Summer time and big water?

[kruck88]

Ok for starters I am new here but not new to LMB fishing. I just recently bought my first bass boat and I am finding out very quickly that fishing big water is a pain during the summer. I have a lake contour map and decent though not great fish finders. The lake consist of a dammed river that flooded low lying areas to creat the lake (Jordan Lake NC). The summers here are hot and the water is currently about 83 degrees. I am having mild success catching bass early in the morning on grass lines next to deep water (8') and up the river channel in the shallows next to rocks. I have caught one fish out of standing timber. I am not a fan of fishing these areas because I don't have the extra money to perform major repairs to my boat should I get shoved into a submerged tree by a wake. The problem is that the fish I am catching are not keeper size. Granted I don't plan on keeping them but I am trying to fish like I would in a tournement.

With all that said I need some tips for picking out areas on a map that should hold bigger fish. I know this time of year that the larger fish will be holding in deeper water. I am not familure enough with the lake to know where underwater stump fields are but can interprit topography map decently. So what kind of features should I be targetting this time of year that can be seen from a map? Should I stick to the river system or move out to the main lake? I know of a few fast dropping ledges, how should I approach fishing them. They don't seem to have any cover on them, just flat steep drops.

Thanks for the help!

[MississippiBoy]

First, welcome to the site. There's a bunch of great guys on here.

Topo maps are a good tool, but the limitation, as you've seen, is that they only show depth changes. That's useful, but really what you might want is a lake depth map:
http://www.lake-maps.com/printed/sta...na/maplist.htm

These will show a lot more detail about stump fields, gravel beds, man-made fish attractors, etc. Might be worth investing in one of these.

Now, for these ledges you've already found...they are likely to hold fish, even with no cover. Fish like to stay where something is different than what's around. One little 6" deep creek channel in a 6' deep wide open flat will be 100x more likely to have fish on it than the bare ground around it. At the transition where gravel sized rocks change to fist-sized rocks, or where one type of vegetation buts up against another, or a single stump sitting 3 feet out from a group of them...all these places are different, so the fish are attracted to them.

Fish those drops systematically. Depending on their depth, maybe try a crankbait pulled lengthwise along the cliff, keeping it in contact with the bottom as much as you can. If no takers, maybe set the boat in the deeper water and throw a jig or worm into the shallows, keeping the lure on the bottom the whole way back. Try a suspending jerkbait, like an X-Rap or similar, pull it along the drop like you did the crankbait, but jerk and pause it to let it sit in the bass' face.

Good luck, and tight lines.

[kruck88]

Originally Posted by MississippiBoy

First, welcome to the site. There's a bunch of great guys on here.

Topo maps are a good tool, but the limitation, as you've seen, is that they only show depth changes. That's useful, but really what you might want is a lake depth map:
http://www.lake-maps.com/printed/sta...na/maplist.htm

These will show a lot more detail about stump fields, gravel beds, man-made fish attractors, etc. Might be worth investing in one of these.

Now, for these ledges you've already found...they are likely to hold fish, even with no cover. Fish like to stay where something is different than what's around. One little 6" deep creek channel in a 6' deep wide open flat will be 100x more likely to have fish on it than the bare ground around it. At the transition where gravel sized rocks change to fist-sized rocks, or where one type of vegetation buts up against another, or a single stump sitting 3 feet out from a group of them...all these places are different, so the fish are attracted to them.

Fish those drops systematically. Depending on their depth, maybe try a crankbait pulled lengthwise along the cliff, keeping it in contact with the bottom as much as you can. If no takers, maybe set the boat in the deeper water and throw a jig or worm into the shallows, keeping the lure on the bottom the whole way back. Try a suspending jerkbait, like an X-Rap or similar, pull it along the drop like you did the crankbait, but jerk and pause it to let it sit in the bass' face.

Good luck, and tight lines.

Dude thank you so much for the link! That is going to help out a whole lot! I have been looking for such a detailed map for a while now. The topo map I got from the marina is decent but not as detailed as those. It showed some structure but not a lot of detail.

I will also try out the ledge fishing tips.

[Bassboss]

Welcome to the nut house!

I'm not pro at all, and in fact never fished from a bass boat in any big lakes. But how ever... I've read a lot, so when I get a boat (in 20 years or so ) I know what to do.

