joetomlee

Wow, tough call. So much of the lake is symmetrical as far as drop-offs and flats are concerned. Can I see an image of the west end of this lake please? Usually in the spring I will just fish from shore seeing as how the bass stage so shallow; it is easy to pick them off fishing shallow flats with a sudden drop-off somewhere nearby. I had the most luck using this method last year and hope it continues throughout 2014. I don't really see much of that structure on your map however. If I had to tackle this with the information given, I would hit up the north shoreline where it seems most shallow before suddenly falling. Also the southmost point throughout the shallows I can picture them staging their nests.

I went sledding for the first time in years, TWICE! It was fun, but unrelated to fishing.

I'm with nascar, I will carefully try and remove the hook and release the fish back into the water. I've read mixed reviews on this, but feel as though I've heard more standpoints backing leaving the hook in the fish as it is less likely to do harm. With that said, I don't know why I insist on removing the hooks - it just feels like the right thing to do. I'm interested in hearing others input.

These are my favorite posts, I love to see what areas others would fish and what I might be overlooking. Personally, I would hit up the cove mentioned by a couple others this spring, it seems like a comfortable nesting place for the bass. Also, seeing as how SMB are plentiful, I would not overlook any inlet/outlet. I don't know about the others, but I am tired of fishing dam's, they are loaded with carp (at least throughout the NYS waters I've fished). The spot on the Northwest corner, is that an overpass? I usually get lucky underneath those in the early mornings.

1. Remain confident 2. Research the body of water you will be fishing / Make a game plan 3. Slow down

Phishing Phreak - that is awesome!!! BEST OF LUCK!! Please share your experience with us all!

I've been wondering the same thing! Have any of you tried salmon/trout fishing? If so, was it a suitable substitute until the bass fishing picks back up?

I feel like you took a very good approach to the lake from what I've read. Secondary points are just like primary points only underwater and extend out further from the primary point, which is typically above water.. The video of Gene is a great tutorial. Don't give up the approach you took IMO, try again. The fish don't bite every time!

Thanks I did just check and it is limited to only 5 HP.

My family is considering a camp sight on waterfront property. We have located a lake (Tuscarora Lake in Nelson, NY) which is approx. 302 acres. It is a long and narrow lake and I am thinking motor boating is prohibited due to the size and shape of the lake. My boat is 150 HP, what do you guys think?

LMAO that's hilarious. Good fish.

CoBass is spot on IMO. I've personally only ever caught walleye at dusk/dark but I understand they can be caught throughout the day on jigs. I catch walleye at one of the finger lakes often on jerkbaits in holographic colors of clown and ghost shad. A friend of mine has been slamming them on P-Line lures, I've not tried these personally yet.

Since I am now a "Minnow" poster, I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to ask a question regarding how to hook live minnows, LOL. I've seen numerous variations of how this can be done, but whenever I hook a live minnow one of two things always seem to happen: 1. The minnow escapes the hook 2. The minnow dies too quickly to be very effective How do you hook yours: Nose? Tail? Body? Something else I might be missing?

I am in a similar situation as you with similar questions so I am eager to hear what people have to say. I was under the impression that they'd be more suited for river fishing in current. But, like you, I can't convince myself to tie them on and commit because I still have too many questions. I'm glad you posted this.

Great advice above. If the river system is moving quickly, I usually cast around 10 o' clock position and let it drift to 2 o' clock. Don't just cast aimlessly but rather find these markings that others have already suggested such as swirling eddies and even current breaks. Smallies can even be caught throughout the same types of structure that LMB relate to, such as low lying or submerged timber. Anything unusual, bass tend to relate to. Rivers tend to have (in my experience) rocky bottoms, and so be careful what you are casting as someone else mentioned already. for SMB I have been having good luck with green pumpkin tubes, weight depending on current.

Don't know if others will agree with this advice but I am generally skunked for 2 full days after a front/major storm system. So if it hits on Tuesday, I will generally not start catching them again until Friday. Just personal observation and not based off any real knowledge. These forums have so many tips and tricks it's ridiculous to try and go out there applying everything, you should grab 1 or 2 things at a time that interest you and work them alone until mastered then move on to 1 or 2 more things. If you are catching any fish on one of your first times out on the boat then you're already ahead of the crowd. I remember my first couple times I went on my new boat I fought it the whole time and barely even got a lure in the water. Big learning curve for me at least.

The biggest thing for me is of course patience!! That sort of goes hand in hand with working baits slowly, I had the same issue where I would work it too fast and try "too hard" for a long time. Slowing down helped me loads. Sometimes, the fish do like it fast though! Generally when I am fishing unfamiliar waters I will work faster moving baits as a search tool until I get that first bite. Other than that, slow is the way to go.

Snake Wisperer, thank you. I guess "year class" was the key words in searching this info. Once I typed it in, it came up immediately. I also searched the web for what year classes mean, which is just a group of fish born on a specific year. This is great info and I appreciate your help. You were of more assistance than you'll know!!

Where could I find an approximation to fish population within a lake? Because I am thinking about tracing bass numbers within a local lake that has undeniably undergone a lot of ecosystem changes the last 20 years.

Thanks for the response, what are year classes?

Hey everyone, I am working on a final paper for my business stats class and we get to choose a topic, review the info, and interpret the results in-depth. I chose fishing (of course, why else would I be telling you this???). I need some sort of annual chart (year by year measurements) of ANYTHING relating to fishing. Two topics which I was immediately interested in were zebra mussels or carp populations as I know they are on a fast rise around here. I've searched high and low and not finding any of these charts although I KNOW I've seen them in the past. Does anyone have any recommendations or perhaps have possession of a chart they could lead me to??? Thank you SO MUCH. in advance.

Thanks for the tips I am going to call them and see what is all included in their winterization and if they check these things. As far as cleaning goes I am pretty OCD about that, I completely clean it top to bottom after each outing.

Had my Nitro 189 for a few years now and always store it in the winter as well as have it winterized at my local marina. I can't help but wonder if I am missing something. Is this all that's required to maintain my boat? Or are there some tune ups and such that I might also be overlooking?

Mlbassin has a great point and I think that is largely the issue, versatility. You watch someone like KVD or Ike and they have such a solid base of knowledge that they can apply it throughout any setting. It's hard to leave a location you've been productive in the past at. However, the pro's have to do this all of the time.

What a monster!! Great catch. What body of water were you on?