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Old 02-17-09, 03:39 PM   #1
MississippiBoy
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Default Advice on fishing new lake

I've never fished this lake before, so I'm looking for some general advice. I'll be there towards the end of March or early April. They tell me the water is fairly clear for this area, which means maybe a couple feet of visability. Not sure about the water temperature, but we should be somewhere close to the spawn by this time.

http://www.mdwfp.com/level2/Fisheries/pdf/maps/87.pdf

That's the lake. I'm thinking mainly about pitching jigs and plastics to the stumps, especially close to drop-offs and ledges, and throwing cranks around the points towards the southern end.

What say you? Thanks.
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Old 02-17-09, 04:02 PM   #2
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if it were me i would consider casting jigs, carolina rigs, and crankbaits in the same areas you mentioned. the only reason i say cast rather than pitch is because you can cover more water. also the upper end where the channel runs up into that finger might be a good spot to throw the same baits i mentioned above. and if you come out of the cove where the ramp is and turn left on the main lake, see the number 25 out on that point. notice how clost the channel runs to that point? i would spend some time on that point as well as any other points close to the channel.
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Old 02-17-09, 04:41 PM   #3
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yeah i like carolina rigs ideas... jigs and c-rigs will be good if the water is cold and the fish are sluggish.... you might want to fish drop offs with rocks or find boat docks that are in fairly deep water that are near rocks
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Old 02-17-09, 05:42 PM   #4
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I think the problem I'm going to have is trying to figure out which tree to cast to. 3/4 of the lake is covered in them! Will the one to my left have a fish on it, or the one to my right? No, straight ahead...No, third from the right, with the crooked branch hanging off......

This is a state lake, no private property on it. The only pier is at the ramp, I believe. I'm looking at that point on the southeast side, close to the levee, right below that #30. Steep dropoff right at the channel...

I am looking forward to going, though. The lake record is 13 lbs and change, caught on Superbowl Sunday. They pull 8-9 pounders out of it regularly. Should be fun.

Thanks for the help.
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Old 02-17-09, 05:48 PM   #5
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be sure to look for the warmest water you can find. as little as 2 or 3 degrees can mean a lot, especially this early in the year. and as for all the trees looking alike, try to find the ones that are different. i mean if there are a ton of cedar trees and one hardwood tree in the middle be sure to hit the hardwood tree, or if they are all straight but one is leaning then it could put off more shade so again pay a lot of attention to it. just look for the little details and you should do fine.
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Old 02-17-09, 06:28 PM   #6
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MB, here is another tip that will help in spotting a stump, look for the one that seem to be standing somewhat alone, I mean if your in an area with alot of stump that are all close together in a group, spot the one thats not in that group. Crig's right, look for the one that's somewhat different from the rest.


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Old 02-17-09, 08:00 PM   #7
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<<<<<<<<reading VERY intently,hehehehehe.
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Old 02-17-09, 09:41 PM   #8
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MB. I wish I could help but i have never fished it either but your'e right about the fish getting close to spawning, I think I would at least check out any cove or pocket and try to find some spawners.
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Old 02-17-09, 09:59 PM   #9
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I agree with the irregular tree advice. Last year I caught my biggest bass off a tree that did not come out of the water , it was about 40' wide and had branches sticking out all directions , this lake is LOADED with trees , it was a man made lake , they just built a dam , and everything went under water in 2 years , roads , bridges , houses...all of it.
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Old 02-17-09, 10:08 PM   #10
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cmorg that sounds like our lakes around here, there is some wild stuff under the water.
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Old 02-17-09, 10:29 PM   #11
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c-rig, this is where mb and i are fishing very soon. hehehe, and yes we are gonna brak in YOUR jigs!!! i am LOVING the thought of tossing em at these stumps. goosebumps running up my arms and legs. lol.
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Old 02-18-09, 01:28 AM   #12
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Here's an aerial shot of the lake:

