I use a Humminbird 1198 to find mine on any lake all the time.
how do you guys find them?
I use a Humminbird 1198 to find mine on any lake all the time.
downed trees and river ledges will keep you busy for a while.
Creativity is just intelligence fooling around
Before going to a "new" body of water, I've always looked at a map of the lake & tried to find areas that resemble areas on my home lakes. Then I've narrowed down where I would stay, that would allow me to fish as many of those areas as possible, in the given time I'd be there. That not being possible, I'd pick where I stayed based on being as close to the best looking area, as it related to the season or conditions..
Once there, I'd pick a area and motor around .... just looking for obvious cover, then fish the area according to where & how deep the fish "should be", given the season/conditions. I would use the same methods there, that I had had success with back on my home lakes, under those conditions.
Of course, I'd always talk to other anglers, bait store & marina workers, as well as watch what others were doing out on the lake. Talking to guide customers can help, too. But, I don't ask them where they fished ... just how they fished & at what depth ranges. If they offered more specific info, fine.
I'd also read fishing reports, when available. But, even with those, knowing they're "old news", I would only use them to give me an idea of what stage the fish were in ... considering the season & conditions ... and relate it to what I'd experienced on my home lakes.
... cp
if its a new lake that you plan on fishing alot i'd hire a guide if you can it will make it alot easier and cut the learning of the lake shorter otherwise it will take time to learn the lake on your own and less time catching them
A good map and Electronics are the best ways to make quick work of new lakes.
Remember they are crappie and what they do on your home lake then chances are they are doing the same thing on the new lake.
Join a local crappie club and fish the different lakes with them. You will learn a ton from being around good crappie fisherman and seeing first hand how they go about finding fish.
Tom Hankins
Lake Fork Trophy Lures
Whisker Seeker Tackle
Moss Back Fish Rack
Cumberland Crappie
G3 Boats
A good side imagineing fish finder is a big help scouting out unfamiliar waters.
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Thanks guys I don't have a fish finder and to be honest don't know much about them. thanks for any suggestions
Crappiepappy has great advice, know season you are going to fish,then look for places in that lake relating to that season. Is it a bowl lake or a lake with creeks,is it a deep lake,a river control lake,what kind of structure do it have,brush,lilly pads, lay downs,docks,standing timber and what depth is the structure in,much of this can be observe by a look at lake and a map and running arounr a portion of lake. You can not always use your lake for comparsion if one is a bowl lake and the other a creek lake. Went to fla for 2 weeks and fish a few lakes and did well but being a bowl lake was very different than my lakes,had to change my fishing style to the situation except when i saw a few docks,then it was like home but was not enough docks to fish all day,so had to troll which i rather not do,my point is you may have to change your method to that lake to catch many
God Demonstrated his love for us. Romans 5:8
I love fishen new lakes its a challenge. Water clarity, weather, time of year, water temp. All play there role. In spring id fish obvious structure. thats structure you can see sticking up out of the water. If its cold slow down your retreave if the waters merkey brighten your jig up like white and chartruse. Theres a thousand tips you could try but the most important thing to do is just stick to the basics.
Happy Hooken.....