crosseyedbass
02-02-2010, 03:29 PM
There is a lot of information here. I came across this article which I wanted to add.
If you’re going to a body of water you’ve never fished before or exploring areas you don’t normally fish on a familiar body of water, the task of finding and catching bass can be daunting. As a tournament fisherman, I often go to lakes I have never been to before or haven’t been back to in a considerable amount of time. We (humans) are creatures of habit; we like to do the same things in the same places, especially when you have success. This can be an asset and a liability.
There are basically two ways to go about finding/catching fish in “new water,”.
1.First is to fish your strengths or confidence baits.
2.The second method is to try to find/figure out where the fish are in the “seasonal patterns.”
Many fisherman have success fishing their confidence baits regardless of where they travel, they simply pick up their favorite bait, put their head down and find water or conditions that suit that bait/presentation. For example, if a fisherman likes to fish a jig around boat docks and travels to a new lake he may find success fishing the same jig around boat docks on the new lake.
Confidence is an asset, when you believe that the fish will eat the bait you’re presenting to them, you will fish with it longer, be more attentive and generally catch fish. The liability in this situation is that you may miss a more productive pattern by not trying other techniques.
Pursuing seasonal patterns can be challenging; you’re hunting a fish in thousands of acres of water. The key is covering lots of water, different types of water, different parts of the water column and using both horizontal and vertical presentations.
I want to expound on some of these terms:
Covering water: meaning you will move relatively quickly through an area, not sitting on one point/place or staying in one cove/area for and extended period of time(more than say 15mins).
Different types of water: by this I mean different parts of the lake, main lake points, secondary points off the main lake, creek channel points, flats either in the backs of creeks or off the main river channel.
Different parts of the water column: surface presentations(surface to 1’), shallow presentations(2-4’), mid depths(5-10’) and deep water(10’+). These examples of depth ranges are relative, in Florida 6’ is considered deep but on deep clear mountain lakes deep is 20’+.
Horizontal presentation refers to a lure that stays primarily in the same part of the water column. The best examples are surface baits, lipless and shallow diving crankbaits.
Vertical presentations typically fall through the entire water column to the bottom or descend through the water columns. Jigging spoons, deep diving crankbaits are some examples of vertical presentations.
I will always pursue the seasonal pattern fish on a strange body of water because if I can find or figure out the pattern I can usually reproduce that pattern all over the lake creating more fish catching opportunities. After an extended period of pursuing/hunting these fish without success, I can always fall back to my confidence baits.
I start with some form of a surface bait(as long as surface water temperature is above 55degrees), I can cover a lot of water with this bait and pretty quickly assess how aggressive or actively the fish are feeding. I work my way down through the water column as my hunt progresses.
In the summer and winter, I begin my search near the main river channel, focusing on points and flats. In the spring, I really focus on coves or pockets off the main lake or a major creek arm. In the fall of the year, the creek channels are the key as the bass follow the migration of the baitfish into the creeks.
The next time you go to a “new” body of water, remember these tips on how to break it down and you’ll catch more fish.
http://www.fishingwithrusty.com/articles/index.php#
If you’re going to a body of water you’ve never fished before or exploring areas you don’t normally fish on a familiar body of water, the task of finding and catching bass can be daunting. As a tournament fisherman, I often go to lakes I have never been to before or haven’t been back to in a considerable amount of time. We (humans) are creatures of habit; we like to do the same things in the same places, especially when you have success. This can be an asset and a liability.
There are basically two ways to go about finding/catching fish in “new water,”.
1.First is to fish your strengths or confidence baits.
2.The second method is to try to find/figure out where the fish are in the “seasonal patterns.”
Many fisherman have success fishing their confidence baits regardless of where they travel, they simply pick up their favorite bait, put their head down and find water or conditions that suit that bait/presentation. For example, if a fisherman likes to fish a jig around boat docks and travels to a new lake he may find success fishing the same jig around boat docks on the new lake.
Confidence is an asset, when you believe that the fish will eat the bait you’re presenting to them, you will fish with it longer, be more attentive and generally catch fish. The liability in this situation is that you may miss a more productive pattern by not trying other techniques.
Pursuing seasonal patterns can be challenging; you’re hunting a fish in thousands of acres of water. The key is covering lots of water, different types of water, different parts of the water column and using both horizontal and vertical presentations.
I want to expound on some of these terms:
Covering water: meaning you will move relatively quickly through an area, not sitting on one point/place or staying in one cove/area for and extended period of time(more than say 15mins).
Different types of water: by this I mean different parts of the lake, main lake points, secondary points off the main lake, creek channel points, flats either in the backs of creeks or off the main river channel.
Different parts of the water column: surface presentations(surface to 1’), shallow presentations(2-4’), mid depths(5-10’) and deep water(10’+). These examples of depth ranges are relative, in Florida 6’ is considered deep but on deep clear mountain lakes deep is 20’+.
Horizontal presentation refers to a lure that stays primarily in the same part of the water column. The best examples are surface baits, lipless and shallow diving crankbaits.
Vertical presentations typically fall through the entire water column to the bottom or descend through the water columns. Jigging spoons, deep diving crankbaits are some examples of vertical presentations.
I will always pursue the seasonal pattern fish on a strange body of water because if I can find or figure out the pattern I can usually reproduce that pattern all over the lake creating more fish catching opportunities. After an extended period of pursuing/hunting these fish without success, I can always fall back to my confidence baits.
I start with some form of a surface bait(as long as surface water temperature is above 55degrees), I can cover a lot of water with this bait and pretty quickly assess how aggressive or actively the fish are feeding. I work my way down through the water column as my hunt progresses.
In the summer and winter, I begin my search near the main river channel, focusing on points and flats. In the spring, I really focus on coves or pockets off the main lake or a major creek arm. In the fall of the year, the creek channels are the key as the bass follow the migration of the baitfish into the creeks.
The next time you go to a “new” body of water, remember these tips on how to break it down and you’ll catch more fish.
http://www.fishingwithrusty.com/articles/index.php#