How Do YOU Find Fish?

[KSanford33]

If I put you on a new lake, and said you had to catch fish regardless of the time of year or weather pattern, how do you do it? I give you 24 hours' notice, so you can go online if that helps. Go!

[Deleted account]

10 minutes ago, KSanford33 said:

If I put you on a new lake, and said you had to catch fish regardless of the time of year or weather pattern, how do you do it? I give you 24 hours' notice, so you can go online if that helps. Go!

The time of year and weather pattern is where it starts though...

[TnRiver46]

I would get a hook in the water ASAP. Live bait allowed? 
 

if not I would just drag a jig worm around , it’s the greatest fish finder of all time 

[KSanford33]

4 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

The time of year and weather pattern is where it starts though...

That's fair. Let's say the current conditions where you are.

[Junk Fisherman]

2 minutes ago, KSanford33 said:

That's fair. Let's say the current conditions where you are.

It's prespawn here in IL.  I am looking for structure adjacent to spawning areas- primarily points and other dropoffs.  If the weather is warm, I am checking the shallows for exploring fish.  I'm going with fast-moving baits like a chatterbait or jerkbait until the fish tell me I have to slow down.  Water clarity will determine what type and color baits I'll throw.    

[KSanford33]

2 minutes ago, Junk Fisherman said:

It's prespawn here in IL.  I am looking for structure adjacent to spawning areas- primarily points and other dropoffs.  If the weather is warm, I am checking the shallows for exploring fish.  I'm going with fast-moving baits like a chatterbait or jerkbait until the fish tell me I have to slow down.  Water clarity will determine what type and color baits I'll throw.    

Excellent answer. Now how are you looking for that structure? Navionics, online, or with your sonar? Thank you sir.

[Team9nine]

6 minutes ago, KSanford33 said:

Excellent answer. Now how are you looking for that structure? Navionics, online, or with your sonar? Thank you sir.

 

YES - you said I had 24 hrs notice 

[813basstard]

Something that reminds me of where I usually catch fish. 
Rip/rap

Pads

Grass

etc 

 

Start there. 

[BassNJake]

It's prespawn/spawn/post spawn here.

Since I dont really like messing with bedding fish

I'll be fishing points, channel swings and any structure I graph in 10-20 feet of water

I'll be fishing a crank or a spinner/chatterbait and I'll be slow rolling it

I'm trying to target the first places they stop moving in or out to spawn

 

The water temp is right near 60 and thats when I also see shad starting to spawn

so in low light conditions on warm mornings I'm fishing shallow with some sort of fluke/swimbait

[LrgmouthShad]

Well, I am much more confident target fishing shallow. Here's how I'd do it this time of year and I did it earlier this year on a lake I'd never been on before and another on a part of a lake I'd never fished before. Found fish both times. I start with looking at a contour map of the lake. Where I will start is trying to look for winter sanctuaries. Humps and other offshore features. Maybe there's one area that has a lot of deep water, a couple humps, and a nearby point that extends out deep. That's a pretty good area. From there I start looking if I can pinpoint channels. Then I follow those channels and see if they output onto good looking spawning flats.... with still access to deep water and the channel. If there are points on the way, that is good too. Maybe find a couple of plans that I can run based on this. Then I get on the water and depending on how much I think the fish have moved towards the spawning areas, I'll fish area on the way or perhaps even on the flats. I'll pay attention to bottom composition and especially the presence of any rock shallow. Then I just start hitting everything in sight with a spinnerbait until I find fish. 

