Pattern finding tactics in prefishing

[javelinguy]

Don't know if this thread has been started anywhere on here already but here goes:

What do you guys typical do sequentially in finding a pattern? After map study, seasonal considerations, weather considerations, etc., how do YOU get on a lake and start breaking it down?

I usually throw lipless cranks, spinner baits in the shallows, and DT cranks and Carolina Rigs around the depths. If I find some structure or better yet a fish I'm throwing marker buoy's and slowing down with plastics or a j-n-p. Just looking for opinions and methods to everyone's madness. Can you tell I'm getting geared up for open water up here in Wisconsin?

[Infisherman1]

First of all, find out what kind of structure and cover there is at the lake. Next make a mental list of different areas you want to try. Try to find out whether they're holding deep or shallow first off, by throwing things like deep cranks and c-rigs in deep areas, and stuff like t-rigs, spnnerbaits, and flukes in shallower areas.
Then try to find out what kind of structure and cover they're holding to. Try to do something like fish the lilies, then cypress stumps, then docks, hydrilla, kissimme grass, rip-rap, brushpiles, downed trees. Fish these in whatever order you like.
Once you've found a specific area where the bass are sitting, really pick it apart. Try to fish the areas with several different lures and techniques until you find one that worls really well. Then you've got a pattern. For instance, my favorite pattern for right after cold fronts is to deadstick 5" junebug senkos around brushpiles, caught lots of fish that way. Hope this helped. 8)

[macgyver]

[quote author=IMhooked link=board=news;num=1107996935;start=0#0 date=02/09/05 at 19:55:35]Don't know if this thread has been started anywhere on here already but here goes:

What do you guys typical do sequentially in finding a pattern? After map study, seasonal considerations, weather considerations, etc., how do YOU get on a lake and start breaking it down?

I usually throw lipless cranks, spinner baits in the shallows, and DT cranks and Carolina Rigs around the depths. If I find some structure or better yet a fish I'm throwing marker buoy's and slowing down with plastics or a j-n-p. Just looking for opinions and methods to everyone's madness. Can you tell I'm getting geared up for open water up here in Wisconsin?[/quote]


I'm also antsy to get out on the water I know most folks will disagree here, and that's OK with me. I will usually also try to target flats or shallows, and look for the feeding fish, or the ones hunkerd down in the heavy stuff. I however use weightless plastics here Lizards/Flukes/Zipper worms. I fish them relatively slowly at first. If the fish are active, it really doesn't make a ton of difference what you throw, but if they are finicky, weightless plastics are hard to beat. If you start out power fishing as I like to call it, and the fish are finicky, then you'll have a great chance of missing some quality fish, by powering by. You'll know quickly if the fish are active, even with soft plastics, so you can always start runnin, and gunnin if they are hitting hard. So I will usually start with soft plastics. Now if it's early moring or late evening, then I will hit topwater stuff if appropriate.

Lizards

[FatBass]

Throw a split shot worm....the reason, nobody in your tournament is going to and it is a fish finder technique. you can locate a few during prefish and them beat them over the head with your traditional baits during the event.

[Rob Mak]

normally i can pattern a fish once i catch one. i fish favored lures in areas that i have caught fish before- say a tree laying in 8-12 feet of water is going to get a lure tossed at it. i work weed lines throughly in a average area-i know the first 10 feet of grass looks like the next 10 feet - but what i am after is the location of the bass in referance to the grass. are they holding deep in the weeds, the edge of the weeds, or 5-10 feet out. if you catch a couple bass at the weed edge that is were they are staging up .
i also use this technique to elimate water.
if i am catching bass on break walls,or cement ramps,or under docks. say you are on a cement ramp pattern. i will put the tm on high and hit every cement ramp i can find. saves time and in a tourny it basicly boils down to man verses the clock.

zooker