The Art of Finding Fish?

[Scott Pellegrin]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking to start a conversation regarding this topic. I know I need to learn more about finding fish in river systems such as the Mississippi, reservoirs such as the Chippewa Flowage and Castle Rock Flowage also natural lakes. Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Scott Pellegrin

[CiK]

That is a tough question, and one that isn't easily answered.

I don't have any experience on those waters you mentioned, but conditions (water and weather), structure, cover, and forage are the top things running through my mind when I start putting the puzzle together....regardless of where I am. Each one of those can change, and with them......we must change. Some will say "fish your strengths", but I am a firm believer in "letting the fish tell me what they want".

Tony

[3dkicker]

Is this for a specific time of year? What type of body of water like the depth and structure of the lakes or the river area you fish? Plenty of other things to ask.

For fishing river systems for bass check out Woo Daves' videos. Shows you everything you need to know to get started. Inland River video.

http://www.woodaves.com/videos_by_woo.htm

[keithdog]

Thats the kind of question that has been answered in books, because all the answers would take a book to write. You need to start by researching the species you want to key in on. I'm going to assume today it's bass. But which type of bass? You need to learn about the seasonal movements of the fish you are targetting. Of course there are always variables. I've been fishing for bass for 40 years and I'm still learning about all the variables. But a basic understanding of your target fishes seasonal movements will get you started. Along with seasonal movements you also want to learn as much as you can about how your target fish reacts to various weather patterns. Once you start to understand these things, you can then look at the body of water and try to put together some ideas on where they would be located based upon the season, weather, and the body of water your fishing. Things like the size, depths, and cover available to the fish. Is it a reservoir which is river fed and flunctuates with the water control of the dam, or is it a river, or natural lake. All offer different types of environments, and will therefore alter the approach you will need to take. Lastly, the other thing you will need to know is all of the above relating to the forage available to the fish. How a bass spends his day is usually going to be driven by what his main food sources will be doing. If bluegill are the main forage and they are in shallow spawning, you can bet the bass will be nearby. The basses food base is affected to the same variables as the bass themselves. Knowing where the basses next meal is likely to be at will greatly reduce the amount of time you will spend looking for the bass. Hope this gets you off to your quest in the right dirrection.

[Ebbetsguy]

You will hear a lot about structure and especially cover on structure. I wasted a lot of time finding and fishing these areas without paying attention to the PREY FISH, that’s the key. I found myself , on some good structure, with good cover for ambush points and very few fish to show for it. I fish smaller bodies of water and more natural lakes than most around here ( North East PA)
Then I went fishing in Texas, and met up with one Matt Fly, who said a sentence that changed things for the better for me
KNOW YOUR PREY ,
Even if the spot is textbook sweet, if there is nothing to eat there , the result will be no bass, I learned the hard way
There are many here who can describe good structure and such
Spend some time, read some biology, talk to Raul and a few others who really know what bass eat. Then learn the prey in your area, when you can match their movements, you will find good fish on the structure and cover opportunities where the bait is.

[Raul]

Start buy knowing what you are after ( know your prey ) and IMHO one of the finest information you can find is in Glenn Lau´s movie "BIGMOUTH", it describes everything you need to know about bass biology in a way that anybody can understand; once you know and understand how the fish works then it´s a matter of placing that information into context.

The finest, most perfect, bassiest looking spots not necessarily are the ones holding fish, fish holding spots are not only made of cover and/or structure, that is important but what makes a place priviledge is the combination of good structure/cover plus food, if there´s no food the fish won´t be there no matter how bassy it looks.

Learn to know what bass eat where you fish, what does the food do during the day, where it goes and how it behaves. To my eyes matching the hatch is not about me choosing the bait that looks exactly alike in size, color and pattern, for me matching the hatch is about matching the behavior of the prey, where it´s at, what´s it doing then what I can do to trigger a response and how can I take advantage of certain situations.

Once you understand how what you after "works" and reacts you´ll be able to catch them no matter where you are. Also, it´s important for you to spend time on the water, fish as much as you can, learn from it and acquire experience, you may read a lot, watch all the shows and DVDs but you need to go out and practice in different environments so you can have a greater repertoire of experience.

Some my friends ask me how is it that I´m able to find and catch the fish in a place I´ve never been, how do I find them ? I fish the spots that look like the spots where I fish that I know that are consistent producers. So I don´t need to know about the specifics of lake X or river Y, all I have to do is recognize similar looking spots, Lake Z ( my lake ) on lake X.

