Mr. Aquarium

cover- trees, weeds, rocks, docks. structure- humps, holes, flats, points. I always like isolated cover and structure, i think they are often over looked.

I find humps, steep drop offs, holes and flats when using google maps its awesome! I'll post some pictures A lot of my lakes and ponds dont have fishery info or depth maps. so google maps is what I use. The first 3 pictures are the same pond. the 4th picture is a different pond The first picture you can see an island with a long point, at the end of the super shallow point it drops right to 20 feet. There is a channel that separates the 2 small deep basins on the north and south side of the island. The south basin is 40 feet, north basin is 30 feet. These 2 basins are separated from the big deep basin by a shallow weedy flat that runs the length of the pond. The drop off on the long flat on the main basin side drops off very steep into 40-50 feet of water. The very south end of the pond along the southern shoreline has a deep hole, it looks like a crater from a meteor. Its a big circle in a super super shallow flat. It drops down to 15-20 feet in the hole but surrounded by 1 to 3 feet of water. 2nd picture is a long tapering point on the west side of the pond. That drops down but you can see theres a narrow band of shallower water that connects each point the western and eastern points. The hump rises to 15 feet with 25-30 feet on either side, north and south side. mussel and weeds on this hump. On the north side of the western point there is also a smaller deeper hole drops to about 15 feet. 3rd picture you can see a shallow hump surrounded by deep water. The hump rises to 8 feet of water with 30 feet around it. Its rocky and weedy. You can also see 2 coves. The left cove is bigger but separated from the deep water by a 5-10 foot shallow flat, but inside the cove it drops down to 10-12 feet. With shoreline trees and weeds. The right cove is deeper 15 feet deep and immediately connected to the deep basin. The eastern side of this cove has a shallow flat that drops down, the western side is where the deep water is. Its drops quick along the shore. It also has standing trees in 10-15 feet of water, but you cant see them from the surface. The 2 coves are separated by a rocky point. On the western cove out side of the cove the shoreline drops very quick to 20-30 feet of water. 4th picture, not much to talk about but you can see a big rocky flat, it drops off pretty quick to 20-30 feet deep

THIS IS WHY I NEED A d**n BOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a kayak and no fish finder! I do have 2 kickass finders! Down scan , and side scan/GPS/ finder unit! BUT NO BOAT!!!!!! It killing me! But I need to get a trailer hitch installed on my car, then a trailer , then a boat

i hope i never godzilla ice

Right! The summer its manageable and not miserable. Problem with this time of year and the wind is that the bites are light. With light bites and a bow in your line from the wind, good luck. If I had a boat and motor Id be out all the time. Especially with my 2 kickass fish finders. No need to cast. Drop it right on em I've caught fish be drifting blades on bottom. Not actively working the bait, just let it hang on bottom and slowly drift over the spot with the wind.

I got on some open water north of the bridge on Saturday. Fished a new pond. I missed one good whack early on the blade. had a few whacks on a small swimbait on bottom as well. I managed a smallie on a blade later in the day. fished the hair jig and blade mostly. Went to go find access to another pond I want to fish. It was half frozen. Not bad for no fish finder and fishing a new pond in the cold. wanted to get out sunday before football. woke up saw the weather, went back to bed. I ABSOLUTELY HATE fishing in the wind in the yak. I NEED A BOAT!

ive caught alive weeds all winter before, some with insects in them. I'll be out saturday and sunday. trying a new pond tomorrow

up here in the northeast when its cold, I use blades. I've been fishing hair jigs a lot to, they are new to the cold water box. I don't have many lures to use in cold water, I'm more worried about finding active fish. I know the lures I use work and will get bit once I find them

ill be out this weekend!! I havent been able to get out on to some coldwater bass lately. got some new ponds to check out! if i get bit this time of year at these new spots, then i can't wait to fish em in the summer

also the challenger jig as well just got back from a weekend trip to NY. Conditions were a little worse then what we expected/ hoped for. We got fish. I only caught king salmon. My 2 buddies caught some browns kings and a steelie.

punnisher jigs and cumberland jigs

ill have to check that one out, i've watched his blade bait video.

yep, I've set the hook a few times when I'm lifting the the bait. not knowing a fish picked it up

The deepest trees I've found were in a small cove in 10-15 feet of water standing timber. They don't come up to the surface either. This small cove has immediate access to deeper water, 20-30 feet in the mouth of the cove. There is another cove a little bigger and shallower. There is a 5-10 foot rocky flat that separates the coves deep hole, which is 10 feet and weedy from the deep 30 feet of the main lake. There are a few shoreline trees that are in 6-10 feet of water. I've marked big schools of fish deep, both in the cold and warm months, just always assumed they were perch. I've seen perch schools 20 feet thick, top to bottom. all white perch.

Awesome info. Any advice on how to locate them in ponds you dont know if they live there. I have 300 acre pond, big deep and clear, HUGE perch both whites and yellows. Never caught a crappie, but I never go after panfish, I fish for bass here. There is absolutely no fishery data on this lake. Great drop offs, deep trees, 2 40- 50 foot basins separated by a 10 foot shallow flat. Some really good humps, and flats. longs points. NO POWER BOATS EITHER!!!! only car top boats. looks like I gota bust out the panfish jigs and give it a shot

so they school by size?

I focus on deeper ponds this time of year, clear deep ponds if they are small that better. I like 20 plus but 10-20 you can fish as well. I go slow! I use alot of blade baits. I have been adding hair jigs to my arsenal as well. With the blade I lift the bait till it vibrates then let if fall, pause it. They'll suck it off bottom. I dont rip it up or bring it far off the bottom. Some days they may like the bait ripped up. Some days they want a short pause on bottom. Some days long. With hair jigs, i slow twitch it on bottom. Blades: 1/4-1/2 ounce silver. I'm going to use gold more this year to look like perch hair jigs: 1/4- 1/2- natural colors. Im just starting out using them, my best producer is black Last November I had a killer day fishing a new pond, bunch of 1-2lb fish biggest going 4lbs. plastics on jig heads, blades and hair jigs. Never fish the pond before that day. Water temps in mid to high 40s. I've had some banner days in January and February. There's fish to be caught. S lot of guys love jerkbaits in the cold in shallow ponds, but i only get pickerel. so i go deep away from the pickerel ^^ december- february fish. ive caught fish into november at night on topwater.

lets fish it!! if i need to get bit i go there.

i've had some great mid winter days out there. January! i cant wait to get out for some cold water bassin, im itching to go! after my trip to NY this weekend, its game on

ive been wanting to try that slip bobber rig.

if they can hit a 7inch swimbait, im sure they got no problem on 4-5 inch jerkbaits!!

lets go hit bucks!!!!!! got a few others i want to check out in that area!! hell ya dude! ill be up that way tomorrow. CANT WAIT!!!

lets fish in the yaks this december. i get out that fish

i live in MA, I'm never done maybe between skim ice and ice out time. That's if we get locked up, hoping we don't. I enjoy winter bass! I also enjoy panfishing in the winter! I never stop. I do a lot more trout and salmon fishing in the colder water as well. Theres always fish to be caught, just need to know where and how.

in spring i love taking a small original rapala or small rebel. twitching it just under the surfcae or one top, they hammer it! i love watching them hit a topwater.