When YOU go out...

[Fat-G]

I want to see what "A day on the lake" is with you guys. How you prepare for the day, how long you spend, where you go, what you usually start out with, how big is the body of water, etc.

I think this would be really cool to see the different ways people spend the day doing what we all love. I especially want to hear from the "older" guys ;D

[Raul]

As usual like on everyday I load the SUV with all the stuff and then I ask my compadre or another friend coming with me:

Ok, we ready, where do you want to go ?

1.- want to catch a lot of fish ( dinks ) all day long ? let 's go to Cañada

2.- want to see if we can pull maybe a couple of good fish ? let 's go to La Sauceda

3.- you want a lesson of humilty ?  let 's go to La Laborcita

Depending upon the answer that 's where we go that day, normally we choose either of the last two, interesting because the the last two imply we are probably going to spend the entire day sunbathing on the boat & casting all day long hoping to catch something. Go figure.

[ChiCityBasser]

My days start out the night before since I usually fish on Saturday and Sunday morning. After me and my brothers have decided which lake we are going to hit I start trying to get my rods together pretty much based on what was successful the last time out. I usually start with a shallow diving crank on one rod. On the other rod I carry it is either a swim jig or some form of t-rigged plastic. Lately its been the strike king space monkey in green pumpkin with a 1/8 oz weight, 2 glass beads and a 5/0 EWG hook and the tips of the claws dipped in chartreuse. Since I'm fishing from the shore I really only carry the 2 rods and they are either 2 spinning rods or 1 baitcast cranking setup and a spinning rod. The bodies of water we fish on pretty much vary in size from small park ponds in the 1-4 acre range to bigger bodies of water. Most of the success I've had this year has been on the smaller lakes and ponds fishing the shallow diver crank over the tops of the weeds just under the surface. Lately with the heat we have been getting to the lakes between 5:30am-6am and pretty much done by 10 or 11am.

Thats pretty much my day on the lake.

[boneil]

Not much need for preperation, all my stuff stays on the boat. A typical outing consist of hitting up my usual spots and trying to put together a good bag.  I fish a couple of areas for a few hours, maybe 3 or 4 and then spend a couple of hours searching and fishing new areas.  I almost always spend time fishing a technique that I'm not comfortable with.

[bassfisherjk]

Ok this is one of the older guys.LOL

I am lucky to be able to keep my boat in a garage,so everything is in the boat and ready to roll.

A- Try to be at any of the lakes I fish at daybreak.

B- I have fished 8 hr. and I have went home after 4 hr. I can be at 3 of the five lakes we fish in about 30 min. which is great.

I usually start fishing a Zoom Baby Brush hog,t-rigged (pumpkin)

Lake size goes from 1000's of acre's(Raystown) to may be 80 (Black Moshannon) I alter this alittle if I am taking someone along,but always have a great time.

[Nitrofreak]

My day starts at 4:30, warming up the boat a few minutes and heading out to one of my 5 favorite morning spots after thanking the man upstairs for blessing me with this gift for the day.

My favorite lake is a 9000 acre lake that has a nuclear power plant, and has a private side and a public side, The private side is where the exhausted water is returned to the lake.

As my day always starts in one of my favorite spots I will use top water baits...spro frogs yellow/white and pumpkinseed and cavitrons.

As the sun just starts to top the tree lines I will switch to trick worms and lizards and jigs in watermelon/red usually, and start working the shadows and drop-offs and as the day progresses to full up sun I will go deeper with jigs and swim baits and crank baits while working on my tan. ;D

As noon progresses to evening I will use whatever is working and stay with it until the mood changes and then revert back to jerk baits and jigs until closer to sunset, And work crank baits and swim baits closer to shore and as the sun sets back to top water until dark.

Load the boat and drive 2 hours back home.

Makes for a long day but I can't think of any other way I would rather do it.

[Fishing Rhino]

This has been an off year for me due to circumstances beyond my control, but this has been my "method" for fishing.

When able to fish regularly, several times a week, I've been able to change with the wants of the fish, and pretty well keep up with them.

I will take two or three rods rigged with what has been most productive on recent forays.  I will rig other rods with various baits.

Regardless of how productive the current hot setup is, I will also spend a fair amount of time with the prospecting setups.  When the appetites of the fish change, I'll know about it.

The size of the water fished has little to do with what I bring.  Correction, when I fish larger ponds/lakes, I'll fish from my bass boat, which carries most of my gear.

From my canoe, I'll still bring five or six rods, sometimes more, and a couple of totes of baits, hooks, etc.

How I choose where to start is a matter of the weather conditions, recent experience, or just a plain hunch.

The past couple of months I've been lucky to get out once a week.  I'll tell you, that has really impacted my productivity on the water, since I'm not keeping up with the changing patterns.

[Tom H.]

As other have stated, It depends on where I'm fishing at. My usual arsenal is a T-rigged worm, a crankbait, a scum frog, and a jerk bait. If I feel the need to change it up a bit I do, but most of the time these are the baits that produce for me.

[Alpster]

Another old guy...

