Thread: Big Lake questions

This time of year it requires a bit of luck. Power boats equipped with fishfinders can cover a lot of water but even those quys have to know where to start.

For me, it's a matter of becoming familiar with the temperature, depth, and seasonal patterns of the target fish. In other words, researching (typically using Google) the depth and preferred environments my target fish will seek given the season and current water temperatures. Then I use something like the navionics web app to make educated guesses about where on the water I should be fishing. I'll make a list of possible locations on the lake I'm going to try out. I did this before I had a fishfinder, and continue to do it now that I have one. The upfront research and location planning helps you focus your efforts. Then I use a fishfinder to 1) validate/invalidate my guesses, 2) locate structure at the planned destinations, and 3) fine-tune my location based on any fish I'm seeing.

D7

Find the general area and access points for that lake-use the web and fishing reports available. Know what part of the lake warms up the best and has access to protected coves/spawning areas. Then it is a matter of going shallow to deep to find where the fish are holding....if you can cheat and get an aqua-view camera and drop it down by a likely looking tree and tell how deep the fish are holding....them set your bobber stop to that depth and start checking other likely areas out. I like to float a bobber and cast and retrieve with another rod.

Most of the reservoirs around me are 10,000+ acres. I would love to find some 900 acres water around me. Knowing your water is key. Start with map/google earth and learn the topography before going. On the water, depth finder will help but relating it to other features is part of the pre-study. Break the lake down in manageable sections (for me about 1 mile in any direction from a launch site) will help too.

And if you don't have a depthfinder, go simple. 50' of cord and a sinker about 4oz and mark the line.

Catch one and immediately throw a flip marker. Land the fish, put in live well(cuz you know he's gonna keep), And work back to the upwind side of the marker and see if he has any friends. If he does, see how deep the water is and what it looks like around other similar areas nearby. You would at least have a starting point.

As others have noted, studying a lake via Google Earth is a great way to figure general lay of the land. Once on the lake, I'll take a paddle along the side of the lake, less affected by wind (yes, it can change, as I will adjust!) I'm looking for the spots that catch sun, heating up earliest of shade if more mid-summer. And as for figuring depth, I use the line method, on a modified three foot Zebco Flipping rod, with the reel loaded with the braided colored line that (different color each 5' section). Drop the weight down, count the color sections as I wind it back. Quick and easy.
The other way I "dip check" a shore line id to carry a milk crate of 1-Lt empty water bottles, that have red lines to 20' and blue lines to 10'. I'll set a long line of these out to show my contours as i paddle into the wind, along a bank. Small paddle allows me to pull sideways until he weight takes hold of bottom. As I then drift with the breeze on the way back, I can look down a shore line and see the bottles bobbing, and know the approximate water depth. Once I've done this on a lake, I can judge my drift without the bottles on future fishing trips.
You can "spider rig" two rods easy enough, knowing about the depth to set rod lines, on either side of the boat. bank side will be at 7-8 feet, on first drift, while the lake side rod will be at 12-15 feet! When I'm drifting like this, I have an anchor handy that I can drop with 20' of line. Or like others noted, drift by as you land the fish and then paddle back up wind for another drift.
Markers are a lot of help.
Oh... Way less fuss if we hit the beds in shallow waters or fish the brush...
We can pick a Saturday and a lake and meet up over your way, after the first week in May. My new boat should be ready.