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&...43774&t=h&z=15

Trees, trees, and more trees...
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Old 02-18-09, 03:04 AM   #13
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If you need a boat anchor, PM me I might have a lot of free time coming up soon.
They should be posting reports for the lake on the same website pretty soon, if they haven't already. From what I hear from people talking, there are a lot of fish caught by CB and 10" worms on the north end. I like c-rig's idea too about #25, too. I keep trying to get my buddy to go, but he has been 3 times, and strikeless. He said he has given up on it. Just the drawbacks of fishing heavy pressured waters though. You could be a Waller or Lake Columbia in 2 hours. They are starting to move up and fan a little, well probably until this cold snap. They shocked some 13+ at Columbia last year. I believe they have a stated record lurking there somewhere. They also reported a healthy batch of 8-9 at Waller last year. Good luck at though at the Panther though.
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Old 02-18-09, 06:55 AM   #14
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Trees ,trees and more trees, fish it like that and no problem, if you have fished trees before. Same tactics, find a pattern and your set, color, weight, line size, ect. A lake is a lake, if you have fished a lake like it before.
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Old 02-18-09, 03:44 PM   #15
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just remember that not all trees are created equal and you should be able to for a good plan. since there are trees everywhere then forget about trees when you are deciding where to fish, since trees are everywhere you should be able to fish the trees at whatever places you decide to fish but the places you choose to fish should be chosen based on other things.........man that sounds more confusing than it really is. first thing i would do is decide on what type of water you think would be productive, like shallow spawning areas, ledges, channels, points, and so on. now if you think that points are the place to start then pick the exact points that have what you are looking for but keep the trees out of the equation because you know there will be trees on most points, i like points that have the channel close by and even better if the point runs into the channel. then when you find the points that look best you can fish them in a variety of different ways. just because there is timber on the points doesn't mean the fish will be relating to the timber at that time but they could be, if you fish the trees seek out the trees that are a little different from the rest and attack them like i talked about earlier. anyways that is how i would start, hope this helps and hope you guys whack em'.
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Old 02-18-09, 06:10 PM   #16
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Thanks for the ideas, Kory. I get what you're saying: "Trees are everywhere, so disregard them for the most part." Look for other factors first, like dropoffs, rock, current, etc...
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Old 02-19-09, 06:46 PM   #17
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New question: I have a desire to learn how to really use the Carolina rig this year. I've never fished with it much, and this lake looks like a good place to start.
I have a 7' MH rod with 30# braid...how will that do for C-rigging? Also, what size line should I use for the leader, and what factors determine how long the leader is?
Last question: What's your favorite lure for C-rigs?

Thanks guys.
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Old 02-19-09, 06:55 PM   #18
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daniel, i am gonna be using them jigs and a texas rig lizzard/worm(8"). there. if you start catching em with a c-rig, i'll switch. my GUESS is to use 7 to 8"maybe a 10(?) worm. fitting the color to the water. zoom is about all i have in those sizes.
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Old 02-19-09, 07:14 PM   #19
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MSboy, from what I hear, there is 4 times more timber on the bottom of the Panther than there is on top. You might have a hard time with a carolina rig there. Just my .02. I have never been able to fish the c-rig very well in heavy cover without hanging something up every time I turn around. But then again, they don't pay me for my abilities either.
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Old 02-19-09, 07:16 PM   #20
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When ya'll get ready to go there, send me a PM. I might drag my boat up there & meet up with ya'll if I am not offshore. I've been looking for a good reason to go, but just haven't made it yet.
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Old 02-19-09, 07:20 PM   #21
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That'd be great, Bubba. Tentatively, we're looking at the weekend of April 4-5 right now. That's not set in stone by any means, but we're definitely leaning that way.

Good info on the lake, by the way. I didn't realize it was packed so full of timber. That might change my plans a little bit. Thanks.
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Old 02-19-09, 07:25 PM   #22
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That's just what I hear man, don't hold me to it though. Crud, I don't come home until the 4/15th. If you go after that or before the 3/31, I will be on it. If I still have a job that is.
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Old 02-19-09, 08:52 PM   #23
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MB Like I said earlier I have never fished it but I have heard about all the timber it has in it. That make a c-rig kind of tough to fish, but if you try it a 15# leader 3' to 4' long should work. Also if you get in some shallow water you might want to try a c-rig w/ a 1/8oz. weight and a 2' leader .As for lures a 6"watermelon or green pumpkin lizard and baby brush hog should work good.Good luck. Hope yall wear em out. I'm gonna have to get over there soon and try it.
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Old 02-19-09, 10:46 PM   #24
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ESPN2 has a show that comes on Sat Morning at 7 am called "a day on the lake". It shows how a pro would go about each lake on the show they have never been on and fished. They talk about what they would look for etc. and how they go about finding a pattern.

You may can learn a common method they use to get a pattern on most any lakes down south.

Last week was two AR lakes they had never been on. I would add info. on one of the lakes but I think Doc and myself will keep our catches to our self. One is a small lake and you just don't talk, because this time of year everyone wants that 10# LM or the new state record and it does not need any more pressure on it. :-)

Good Luck
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Old 03-05-09, 10:40 PM   #25
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Ok, the trail run at Calling Panther is this weekend. The wife and I are gonna hit it Saturday morning. The water temp a couple days ago was 57, so they're getting close to the spawn, probably not quite there yet.
The lake record was caught there a couple weeks ago, 13# 7 oz. I plan on beating that.
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