[king fisher]

     I went to a new lake last weekend.  There were no maps available, so I went to Google Earth Pro, and looked at the lake in June which is when the water is lowest.  I marked dozens of points, islands, creek channel bends, big rocks trees other structure, and cover.  I checked the daily average temperature for the past month, and determined the water temp. should be in the mid 70,s.  The average temp. for the coldest month which is Jan. was 65 degrees, so I assumed the spawn would have been in Feb. March.  I planned on fishing post spawn fish on offshore structure and secondary points to start.  When I got to the lake the water temp was 76, and the water was down almost to June level,  There was no wind and visibility was 4.5 feet a little clearer than I normally fish, but playing right in to my offshore fishing plan.  I went straight to a point I was sure would produce.  I marked bait consistently at 15 t 20 feet, and the thermocline was easy to find at 50 feet.  I also marked bigger fish at the same depth as the bait but did not know for sure if they were bass.  I was sure a good plan was coming together.  I stuck with the plan and did catch a few 5 to 6 pound bass, but definitely had not found a decent pattern.  Non stop casting for two 13 hour days will catch a few decent bass even if a person is fishing the wrong place with the worst lure.  I then fished a few shallow bays, catching only baby bass, and talked to a couple other anglers, that beat the shore and came away with nothing, this information only added to my belief the bass were offshore, I just hadn't found the right spot.

          Everything I did made sense, but I forgot to do the most basic thing an angler can do, and that is take the time to really look at the water and surroundings.  Once I walked high on the bank, where I could look down at the water, I realized my mistake.  There was life all over the shoreline.  Spawning Tilapia everywhere.  Blue Herons, and other birds standing on the steep banks.  Baitfish of all sizes right against the bank, and most of all a giant bass cruising the shoreline completely ignoring all the small bait and activity around it.  I also found some crawfish claws that were bright blue giving me an insight into what color might work.

      The best thing I can do when I get to a new body of water is be observant of all my natural surrounding's.  Technology is great, but catching bass does require me to take part in nature as a predator.  Paying attention to the birds, local fisherman, water splashing, insects, any king of life on the bank, in the water close to shore, and most of all looking to see if there are visible bass are the most basic outdoor skills which I should have used before I even turned my electronics on.  Most of the time I walk a few hundred yards of bank, looking for life when I get to the lake even if it is one I fish all of the time.  If I had done that this past weekend, I probably would have a new PB right now.  I did manage to salvage the trip and get a nice bass, but by paying attention to my surroundings, I might have made the trip epic.  I will never go to a new fishery with my mind made up before I get there ever again.  No matter how good the original plan is, I will never be so slow to give up on it.  A good fisherman not only knows where the fish are and how to catch them, more importantly they quickly determine where they aren't and what doesn't work.

 

[Skunkmaster-k]

Any kind of fish or just bass ?

[KSanford33]

5 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

Any kind of fish or just bass ?

Let’s stick to bass, but I’ll definitely listen to other species. 

[GRiver]

Transition…… I look for transition in the currents that cause eddy’s or slack water. 
Transitions from heavy cover open water, like the edge of Lilly pads. 
The transition from shade to direct sunlight, work from shade to sunlight or parallel the shade line.

The transition  of depth ether shallow to deep or vise versus.

          The transition of the shore line, any changes that might give a bass a place to idle and ambush his food.

I look for transitions.

and hope I can get it figured out in 24 hrs.

[padon]

prespawn here. ill get on navionics , look for potential spawning areas.then look for potential wintering areas. then i will look for channels, structural elements etc leading into those places. points, channel swings, flats with deeper slots in them etc. when i get to the water ill note water temperature, clarity , and drive around a little and look for baitfish grass etc. if i think their will be fish shallow ill start in likely spawning areas or just outside and fish moving baits. cranks bladed jig , spinnerbait etc. may  even slow down and fish some soft plastics. no luck, ill probably go to the depth i noted most baitfish at and start at that depth on some structural element. But then you know what mike tyson said , everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

[fishingtx]

4 hours ago, KSanford33 said:

Now how are you looking for that structure? Navionics, online, or with your sonar?

Navionics is a great resource for me as a tournament angler, I will use it to find potential feeding areas based on the weather at hand. I know that everyone has there preference shallow vs. deep, both work depending on what the fish are doing. In both spots, I am looking for a steep drop, grass near by, and wind protection. I will first cover the shallow water that I identified on topo maps with a chatterbait or swimbait. I will then hit deeper spots with carolina rigs, a-rigs, or drop shots later in the day. 