So in your case, I would start out working grass lines with a popper, or a buzz bait around the flooded timber. And than go back and do the same thing when it gets darker. In the afternoon I would try all of three things. First off, I would try to find some boat docks and skip a worm under their using a spinning reel (if you can do it with a bait caster, than do it!). If there's any additional cover around the dock, I would try fishing around there too, as long as it's in the shade. Also make sure you work the shadow line. Bass will often treat this shadow lines just like they would weed line. Try out a shallow crankbait around there! Keep the troll motor on high and find a good line up of docks and work the shallow lines good there with the crank bait. After done that with the crank, tern the boat around and use a shaky head to skip under the dock and work it past the pilings in the shade. You're bound to find some fish that way. And like Mississippi boy, try to find gravle aorund the docks, if one bock a ravle, and the other has sand, the on with gravle will more likey have fish. Also if there's a depth change by one of the docks, that one is also more likey to have fish!

Next off. Get a good topo map and find off shore points. Find a few on your GPS, mark them and move on to the next. Try to find one that has some kind of cover, whether it be hydrilla, milfoil, or timber. Also current will be important there too, if one has more current than the other, fish that one first. The current will keep the water cooler and will replenish the oxygen in the water. Have two baits tied on tow rods. A c-rig, and a deep diving crank bait. Give on point a good working with the crankbait, than move to the next one. Let it rest before you throw the c-rig right after than crank bait. So throw the crank bait on all the points, than turn the boat around and throw the c-rig on them all. This should also get you some fish. Try to work the river mouth some too, there should be some good structure there as well, work those the same way you would the points. Hope this helps!

Good luck and good fishin!

[kruck88]

All very good advice. I will have to experiment with the carolina rig some more. I never have good luck with it and have a hard time distinguishing bites from bottom. As for docks, the only ones on this lake are at the marina. That marina is not too fisherman friendly from a guest stand point and from the fact it's all floating docks. So lets say I have picked a point that doesn't have a whole lot of under water structure... How do I decide at what depth of that point to start fishing? Most the points on Jordan are rather large points that travel a long ways from the shore lines and are anywhere from 6' to 30' at the tip. In other words it's a lot of ground to cover. Obviousely they aren't going to be biteing in the 30' water but there is a lot of area between the 6' area and the 15' area.

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by kruck88

All very good advice. I will have to experiment with the carolina rig some more. I never have good luck with it and have a hard time distinguishing bites from bottom. As for docks, the only ones on this lake are at the marina. That marina is not too fisherman friendly from a guest stand point and from the fact it's all floating docks. So lets say I have picked a point that doesn't have a whole lot of under water structure... How do I decide at what depth of that point to start fishing? Most the points on Jordan are rather large points that travel a long ways from the shore lines and are anywhere from 6' to 30' at the tip. In other words it's a lot of ground to cover. Obviousely they aren't going to be biteing in the 30' water but there is a lot of area between the 6' area and the 15' area.

If I understand you right, I would fish the point from several different angles. One thing I would also try is a Jig, I forgot about them! Get a 1/2 - 1oz jig (depending on how deep it is) and cast into the deeper part off the point and jig it up the point, from the deeper part, to the shallow part, back to deeper part. Make sure you don't engage your reel after it hits the water, stop it with your thumb, and strip out the line so the jig sinks strait down rather than bowed toward you.

One other thing; I think you're using the work structure wrong. Structure is basically the bottom couture, cover is the stuff like rock, weed and wood.

[zooker]

since i live 70 miles west of jordan and know it well enough...i know that jordan in summer sucks big time...harris is better...your locations are dead on. how ever jordan shuts off in the warm water an nobody is catchin much there either.. belive me it aint you...

only lake near me not shut down is highrock..welcome to summer fishing in da tarheel state..

zooker

[kruck88]

Being that I live right between the two lakes I could go to Harris if my main goal was to just catch fish. But I am trying to expand my knowledge so that I can find fish on any lake. I would eventually like to join some local clubs and fish tournaments, which means I have to find the fish on the body of water we are on. I guess for starters I need to go back to fishing those big points and fast drops and be more specific about it. I get over whelmed when I get to these spots on a map that look so small, yet are so large you can barely tell it's a point on the depth finder.

