Hey bassresource! I have fished from the shore of a large lake (lake ray Hubbard) a handful of times last season, albeit in the dead heat of a Texas summer, and was skunked each time. The thing is, I have no confidence in finding the fish on these big bodies of water. Being so used to fishing creeks with visible cover and small ponds with obvious grass etc, I have zero confidence when throwing into such a vast area, unaware of where the structure and cover is. I know that I need to start with a topo map of the lake to see if I can reach any points from shore, but what other pointers might y'all (I know but I just can't say you guys!) suggest for a landlocked angler on a big body of water? Oh yeah, Lake Ray Hubbard is a man made reservoir that covers some 23000 acres. Thank you all for your help and God Bless!

Concentrate your efforts breaking the water into  manageable segments. Think of a cove as your "pond".

You will generally discover both structure and cover. At the very least there are always two primary points.

where the cove meets the main lake. There is generally transition, from the back of the cove where water

comes in, stream or just run-off. At the source there may be gravel, sand or rocks that have washed into

the cove. You will probably fisn spots with laydowns and vegetation, too.

 

Think of big water as a puzzle and look closely at each piece of that puzzle.

 

 

i fish a large man-made lake from shore several times a year also, Smith Mountain Lake. One of my main targets is fishing the docks there that are within reach of casting distance. In the summer heat fish will hide under the docks for shade. Also there is a downed tree nearby that ive pulled fish from. and also there are a few stumps around in the cove. I was down there this past october and the water was really low, i took some pictures of the terrain thats usually covered in water. plus out in front of the dock im on i know there are humps underwater and just out past where i can cast runs a creek channel that runs through the cove with even deeper water. i also know there is a flat and a point in the vicinity too. knowing all these things have helped me catch fish from the bank in such a large body of water. it took 2-3 years to learn all this stuff, but now it helps me decide what to throw and where to target, and if that fails i know i have different underwater structure to target all around me. granted going out in my uncles boat has helped me learn some of this via the electronics which may be an advantage you dont have...

 

also, the last couple years there has been an underwater grass bed growing out in front of the dock. ive learned i have success catching fish by casting to certain areas or pockets in the grass or by staying on the edges of the grass, transitional areas. the bass in my avatar came there while nightfishing. i casted my bait out by the tree stumps which are in the flat which is between the point and the grass bed...

Great information here that I assume came with years of experience. RW, the puzzle comparison really helps me to look at the lake in sections, rather than as a whole. I guess the first thing I need to do is study the basic elements of each lake (i.e. coves, points, channels) and see how they relate to one another so that I can locate and fish these elements while on the water more easily.

And Red Earth, those stumps between the point and the grass beds sounds like a honey hole!!

I'm not sure that I can really contribute yet, but I am going to try bank fishing an 1,100 acre reservoir (Okhissa Lake in Mississippi) from the shore this Saturday. I aim on making a day of it and just getting away for the day. The water is super clear, especially by Louisiana's standards.

 

My goal is to throw big plastics and jigs down the dam (quick slope dropping from 6-8 feel to over 40 feet within castable range) and any accessible points. Tossing suspending jerkbaits and playing the waiting game and maybe trying my hand at the dropshot if I get desperate. Heck, I don't even know if bass hold on hard slopes such as dams in the winter.

 

However, if I learn anything, I'll be sure to let you know!

And Red Earth, those stumps between the point and the grass beds sounds like a honey hole!!

 

whats funny is the first year i fished this cove, i caught nothing over that way by the stumps. now i catch more there than anywhere else. Smtih Mtn Lake is over 20,000 acres and 500 miles of shoreline, just to give you a size comparison to the water youre fishing. My aunt and uncle own a house on the lake there. ive spent a lot of time studying that cove and learning it, atleast the areas i can cast to from the dock or shore. it did help getting out there on a boat though and learning water depth and what the underwater layout looked like. if the water is really low there at some point in time, i suggest going and looking at what you can see that was previously under water even if you dont fish that day. pay attention to your lure or bait when you reel it back in to see if there is grass attached to it. if its a bottom lure then pay attention to any possible snags/hesitation when you go to move your lure, it could be transitioning from one bottom type to another or indicate some form of cover....

So basically, take pics of the lake at low levels, drag some type of bottom bait to determine contour, and focus on learning a small section of the lake that has bass habitat within reach o land? That how I summed it up. Thanks a million Red Earth.

pretty much yeah. When i first joined this site i didnt think about stuff like that. But after a few years around here ive learned knowing the water youre fishing can help you out a lot more than one might think. To me, it makes more sense to learn the area im limited to fishing rather than trying to learn the whole lake of which i wont fish most of to begin with. Ive had more success after learning the cove than i have before when i was just "chunking and winding"...