[FordGT40]

[QUOTE=Raul;331044]
Learn to know what bass eat where you fish, what does the food do during the day, where it goes and how it behaves. To my eyes matching the hatch is not about me choosing the bait that looks exactly alike in size, color and pattern, for me matching the hatch is about matching the behavior of the prey, where it´s at, what´s it doing then what I can do to trigger a response and how can I take advantage of certain situations.
QUOTE]

This is the tough part for me as a relative beginner to understand. How do you know what they are eating? How do you learn the movements and behavior of the bait? Very helpful tips here though. I will definitely get the movie.

[Tavery5]

Scott, Rick Clunn is regarded by many as a a guy that can really locate fish. He has written a few books and several articles on how to elimate unproductive water. Not a bad dude to pick up some good advice from.

[Raul]

Originally Posted by FordGT40

This is the tough part for me as a relative beginner to understand. How do you know what they are eating? How do you learn the movements and behavior of the bait? Very helpful tips here though. I will definitely get the movie.

What species of fish inhabit where you fish ?

Knowing what lives with bass is important because that is what bass eats. For example, here in merry ole Mexico where I live and to be more psecific, in the zone where I live this is what´s available for the bass to eat:

Frog ( less common ) or toad ( much more common ) tadpoles
Frogs & Toads
Tilapia
Carp
"Minnows" ( several species of small size native fish commonly named minnows but not necessarily the same species named minnow )
Bluegills
Crawfish
Bass
Rainbow trout but only high in the sierra.
Shiners

That´s the menu. If I go, let´s say, to a lake high in the sierra then I imediately take out of the menu equation tilapia, why ? because tilapia and shiners are warm water fish and they don´t tolerate cold temperatures so the menu narrows, then, there is trout in some pay to fish lakes, but there´s no trout in public lakes. That leaves me with a narrower menu.

Then to understand where the forage base is and what is does you need to know what it eats, adult carp are predominately bottom feeders, where will carp be ? at the bottom, but not at the bottom per se but at more specific locations, locations where what carp eats thrives and that it the shallower water where sunlight can penetrate and where the food chain begins, I mentioned adult carp ---> bottom feeders, but what about fingerling carp ? well, fingerling carp are not bottom feeders yet, they are plankton feeders and they will be where the most plankton can be found, the upper water column that is ( 1-3 ft deep ) and they will concentrate in areas where the plankton condensed like for example windblown areas. Same applies to "minnows", they are plankton eaters.

The big fish eats the little fish, doesn´t it ? so where the little fish are or where the little fish pass the big fish will be.

[FordGT40]

Originally Posted by Raul

What species of fish inhabit where you fish ?

Knowing what lives with bass is important because that is what bass eats. For example, here in merry ole Mexico where I live and to be more psecific, in the zone where I live this is what´s available for the bass to eat:

Frog ( less common ) or toad ( much more common ) tadpoles
Frogs & Toads
Tilapia
Carp
"Minnows" ( several species of small size native fish commonly named minnows but not necessarily the same species named minnow )
Bluegills
Crawfish
Bass
Rainbow trout but only high in the sierra.
Shiners

That´s the menu. If I go, let´s say, to a lake high in the sierra then I imediately take out of the menu equation tilapia, why ? because tilapia and shiners are warm water fish and they don´t tolerate cold temperatures so the menu narrows, then, there is trout in some pay to fish lakes, but there´s no trout in public lakes. That leaves me with a narrower menu.

Then to understand where the forage base is and what is does you need to know what it eats, adult carp are predominately bottom feeders, where will carp be ? at the bottom, but not at the bottom per se but at more specific locations, locations where what carp eats thrives and that it the shallower water where sunlight can penetrate and where the food chain begins, I mentioned adult carp ---> bottom feeders, but what about fingerling carp ? well, fingerling carp are not bottom feeders yet, they are plankton feeders and they will be where the most plankton can be found, the upper water column that is ( 1-3 ft deep ) and they will concentrate in areas where the plankton condensed like for example windblown areas. Same applies to "minnows", they are plankton eaters.

The big fish eats the little fish, doesn´t it ? so where the little fish are or where the little fish pass the big fish will be.

