How would you fish this?

[Craw]

Highland Reservoir...Steep banks, limestone bluffs, sharp points. Cover is mostly deadfalls and docks. Upper end is shallow and stained(1ft. vis.)while lower end is deep and much clearer(4-5ft. vis.). Lake has LM, SM, Spots, Walleye, Stripers, Hybrids, White Bass, BG, Crappie, Yellow Perch, Muskie, Cats and Carp. Primary forage for Bass is Crawfish, Alewifes, Gizzard shad, Bluegill/Yellow Perch and insects. Lots more minnow type species that I am unable to identify. System is 21 miles long with lots of coves that resemble main lake(Steep banks with deadfalls and docks). Bottom composition is rock, clay, sand, gravel and mud. I've been fishing it for many years but I would welcome any advice on locating possible offshore structure. Summer tactics for LM, SM and Spots might help me greatly. THANKS

[bassnleo]

Man, there could be multiple patterns that coud produce fish. IMHO, I would fish what you have confidence in. If your good at shallow fishing, target the docks and shallow wood. Deep, target breaks and humps. As far as locating the offshore structure, I would try to find a good map of the lake and look for offshore breaks and humps etc..

[Shimano-king]

Sounds like a great lake.  Try some plastics on the docks, like magic worms(morning dawn, clear with green tail), and the infamous cinkos.  For the rock walls and large submerged rocks try jerk baits such as rapala "clowns", "td minnows", and worms as well, fish those 5-8' in the day time. Top water in the evening with hula popers, zara spooks, and buzz baits if the fish seem lively.  For the steep long points, rattle traps, 3/8 oz jigs, shiny lures, so the bass and walley can sense it well.  And good luck, hope i could help some.

[Chris]

You shallow stained side I would fish tight to cover either flipping a jig or bouncing a crankbait or spinnerbait off of any cover I could find. You clear water deep side I would fish it one of two ways. Either with a crankbait fishing it parallel to the bank trying to locate a zone that they are hanging at or pulling off into the deeper water and taking a football jig and walk it down the bluff. You can do the same thing with a jighead worm. Tubes work well also or a swim bait.  

[DR_Bass]

Sounds like you could do just about anything on that lake.  Because of the way I like to fish I would go straight to the upper end of the lake.  That way with the dirtier, shallow water I would be able to flip and pitch or throw a spinnerbait around visible cover, but is most likely not the only or the best way to catch them.  My advise to you would be fish your strengths, fish something that you enjoy fishing.

[Hot Rod]

This sounds similar to the lake I fish mostly except for the docks.  I've had most of may luck pitching and flipping shallow cover maintly tree tops.  

In the lower end of the lake where the water is clear I look for tree tops that extend out into deeper water and make long casts to the very tops of the trees.  Give your line enough slack so that it can fall straight to the bottom and is not pulled away from the tree tops.

Stump fields are good too if you can find them, especially close to deeper water.  Run a crank or a spinner bait through em.

I've gotten into them in the backs of creek channels too throwin flukes and small cranks in shallower water but that was earlier in the year.  Look for places where other people might not be willing to take their boat like skinny water in the back of coves/tributaries.  These can be overlooked honey holes.