Fishing a lake for the first time may sound intimidating, but if you follow these tips from bass pro Gary Dobyns, you'll have no problem mastering any water that harbors bass.
By Chris Shaffer
WATER COLOR If you can find out what color the water is in the spring or what tint it has to it, you'll be able to narrow your bait choices. Water clarity often dictates the bait you use and the technique you employ.
"The clearer water is the more you are going to have to use a more finesse style and downsize baits," says Dobyns, who recommends downsizing line, spinnerbaits and worms under clear conditions. Colored water is different. "Colored water warms faster, for starters. It holds the heat better than clear water and the fish become more active faster than they would in clear reservoirs."
In colored water, you need to adjust techniques. For example, you don't need to use light line; spinnerbaits, jigs and flipping is effective.
One of the most important items you don't want to overlook is structure. If you can get someone on the phone who knows about the lake or river, ask him or her what structure is present. Are there tules, fallen timber, brush, rocks, standing timber? These are all prime bass-holding areas and things you should be familiar with.
STUDY THE SHORELINE Now that you are a little more familiar with the water you are planning to fish, you'll have a tad more work to do once you get to the lake. Right before you hit the water there are several more things you can do to increase catch rates. The first should be to survey the landmass. Studying the shoreline can give you a good indication of what structure the water has to offer and where the most bass will be.
"What am I looking for is something that sticks out," Dobyns said. "Are there a bunch of flats or am I looking at deep, steep banks with a bunch of boulders? Am I going to be locking on points only or are there flats I can throw on?"
Scanning the shoreline before preparing to launch your boat is a sure way to better fishing. Patience is important. It is better to take the time to scan the lake's structure and look at lake maps prior to fishing than to rush into making your first cast.
"The first thing I do on a new lake is to drive around in the boat and look to see what's available. I make sure to survey the land," he said. "You can learn a lot by scanning the lake's shorelines."
This can be done from the dock, on the boat or walking along the shore. If you have a boat it can be helpful to run over the areas you plan to fish with your depth finder to see the structure the water has to offer. If you are fishing a natural lake, pond, reservoir, river system, canal or slough, you need to eye different areas where bass will hold in the spring.
GET STARTED FISHING Reservoirs fish different than natural lakes and ponds. In a reservoir the water is often clearer, unless it has muddy tributaries pushing dirty water in. For the most part, though, the water should be clear. Coves aren't as vital as they are in natural lakes, but they shouldn't be overlooked.
Hands down, there will be fish on points. Points are highways for bass despite of the water you are fishing. In clear-water reservoirs, which are plentiful in the West, you can fish a lot of worms, jigs, crankbaits and small spinnerbaits. The downfall to reservoirs is that there isn't as much cover as you encounter in natural lakes and ponds. On the other hand, the cover available in reservoirs is usually different. It's likely you'll be able to find boulders, rocks (riprap), gravel points and marinas.
Every reservoir has one spot you won't want to overlook: a dam. Dams are often made of rock, pebbles and other forms of gravel which crawdads and baitfish live in or near. This draws hungry bass.
"Dams are a fish factory," Dobyns said. "You'll always find fish on them. Unfortunately, after 9-11 you can't fish dams much anymore in some of the larger reservoirs."
Natural lakes and ponds are similar to dams, but fish differently. Here, you'll want to scan the shorelines for tules, lay downs (fallen trees), creek channels and flooded brush.
"If you have a lay down, brush or some kind of structure, it's going to have a fish on it," Dobyns said. "Look for available cover. The fish are going to be coming out of deep water looking for flats to spawn on in the spring. The coves are a great thing in the spring. Bass move back into the coves to spawn."
FISH IN SHALLOW WATER In the spring, stay shallow in natural lakes and ponds. Deep water is the enemy most of the time.
"The one thing that's common in the spring is fishing shallow. You are going to have fish on points and in flats," said Dobyns. "You don't have to mess around with humps or deepwater structure. You can just skip all that and go right to the bank."
River systems are much different. In a river, stay away from fast-moving water. Look to fish oxbows or off chutes on the river system. These areas have less current and warm up faster than the main river. Keep in mind that bass aren't salmon or steelhead. They are looking for warmer water, not cool water. Stay off the main river, concentrate on chutes and channels, and you'll catch more fish.
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