Advice. How to fish this lake?

[Titan]

This lake (Prague city lake) is supposed to have a great population of big largemouth bass.  I've fished it a few times and caught a few 3 pound bass, nothing big and not a large number of fish.  The lake is fairly clear with 3-4 feet of visibility.  It's surrounded by coon-tail with several submerged grass flats.  The coon-tail on the shoreline is so thick, I don't see how to get a lure through it.  The lake is full of standing timber, so much so that it's a "no wake" lake.  It's about 250 acres.  There are a couple long points (timbered) with deep water (10-18 feet)

 

On a typical Saturday, there will be 10-20 boats (mostly kayaks), all bass fishing.  So, it's fairly clear, full of cover, and over pressured.  These fish see lures constantly.  How would you guys go about fishing this lake?  The pressure is what I think makes if difficult.   

[Big Rick]

The first thing I would do is fish on WEDNESDAY!!  What kind of standing timber?  Cypress?

[Wizzlebiz]

Apparently the senko is the only lure they dont remember. 

 

Conversely I would probably find out what those other 20 are throwing then throw something completely different in hopes of standing out. 

[scaleface]

I would hit those points every time out .  I choose lures that "thoroughly" work on the cover//structure present . Vegetation spinnerbaits , buzzbaits , lightly weighted soft plastics , toads ,: Standing timber  crankbaits , spinnerbaits , buzzbaits , texas rigs ,: points texas rigs ,diving  crankbaits , Red Eye Shads

[papajoe222]

Just because a lake is supposed to have a good number of big bass doesn't make it so. Have you witnessed anyone landing 6lb. or larger fish? I'm guessing with the presence of timber that the lake is man made .You mentioned three types of cover, but not any defining structure. On a small lake with abundant cover and little obvious structure, the subtle structure becomes that much more important.

Of those three types of cover, which does the lake's main forage prefer and what is it. Just knowing what the bass feed on is a big clue to where you'll find them.

Lastly, target areas where other anglers avoid. That heavy matted coon-tail may just be where the big girls avoid the heavy pressure. It may take some ingenuity to figure out how to fish it effectively, but once you do, you may unlock a gold mine.

[Titan]

14 hours ago, Big Rick said:

The first thing I would do is fish on WEDNESDAY!!  What kind of standing timber?  Cypress?

Wednesday's a good idea!  The timber is Oak, Cedar etc.... from when the lake was flooded.

13 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

Just because a lake is supposed to have a good number of big bass doesn't make it so. Have you witnessed anyone landing 6lb. or larger fish? I'm guessing with the presence of timber that the lake is man made .You mentioned three types of cover, but not any defining structure. On a small lake with abundant cover and little obvious structure, the subtle structure becomes that much more important.

Of those three types of cover, which does the lake's main forage prefer and what is it. Just knowing what the bass feed on is a big clue to where you'll find them.

Lastly, target areas where other anglers avoid. That heavy matted coon-tail may just be where the big girls avoid the heavy pressure. It may take some ingenuity to figure out how to fish it effectively, but once you do, you may unlock a gold mine.

I haven't seen any big fish caught there.  Just heard from other fisherman.  I think the lake has shad, but now that I think about it, I'm not sure.  If not, the main forage would likely be bluegill or crappie.  I think the matted coon-tail and the points is the way to go.  Any ideas on fishing the mats?  Maybe a 1 oz jig or t-rigged bait of some kind.  I had some luck throwing a frog, but on the matted up stuff it doesn't work.  Thanks for the replies!

[primetime]

Just fish structure, weeds, and look for drop offs like in any lake....May have to get deep into the coon-tail with a heavier weight....

 

Sometimes on a lake with a ton of boats, you can often do well getting away from everyone if its not a huge lake. I have seen times on smaller lakes with lots of pressure that we will do really well in spots that never produce when nobody is on the lake, but when its packed, the fish seem to all want to get away from the noise and pressure...Can't go wrong with your confidence baits just experiment and look for spots others are missing.

 

If the lake has big bass, alot of pressure, then they are big for a reason. Not easy to catch....Takes patience, maybe try it at night...

[papajoe222]

I use a punch rig with up to a 1oz tungsten weight. There are a bunch of soft plastics you can use, but stay away from craws and anything that can catch the weeds on the way down. Beaver type baits are popular. I prefer a 5in tube. I load the cavity with scent when things are slow and just let it sit on the bottom.