Can you find the honey hole at this lake...

[scott k]

You said summer so I'll just assume you mean July for the sake of my ideas.  Here's where I'd start:

The bay on the bottom left where it goes slowly from 2 to 14 feet. I'd probably start in the morning tossing some topwater in that bay starting at one of the manmade points and working my way around to the other.

Then I'd go across the lake to the inside bend which kind of starts near the 16, start at that manmade point and work your way north.   Then motor up to the next little bay to the north and try that.  If there's wood in there I would think this would hold some fish.

As the day goes on and the sun comes out I'd get into the weeds and pads in the backs of some of the bays and maybe around those islands.

You'll need to get some more info or time on the water to determine amount and extent of timber, rock, and/or weeds.  300 acres isn't very big, you can cover a lot of water and options in a day.

Good luck.

[WRB]

I recommended earlier to look at the lake via sat maps when it was low pool and that is still my advice to you.

This little lake is about 1 1/2 miles long and 1/4 mile wide and the fisrt order of business is to print you map and make draw 1 1/2" square grid pattern that equals about 1/4 mile squares, starting at the north end at Martell road dike. Nearly everything worth while is located within the 1 st 1/4 mile at the north end, one both sides of Martell road, until late summer. Question; can you fish the area north of Martell road? becuase that is the best looking area.

The 3 islands or pot hole ponds are interesting, however are also obvious to anyone fishing this lake. What is not so obvious are the submerged trees located about 500 to 600 feet south of those pot holes, near where the map has the 10' depression and 8' creek channel.

The other interesting structure is the road bed that leads to the water inlet on the north west bank corner of the Martell road dike and the channel cut at the north east corner and all the area north where the river enters.

This little lake has a lot of structure elements and a low bass population density because of the draw down and shallow water and cold winters. Don't think in terms of "honey holes", think "spots" to make up a milk run. About 1/2 mile south of Martell road you will see a creek channel, look for isolated rock piles and tree stumps near the intersection marked 12' and 10 ' channnel towards the west bank, could be a good summer location. The south end break water rip rap and marina area would be good during fall winter when the pressure is off this area.

Study your map and sat photo's, mark up your map and try those spots.

WRB

[Catt]

I recommended earlier to look at the lake via sat maps when it was low pool and that is still my advice to you.

This little lake is about 1 1/2 miles long and 1/4 mile wide and the fisrt order of business is to print you map and make draw 1 1/2" square grid pattern that equals about 1/4 mile squares, starting at the north end at Martell road dike. Nearly everything worth while is located within the 1 st 1/4 mile at the north end, one both sides of Martell road, until late summer. Question; can you fish the area north of Martell road? becuase that is the best looking area.

The 3 islands or pot hole ponds are interesting, however are also obvious to anyone fishing this lake. What is not so obvious are the submerged trees located about 500 to 600 feet south of those pot holes, near where the map has the 10' depression and 8' creek channel.

The other interesting structure is the road bed that leads to the water inlet on the north west bank corner of the Martell road dike and the channel cut at the north east corner and all the area north where the river enters.

This little lake has a lot of structure elements and a low bass population density because of the draw down and shallow water and cold winters. Don't think in terms of "honey holes", think "spots" to make up a milk run. About 1/2 mile south of Martell road you will see a creek channel, look for isolated rock piles and tree stumps near the intersection marked 12' and 10 ' channnel towards the west bank, could be a good summer location. The south end break water rip rap and marina area would be good during fall winter when the pressure is off this area.

Study your map and sat photo's, mark up your map and try those spots.

WRB

And there you have it  

[Bassnbrett101]

I love the area around the entrance to the boat launch. It would get a beating from me with cranks and jerkbaits.

Is the lake smallies or largies?

Is there much weed?

Garnet

Should we really be talking about weed on a public forum???  

[bait4me]

Yes you can fish the north side of martel road.  It is now full and going way back up into the creek.  I had some great luck back up in there waterfowl hunting 2007 fall.  The water is about 3ft and  does not go up until it hits the shore.   I went fishing there once last summer and saw a few thousand shad feeding on something back in the shollows it was in about 6inches of water I tried to fish a frog to see if any large bass were trying to feed on the shad but got nothing.

Do you think the muskie would do anything to the bass populations?

[WRB]

Yes you can fish the north side of martel road. It is now full and going way back up into the creek. I had some great luck back up in there waterfowl hunting 2007 fall. The water is about 3ft and does not go up until it hits the shore. I went fishing there once last summer and saw a few thousand shad feeding on something back in the shollows it was in about 6inches of water I tried to fish a frog to see if any large bass were trying to feed on the shad but got nothing.

Do you think the muskie would do anything to the bass populations?

On the sat overhead there is water back there when the lake is down, so that same water would be deeper with the lake up, so it's not all shallow water north of the road, check the sat overhead at the greatest magnification, thats how I found the isolated tress in the main lake.

Musky will be the prime predator, the bass will be tight to cover and when weed beds develope the bass will locate on the inside edges, the muskies own the outside weedline breaks.

There looks like a 3 to 4 foot break about 200 yards long south of the west pot hole and a row of tree stumps south of the break that look very good, check that out.

WRB

Added note; Anyone reading this should take a look at this small lake and go on Google maps; Wagon Train recreational area, Nebreska and study this lake using the sat overview. Good practice and a small  body of water to learn where the deep outside structure elements are located. You can apply the same elements to any bass lake.

[bait4me]

The backwater or on the north end of the lake north of martel road is all 3ft deep except for two deep deep hole that they dug to make the dikes that stick out into the lake you can see them on the SAT they are on the north side of the dikes.   The water is 3ft deep now back them it was a mud hole when the SAT was taken.

[RoLo]

The best compression is in the southern end,

but I'm not happy with the foodshelf area.

With respect to largemouth bass,

I like the northernmost point along the eastern shore.

Note the convergence between the 2 and 6-foot depth lines

and the shelf area to the north and south.

Roger

[IneedAnewScreenName9886691]

Now the answers are piling in.  

My .02

I like the old lake dams.  I would position and drag my bait off the top down both sides.   Carolina would be my starting point.  I am a sucker for deep creek channels with good cover.  

In the summer I would fish them fast until I found a bite and slow down.

Good luck man and Happy Releasing,

H.G.