Fishing small featureless reservoirs

[BryanSJ]

There are a few small reservoirs near me that are so conveniently close to me that it’s hard not to give them a shot. The tough part is there is next to no shoreline cover (no boats watercraft allowed), not a lot of rock or vegetation, and there is a ton of fishing pressure. All bodies of water are relatively shallow and don’t have many coves or points. What would be the best way to find some fish? 

[Armtx77]

Fish the wind driven shorelines first. Paying close attention to any slack water the wind is not getting into. The wind will blow baitfish in the same direction and Im assuming these reservoirs are not perfectly round.

 

I am finding that these high pressure lagoons/lakes around me. That the bass and bluegill dynamic/hatred for each other, is heightened right now for some reason.

Spawn for both is over, but blue lures are out fishing every other color by 3 to 1. Pre-spawn and spawn, were earth colors.

 

Im fishing 8lbs NanoFil and would recommend you go with nothing larger than 8lbs diameter line. 

Casting parallel to the shore line, is going to produce more, than casting to open water. I recently threw a 3/4 weight and bounced it off the bottom, looking for "deep" holes.

 

Good luck.

[roadwarrior]

 

[BCline]

On 4/30/2018 at 6:36 PM, LTBAndrew said:

I second the sentiment about fishing the windy banks. On smaller bodies of water, they will be especially susceptible to those types of conditions. Also, learn the bottom contour with a heavy jig. Back in the day, that was how guys mapped out the bottom of a lake and learned the drops, depth changes and structure. You'll be surprised how much you can learn just by feeling the bottom with your bait. 

This is very different from what I have been doing.  I am strictly bank bound until I get my boat seaworthy and have found that the wind driven bank is usually stirred up and dirty.  Plus having the wind in your face greatly limits the casting range.  I target banks with the wind at my back so that I find cleaner water and have better casting options.  I also fish many featureless, man-made ponds and will try the wind driven banks.

[scaleface]

I third the windy banks . Wave action stirs up sediments which attract little fish , which attract bigger fish...

[TOXIC]

All other factors being equal, I would then consider depth.  Fish the banks where the deepest water is close by if you can tell where that is.  

[All about da bass]

37 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I third the windy banks . Wave action stirs up sediments which attract little fish , which attract bigger fish...

Yup, you summed it up perfectly and simply.

[WRB]

Welcome to BR.

Lakes are not featureless, they have a bottom, sides, different soils, an man made a dam with rock or cement elements with a spillway.

I agree wind can be a factor however in the spring when the spawn is in full swing wind could be a negative factor.

If you have spinning tackle, search "slip shot rig", start fan casting around the dam area and any points and coves. Casting tackle the C-rig should work. Roboworms in 5" to 6" with light wire 1/0 hooks the worms rigged weedless and slowly dragging along the bottom. In another month a Pop-R worked Parallel to shore out about 8' during low light periods should get a few strikes.

You have a 1/2 dozen or so smaller lakes that fit your discription plus Coyote lake and few others mid size lakes with boating and rental boats allowed.

Tom

[AggieBassin10]

3 hours ago, scaleface said:

I third the windy banks . Wave action stirs up sediments which attract little fish , which attract bigger fish...

I fourth it ? I love fishing windblown banks when fishing, as I like to call them, "bland lakes" and while they have features that take time to learn, for the most part nothing sticks out. My go to from the start is to fish the windblown bank @scaleface said it best. The little fish get pushed up there and the bigger fish come to the buffet. I fish a lot of neighborhood ponds and they are the definition of bland lakes. But if you can figure out how to play them, they can produce great fish.

 

Most, at least in the spring and summer, have a weed/grass line that extends about a foot or two off the bank. Bass love this. Nuff said. I'm a Texas angler and it can be 102 degrees outside with water temps in the 80s and there will still be fish sitting in less than 2 feet of water on this weedline. Look for gaps in the weeds or areas were they grow farther out because these are prime spots for bass to stage. Try and cast parallel to these (I love to use a small 3-5" swimbait when doing this) weeds and work it accepts the line. Usually the bass will shoot right out and smoke.

 

If you can pair the windblown bank with a weedline (or other structure) your in hawg heaven! I used this combination I help me link up with a solid 4 pounder last weekend. 

 

Don't be discouraged by an inability to cast or muddy water. The fish are usually holding tight to the bank anyway and casting distance doesn't matter that much.

 

Your pond will have features specific to it that can also help you locate and catch fish. You just have to find them. It may be a slightly steeper bank, a random gravel bed, a change from soft to hard bottom, or a sunken log you haven't found yet. Be very conscientious when you fish bodies of water like this. They can be some of the most difficult to figure out but they will make you a much more detail oriented and overall better fisherman