as well. 

[Mason_tay]

what does it do?

[Scott F]

They are high definition lake maps that you can view on your computer, pad or smartphone.

[Mason_tay]

there are a bunch. which ones do yall use? i might just get the free one.

[Wayne P.]

44 minutes ago, Mason_tay said:

there are a bunch. which ones do yall use? i might just get the free one.

Boating US and Canada

[gim]

Are you saying that you have NO sonar of any kind on your boat?  How can you tell where the channel is, much less a reef, rock pile, or other shallow area where your outboard might get damaged?  That's pretty ballsy.

[Mason_tay]

The channel is marked. Otherwise the outboard is up and the trolling motor is down. 

[Raul]

Of course I can find fish without electronics nor topo maps or things like that, I got eyes and the contour of the terrain I see above water level is most probably going to continue underwater so I can relate to what I know that holds fish in my waters, extrapolation.

[NorthwestBasser]

Navionics webapp, US boating like mentioned before... the free version is okay and will give you kind of an idea of what's going on down there, however it's only 10 bucks a year to upgrade to the PLUS and that makes a huge difference. Once you have that, select SONAR and you will have a very detailed view of the lake below you. But as far as finding fish, beating the banks and fishing cover is good. Another idea that works for me when I'm on my kayak without electronics is I find some grassy flats in about the 8 to 12ft depth range and throw a Carolina Rig, Texas rig or a drop shot. If they are there, they will find you, haha... I just drop a jig straight down to gauge depth of I'm unfamiliar with my fishing grounds and if you jig it around down there a little bit you will be able to feel what the bottom composition is, rocky, sandy, grassy, it all feels different and a jig is a great "feeler"

[scaleface]

 Google Earth, too .

[Mason_tay]

Well we didn't do too bad. We went from about 830-12 while my wife was at work and my dad and little girl caught two. 

[WRB]

Where to start? At the beginning!

Sonar isn't the answer to your question, knowledge of where the bass should be located seasonally begins by reading about basic bass behavior.

Most regions are currently transitioning from winter cold water period to the beginning of the spawn cycle. Mans calendar we call this time period winter and spring based on length of day light, bass can't read a calendar so they respond to changes in water temperature.

The water warms from being cold to around 55 degrees bass react by moving shallower from deeper water. We call this pre spawn or staging before bass move to spawning areas.

Points are usually good staging areas until the water warms to about 60 degrees, then bass move into areas to spawn, usually close to the staging area that is more wind protected.

As the water continues to warm up to about 65 degrees the male bass are now making nest sites in water no deeper than the depth of light, the females looking for nest to lay eggs into and spawn. Spawning lasts for a few weeks up to a few months depending on the size of the lake and stable water temps between 65 to 75 degrees. When finished spawning the femal bass recuperate a period called post spawn, then the bass move to their summer warm water locations. 

Summer the bass locate anywhere that a abundance of prey is easy to find and eat. Bass can be in lots of different location during the summer period. Most bass anglers fish shallow during summer however bass can be in deeper water away from the shoreline.

Fall to winter occurs when the water cools, the bass relocate where prey is moving following thier food source. About 75 to 65 degrees indicates fall transition and bass tend to be located in similar areas where they staged during pre spawn. As the water temps drop into the lower 50's cold water or winter period starts and continues until another year cycle starts during pre spawn.

Good fishing,

Tom

 

[TOXIC]

Look at a paper map of a bigger lake.  Break it down into smaller areas.  Fish those smaller areas until you can put a pattern together and then duplicate it.  

[NYWayfarer]

Its funny how when I was bank fishing I would cast out as far as I could and wish I had a boat to fish the deeper spots.

 

Now that I have a boat I find myself casting towards shore to fish the shallows.

 

The difference the boat makes is I can find shallow areas that had no bank access to fish. Later on when I got sonar I was able to see the drop offs to deeper waters that held some nice fish.

[blckshirt98]

As a shore guy I find the fish when I cast along the shoreline near any points/coves/structure/cover.  The areas that seem to be the toughest are long stretches of flat/straight shoreline with nothing.  Bass like to hide/ambush so think like a fish and imagine where you would hide to wait for prey - usually the same places a person would if they were trying to hide from someone or seek cover from someone.

[Raul]

5 hours ago, blckshirt98 said:

As a shore guy I find the fish when I cast along the shoreline near any points/coves/structure/cover.  The areas that seem to be the toughest are long stretches of flat/straight shoreline with nothing.  Bass like to hide/ambush so think like a fish and imagine where you would hide to wait for prey - usually the same places a person would if they were trying to hide from someone or seek cover from someone.

 

Them boaters don't get it, nothing can teach you more about structure than actually stand on it !

[Mason_tay]

finally got the picture of my dad and little girl with their catches.

[lonnie g]

Your starting out right. These guys and this forum can be very helpful on a multitude of topics. Looks like you have already gotten some great info . Don't forget to use your eyes and ears. Look for bait fish, swirls birds. Listen for splashes, frogs etc... never give up!! Tight lines

[soflabasser]

Find the baitfish and the bass will be close.

[geo g]

On a big shallow lake like Okeechobee, find clean clear water and you will find bait fish and bass.