Tired of beating the bank

boatdrifter · Post by **boatdrifter** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 1:10 am

Where do I begin learning how to fish open water and finding the right structure in the open. Everyone else is beating the bank, would fishing channels and other structures not visible to the eye improve my catches?

johnnie crain outdoors · Wed Jan 15, 2003 3:19 am

Boatdrifter, first, welcome to the bassin usa boards. Good question. Fishing off the bank structure requires a depth finder, either a flasher or better yet a LCR. I use the Piranha from Humminbird, make doesn't really matter. Begin by fishing obvious off shore structure, look for long points that extend well into deep water. Cast parallel to these points on both sides progressively working deeper as you go. Fish all the way to twenty feet or more of depth. If a road bed enters the water, fence row or hedge row, follow them out to deep water, again casting parallel. I always use deep diver crankbaits as search baits, they will tell you the bottom makeup, find any existing underwater cover and most importantly if fish are present. Creek channels are always a good bet, often, the middle of the channel may be even better than the banks. You don't often have to venture far from the bank to catch fish, stay about a boat length away from the bank and cast parallel, you will pick up lots of fish that are behind the weekend bank beaters. By using a deep diving crankbait ( I use Poe's 400 series a great deal) you can feel any cover along the bottom. With a long cast the bait should reach about eighteen feet deep. If you are striking invisible cover but not getting strikes then try a jig and pig or soft plastic bait fished slowly through the cover. The reason I recommend fishing parallel is we are trying to reach deeper fish. When we cast straight to the bank as most anglers do, we lose a lot of depth, the bait starts shallow, goes deep for only a few feet then begins to climb back up toward the boat, due to the resistence of the line and angle of retrieve. I hope you can visulize what I'm saying. By casting parallel the bait will stay deep and in the strike zone much longer. Quality fish spend more time in depths over ten feet than under ten, where deep water is available.
Learn to follow creek channels in standing timber, the trees on your left will lean to the right, the trees on your right will lean left, they lean toward the channel.
One last tip my friend, when you are marking fish with a depth finder say at eleven feet over twenty feet of water, the fish are suspended and difficult to catch. Locate cover in eleven feet of water and you'll find action. The fish are at that chosen depth for a reason and ones close to cover are much more likely to bite. Good luck and don't be afraid to leave the banks, 75% of the tournaments I have won have been off shore. Also, don't be afraid to fish deep water. Some guys shy away from water over ten feet deep, big mistake. Look at it this way, if your boat is twenty feet long and the motor was touching bottom the trolling motor would be on the surface, it's not all that far if you look at it that way. Hope this helps, there is so much more, but I alreday "hog" the boards too much. Johnnie Crain, Iowa Pro Staff.

MMT · Post by **MMT** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 3:51 pm

The first tip I will give you is back out into water that is 10ft deep and start there. Look for under water structure, if you find it, chances are that you will find the fish too.

JoeM · Post by **JoeM** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 1:25 am

Boatdrifter- What Johnnie and Craig have told you is great advice.

Only one thing up there isn't true. Johnnie Crain doesn't "hog" the boards. In fact none of our Pro Staff Team does that. If they want to pass along detailed information, the post is going to be comprehensive. It has to be that way. I haven't heard anyone claim that they receive "too much information".

To Johnnie and Craig- Keep it up. As usual, you fellas are right on the money. Much obliged.

One more thing, Boatdrifter, welcome aboard.
We appreciate your questions, comments, etc.
Have you checked out the Articles and Tips on our Home Page? Bass Wishes, JoeM

lkgfisherman · Post by **lkgfisherman** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 2:27 am

All the information above is excellent. There is one thing that i didn't see that can help you. Get a Lake Map of the lake you plan on fishing. Make sure it has the contour lines. Try looking in key areas such as where a feeder creek meets a channel or where a channel makes a sharp bend next to shallow water. Another way to find structure offshore is a carolina rig. You remain in contact with the bottom at all times and this allows you to feel the contour of the bottom. This can be a weird feeling at first but with a little practice it can become a quick limit getter. Also if your going to try the carolina rig i have to suggest the new superplastics by terminator and strike king. These new plastics are awsome they float unlike other plastics that will sink. Anyways good luck and i hope this helped. E-mail me if you have any other questions. I'm only 17 but i've been fishing since i was 5 and carolina rigg'n since i was 8 and it is one of my favorite ways to fish i think you learn to love it.
J.T.

6.54BASS · Post by **6.54BASS** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 3:19 am

What was that, Johnnie? If you think you are "Hogging" the boards, all I can say is KEEP IT UP!!! I and all the rest of us benefit from your knowledge.

Drifter, welcome aboard, this is a great place to listen, learn, and share!

catt951 · Post by **catt951** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 12:56 pm

Great advice guys! My I suggest a good Topo Map! Then I would study the landscape around the lake, why you may ask. The land around the lake is usually the same as the lake bottom. One key to fishing the main lake is finding structure, take you map & spend some time idling around reading your depth finder. After 30 years on Toledo Bend I still spend at least 1 or 2 hours a trip just looking!

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 6:25 am

I didnt have time to read the replies and I,m sure you have been told by the guys YOU GOTTA GET A MAP!! I know this because its the golden rule, and these guys know there stuff!

The first step I take when fishing a new body of water is map study. Look at the time of year and what stage the bass should be in and go from there. I look for small out of the way areas that someone may overlook. I also break down the lake into smaller more manegable sections depending on the season, or even my prefered fishing style. Meaning if you feel you are a better shallow water angler and the season permits this type of fishing then the lower, deeper dam areas of the lake can be eliminated.

One problem we have here in PA is that a lot of the lakes we compete on just arent mapped well, if there are maps available at all. Here is where the fun ( or frustration ) begins. The internet is a great place to search for maps. Even if its only an outline of the lake, you can fill in the blanks later. Search the lakes name, the county where the lake is located and even the local newspapers. I have found good use of USGS maps for topo or even satalite pictures. Topozone, mapquest, trails.com, terraserver web sites can be of some help. Sites such as BassinUSA.com also can be very helpfull. Not only will they have map links but with the chat rooms, message boards and prostaff contacts you can find make it easier and kinda fun talking to or contacting fellow anglers for information they may have.

Happy map hunting and good fishin!!