Thanks for the explanation. I mostly fish in a very deep reservoir in North Ga - Carters Lake. It is relatively small I guess (3200 surface acres) but is up to 450' deep and has relatively few shallow areas. The main species is spotted bass but it also has largemouth, Striped Bass, Hybrids and even some walleye. The water is usually pretty clear and the levels fluctuate fequently. I have read on other forums that the main forage baitfish are "alewives" and "shiners" although I have no idea how they know this. It is known to a lot of the locals as the "dead sea" because it has a reputation of being hard to fish but most of the fish that are caught are of high quality. It is my main lake because I can get to it in 15 minutes. My wife and I booked a local guide and had pretty good success but I have been unable to duplicate it on my own. I will not give up though. I know the lake has lots of quality fish and some people are catching them so I hope I can eventually learn to as well. By the way, I ordered the video today from Amazon!

[MIbasser]

I take a different approach to finding fish. I don't know if it's the right answer or not, but it's all about just fishing it. I find a map or look on google earth and look at the lake and find a spot to start, just guessing - and fish! (I won a couple club tx's doing just that)

I'm pretty sure most guys that race cars, didn't read on line "how to do it" and jumped in a car and started to drive 200 mph at Daytona. Or somebody didn't read how to golf and then the next day be on the PGA tour. They all practiced and got seat time.

Just like in fishing, get on the water and learn by doing. You may fail, as many do but keep on working at it. Once you do find fish, try looking in other area's that look the same. Take what you learned on one lake and apply it to another. Typically you will figure out where fish hang out. Then have fun doing it.

[lilmule]

Deep clear water,id light line it like 10 pd power pro,weightless senkos,flukes.
Target transition areas where their is shallow water and where it meets deep.
Shiners are a slender minnow growing to about 2 in or slightly larger there may be times they prefer that forage to alewives Pins minnow imitates fair change out the rear hooks to larger anything hard toss far and run fast dont let them get a good look at it,like a flashy spinnerbait wake it.Ive seen spots come off near the bottom in fifty ft of water (Sutton W.Va.)to get them.

[Raul]

For the description you give me your lake must be like a couple of lakes I fish, very steep banks, very clear water, something similar to this picture, you are not going to belive it but those lakes are easier to fish than flat bowl like lakes, the fish are located on more specific places and those places are easier to spot visualy.

[Lvitch]

For me, fishing some place I dont know, I try and find a map, then look for points, ridges, flats, and any where there is a "funnel" (think hour glass) or a wind break. and start there. Those are prime feeding and ambush zones
Pay attention to current or wind, fish will almost always be facing into the current because it brings the food to them , and it's easier for them to swim facing that way.

Bass will eat just about anything at one time or another, but usually this means "fish" or "critters". Every fish that swims has a lighter belly and darker top, Most "critters" do to. So natural colors always get the nod.

Pay attention to whats going on around you I've been out with friends just killing good size schoolers, when others are like, "Just because you saw 1 bird dive dosent mean there's fish there". If your seeing splashing, check it out, if it's dead calm with no other animals doing anything, it's a safe bet the fish are in the same mood.
Observe and trust your instincts. Once you catch one, ask "why?" then start putting a pattern together if you can.

If your lake looks like those pics with steep walls. Use a tx rig worm, or a split shot rig or Jig and hit the wall in the shady spots. Actually hit the wall with the bait and let it fall down and bounce off all the nooks n cranny's. The lakes in CA are like that, took quite a wile to catch fish out there for me , but thats what worked consistantly. If it's gin clear (like those lakes were) they were using 4-6 lb test (I couldnt buy a bite on 10) with a #1 straight shank hook and robo worms, 1/2 oz split shot. Might sound wierd but a 40 fish day will change your mind real quick. my .02

[bamabassman]

raul.......i see JIG spots man. lol


i haven't responded to this for fear of not putting down the correct words. see........to me it not a thing such as "the art of fishing". rather it is a QUEST in my mind. it is a quest i am searching for (yes, i know......a dink quest,haha). i have said this many times before, but i still believe it. a bass will hit ANY LURE ON ANY GIVEN DAY. our JOB is to figure out WHAT that bass wants on THAT day. see why i say it is a QUEST? yes we go to the "usual spots" and use the "usual" baits mostly. some what the same techinques too. but that bass is only gonna hit what it wants to. so we go and buy all kinds of rods, reels and baits in our QUEST. jsut my thoughts gang. strange as it may seem. but our LOVE of this sport outweighs all the above.