I can't get into my lake (780 acre water supply reservoir in a county park) until 6:30. My stuff is already in the boat the night before, so I spend the very early morning making breakfast and lunch to go on the boat. The ranger opens the gate and I'm in the water in about 5 minutes. They have an excellent ramp! All my rigs are set up ahead of time with what I will fish with that day. I usually hit a couple of shoreline honey holes with a buzzbait or topwater on my way to the channel structure. Usually switch to a jig & trailer in deeper water along the slope of the river channel. If all else fails, I will head out to the deepest part of the lake with a Texas rigged worm or a "Spot Remover" & Finesse worm and fish real slow.

If the weather is good I will, usually stay all day. If I have no fish in the afternoon, I will start throwing new baits and new techniques to get out of my rut. I always have fun and can't wait to go again!

Ronnie

[Lucky Craft Man]

Well, my trips vary depending if I am fly fishing or fishing for bass or muskie.  Here is how my last trip went:

3:00am Wake-Up and Load Car / Boat

3:30am Leave House

4:15am Pick-Up Uncle (he wanted to join me and he lived on the way)

7:00am Arrive at Lake (this particular lake is over 3 hours away)

7:15am Boat is launched and on our way to the first spot

11:45pm Load up boat on trailer

2:30am Drop of Uncle

3:15am Arrive home

Most of my fishing trips are like this, because many of the places I like to fish are over 2 hours away.

[rowyourboat]

1. Load Boat

2. Stop at Tutors Biscuit World

3. Arrive at Lake around 6am

4. Fish

5. Load up boat and leave around noon

6. Stop at McDonalds

7. Unload boat

glad i could help haha

[Missouribassman95]

I like to hit different ponds during the week, but then when the weekend comes  my dad and I fish the local lake (about 100 acers).  We usually fish around cover, rocks and fallen trees. we usually fish for a few hours to the whole day(depending on if we're catching anything).

[Big Bass Chaser]

1. I spend the night before on the couch next to my wife, getting my rods and gear ready for the following morning. I also prepare water and food and put that in my backpack.

2. I try to sleep early but invariably my wife keeps me up later than I want to be.

3. I wake around 4:30am, load the car, and drive to the lake I'm fishing that day (getting there around 5:30).

4. As I don't have a boat and all the lakes are hike-in only, I begin my hike (or sometimes bike) in which takes anywhere between 10 minutes and 45 minutes.

5. If I am at the lake while the light is still low, I will fish a buzzbait or popper, otherwise I usually start by burning a crank or spinnerbait searching for a reaction bite.

6. As the sun climbs I start fishing deeper and looking for cover. I usually switch to a slower bait (senko, dropshot, jig) before mid-day.

7. As the light begins to fade I will start throwing the crank again.

8. When I start to have trouble seeing my lure I know it's time to hike/bike out. I might start early if I am in for a very hairy hike out.

9. Get back to the car, usually tired as heck from billygoating up and down steep rocky hills to access the water all day.

10. Examine myself for ticks, change into comfortable clothes (I tend to wear heavy-duty clothes for hiking/sliding/climbing necessary), think about the fish I caught that day.

Some pics of my day :

Hike in:

Lake view :

Good fish for my lakes:

[Catt]

I stay Cocked, Locked, & ready to Rock 24/7/365!

My day on the water starts about 6:00 pm with either supper at the camp or a short 5 minute drive to Sportsman's Cafe or Fin-N-Feather's Cafe. After eating supper I'll order something to go while seating out on the porch enjoying a cigarette and a cup of coffee.

Then it's down to the boat dock where it's get in, sit down, shut up, & hold on and after jumping the boat up on plane I'll make the quick run towards the main lake. While watching buoy markers go by and surveying the surrounding sky I'll decide what deep water structure I want to try.

Once I've positioned the boat down goes the anchor and out comes a Texas Rig & Jig-N-Craw which I use to methodically pick the structure apart. On a typical night I'll sit on the same piece of structure all night or at the most 2-3 changes with even an occasional trip in to a creek channel cove to check out the buzz bait bite.

Quite boring huh?

[s13john]

lately its been briery creek

1. get up at about 4:30

2. grab some breakfast

3. launch the boat, run up or down lake try not to hit any stumps.

4. frog, lunker punker

5. sun is up more work creek channels with t-rig plastic, jig, wacky worm.

6. try to decide why i dont night fish and why its 90 degrees at 9am in the morning

7. gatoraid, nabs

8. sunburn

9. hudd on the poweline

10. rinse repeat

[Fat-G]

I stay Cocked, Locked, & ready to Rock 24/7/365!

My day on the water starts about 6:00 pm with either supper at the camp or a short 5 minute drive to Sportsman's Cafe or Fin-N-Feather's Cafe. After eating supper I'll order something to go while seating out on the porch enjoying a cigarette and a cup of coffee.

Then it's down to the boat dock where it's get in, sit down, shut up, & hold on and after jumping the boat up on plane I'll make the quick run towards the main lake. While watching buoy markers go by and surveying the surrounding sky I'll decide what deep water structure I want to try.

