Bassin' USA - Bass Fishing Forum Archives

I am a college student in Kansas, and I am wanting some tips on how to fish this lake near me. I have caught a few bass in the past few weeks on standard lures and plain luck.
I would just like to know some suggestions for fishing this lake on a college student's budget (i.e., no boat, fish finder, etc.) To make this a bit easier, let me describe the layout of the lake.
This lake is formed from the Cottonwood River flowing south into a dammed valley about a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide. The dam itself has been home to a couple of 14-16 inch striped bass I caught. It drops off significantly into the water (I figure about 1 foot of depth for every 1-2 feet from the dam.) The water here is a bit clearer and colder than the rest of the lake. There are also strips of land that jut out into the water from the shore; each is about 50 feet long. These strips of land run parallel to the dam. Around these, the land gradually drops off into the water, which is quite warm. I figure the drop is, on average, one foot of depth for every 4-5 feet from shore.
There are two shelter areas for fish that were put in near the strips of land; however, one is right next to a swimming area, making it useless when in use. However, I did manage to catch a 16 inch largemouth there a couple of weeks ago while there were no swimmers. The other shelter area has brought me nothing at all, but I have not tried it recently. It is right between the dam and the first strip of land. Each shelter area runs about 8-15 feet in depth, I am told, and is filled with dead trees and limbs. There are no lily pads, and lures often get hung up.

If you have any suggestions as to how to fish this lake with just poles and tackle, please let me know.
(Also worth noting: I am without a large sports store here, so Wal-Mart is my supplier of lures and tackle.)

It is true that alot of noise can drive fish away; it's also true that you can sometimes catch bass around beach areas. I believe that at times some bass become accustomed to the noise. I once won a club tourney by pitching a worm between two kids shore fishing, and they were making a whole lot of noise. I think the bass were there because of the blue gills the kids were catching. If I were you, I would fish early in the morning, sunrise because many of those bass are holding in deep water, around here about ten feet during the day, and come in to feed early in the morning. Top waters can be fun at night. Look for weed beds during the day and hit them with top waters at night. Work ares around those points. Well, I'm sure you'll get some sound advice from the pros on this ste. It's one of the best sites I've ever found. Good luck, Carl

KSBASS,
Don't worry too much about the swimming area spooking bass, in fact it may well be your best shot. Don't tell anyone this, but I have won several tournaments fishing busy boat ramps, I catch fish as boats are putting in and taking out. I'm not talking close to the ramp, but right on the cement and on both sides of the ramp. Here's what happens. The trailers backing into the water and the large engines starting and backing off or onto trailers causes a lot of current in a small area. This kicks up sand dirt and algae. The water becomes dingier, the algae attracts miinnows and panfish which in turn attracts the bass. Bass in heavily boated areas become used to seeing and hearing boat motors. It's kind of like us walking down a highway, we're so used to cars they don't bother us. Go fish. Johnnie