Where do they go?

[The_Mad_Fisherman]

I've always been told that in the fall, the fish go shallow in the creeks no matter what.  Well I've also been told that if they are pulling the lake down for winter pool then the fish will stay out on the main lake.  Someone has just told me a bunch BS.  One way or the other.  I'm going to be fishing a River Lake next week.  And it drops 25ft for winter pool.  Right now it is just a little below summer pool.  So, soon, very soon, the lake is going to start to bottom out.  So where do I begin to look for the fish.  When I go to practice Saturday, is it even work my time to go peck out some shallow cover that wont be there the next weekend.   Or should I just stay out from the bank, and focus on main lake structure like points bridges etc....

Thanks

-Wil

[roadwarrior]

Structure in deeper water is consistant. That doesn't mean that all structure holds fish, but structure that does hold fish will consistantly be productive. River lakes have current if the lake is generating electricity; if the turbines are operating. Generally speaking, this fact alone will impact your success.

Points are always a place to start, main points are generally more productive for smallmouth. Humps and ridges near or surrounded by deeper water is another suggestion.. Bass may be further back in coves this time of year, but don't overlook the structure around the mouth of the cove where an old creek used to flow into the main river. This is often deeper water and you may find yourself in what appears to be the middle of the lake. These areas do not get a lot of pressure from other fishermen.

Another, more obvious type of structure that generally holds fish are docks, even those in very deep water. This is another example of what I mentioned earlier: Not every dock will attract fish, but those that do almost always hold some.

[Catt]

In lakes and reservoirs (depending on their size) there are two types of bass, those that relate to shallow shoreline structure, and those that relate to main lake deep water structure.

The two never see each other, so both statements you were told are correct.

[jb_adams]

In lakes and reservoirs (depending on their size) there are two types of bass, those that relate to shallow shoreline structure, and those that relate to main lake deep water structure.

The two never see each other, so both statements you were told are correct.

I've never heard that before.  Here the fish seem to vanish from the shallow water when the weather changes.  I mean you have a hard time finding a decent size brim or crappie in 8ft of water in a back water creek.  The water is clear and the fish are just not there when the weather changes from a cold front.  They quickly go back to deeper water around 30-45 ft from what I saw this weekend.  Of course Beaver Lake has river channels over 100ft deep too with the upper end average depth around 60ft.

[Matt Fly]

If a lake is drawn down 25 ft, and its done fairly fast, the fish will know and stay out of areas that might leave them stranded.

I also concur that many lakes have resident shallow fish year around, when we say shallow, that can be 7 feet or less, and it depends on how much your lakes drops.   And lakes that have there deeper fish.

I think both statements are correct.

matt.

[Catt]

Ok let's look at this a little closer

A shoreline bass lives its life within a certain distance from the mud shallow shore of a body of water. A main lake deep structure bass lives its life completely away from any shoreline.

During seasonal weather changes the shoreline bass will move to a deep water comfort zone, with that depth being controlled by the severity of the weather change. The main lake bass may not be affected at all by the weather change because he already lives in that comfort zone depth.

During the spawn the shoreline bass will move up to a location within feet or even inches of the shoreline. The main lake bass will spawn on under water ridges and humps in 8, 10, or 12' depth ranges nowhere near a shoreline.  

Many people are under the assumption all bass migrate to and from these two lake areas but that is not the case. They are two distantly different types of bass and their paths seldom cross.