Once I've positioned the boat down goes the anchor and out comes a Texas Rig & Jig-N-Craw which I use to methodically pick the structure apart. On a typical night I'll sit on the same piece of structure all night or at the most 2-3 changes with even an occasional trip in to a creek channel cove to check out the buzz bait bite.

Quite boring huh?

That oddly rhymed.   ;D

[Hellbenderman]

Yesterday: temp 91, muggy in MD, partly cloudy, 6-10 mph wind. Only one other boat in the parking lot...sheeeesh. Lake is crystal clear and heavily weeded and lumbered. Got to the lake about 3:00. Just too hot to cast. Slow trolled a hellbender, (secret weapon), across points and over submerged trees and picked up a couple 2s. About 5:00 I went up to an area where there is standing timber in 20-25 feet that gradually, about 200 yds., slopes up to a large flat about 12 feet deep. Starting with the standing trees, I used a jig to drop down beside the trees and work around them, very slowly...nada. I was surprised I didn't pick up a couple on the jig. Backed off the trees a little and cast a Rapala DT10 close to the trees, but in open water and worked the top of the weed beds. After a few casts, got a nice 4lb. Drifted up on the flat away from the standing lumber. The flat has a couple old ponds and a gully or two and a lot of submerged bushes and fallen trees. The wind made for nice drift. I threw a 12 inch Culprit Tequila Shad Worm on a 1/8 ounce shank weighted hook, great for slithering in the weeds which are now about 3 feet high. Just let the wind move me and my worm along very slowly. I repeat, very slowly. Picked up one about 8 inches and wondered just what the hell he was thinking? Picked up a 2lb a few minutes later. Around 6:00, I got to a long ditch/slough/old channel? The surrounding flat is 6-8 deep, and in the ditch it was 10-15 deep. Some places the ditch is only ten feet wide and in others 30 feet. It is about 75 yards long before it starts to peter out. There is submerged timber and bushes along and in the ditch. I started to work the trees and bushes with that 12 inch Culprit and over the next two hours took eight fish out of the ditch including a 5lb, 4lb and a couple 3lbs, except one on a jig, they were all caught on the Culprit. About eight I went to fish two old ponds on the flat. From one I got a nice 4 and a 3. From the other, a nice 3 and a 2. I quit at 8:45. I got 16 I think, and some nice size to them. It was a very good afternoon. I was pleased with myself. It is a great little lake, and though highly pressured, has a lot of nice fish. I used the big Culprit because I'm pretty sure, I'm the only one out there doing so...until next week...hehehe. Below is a nice one from the ditch. As for age, 63.

[Hellbenderman]

....ooooops...mind fart

[ChiCityBasser]

....ooooops...mind fart

Nice fish and nice "Day on the lake" wish some of my days were that good

[roadwarrior]

Well, here's a specific example (for this weekend):

Rigged up to fish deep ledges and humps exclusively.

(1) Lamiglas SR705R/ CTE200GT/ Yo-Zuri Hybrid/ Mann's

20+. Plano box stocked with DD22s, Mann's 20+ and

DT16s.

(2) BCR854/ Curado 200E7/ PP 50/12/ 3/4 oz GMAN

Mop jig/ Rage Tail Lobster. Plano box stocked with

3/8 oz GMAN jigs/ Rage Tail Baby Craws.

(3) MBR844C/ CTE100GT/ Hybrid/ Rage Tail Thumper

Alternatives: MegaBug, Anaconda and Eeliminator

That's it. Packed and ready to go...All I need to pick up

is beer and ice!

8-)

[kms399]

I am at the launch at 5 am. I go to one of the better spots on the lake first and throw an x walk13 along the shallow weed edges usually pick up the bigger fish of the day doing that with the ocassional musky. I then go across the lake to the creek inlet where I will throw either x rap or a craw tube. if that isn't working or when the bite dies off I work the shore line throwing either a crank bait or spinner bait. if I pick up any fish I will slow down and throw the craw tube again. if the craw tube isn't working I will try a fluke or senko. come around 9 am I have done a lap around the little lake and it's time to throw some frogs in pads and milfoil. I usually head home around 11. if the fishing was good I may take my son out for a couple hours in the evening where we bobber fish for sunnies or he will play in the boat while I throw a spinnerbait or crank bait. every fish I catch he gets to reel in. head home around 9 and listen to the wife complain about keeping him up past bed time. ;D

[brushhoggin]

catt, you don't fish mornings do you

[bilgerat]

Kayak on the roof and gear in the back of the Explorer the night before. Coffee pot set to start brewing 15 min. before I get up. Leave house around 4 - 4:30 am, usually on the water fishing by 5:30.

Two rods, a small tackle bag and a few cigars and I'm set. I'll stay out 8 - 10 hours at times. Same deal for night trips.

[Diablos]

Good topic!

Get 6-7 rods ready the night before and hook boat to car.

Wake up 4am

Stop at store for drinks/snacks

Get to lake 5am

Pull rods out and start fishing by 5:20

Throw crankbait for 6-8hours  ;D

Get off lake by noon

Rinse repeat the next weekend

[Catt]

catt, you don't fish mornings do you

With the heat of our summer days I fish from 7:00 pm until 8-9:00 am