03-10-2016, 06:28 AM
Quote:Could be the area you are fishing just has more fish
Had a hard time establishing location patterns - a few here, a few there. Nice thing about a highland lake is the diversity in hard vs soft bottoms as well as old channel drops and flats adjacent to them. For example, at the deepest end of the lake there is a long rocky ridge - one side drops quickly to 14' (deepest section); the other side of the ridge has stair-shaped ledges at different depths that eventually drop to deeper water.
Because I got out late, I only surveyed less than a quarter of the lake's structure and areas known to have fish. Could be that pre-spawn fish will be going shallow in the next few weeks and easier to pattern.
Does the lake you fished have good structure? Another local lake I fish in April is a boring-as-h*** - a lowlands lake with a mostly flat bottom and a few points and rock walls, but extensive, shallow wetland flats.
I have to wait until weeds begin to form to and find which areas, at which time of day fish are present in large numbers. The other lake I fished today has no wet lands flats, but distinct areas that hold fish at one time or other at different times of year.
I'll be fishing more military compound lakes in the near future given the early rise in water temperature. Most have nice large wetlands but also rocky structure bordering deep water.
The lure I sent is less likely to work trolling regardless of location and time of year. It must be kept at mid depth to near bottom and with a very light jig and retrieved so slow, you'll grow more hair on your beard before it's time for another cast. [laugh] Once the action gets hotter, 1/8 oz. jig heads can be and must be worked a bit faster to cover more water on the long cast. The strikes today were just as hard - even the small sunfish didn't mess around!
Wished we lived closer so you could fish with me on any of the dozen or more lakes I rotate - some off limits to the general public and with far less fishing pressure.
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