Stumped and looking for advice

[slapshot]

My son and I have been fishing 4 small lakes in SouthWest Ohio for the past couple months.  A couple of them appear to be old gravel pits, but the other 2 seem a bit irregular for that - but what I've found on-line they all seem to be old gravel pits.  They get deep pretty quick (up to 50') and have plenty of bank access.  It looks like a sandy bottom (at least where I can see from the bank), not much structure or vegetation and usually the water is pretty clear.  The few times we caught some bass, it was pulling a Red Eye Shad through some vegetation near the shore (10-15' away).  I caught 1 on our first trip, then we caught 7 a couple trips later and 1 more just recently.  We've tried topwater (pop-r's, hula popper, buzzbaits, torpedo), plastics (fluke, senko, beavers, swim-shads), spinnerbaits, rooster-tail, chatterbait, kastmaster, jig w/trailer and a few crankbaits.  We've been skunked far more than we've been successful and we've fished it every available time except late afternoon/evening.

I wish I had maps with some detail but all they have on-line is the 4 lakes basic shape.

Looking for some ideas to try, as we really enjoy going but would like to net a little more to show for it

Thanks for any advice.

[Hammer 4]

I'd toss out a 1/2 oz. jig with a craw trailer..Or a DS with a fluke. IMHO your better off fishing below the surface. If you can see a weedline, that's where you want to place your bait.

[wisconsin heat]

lighter line and and weightless plastics over the weedline

[OHIO]

What the ponds/lakes called?

I live in SW Ohio, so I may be able to tell you what works for me if I have been there.

[Sam]

I can only suggest fishing the grass.

Bass will hold to the grass for as long as they can, especially any pockets, creases, channels or wood within the vegetation.

Do you think they are going deep and then running to the grass to feed?

Do you think they are on the inside or outside edge of the grass?

Have you tried a weedless pink trick worm across the grass?

With the water temperatures dropping I would think they would still be in the area of the grass, looking for something to eat.

Do you think they can see you as you walk along the bank? If so, they may get spooked and swim away.

Just my two cents. Hope it gives you some insight. 

[senile1]

Do you think they can see you as you walk along the bank? If so, they may get spooked and swim away.

Sam has a point here.  How many feet do you think the visibility into the water is? 

[slapshot]

OHIO - It's Campbell Lakes Preserve.

Sam - not sure if they are going deep then running to the grass.  When the grass was there, I'm pretty sure they were on the shallow side of it as they would hit the shad just after I pulled it through the weeds.  I don't know if they can see me or not, but I've seen some 6-12" fish along the bank, maybe 2 feet from shore and have pulled senkos, jigs and shad right through them and they just ignore the lure and keep swimming.

I can see 6 - 10' out pretty well and down the bottom at least 4-6' out from shore.

Looks like the grass/weeds have died - at least the stuff that we could see near shore - perhaps from dropping temperatures?

[Sam]

Even though the grass has died off the bass will still patrol the area.

If you can see them, they can see you.

At an old Bassmasters University Hank Parker gave some sage advice about fishing ponds.  He said to walk at least 50 feet from the bank when changing places and if necessary, stay 10 to 15 off the bank if the water is clear.

Those bass may have just eaten and are not hungry. 

Depending on the water temperature it takes time for the bass to digest their prey.  Here is what we learned at an old Bassmasters University from Ken Cook:

Speed of Metabolism

Time it takes for a bass to digest a minnow.

Water Temp       Time to Digest 

40* and Lower     8 Days

50*                     7 Days

60*                     2.5 Days

70*                     24 Hours

80* +                     18 Hours

73* to 75* is their most efficient metabolism.

Remember, a bass will feed for 10% to 20% of the day. The rest of the time is spent hiding in cover and by things and just hanging out with friends. 

So the bass you see may have already eaten so you will have to aggravate them into hitting your baits.

Take the temperature of the water and decide what to throw based on the surface temperature.

Let us know how you all do. 

 

[Okie.Rod.Bender]

When I take my daughter out fishing usually its on unfamiliar bodies of water.(Vacations, friends property ponds, etc.)  It never fails.  Old school minnows and bobbers from the bait store.  I'm a tourney angler and I bet others will agree that live bait will help you at least identify where the fish are at on these unfamiliar bodies of water from the bank.

[ludwig]

When I take my daughter out fishing usually its on unfamiliar bodies of water.(Vacations, friends property ponds, etc.) It never fails. Old school minnows and bobbers from the bait store. I'm a tourney angler and I bet others will agree that live bait will help you at least identify where the fish are at on these unfamiliar bodies of water from the bank.

What this guy said! On that note; Nightcrawlers - you might not catch bass this way, but you'll still catch fish on them. THe point? Well even though a sunfish is not a largemouth bass, the fact that they share a body of water and the ecosystem there connects them. Walk the shorelines, any frogs? Lots of bugs? Ect.

Every little bit of info helps. As mentioned above, water clarity, spook factor. Weeds/Cover/Structure. Is the lake pressured? Are there a lot of predators? Even if you can't answer all of these questions, just a few will get you closer to that 10+fish day!

[bigredxlt]

Try using a spook or walk the dog type topwater along the banks of these lakes. I use this to search for the fish on new lakes, even if the fish miss you at least have know where they are.

[scattergun2570]

My son and I have been fishing 4 small lakes in SouthWest Ohio for the past couple months. A couple of them appear to be old gravel pits, but the other 2 seem a bit irregular for that - but what I've found on-line they all seem to be old gravel pits. They get deep pretty quick (up to 50') and have plenty of bank access. It looks like a sandy bottom (at least where I can see from the bank), not much structure or vegetation and usually the water is pretty clear. The few times we caught some bass, it was pulling a Red Eye Shad through some vegetation near the shore (10-15' away). I caught 1 on our first trip, then we caught 7 a couple trips later and 1 more just recently. We've tried topwater (pop-r's, hula popper, buzzbaits, torpedo), plastics (fluke, senko, beavers, swim-shads), spinnerbaits, rooster-tail, chatterbait, kastmaster, jig w/trailer and a few crankbaits. We've been skunked far more than we've been successful and we've fished it every available time except late afternoon/evening.

I wish I had maps with some detail but all they have on-line is the 4 lakes basic shape.

Looking for some ideas to try, as we really enjoy going but would like to net a little more to show for it

Thanks for any advice.

DROP SHOT

[Nick]

Could be there's not many bass in those pits.