Big water tips

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Big Bass from Big Waters

You’ve read about, and drooled over, the incredible bass fishing that goes on at XYZ lake or reservoir, and decided that this year you’re going to spend your vacation traveling to that lake and then getting in on some of the action. Before you start making your plans, however, there are several things to consider about fishing a major reservoir or lake you’ve never been to. Sprawling reservoirs, big lakes, large river systems and, as bass fishing organizations such as B.A.S.S. and Operation Bass are discovering, even bays of the Great Lakes provide the majority of the bass angling in the country to the most anglers. Most of these are highly productive, and many, such as man-made reservoirs, are managed for bass. They offer tremendous fishing pleasure for huge numbers of anglers. They can, however, be tough. In big waters, as opposed to smaller waters, the key to success is finding the fish. The single best tactic when visiting a lake for the first time is to hire a guide for a day or two. It is money well spent, because he’ll give you the basic information you need to fish the lake. Otherwise you may fish for a week before you discover the bass locations, patterns, best lure choices and so on.

Locating Bass: If you’re set on doing it yourself, the first step is to eliminate unproductive water and narrow down your fishing area. Otherwise you’ll spend your entire vacation aimlessly prowling the lake hoping to luck into a bass. The simplest method is to talk to the locals, especially the folks running marinas or resorts. They want anglers to be happy and will usually give good advice on the latest where-to and how-to. Local anglers can also help. Pro anglers often fly over a lake to discover potential hotspots or eliminate unproductive areas. This is done with a topographical or contour map in hand, highlighting areas that have potential. Most anglers don’t have the time, money or inclination to fly a lake, but a good topo or hydrographic map session is still the first step in narrowing down spots to fish. Maps used for this must show land contours, existing structure such as submerged towns, buildings, roads and railroads in reservoirs, and contour depths in lakes and other large bodies of waters. The best areas on any lake or reservoir depend on the season, but several key structure areas always hold bass or act as highways between prime holding spots. These include submerged roads and torn down buildings, submerged river and creek channels, especially their bends, main lake and secondary points, riprap areas, main lake flats next to river and creek channels, islands or underwater humps, bridge piers, and on some lakes grassbeds. If there is a lot of standing timber or brush and downed timber, ignore that cover in determining the best structure areas. If areas with good structure happen to have such cover, however, so much the better. The next step in locating bass is determining depth. Bass experts have concluded that some reservoirs may have three distinct largemouth bass populations: shallow water, deep water and mid-depth bass. Although the three may mingle at specific times of the year, such as during spawning, they usually inhabit their preferred ranges the majority of the time. Subspecies also offer this same “stacking� of depths, and it’s important to know what type of bass inhabit a lake. For instance, largemouths will normally be found the most shallow, smallmouths shallow to deep, and spotted very deep. Depth will also vary according to the lake and geography.

Time of The Year: Most anglers have the most success when the majority of the bass are relatively shallow. Two seasons offer the best opportunities for shallow water bass: early spring to spawn, and mid to late fall. Actually, spawning bass can be difficult to catch, and is you hit the tail end of the spawn or the post spawn period, you’ll really have a good time. The best bet is to fish for pre-spawn fish. These bass feed heavily as they move about, looking for places to spawn, and are very catchable. Timing of this period will vary from early March through May, and even into June, depending on geographic location. Incidentally, if you’re looking for a real trophy bass, the single best time is late winter through the pre-spawn period, when the old sows are feeding heavily and holding eggs. Some states don’t allow fishing during spawning season, so make sure you check the regulations for the body of water you intend to fish. Regardless, it’s extremely important for anglers fishing at that time of the year, or specifically for spawning bass, to practice catch and release. Fall, when bass leave their lethargic summer patterns and begin to forage for the coming winter, also provides for good shallow water action, and often with little competition from other anglers. Early in the fall there is usually a short spurt of activity that coincides with the first cool weather, then a period of lesser activity as the reservoir or lake begins to turn over. Once the turnover period is complete, a strong pattern begins again. For this reason a fall fishing trip should be relegated to mid to late fall to enhance your chances for hitting the best action. A call to marinas and tackle shops can reveal the best time to plan your vacation around either of these times.