But if I really need to catch fish.

I will beet the steep or grassy banks with a wacky worm.

Sometimes using a weightless wacky senko feels like cheating.

[scaleface]

Bass like to hang around stuff . So I'll just start junk fishing around stuff . If theres a decent population of bass I'll eventually be fishing where bass are .

[Basser2021]

5 hours ago, KSanford33 said:

If I put you on a new lake, and said you had to catch fish regardless of the time of year or weather pattern, how do you do it? I give you 24 hours' notice, so you can go online if that helps. Go!

I would just throw some kind of crankbait around Lol

[papajoe222]

First, I'd check out a good topographic map and make note of potential areas based on the season.

Next, I'd check out the weather and barometer over the past few days. If there is some sort of trend, or stability it can give me an idea of what I may encounter concerning their activity level.  I'll also check out the forecast for the day I'll be on the water.

Next up would be on the water observations. Water clarity sky and wind conditions, bird activity.

Lastly, my electronics will tell me bottom composition, weed depth, and the contours that I noted on the map.

I now have a game plan and will stick with it for a few hours unless conditions change drastically.  I can adjust presentations and techniques as needed.

[BigAngus752]

5 hours ago, Junk Fisherman said:

It's prespawn here in IL.  I am looking for structure adjacent to spawning areas- primarily points and other dropoffs.  If the weather is warm, I am checking the shallows for exploring fish.  I'm going with fast-moving baits like a chatterbait or jerkbait until the fish tell me I have to slow down.  Water clarity will determine what type and color baits I'll throw.    

Exactly right.  That is where I am catching fish right now.  Points leading to spawning area.  Depth dependant upon weather.  Vibrating jig and lipless crank.  I should say...when the wind isn't 30mph and I can put a boat on the water.  

[jbsoonerfan]

I'm just gonna beat the bank. Funny story. I was fishing the bank out of my boat one day and there was an old man fishing from the bank. I went out around him and we made small talk. He said, "Most guys say if they had a boat, they could go out there and catch them all. Then when they get a boat, they come right back to the bank". That describes me perfectly.

[thediscochef]

So being shorebound really cuts down on how much I can really prep, as there's only so much lake I have available. I generally need about an hour to fully go through the process of mapping, researching, and prepping. Fish like to hang around stuff (as said above) so I just cast at stuff until something bites, usually. All spots I fish are chosen based on topography and usable shore. Sometimes I get lucky and I can actually see baitfish or topwater action and that helps. I use navionics and google maps a ton when scoping out new spots, as it saves me the hassle and lost baits of physically scouting each location. There are places I don't even mess with because I won't be able to use my preferred baits due to shallow depths. Saves some access fees too. I have very rarely been skunked on new water when I follow my basic four steps - Scout Access, Prepare Tackle, Arrive Alive, and Adapt to Survive. The last part just means "never be afraid to try something or to catch unintended species". Crappies, Stripers, and Blue cats are all tons of fun and I have spots for each that I discovered by searching for LMB areas. If I'm catching I'm usually in a good mood. I wrote a really long thing about how I do each of those steps, but that seems like a little much and feels like I'm on Dunning-Krueger's Mount Stupid, in the state of Confidence. That said, I've always had success with those in-depth methods on larger reservoirs or places with widespread shore access. Power plant lakes and places with limited access have caused me problems on the shore.

[Bluebasser86]

Find a marina, dam, or bridge, I'll find some bass. 

[A-Jay]

Find Open Water  . . . . . .

Use whatever 'methods' I need to find areas that are holding the bait.

Single out the areas that have bait & bass.

Establish when the bass are feeding, as well as what Presentation(s) or Techniques(s) will get bites.

Be there at the right time and doing the right thing.

Use the net & the scale - repeatedly.

Be thankful / grateful for my good fortune.

A-Jay

 

 

[Catt]

On 4/19/2022 at 3:16 PM, TnRiver46 said:

I would just drag a jig worm around , it’s the greatest fish finder of all time 

 

Drag a worm, jig, or Carolina Rig!