rumz3

Hit the obvious points first. Structure in the water, moss edge, points, etc. Then stay with what is working...you will catch more fish by staying with what you are catching fish on. If you are talking pond bass, try the big lures first and always to see if the big dogs are out, but if that doesn't work, them scale down the shadow and jerk baits, etc.

Sounds unanimous, the lake forage dictates the bass preferences. Make so much sense to me. If you live next to a Steak n Shake, would you drive 30 minutes to eat at Dairy Queen??? I doubt it.

Dude, you have lucked into a fisherman's dream. Just pulling up on this lake must make your mouth water. The thing I would do first would be to take a day and simply enjoy whatever the lake had to offer, with or without electronics to guide your casting choices. Its almost like getting back to the basics. There is not anything on the line, nobody to impress, all the secret of the lake are yours. Take a few days and get back to the basics. Re-discover what it is that make you want to do this day after day after day, etc. Man, you will be rewarded with big shy bass, after big shy bass, because they won't know what the lure in front of thiem is, so they will give it a shot. Are you ready to rumble!

Man, you know that I see what you are saying has a lot of truth to it. I'm from IL where 10lb bass don't happen very often, but I can tell you from 20 years of bass fishing experience that I have hooked and landed my big fish in low light conditions. Like my father used to tell me when I lost a big one or it broke my line, those biggens' didn't get big by being stupid. I think the older and wiser bass feed only when there body clock turns on and they are even more leary of surrounding conditions. If something is not right, then it's back to the darkness until I feel comfortable. I think they can sense even when lures don't react like the real thing. I would bet that if one could night fish all the time, he would do much better size wise than a day person...

Unfortunately, I can't stand Wal-Mart. It's me, I'm sure, but anywhere that you can get tires, groceries and fishing lures...well let's just say the masses overcome the store. Bubba with his belly hanging out of his cut off tee shirt and Lulu with her own gut hanging out and spandex doesn't appeal to me. Hey, I'm a country boy, but at least I have respect in how I go out in public. Anyway, I do go to Wally World early or late and Dicks in my area doesn't always have the stock that Wally World has.

Try it out. Who knows what you can see down there. You have to figure out what works for you and where you are and what you want to see down there. Everyone has there own opinions, but you have to figure out what you need it for. If poeple give you advise here, you have to weed thru what you need to hear and someone sounding off for their own benefit. I didn't have one for years and I can tell you that I caught just as many fish as now, only now...I know where to go right away and can eliminate water by reading my depth finder.

Lots of grass, I like it all the time. Especially during the hot summer months. I really like to RAT fish the top of the muck or moss. The reason...it doesn't matter whether it's hot, day or night, the bass will seek it out for cover. So I would always fish on top of the muck or moss with a RAT. You can also use soft plastics, like I've seen mentioned here. If there are pockets in between, then pitch soft baits in the pockets. Have fun, because it can be heart stopping fishing a RAT!

Castable depth finders sound like something a little ahead of its time. Good theory, but I would have to see it to believe it. Maybe it works great, but I'm not sure. If you are a shore fisherman, what do you have to lose? Anything can help. Picture what the slope of the terrain in front of you does in conjunction with what it looks like on land. Most likely, it mirrors what you see in front of you. I have always tried to visualize what's in front of me from what I saw on land. Just a thoughts. I use a fishing buddy now in my boat, it' portable and battery operated.

Listening for bullfrogs...old school, but I like it. Just like watching for cows grazing. Cows a grazin' the fish are bitin'. Anyway, I like to come to a new place and look for 2 things, 2 types of cover that come together. Like wood on a point, or vegetation with wood, or a contour change near deep water, etc. I think the more multiples you have in your corner, the better your chances in any kind of condition. Good luck man.