Help me pick apart a small lake that has denied me in the past...redemption!

[gilkeybr]

We are going to my in-laws cottage for the upcoming holiday weekend and I am looking for some advice or suggestions on what other people would do with this type of lake.  For background, we have been going here for the last several years and I have had essentially no luck fishing catching only one spot with a top water last year.

 

This year I am convinced to make it a successful trip.  Information on the lake:

 

-Clarity is very low, 4-6" at most

-Average depth is ~20ft.  On the SW corner of the lake is a dam with a rip-rap shore.  The rest of the lake seems to primarily be soft bottom.

-Creek arms feed the lake on the north end.

-Expected water temps are probably in the mid- to high-50s.

 

My uncle has said in the past that they've caught "a ton" of fish on wacky rigged senkos.  I have tried that some in the past as well, but haven't had any success.

 

My default would be to fish the dam, based on the structure available.  Considering the time of year I plan to start with a wiggle wart for grinding the bank, a black/blue chatter bait, a black/blue jig and reluctantly, a black/blue senko.

 

My thinking is they will be "tight to cover"?  So if I can find any lay downs (difficult with the poor clarity), I should be throwing into them as much as possible?

 

Is there a better suggestion?  Should I be looked for bass off shore based on water temps?  Should I be venturing up into the creek arms on the north end?

 

Other lures i've considered are spinnerbaits, jerkbaits (probably not good based on clarity), shad raps, ned rigs, etc

[Armtx77]

I would be looking for that warm water in and around the creeks and the south facing banks. Late morning/mid day fishing might be beneficial as well.

 

Do you know of any drop offs/shelfs in the lake? The rip rap is enticing and faces south from the looks of it. I would also work all those points. They should have some "shallow" water on them and that will also mean warmer water.

 

 

[FishDewd]

The dam with rip rip sounds promising... I hear dams make great holding areas for bait fish, which means bass. I also kind of like those points on the NE and NW, especially the NW where the creeks are meeting into the lake. Could be a good holding area. Just my opinion, I could be way off. I haven't done a tremendous amount of lake fishing. But I'd look for the bait fish: find the food, find the bass. Generally. If you don't know what depth they're at, running a hi-lo dropshot can be an effective way to test different depths if things like a crank or swimbait aren't working. Plus you can rig baits in different ways with that: I like a wacky rig on the bottom, and a nose hooked or texas rig tied on a dropper loop on the top hook.

[Gundog]

If you are accurate with the water temps then I would be fishing slow for largemouths. Jigs, worms and senkos would be a good bet. Also throw in some twin-tailed skirted grubs (spider grubs) on a football head jig. If it was me I'd concentrate on areas that go from deep to shallow quickly. If the sun is out and the water is warming maybe go shallower but don't expect all the fish to be in one depth range. Also don't discount jerk baits. Even in muddy water they can produce. Fish hone in on them using their lateral line. Just use bright colors like yellows, oranges and whites so when they get close they can find it easier. Spinner baits with Colorado blades and bladed jigs work good in stained and muddy water too. The dam is an easy spot because rocks hold 2 things bass like the most, food (crayfish) and warmer water because the rocks hold heat.

[Tennessee Boy]

Water temp in the 50s this time of year?  Wow

[Hyrule Bass]

what i would say is, if your game plan is failing you(im not saying it will, seems youve thought it out extensively), dont be afraid to completely abandon it and change it up. i would also suggest perhaps trying some red eye shads/rattle traps; and also perhaps something bright in color like fire tiger colored lures or chartreuse based on the water clarity...

[bhoff]

With a soft bottom, this could mean there is grass. Along with the low visibility possibly try ripping rattle traps off the grass bottom or a spinnerbait\chatterbait on the top of the grass, granted this is assuming there is grasss. The low visibility combined with the lower water temperature means that a reaction type bite could be key. I don't feel as if jigs would be all that logical of a choice because of the muddy bottom, but hey who knows. You could even try throwing a deep diving crank or a dropshot with a longer leader.

[gilkeybr]

Thank you all for the tips.  I should have noted before the lake seems to exclusively be LMB, no reported catches of SMB.  Baitfish are various panfish species.  My guess at primary forage is crayfish, based on the numbers you see around shore.

 

I may have underestimated the water temps.  Could be closer to mid-60s based on the temps of my local waters.

 

My logic on the jig was that there are a vast amount of crayfish in and around this lake, but I do believe some of these tips could be right that a reaction bait could be a better bet (lipless crank, spinnerbait, etc).

 

I guess this is why they call it fishing, and not catching.  Hopefully there will be fish to be caught this weekend.

[Choporoz]

I suspect your estimate of surface temps is low.  You may find that they're in various stages of pre-spawn and spawning.  Looks like enough docks to fill at least a half day.  I'd probably start at the upper end and work down.  Nice choke point about a third of the lake down from the top.  Not sure what is going on in the eastern bays, but if there's shallow flats, you may find beds and bass moving to/from them through that gap -- I'd try to find out if there's a cut or channel there.  If your correct about temps, then my biggest advice is slow down.  And then slow down some more.  I fished a few different dingy lakes this spring around those temps and the theme was similar; very slow drag near cover, but not always tight to it.  I'm used to pitching to a laydown, working it hard and then try again.  I caught more bass this spring with Rage Bugs and finesse jigs well after lure cleared the wood and got 2-5 feet out....but, again, very slow.  Its just hard to predict until you get a feel for where in the spawn cycle they are.  And, just maybe it isn't a great bass lake right now.   I'd take some beetle spins or crappie jigs along just in case. 

[gilkeybr]

I did grossly underestimate the water temps for the lake last weekend.  They ended up being 71ish, and surely warming all the time with how hot it was.

 

Managed to catch a few bass, not much bigger than 1lb, on senkos.  My brother in law caught a few dinks on a 1/4oz swim bait.

 

One observation was that he threw a crappie jig a little bit and could more or less catch a crappie on every cast (all in the 5-6" range).  I wonder if a crappie overgrowth would cause a decrease in the bass population?

 

Did try a jig for a bit as well as a couple cranks, but didn't put enough time into them to probably catch anything.  The confidence just wasn't there