Tips for fishing a lake with little to no contour lines or structure

[FryDog62]

I started fishing a lake just outside of the metro area (Mpls) last year with much the same MO as yours - 150 acre dish pan lake that tops out at 19 feet.  I wanted to figure it out, so since our season doesn't open until mid-May, I went out in April and did some scouting.

 

Always best if you have any electronics - side imaging, 360, Livescope Aqua Vu, etc. But if not, the water should be clear then and if you can see down 10 feet you should be able to see some structure variation. With limited cover, anything in the water or on the bottom is a potential fish holding area.  I've even taken a long bamboo pole with me to tomp the bottom in interesting areas to see if its hard or soft muck. Stay away from muck unless there are trees, rocks, etc but note areas with a hard or sandy bottom. Waypoint them if possible, and even after the weeds grow in, those hard bottom areas will hold fish.  

 

When the weeds grow to full canopy, the bass go in there to get out of the heat/sun - and I've had best luck with a 1/2 or 3/4 oz AT Grassmaster jig (made in good ol' Savage, MN). It is the best weed jig I've used... let if fall and slither down into the coontail until it hits bottom or close and work it back up. Target especially any of those interesting areas you marked in the Spring.  

[losslakelunkers]

*UPDATE*
 

Caught them real good after taking all the advice on this forum. Caught a ton punching, on a frog, and on a swimming worm. 
 

I now am having more trouble. Like I previously said, there are no drastic drop offs, ledges, shelfs, or humps in this lake. It is basically a bowl and now all of the vegetation (curly leaf pondweed) has died out. The only remains weeds are some semi-dead coontail. I’m not exactly sure where to locate the bass out here. The lake gets 18ft deep and is about 150 acres. Where should I go next??? Let me know if there is any clarification about the features of the lake. 
 

Water temp: 80

Clarity: 5/10 (slight green stain)

[Eric Hug]

I have a similar lake and similar problems. One of the most recent added problems is all of the grass, (milfoil) is brown and dead in the middle of summer. I'm guessing they sprayed it? What do I do now?

 

[WRB]

Natural lakes around the Canadian shield zone in Minnesota are usually old with decades of silted debris, mucky bottom area devoid of dissolved oxygen in deeper ares.

Summer thermocline sets in nearly eliminating deeper water areas unless springs are feeding the lake. There is a water source a stream or small creek.

Photosynthesis the process green plants produce oxygen during day light and stop at night. Warm water over 80 degrees loses DO quickly so the bass located in and under the greenest leaf aquatic plants that provide DO and shade to cool the water. Add baitfish, crawdads, frogs, big insect larvae like Dragon Fly Danner nymphs is where the bass located.

Think bass suspended in the aquatic plants, not bottom dwellers during summer the period. Wind blown areas that get aeration from wave action are usually good. 

Soil transitions indicate breaks where sand, gravel may exists. 

These are subtitle as the contour exists it’s not abrupt but tapered. 

I would recommend night fishing but not in Minnesota where the sundown erupts in mosquitos. Over cast or rainy days are your friend, the bass can roam and hunt more.

Does this lake have a Pike or Walleye population?

Tom

[losslakelunkers]

That sounds very helpful. Yes it does have Pike and a small number of walleye.

[WRB]

Pike like flashy lures like Johnson Silver Minnow weedless spoons and spinnerbaits, good lures for bass in your type of lake. A buzz bait w/toad trailer is another good choice but Pike like it also.

Don’t over look a weedless wacky rigged Senko w/ Neko-nail 3/32 weight. Working both inside and outside weed line or pockets down along the cabbage or coontail stalks. Slow tedious but pays off.

This lake has a thermocline and the bigger bass should be suspended at that depth.

Walleyes should be around the inlet or out let’s areas where smaller baitfish populations are located.

Tom