So let's talk banks of the lake. Most of the banks on the river side of the lake are fairly steep. Obviously you can't fish all of them and not all of them will have fish on them. You guys are saying that I should just look for anything "different" about a particular spot on the bank? And if there is a drop, if it has cover or not, still fish it to be sure.

[carolina-rig-01]

summer can make anglers consider quitting fishing and taking up golf, been there a lot myself. one thing you can do is spend a lot of time getting really good at baits like carolina rigs, football jigs, and deep diving crankbaits, all of these are good summer baits. the link that mississippiboy gave you is a great one and should help you a lot. really work hard with the baits i mentioned, not so much for catching fish but they will really help you find the spot within the spot. by that i mean maybe there is a small group of rocks that you never knew were there, or a laydown that you have been over hundreds of times and never found. these are all key areas and a bait like a carolina rig, jig, or a crankbait digging into the bottome will really help you find them. and these hard to find areas are what you are after. after you find a few of these areas work them over really hard with different baits. fish this time of year aren't usually real active so you could just fish over them and not know that they are there unless you work a spot hard from a lot of angles. and the last but probably the best advice i can give you is spend a lot of time learning your graphs and what they are telling you. usually people blame their electronics for not being good enough when the truth is that the electronics may not be top of the line stuff but they are still good enough to tell you what is there if you knew how to use them to their fullest capabilities. spend a lot of time reading the owners manuals and studying how and when to adjust your setups. then play with all of these adjustments on the water and you will be amazed over time at how good you can get at reading these things. the last 3 years or so i have really worked hard at reading my graphs and i now consider myself to be pretty good at it, i have some fishing buddies that have been tournament anglers longer than i have been alive and i have tought them a ton when it comes to reading graphs. hope this helps.

[Bassboss]

Originally Posted by kruck88

Being that I live right between the two lakes I could go to Harris if my main goal was to just catch fish. But I am trying to expand my knowledge so that I can find fish on any lake. I would eventually like to join some local clubs and fish tournaments, which means I have to find the fish on the body of water we are on. I guess for starters I need to go back to fishing those big points and fast drops and be more specific about it. I get over whelmed when I get to these spots on a map that look so small, yet are so large you can barely tell it's a point on the depth finder.

So let's talk banks of the lake. Most of the banks on the river side of the lake are fairly steep. Obviously you can't fish all of them and not all of them will have fish on them. You guys are saying that I should just look for anything "different" about a particular spot on the bank? And if there is a drop, if it has cover or not, still fish it to be sure.

Yup cover, bait fish, and temp, shad, current everything. I would find a shore that has am over hung tree, pads on the shallow part, anything different, hard bottom being a major, if you but a bass in a tank, one side with sand, one side with gravel, it will probably spend most of it's time on the gravel side, but if food is on the sandy side, you can bet they'll be there! Also look for bait fish, go idle around and look for the small bleeps on the radar indicating bait fish. Get a jerk bait on a work around the school.

btw, all the tips I've given will apply to most lakes. And ya, like zook said, go to Harris!

[zooker]

Originally Posted by kruck88

Being that I live right between the two lakes I could go to Harris if my main goal was to just catch fish. But I am trying to expand my knowledge so that I can find fish on any lake. I would eventually like to join some local clubs and fish tournaments, which means I have to find the fish on the body of water we are on. I guess for starters I need to go back to fishing those big points and fast drops and be more specific about it. I get over whelmed when I get to these spots on a map that look so small, yet are so large you can barely tell it's a point on the depth finder.

So let's talk banks of the lake. Most of the banks on the river side of the lake are fairly steep. Obviously you can't fish all of them and not all of them will have fish on them. You guys are saying that I should just look for anything "different" about a particular spot on the bank? And if there is a drop, if it has cover or not, still fish it to be sure.

kruck
the deeper side of the point will hold the fish.or they are holding deeper if ya can back off the point.-some ya can't- oh yeah early is the thing right now. the bite just disappears when the sun hits the water normally around 9 am...

river? got to be th HAW...near the islands right now would be my starting place..focus on the edges of the drop. where it goes from 6 to 16 feet of water..also the robertson creek mouth should if they are pullin water..



zooker